Archive of Our Own

It was an eight-hour car ride to Aomori from Tokyo, and it wasn’t a drive Kakeru would wish upon his worst enemy. However, a train simply wouldn’t get them there in time for the job. And when Kakeru had suggested calling in a jet to fly them over, Taiga was the first to shut him down. He refused to show up in anything flashy and make a scene in his hometown. Kakeru was powerless against that kind of demand.

He was powerless against a lot of things involving Taiga Kougami, as it turned out.

Such as taking the repayment for the taxi fare. He never had expected Taiga to pay him back, really. He didn’t need him to. But he said it anyway, knowing he’d want to and knowing he would. Taiga was a man of honor, and his pride would have never allowed a single debt to go unpaid. Kakeru knew these things about Taiga, and took the money gladly. Yet somehow the coins still felt heavy in his pocket, as though they were worth more than a simple taxi out to the waterside district.

“They’re all asleep finally,” Minato’s voice chuckled from next to him. Kakeru blinked to awareness, wondering exactly why he wasn’t asleep as well. He had been drifting in and out for a few hours now, but he couldn’t settle. He toyed around with the idea of pulling out his laptop to try to get some work done, but he had agreed long ago not to work during the weekends. “I’m glad. I was worried the ride would be too bumpy.” Minato sighed, glancing over to make sure Yukinojo was still sound asleep to Kakeru’s right.

Kakeru hummed, looking around the van. Minato wasn’t wrong; everyone had drifted off, even the overly excitable Shin, collapsed into his seat with Leo fallen on top of him. “That’s good. Not everyone can sleep well in cars. Especially not with such a ruthless driver behind the wheel~”

“I can hear you two you know,” Yamada-san called to the back, tired and with no venom in his voice. Both Kakeru and Minato put a finger to their mouths, hushing him instantly so that he wouldn’t wake the other five. They had a job to do, after all. And they could use all the rest they could get.

The noise they caused was small, but Taiga still shifted in his sleep. Kakeru’s attention shifted with him, staring at the other boy for a long moment. He slumped into the window, cheek pressed against it as though he were trying to become one with it. He was always like this, when he slept, looking for something to bear against. It had become the reason Kakeru was here now- distanced in the backseat, leaning forward to get a better look. 

In the past, Kakeru would have trouble picking places to sit on journeys; he often had paperwork to do and emails to send. Minato liked to do dinner prep with whatever ingredient he had on hand, even in cars and trains. Yukinojo spent many hours running through forms during the waking hours, arms waving to and fro. Shin was a unique form of excitement, chattering away and pushing Kakeru into the window to get a better look at the scenery. Leo was fine until he started asking Kakeru to hold onto his pin cushion while he stitched. Yuu was the best candidate, until the sun fell down and he thrashed terribly in his sleep, as though dancing to some unheard tune. Taiga was the only one who remained quiet the whole time. He would sit next to him often, and that worked well for a time.

But then Kakeru started to notice Taiga more. And he began to see him differently. He began to hear him more loudly, even when he wasn’t speaking. And then he began to see him like he was right now- illuminated in the fractured moonlight, his features softened with sleep and his arms seeking warmth to cling onto in the night. Kakeru admittedly missed when he was the shoulder that Taiga fell onto. But somewhere down the line, Taiga had become more distracting than everyone else in Edel Rose, and he simply had to move seats. It was better this way. Safer. Seeing Taiga like this was becoming too dangerous, and he was sinking too deep.

Still, he didn’t look away. And he didn’t stop his hand from reaching forward as he leaned against the seats in front of him. And he didn’t pull back from brushing the unruly bangs from Taiga’s face, smiling as his forehead furrowed at the sensation.  

He blinked, realizing himself suddenly, feeling more awake than ever before. He leaned back in his seat, steadying his heart as he looked to his left, to check how much Minato had seen. He knew he had nothing to be ashamed of, really. But as the heir to a major corporation, you could never be too careful with your affections. With your preferences.

However, Minato had his eyes soundly shut, curled into the backseat with his face turned the other way. Kakeru smiled to himself, and then helplessly chuckled when he saw the tiny smirk on his friend’s lips, feigning sleep but keeping silent in the long restless hours of the night.

