Chapter Text
Hajime poured himself some coffee and strolled over to the window. The leaves were beginning to change color from a vibrant green to golds, oranges, and yellows. A gentle breeze plucked some of them off, soaring through the air before making a soft landing by the window. Autumn always felt nostalgic.
He was so caught up in the view outside, a noise from behind startled him. He clicked his tongue at a bit of the spilled coffee before looking back.
Kenzaki was draped haphazardly on the bed, half his body off the edge, he looked ready to fall off it completely.
Hajime smirked, his annoyance gone. He strolled over and gently picked up his arm first, draping it over his chest, and then his leg, crossing it on top of the other. Kenzaki stirred for a moment before his light snoring continued. Somehow that wasn’t enough to wake him, but when Hajime knelt down to run his hand through his hair, Kenzaki’s eyes fluttered open.
“Morning.” His sleepy smile and half-whisper made Hajime’s heart skip a beat.
“You were a second away from hitting the floor.” He kept his hand there, fingertips circling his scalp.
“Hmm?” Kenzaki felt like he was being lulled to sleep again. It felt so good, even more so because it was Hajime finally doing it.
“I will let you fall next time.”
“Mmh. You need a bigger bed.” Though they were no longer shy about sharing embraces in bed, they were still both grown men and a single twin in the corner was not the most comfortable place to cuddle in. There was the loft up the ladder, but Kenzaki was just a bit too tall to lay there without accidentally hitting his head.
“No room.” Admittedly, he didn’t really think about that. Kenzaki hadn’t really figured into his sleeping arrangements until the night he came back with him. And even then it took longer than that to even think about sharing a bed.
He’d need to measure later.
“Don’t let me fall.” He murmured, leaning into his hand.
Hajime was fascinated with how something as simple as that could make his heart stir. “No promises.”
“Can I get some coffee?”
Hajime drained his mug, sorrowfully pulling his hand away, and went back over to the coffee pot to refill it. He had long since learned how Kenzaki liked his coffee. “Come get it.”
He groaned, slowly sitting up and tore himself from the bed. With one eye open, he walked over, taking the hand that held the mug and drank from it that way. He leaned over enough that Hajime didn’t have to stretch.
Careful not to spill, Hajime took the mug in his other hand and finished what was left of it. It was a bit too sweet for his liking.
“Hey...!” Kenzaki protested with a yawn. He was still very tired and moments away from sleeping on his feet. He fell on top of the other, draping his arms around him and resting his head on his shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep much I guess.”
Hajime brought his arms up to complete the embrace, gently rubbing his back, before moving his hand up to his head. Kenzaki was moments from actually sleeping in his arms until he felt a gentle tug on his scalp.
“Go back to bed.”
“Carry me.”
“No more sleeping. We’re supposed to be at Jacaranda later.” He couldn’t help but say that with a smile. He was grateful Kenzaki was instead too buried into his neck to see it.
“Yeah, yeah…” Kenzaki slowly rose up, his hands moving up to Hajime’s shoulders. “If you need me awake, I’m gonna need coffee. More of it.”
Kenzaki spent the rest of the morning knocking back a few more mugs of coffee while Hajime spent much longer than he needed to picking an outfit.
“What’s with the get-up?”
“Try to dress nice.”
Kenzaki was about to protest, claiming he only had a few things to his name, but then he remembered his wardrobe had tripled with Hajime’s help. Surely there was something he could wear to look presentable. “We got a reason, or you just having fun?”
“Amane asked.”
“Can’t say no to her, can I?”
It took a couple hours more, but Kenzaki and Hajime had finally decided on outfits. Hajime had a black double-breasted trench coat, a white button-up, with a black tie, some striped slacks, and dress shoes. Amane had gotten him the tie years ago, it had a pattern of dark red hearts that shone in the right light. Kenzaki looked dressed more for a funeral than any normal outing, all in black. A button up, a suit vest, slacks, and dress shoes as well. The top couple of buttons were undone, letting his spade necklace fall neater against his chest. He also had a few new rings and a restrung card suit bracelet.
Kenzaki took a look in the mirror and noticed how much longer his and Hajime’s hair had gotten. It looked as it did when they first met.
“I clean up good!”
“Better than a t-shirt and jeans.” There were more things he wanted to say, but those thoughts could wait until later.
