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Hanamaki runs his fingers through the soft sand, humming to himself. He scoops up a little and adds it to the castle he’s building. He grins when he finishes it, admiring his masterpiece. He is just about to find some shells to add to the top of the castle when – bam! – a tuft of black, curly hair collapses into the structure, crushing it entirely.
“Hey!” Hanamaki calls out, incensed; that was minutes of hard work, all gone to waste.
“Sorry!” The small ball of black hair turns around and a boy around Hanamaki’s age grins sheepishly at him.
Hanamaki, not one to hold a grudge, merely shrugs and beams back. “Wanna make a new one with me? You owe me,” he adds as an afterthought. The other boy pauses, thinking hard.
“Okay,” he agrees, putting out his hand. “I’m Issei, by the way. Matsukawa Issei.”
Hanamaki takes Matsukawa’s hand and shakes it. “I’m Takahiro. Hanamaki Takahiro. You can be the prince and I’ll be your knight and we have to fight the Sea Dragon,” Hanamaki explains the rules of his special sandcastle, and the two of them begin to build a misshapen block together.
A small smile plays on Matsukawa’s lips the whole time, and it grows even wider when Hanamaki suggests that they go and find sticks to use as swords to fight the terrifying sea monsters.
To his relief, Hanamaki spots a familiar face on his first day at primary school. The dark-haired boy with bushy eyebrows cracks a grin the moment his eyes fall on Hanamaki, and he comes running over. Hanamaki spends every day with Matsukawa, becoming friends with new people along the way, together. There’s the slightly arrogant but talented Oikawa, who always looks out for them no matter what, and his best friend Iwaizumi, who is one of the toughest guys Hanamaki’s ever met. In fourth grade, he challenges Iwaizumi to an arm-wrestling match, but gets annihilated. He vows to pay him back one day. In sixth grade, the four of them decide to go on a camping trip at the beach with their families to signal the end of their time together in primary school.
“Betcha can’t beat me to the water,” Matsukawa’s eyes twinkle with mischief, as they always do whenever he is enjoying himself too much. Hanamaki rolls his eyes.
“Is that supposed to be a challenge?”
“Only if you think you can take me,” Matsukawa kicks off his thongs and holds them in one hand, grinning.
“Issei, I would destroy you –,” Hanamaki starts, but Matsukawa sprints ahead, laughing.
“Then you better quit trash-talking and start running, Hiro!” Matsukawa’s smug voice rings out, forcing Hanamaki to also take off his shoes and follow his best friend towards the water. His feet feel light as they race across the sand and his heart soars with happiness. The wind chases after him as he chases after Matsukawa; the other boy only half a metre in front of him –
“… And I won! Even though you decided to cheat and get a head start …” Hanamaki pants slightly, toes on the water’s edge. A strange look crosses Matsukawa’s face for a split second before he smirks again.
“I let you win that ‘round, you know that, right?”
“Sure you did.”
Matsukawa shrugs in response. When their mothers call them from the tent to put on more sunscreen, he gives Hanamaki a hasty pat on the back as if to say ‘Well, you tried, but I’ll kick your ass next time’ and Hanamaki knows that he probably will.
Six years in junior high and high school fly by in the blink of an eye, and before he knows it, Hanamaki finds himself at his high school graduation ceremony. Next to him, Matsukawa stares at the ground, gaze hard but his eyes soft. On his other side, Iwaizumi holds his head high and allows a few tears to fall. Oikawa starts to give his speech about the volleyball team.
“To all my team members, especially these three third years, who have stuck with me through thick and thin,” Oikawa’s voice shakes slightly, but he smiles through it. “I could not have done this without you. Thank you to every single one of you for making me the best possible version of myself I could be. On and off the court, you have been by my side and I will be forever grateful for the friendships we’ve made on this team together.”
Hanamaki feels Matsukawa shaking next to him and he instinctively steps closer to him to take his hand. Matsukawa grips it tightly, hand wet from wiping his own tears, but Hanamaki does not pull away. Oikawa concludes his speech with a riveting “Here’s to the next great adventure in our lives,” and the audience bursts into tears and applause.
“Do you remember the last time the four of us went camping together?” Matsukawa asks as he interlaces his fingers with Hanamaki’s. The four of them sit on the sand; Hanamaki and Matsukawa lean against each other, and Iwaizumi’s head rests on Oikawa’s lap. After the many tears, hugs, and half-hearted promises left behind at school, Hanamaki can’t help but feel a sense of relief to escape to the ocean with the people who matter most in his life.
A vivid image of two twelve year old boys sprinting against the wind flashes through Hanamaki’s mind and he lets out a small chuckle, recounting the memory for them all to hear.
“You want a repeat of that time I left you in the dust during a race?”
Matsukawa shoots him a grin and nudges him in his sides. “Yeah, alright.” His voice is laced with good-natured sarcasm as he stands up, stretching, and he holds out a hand to Hanamaki, who takes it gratefully.
“You’re not seriously gonna race now, are you?” Iwaizumi grumbles, shielding his face from the sun with his hand. Their old ace rolls his eyes when Hanamaki cocks his neck to the side and shakes out his legs.
“You ready?” Matsukawa grins at him.
Hanamaki nods.
Matsukawa wins the race this time, although not by much. Hanamaki slows himself to a jog as they reach the other end of the beach, and as though on cue, Matsukawa turns and - as he has done so many times before - extends a warm hand out to Hanamaki, drawing him into his chest. Strong, familiar arms hold Hanamaki close while he leans against Matsukawa’s body, and in that moment, Hanamaki feels as though time has slowed down. There are no worries about university, exam results, no anxieties about jobs or homes or the future.
It’s just the two of them in this race against time, sharing something so intimate, so serene, that any and all unnecessary thoughts are pushed to the side when Matsukawa brings a hand to cup Hanamaki’s cheek and kisses him. Matsukawa’s lips are soft and inviting, reminding Hanamaki of endless summer nights and adventures yet to be shared.