---

Kakeru had known that Taiga’s family owned an apple orchard, of course. Everyone knew, really. For all he never talked about home, not a lot about Taiga’s life was a mystery. He grew up in the middle of the clean country air, to two parents who loved each other immensely, surrounded by a large family that supported each other, and opened its arms to even the strangers of Edel Rose.

Kakeru snickered to himself as the adults grabbed for Yamada-san and dragged him off to drink. They had only been there five minutes, and already they were accepting everyone as one of their own. It was as though the little Edel Rose family had grown double the size in the span of a single minute. Kakeru’s heart stirred, churning together both warmth and jealousy. He wanted to see Taiga’s childhood, surrounded by growth and greenery. He wanted to know what it was like to grow up being able to see the stars, beyond the light pollution of the city.

Ozora obliged without Kakeru even asking, pulling out an old photo album as everyone got settled into the room they’d be sleeping in for the next two nights. Everyone gathered around willingly, as Taiga wrestled his two cousins to the ground in an attempt to ignore everyone cooing over his old baby pictures. There were tons of them, all lovingly collected and kept safe in a hand-made photobook, precious beyond its material costs. Kakeru grinned, engraving every single photo into his mind.

The conversation and the stories prattled on, until Shin finally asked the question that Kakeru had been wondering for many months now.

“Then why did he come to Edel Rose?”

“Eh? He never told you?!”

And so the story began, and Kakeru listened attentively, painting in every detail with his own imagination. And he thought. And he absorbed.

Once, years ago, Kakeru had confessed to his father that he wasn’t sure he was interested in women. It was late at night, watching anime in his father’s room with the volume low enough that they wouldn’t wake his mother sleeping one room over. His father had assured him that there was nothing wrong with him, that he wasn’t broken, and Kakeru let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Next, he told Kakeru that it wasn’t the same, but he understood. He knew what it was like to hide the things he loved from everyone, that it was hard to pretend to be someone he wasn’t for the sake of the company. That he could talk to him any time. Kakeru looked around the darkened room at all the posters and figurines, faded blue in the light of the flickering TV. He felt something sink inside of him, wondering if one day he too would have to hide his preferences from his wife. If one day he’d also have to produce an heir and assure them that it wasn’t a crime to love.

He had joined Edel Rose to find another way.

There was a strange mix of elation and defeat in finding out that Taiga had the same preferences, whether he realized it or not. It was something he had suspected for a while, but the story sent his heart pounding so quickly that he could barely hold onto his watermelon as they sat outside in the hot Aomori afternoon. He smiled through it.

By the time the story wound down, the watermelon had changed to corn, and the sun was sinking into a warm evening with a stiff summer breeze. And it had become apparent that there was still so much hanging in the balance, and so much that Taiga had left to say to Kazuki. So many feelings left stirring inside of him that he couldn’t even hope to sort it all out. Kakeru bit into the corn, and he forced himself to smile through that one too.

---

After the bath, all of Kakeru’s long waking hours in the car started to catch up with him. He blearily looked up at the stars, rubbing his eyes as he started to drag himself out of the bathhouse and towards the main building. The others all walked ahead of him, laughing and chasing as Taiga swiftly attempted to outrun their teasing. Kakeru tried to focus on their words, but everything was starting to feel far away, and unreal.

The whole countryside felt like a dream, right now in the cool evening, with the warm bath water drying on his skin. He thought about Taiga climbing up into apple trees and falling sleep in the clean open air. Suddenly, he couldn’t blame him. It sounded pretty nice.

“Are you alright?” A steady hand caught his shoulder, as Kakeru swayed silently, shaking his head to stay awake. The near-fall pulled him out of it, catching his steps as he remembered his surroundings. All-nighters were no stranger to him, between work and his studies; pushing through exhaustion had become second nature over time.

“Yuki-chuwan,” Kakeru beamed at his friend as Yukinojo fell into step next to him. “It seems I can’t sleep well in cars, eheh. Just feeling pretty tired.” He stretched out, exaggerating a yawn as they neared the house. Everyone else was already inside, and he could see their shadows in the warm light of the main room as they gathered their futons for the night.