Hajime looked at his watch. He hadn’t realized how long they had taken to get ready. He quickly checked himself in the mirror and walked quickly outside. Kenzaki followed behind closely. Hajime sprinted over to Shadow Chaser, slipping on his helmet and moving the kickstand up.
“Don’t fall too far behind.” He smiled before tearing off into the distance.
Kenzaki scrambled, running to his bike and giving chase.
As soon as they hit the roads, they were back to their old unspoken race, darting around and overtaking one another as they zoomed past that sleepy town. The cool wind was blowing through their helmets and clothes, Hajime’s coat fluttering as he raced past Kenzaki.
It was all comfortably normal until they were on more familiar roads. Hajime suddenly sped forward, nearly leaving Kenzaki in the dust.
“Hey, hey! Hajime, what the hell?!”
By the time Kenzaki had finally caught up, his bike was already parked outside the cafe, and Hajime, despite his age, was hopping over the banisters like nothing had changed. Kenzaki haphazardly parked his bike next to Hajime’s and continued his chase. He followed his movements almost perfectly, but was still too slow as he crashed into the cafe door.
A bit dizzy, Kenzaki blindly reached for the handle and managed to wrench the door open. As he stomped his way inside, he came across Hajime sitting down at an empty table, sipping from a tea cup.
“You wanna tell me what that was?”
“Turn around.”
“What?”
Kenzaki could hear some hushed whispers and when he turned around, a small crowd of people erupted behind him. “Happy birthday, Kenzaki!”
Noisemakers and party poppers exploded and a shower of confetti rained down upon them all. Before Kenzaki could even register what was going on, they swarmed him. With hugs, congratulatory pats on the shoulder, ruffling his hair, and so many conversations happening at once, Kenzaki felt tears immediately well up.
It was his birthday. He completely forgot about it. It was easy to forget when he had no one to celebrate it with. With the years before running into each other, he wouldn’t have been able to keep track if he tried.
They did.
Hajime looked on with a smile, still sipping his tea. He could see how the shock began to wear off, the tiredness from earlier being washed away.
“I was wondering why we got all dressed up…” They all laughed.
“So, how old are you now, Mr. Kenzaki?” Amane beamed.
“Ah, well…” He felt eternally 22 and yet closer to 100 all at once.
“He’s 38 now.” Hajime chimed in.
Though Kenzaki had long stopped keeping track of time, Hajime, who existed before all of them, began counting the days, months, and years since Kenzaki left him. At first, it came from a place of anger. When he and Kenzaki reunited, he had wanted nothing more than to throw in his face how long he’d been gone. Eventually it just became another habit in his life.
Amane called him an old man and Haruka told her to knock it off, both laughing. Eventually the crowd gave him some breathing room, letting him sit at the head of the larger table beside the one Hajime sat at. The guests soon followed, all taking their seats, chatting amongst themselves.
Kotaro and Tachibana were having a rousing conversation about Riders and Undead, their eyes sparkling. Mutsuki and Nozomi were having a bit of an argument over nearly being late. Hirose was asking Haruka advice on how to deal with a rambunctious teen, as her child was getting of that age. Amane excused herself from the table, asking Hajime to come with her.
Kenzaki was still not used to it all so he stayed quiet, preferring to observe. He remembered that afternoon on the Shirai farm, telling Kotaro how he never had any friends and he was as naive as one could be. Now here he was, surrounded by a near-full table of people who he could earnestly call his friends.
Amane returned after some time, laying out dishes and silverware. Hajime followed soon after, rolling out a dining cart, which was stacked with different pots and a display of pastries. According to Amane, it would be a three course meal, with the final dessert being Kenzaki’s birthday cake.
“You guys didn’t need to do all that!” He rubbed the back of his neck, a blush creeping over his cheeks.
“We’re making up for lost time, Mr. Kenzaki!” Mutsuki grinned.
“Well if you won’t eat your portion, it’s mine!” Hirose gave a smug look, the same she’d give when she fixed a problem the others couldn’t.
The first course was a simple, but rich cream soup.
“I can’t believe it’s been a little over a year since you came back…” Tachibana said in between slurps of the broth.
“Has it really been that long?” It was still a weird thing to grasp. He dragged his spoon through the soup, but couldn’t bring any of it to his lips.