“That’s not what I meant,” Yukinojo said firmly, halting in his steps. Kakeru stopped with him, looking the boy over. His face was firm as he looked at his friend, his eyes narrowed as though he were searching for something. “The things Kougami-san said while in the bath. Are you alright?”

Kakeru laughed, but even to his own ears it sounded stilted. Yukinojo was not an expert on emotions and human nature, but he was observant, and he had learned. He and Kakeru had known each other the longest, after all. Well before anyone else at Edel Rose had enrolled. They had joined together, and watched the school fall and be reborn together. They had agreed to stay amidst the chaos, and they had grown into their family names together. It was only natural that Yukinojo had come to see right through him.

“Our Taiga-kyun has certainly grown up, hasn’t he?” Kakeru laughed, running his hand through his damp hair. Yukinojo only nodded, still not stepping forward, and still not removing his hand from Kakeru’s shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about me, okay~?”

“You always say that,” Yukinojo said, so low that he surely didn’t mean Kakeru to hear. But they were too close, and the night was too quiet. Kakeru only hummed, playing along that he didn’t hear anything at all.

He yawned again, even more loudly this time. He rolled his arms, breaking off Yukinojo’s firm and caring grasp. “Come on, Yuki-chuwan. You wouldn’t want to get the worst futon in the house and miss your beauty rest, would you, hmm?” He started again towards the house, pointedly ignoring the way Yukinojo’s mouth opened to protest, to press for more of what Kakeru was thinking and feeling.

Yukinojo had seen Kakeru’s heart break before, when Edel Rose first fell into financial decline. He had seen the guilt over how his very own company had helped put it there. He had watched Kakeru lose his faith in love, time and time again. And he was there for him, silently and resiliently, even when Kakeru tried to hide it. This heartbreak was nothing compared to that, and Yukinojo didn’t need to be there to see it.

---

Kazuki had arrived at the festival with little fanfare, but Taiga nearly buzzed with surprise and excitement. It was a sight to behold, when Taiga’s feelings became so much that they nearly spilled over. Normally Kakeru would take out his phone and snap a picture, for memory’s sake. But this time, it was different. It required special handling. Minato caught Kakeru’s eye, nodded, and stepped forward to encourage Taiga to not let the opportunity go to waste.

Kakeru fell in line, not because he had to. And not to protect his own feelings. But because he wanted to. He wanted to send Taiga forward, no matter what direction he was going to go. He wanted to push him off of the path Kazuki had cleared for him, and let him carve his own. He wanted to see Taiga fly, even if he wasn’t in the sky beside him.

But then the wellbeing of the festival was threatened. Kazuki had offered his assistance, and Taiga had stepped in. Stepped out, as it were, of a shadow that he never knew he was hiding under. And he refused the help of his friends. Not because he was ashamed, but because he truly didn’t need it. Because he felt the prism’s radiance on his own. He felt love.

Kakeru smiled, knowing that he would be just fine. They both would.

---

In truth, Kakeru had never been to a festival before. Not a proper one anyway. The chance had simply never presented itself. He had seen them on TV, and knew all the significance and basic concepts. He had approved various project proposals that involved them, and knew the spirit of excitement that they carried. But he never had that moment as a child, watching the floats of the Nebuta Festival light up before his eyes and swarm around him in an overbearing sea of color and light and love. He had never wondered what it felt like, really.

But he suspected it felt a lot like what it was like to watch Taiga’s prism show.

From the busy streets with the cars rushing by, to the fires growing in the harsh Aomori winters, every bit of his show was so real and palpable. Kakeru could feel every inch of it coursing through him. There was a freedom to his shows that he took from Kazuki, in every bit the spirit of the street. But there was something more too. There was Taiga. There was the festival. There was the sky.

There was flight.

Kakeru was transfixed through every jump, wishing there were truly a way to capture the feeling onto video. There was nothing quite like watching a prism show live, and there never would be. Each one was different, and fueled by its own unique brand of love. For Taiga, it was love of his family, of his hometown, of the traditions and happiness they brought him. There truly was a festival inside of Taiga Kougami. And Kakeru felt it every time they were together. He wondered if he’d ever get a chance to tell him.

He nearly felt the hands cup around his face, fingers dancing along the underside of his chin. Their eyes met, and then their lips. Kakeru bit his lower lip as the show faded into the distance, and he felt Minato nudge him in the stomach, back to reality. Kakeru looked over at his friend and laughed, and this time he felt it.

Fireworks went off in the distance as the crowd exploded with cheers. And with Taiga’s show, the Nebuta festival had truly begun.

---

Well after the parade, Kakeru finally got a moment to himself to breathe and process it all. The weekend was almost over, and there were so many different reports sitting in his inbox to be reviewed, patiently waiting for Monday to roll around. He combed his fingers through his hair as he leaned on the guardrail looking over the now empty festival stage. The festival would continue for one more day, in the afternoon, before being packed away for another year. It was a shame they’d have to miss the proper send-off.

“Yo!” A strong feminine voice said from behind him, and Kakeru jumped. He tried to play it off, spinning around casually to meet Ozora. She grinned at him, bouncing on her heels as she joined him at the rails. “Sorry for scaring you! I just thought we could talk, Kakeru-kun.”

Kakeru raised an eyebrow, admittedly intrigued. He smirked, sliding back onto the rail with a nonchalant lean. “Hmm, what’s this? If you’re going to confess your love for me, you’re a little late. Cute girls are supposed to do that during the festival, not after~”

She laughed, waving him off. It was comfortable, Kakeru decided. They had only known each other a day, but Ozora was the kind of person who made everyone feel like an old friend. “Not at all! I was actually going to ask if Minato-kun was single.”

Kakeru blinked, a little surprised, before Ozora laughed again, this time full-bodied and infectious. “Just kidding! A girl like me can’t simply settle down like that.” She rocked back on her heels. “Haa, you guys are so much fun. I’m sad to see you go. But! Taiga needs to go back to the city if he’s going to continue shopping for me!”

“All financial ventures require sacrifice, after all,” Kakeru hummed in agreement. She really was something else. Taiga’s entire family was. He wondered if Taiga even knew his mother was a former Prism Star herself. He had only seen it in passing on his own research, but the face was unmistakable, even under the mask. “So if not romance, then what? I don’t answer business queries on weekends so you’ll need to wait un-“

“What do you think about my brother?” She wasn’t looking at Kakeru when she interrupted him, staring out onto the stage. Kakeru had to blink again, wondering just how transparent he had been these past two days. He really didn’t think they had spoken much, but perhaps the young woman was just a lot more perceptive than she looked.

“I think he comes from a family that loves him very much,” Kakeru said simply, carefully. Because it was true. Edel Rose had given Kakeru a taste of love, and now he was able to recognize it all of its forms. It was good to see it so far from the little converted monastery that he had come to call home.

“He does,” Ozora nodded in agreement, tilting her head to the side. “He talks about you a lot, actually. Well, complains. You know how he is. But whenever I ask questions about everyone, your name comes up a lot. You spend a lot of time with him.”

“What can I say? He keeps things interesting,” Kakeru tried to keep his voice steady. After all, it didn’t mean much. He did spend a lot of his time with Taiga. Taiga was easy to be around, and easy to understand. And despite his posturing, Taiga never truly turned him away. They worked well together, so they were often paired together for jobs. It was only natural he’d bring it up in conversation.

“I’m glad you think so too!” Ozora chirped, happy with his answer. “You’re not curious about what he has to say about you?” She tilted her head curiously, as though wondering why Kakeru wasn’t prying.

He only shrugged. He wanted to know. Of course he wanted to know. But it wasn’t really his business to ask. “I’m pretty used to seeing criticism about me in the press. I think I can probably assume what Taiga-kyun has to say,” he joked, but in the end he couldn’t even begin to guess.

“I take it back; you’re no fun at all,” Ozora huffed. “Ah well, I guess you’ll have to ask him yourself someday. That is, if he ever manages to give you an honest answer.”

“Now you’re just trying to egg me on,” Kakeru pointed out with a stiff smile. Ozora winced in apology, caught in the act.