“Feels shorter now that you’re back, right?” Kotaro smiled, pulling himself away from his bowl, some of the cream on his upper lip.
“Something like that.” His appetite was slowly returning, finally eating a couple spoonfuls.
“So why’d you leave for so long, Mr. Kenzaki?” Nozomi was out of the loop. That question caused the mood at the table to immediately shift, glances moving from an increasingly nervous Mutsuki and a genuinely confused Nozomi.
Kenzaki made trails in his soup before responding. “My…job was done, so I took a vacation. Should have kept better contact, sorry about that.” He grinned sheepishly. None of that was a lie, but everyone who knew, knew it wasn’t exactly the truth either.
There was a collective quiet sigh as they returned to their meals.
The second course was chicken and rice pilaf.
Kenzaki went to take a bite, and noticed the carrots were shaped like little hearts.
Tachibana’s eyes lit up as the pilaf was scooped onto his plate. He had been waiting for another plate longer than he cared to admit. By the time everyone else had been served, he was asking for seconds. Hirose looked on in horror, wondering if the food was even safe to eat given Tachibana’s undiscerning taste buds.
A couple rice grains stuck to his face as he turned to her. “Are you gonna eat that?”
She shook her head, spooning some of it onto his still full plate.
Kenzaki nearly choked on his food, trying his hardest not to laugh. “Hungry, Tachibana?”
He waved his spoon at Mutsuki and then back at Kenzaki. “Been waiting for this to be back on the menu for a while. Never is when I’m in town.”
“You can just ask.” Hajime chimed in from the other table.
“I…didn’t realize that was an option.”
“It’ll be extra though.”
“Hajime!” Haruka yelled. “Just let us know beforehand, and we’ll have it ready for you!”
Kenzaki fully understood why Tachibana waited for another chance. It was a deceptively simple main course, but the chicken was juicy and tender, and the savory broth the rice had been boiled in was in every single grain. The vegetables added a bit of freshness, the carrots especially. He would beg Hajime, if need be, to make this at home.
The final course would be Kenzaki’s cake, but he needed some time before could eat another bite. Kotaro suggested he open his presents now, nearly bouncing from how giddy he was.
“Presents? You guys didn’t need to get me anything…”
“Well too bad, we did!” He thrust his gift into Kenzaki’s hands.
It was rectangular, but not a box, that much he could tell. It was wrapped in shiny green wrapping paper, with a little cow print bow on it. Kenzaki half-expected to find a bottle of milk inside, but when he tore the paper away, he was greeted with the cover of his new book.
It was a hefty hardcover, with the title: Undying: An Evolutionary Battle. Its front cover was divided by a painting of an ancient land and the silhouette of some creature, he figured an Undead. The back had a small summary, some reviews, and the extension of the mural.
“Is it autographed too?” He teased, mesmerized by the glossy covers.
“Of course, anything for my good friend!” Hearing that from Kotaro was honestly better than any gift he could give.
“Thank you! I’ll give this a look as soon as I can, knowing you it’ll be another hit.”
“Since I had Tachibana’s help, it’s way better than the last one, let me know what you think when you finish it!”
Nozomi dragged Mutsuki over from his conversation with Tachibana, an unwrapped gift in her hand.
“We saw these at a market and we were reminded so we figured to bring some back.” It was a 6 pack of a fizzy vitamin drink that Kenzaki had been accused of stealing back then. The bottles looked a lot different but he remembered the brand somehow.
“Couldn’t figure out a gift in time, Mutsuki?” Tachibana yelled from the other side of the room.
“Not at all, Mr. Tachibana! I’m sorry for accusing you of stealing, Mr. Kenzaki!” He bowed his head, accidentally banging it against the table. “Ow…”
“Well, glad to see you saw the light at least!” Kenzaki winced but laughed. He cracked open a bottle and handed one to each of them. “Cheers!”
Once the bottles were drained, Amane and Haruka were up next. She handed him a fairly large and heavy present. It was wrapped in birthday cake patterned paper, and had a few bows on top as well as an envelope. “Knowing Hajime, you guys are probably eating out of paper plates and plastic cups there so…”
Inside the box, there was a set of silverware, a set of dishes, and a set of glasses. Amane wasn’t wrong, but Kenzaki hadn’t really thought about it too much. As he stared at the packaging of the dishes though, it set in that this was a housewarming gift, and Kenzaki had a proper home to go back to. It was an overwhelming feeling, to the point that he could barely squeak out a “thank you”.
Haruka was dabbing away tears, giving Kenzaki a quick hug with Amane following. “I know it isn’t much, but we figured this was the best way to thank you.”
Kenzaki cleared his throat as best he could. “I should be thanking you.”
Amane looked like she was close to tears herself, but she managed to keep it together.
Hirose and Tachibana came next, patiently waiting for the other two to take their seats, not wanting to ruin the moment. Hirose handed him a small box and Tachibana handed him a gift bag.
“It’s not much but…” They said simultaneously before turning to the other.
“Heard from a little someone you spend too much on burner phones, so…” Hirose had gotten him a brand new and proper smartphone. “My number’s loaded on it already, so no excuses Kenzaki!”
“Yeah, yeah! You weren’t easy to track down in the first place, y’know!”
“Says you! If you leave like that again, you better send an email!” She smiled, though her eyes looked a bit sad. Though some time had passed, it was still hard to get used to such a painful loss, even with Kenzaki’s return. She was still afraid he’d leave again.
“I got ya, I got ya, I promise.” He held out a pinkie. His eyes seemed to share a bit of that sadness, though he made an unspoken promise to never leave again.
Hirose smacked him on the head.
He slipped the box into Tachibana’s gift bag and pulled out a jacket. It was nearly identical to the one he originally got from BOARD. His old jacket was fairly tattered, the BOARD patch stained with stuff that refused to come out, and was falling off on top of that.
“Check the pockets!”
Inside one of the pockets was a check for a few hundred thousand yen.
“Tachibana?!”
“You’re not hired yet but I didn’t forget the conversation we had. If you do wanna come back for real, let me know.”
Kenzaki shot up from his seat, shaking Tachibana’s hand vigorously. “You got it!”
All who remained to give him something was Hajime, but he saw no other bags or boxes. He looked around the room and didn’t see him either. For a moment he felt a twinge of sadness, but he had given him so much in the last year, not to mention having the patience of a saint all these years, that a gift was completely unnecessary.
Haruka clasped her hands as everyone returned to their seats. “I hope everyone still has room for some cake!”
She quickly made her way to the kitchen as Amane pulled out some bottles of champagne and glasses.
Their glasses were nearly overflowing as the cake was wheeled into view. It was a big rectangle cake with white frosting, adorned in white sugar playing cards, an Ace on each corner of the cake, the rest decorated with frosted cookies shaped like spades, and the now-lit candles on top shaped like swords.
Smiling faces surrounded him as they sang him a birthday song. This was probably the closest Kenzaki had been so far to crying, but he held firm. His gaze moved from each of his friends’ faces to the candles in front of him, their wax slowly dribbling down each one.
As the song reached its end, Kenzaki closed his eyes, making a wish before blowing the flames away. The group erupted into cheering, Haruka moving to cut a big slice for him. The cake was a simple vanilla affair, though the frosting layers had small bits of fruit, adding freshness to each bite. He pulled off one of the sugar playing cards, the Ace of Spades, holding it up before taking a big bite of it.
Kenzaki had wondered where Hajime went off to, as he still hadn’t returned. It was then that music filled the air. The conversations all died down as the group turned their attention towards its source.
Hajime was sitting near one of the windows, plucking at the strings of an old acoustic guitar. All eyes were on him, but his eyes were glued to the frets. It was a simple tune, but its notes tugged at heartstrings.
Amane recognized the tune immediately, it was one that Hajime had played when she was a little girl. He claimed he didn’t really know how to play guitar, but back then, just as he did now, played it like the chords were tattooed on his calloused fingertips.
Kenzaki felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Seeing the way he focused on nothing but the instrument in his hands, closing his eyes briefly as the music took even him. Not to mention the song itself, its first half of somber notes.
It conjured up images of cold lonely nights on some godforsaken vessel, but it wasn’t just his loneliness he felt, but Hajime’s as well. Not just for the time they’d been apart, but all the times he had been without those he called his family, and the millennia where had no one and nothing but the instinct to keep fighting. The second half was more hopeful. And those same images faded, from a suffocating loneliness to ones of waking up to a still sleeping Hajime in his arms. It was like a flower blooming at a harsh winter’s end.
When the song ended, the table erupted in applause. Amane, now crying, ran over to embrace Hajime as he placed the guitar aside. Everyone else seemed a bit misty eyed as well, Kenzaki included.
Hajime took his seat at a table nearby, not yet comfortable to join the rest. Kenzaki considered it a mercy at the moment, as there was no way he could face him so soon. He bared himself to all of them in a way he very rarely did. His heart truly bled for Hajime, as it always had. At that very moment he wanted to grab Hajime and beg for forgiveness all over again, he wanted to tell him how much he cared for him, and how beautiful that song was. Instead he kept quiet, finishing his slice of cake and downing a few more glasses of champagne.
The rest of the evening was much calmer, as the alcohol was more effective in lulling people to sleep more than anything. They were all sharing stories, and Kenzaki had plenty to tell of his travels. They sat enraptured as he eventually took the bulk of the conversation, telling stories of sneaking onto ships, working a number of odd jobs in lands far away, coming across some of the most breathtaking things nature had to offer, and showing off his newly acquired, but limited knowledge of languages he picked up on the way.
Though they had wanted to stay longer, to spend as much time with Kenzaki as they could, the outside world and all their obligations pulled them away. They slowly trickled out, all hoping and wishing to see him again soon. They didn’t want it to be the last time.
Eventually, only he, Amane, and Hajime were left. It reminded Kenzaki of the first night of his return, over a year ago now. So much had changed, and yet so much had stayed the same. Hajime finally had a few glasses of champagne, the bottles now drained.
Amane yawned and with one open eye looked at her watch. It was getting late. She stood up from her seat, gave a quick stretch and started collecting some of the garbage. It thankfully wasn’t too much, as everyone had been courteous enough to clean up after themselves.
“Do you need help?” Kenzaki rose to his feet, grabbing a few empty dishes.
“I’m fine. You two should head home.” She gathered up the larger of Kenzaki’s gifts and moved them behind the bar. “I’ll bring these to you tomorrow, it’d be kinda hard to carry them on bikes.”
Kenzaki nodded.
As Hajime moved to pick up some trash, Amane swatted his hands away. “I said go home. Enjoy the rest of the night, you both deserve it.”
Hajime looked a bit pained, but there was no arguing with her. He nodded as well and gave her a hug goodbye. Kenzaki bowed and thanked her for a wonderful evening before giving one final wave. As they both stepped outside, Kenzaki grabbed Hajime’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
“So where’s your gift?” Kenzaki smirked as they strolled down the ramps.
“Do you want it now?” He had hoped to give it to him when they returned, but…
“Huh?!”
Hajime, with a moment of hesitation, pulled his hand away from Kenzaki’s and reached into his coat, pulling out a large rectangular object. It was hard to see in the low light, but as he moved towards a nearby stoplight, he realized what it was.
“Isn’t this…” It was Hajime’s first photobook, the one he had purchased in a bookshop what felt like a lifetime ago.
“You asked for an autograph, right?”
Kenzaki opened it and saw his signature, not Masaki Kenichi, but Aikawa Hajime’s signature on the inside cover. As he turned the yellowed and dog-eared pages, it wasn’t the only time he saw Hajime’s handwriting. He turned and turned more and more pages, and by every picture there were a few lines or even a paragraph in the margins. When he reached the back cover, there was one final message from Hajime.
Thank you for everything. I don’t know if I can ever repay what you’ve done for me, but I’ll try.
The message was punctuated with a tiny heart and his signature once more.
The book fell from his hands, and before Hajime could grab it, Kenzaki, overflowing with love, grabbed him and leaned in. He pressed his forehead against the other’s, just as they did the night they finally reconciled.
“Hajime…” He choked, unable to find the words to thank him properly. He wasn’t sure he ever could.
Hajime closed the distance between them, pulling Kenzaki down to kiss him. He tasted sweet.
He could feel something warm and wet on the hands that cupped Kenzaki’s face. He pulled back for a brief moment, the streetlamp giving the other a wonderful glow, its light bouncing off tear streaked cheeks.
“Happy birthday, Kenzaki.”