“I mean it though,” she finally confessed. “I know he can be a little hard to read, and I’m sure your more glamorous upbringing intimidates him. But I think you have a lot of experience he doesn’t, and I think it can help him break that comfort zone he seems stuck in. So keep him around, okay?”

Kakeru wasn’t really sure what prompted that, but he felt something burst inside of him. And it was only years and years of well-practiced business etiquette that kept him from breaking. He wanted to tell her the truth, that Taiga’s comfort zone was something entirely foreign to Kakeru. That Taiga had just as much to teach him as he did Taiga. But he was a business man by nature, and he never cracked.

“Ehh? Is that all? That’s a fairly one-sided proposal. What’s in it for you?” He smirked, and Ozora laughed in return, seemingly unaware of the way his mind was churning.

“I guess only time will tell. I think you would call it a ‘long term investment’?” She winked at him, pushing herself off the rail and turning around to face the rest of the festival, properly wound down and packing up for the night. “Besides, it’s good to have powerful people like you in my corner, right?”

Kakeru’s smirk turned into a real smile, picking himself up as well to go and meet the others. Surely they would all be heading back soon, hearts and stomachs both full. “You’d really be quite the business woman. You’d do well in Tokyo~”

Ozora only laughed as the two walked towards the festival area gate. “Hmm, thanks. But I prefer it here. The business world is pretty stifling, isn’t it?” She fanned herself, as though sweating merely thinking about it. Kakeru couldn’t really blame her.

“You aren’t wrong. It’s nice to come to places like this, every so often.” He meant it when he said he had always wanted to stay in a place like Aomori, after all.

“Well you’re welcome any time, you know.” And she sounded like she meant it. “Just let me know so I can tell you what I want you to bring back for me.” It sounded so casual, as though it were already decided. As though it were that simple.

Kakeru chuckled as they walked, running the thought through his head. It sounded nice, but he couldn’t help but wonder if that was actually a good idea. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d get addicted to being around a family like Taiga’s. If it would ever get hard to leave.

---

Kakeru found himself unable to sleep again, silently cursing the terrible internet connection as he wrestled his email inbox into submission. There were downsides to the countryside, in the long run. Streaming late night anime while going through daily stock reports would be awfully difficult without decent Wi-Fi. He was born and bred for the city. And in the end, he would be glad to return come morning.

He sighed. Taiga could never confess, after all. Even after more egging from him and Minato. Kakeru hadn’t even managed to get an autograph from Ann and Wakana, in all of the ruckus. Still, it wasn’t a total waste. It was a good weekend, in the end. It was nice to get some time away, and he’d be happy to see his home when they returned.

“What do you think you’re doing, Kazuo?”

Kakeru’s head jolted up from his laptop in surprise, looking over at Taiga blearily rubbing his eyes as he pushed himself up from his futon. Kakeru felt a small pang of guilt jolt through him. He knew he should have found another room to work in, but he had hoped he’d eventually get tired enough just to collapse on the nearest soft surface he could find. Sometimes it was a bed. Sometimes it was Minato.

“Just playing a little catch up,” Kakeru waved his hand to dismiss the question, adjusting his glasses in the dark light. “Go back to sleep, Taiga-kyun~”

“Idiot,” Taiga grumbled, fully sitting up this time. He was right next to Kakeru’s own little sleeping area; it was no wonder all of his typing and whispered cursing had woken him up. Taiga often slept like a cat, quick and restless. “You don’t work on weekends. You go to sleep.”

Kakeru raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t remembered telling Taiga that. Perhaps he had realized all on his own. Perhaps the boy grabbed some of that perceptiveness from his sister. “Look at the time,” Kakeru nodded towards his own watch, holding out his wrist. It was well past midnight. “It’s not the weekend anymore.”

Kakeru didn’t have to see that well in the dark to know that Taiga was aggressively rolling his eyes. Kakeru stifled a laugh, as to not wake anyone else up. “Why are you awake, though?” Kakeru asked, mulling the question over before smirking when an answered occurred to him. “Taiga-kyun, did the festival get you so excited that you couldn’t sleep?”

Taiga stiffened, telling Kakeru everything he needed to know. “Sh-shut up!” He started to shout, before Kakeru lunged forward in a hurry, pressing his hand to Taiga’s mouth to muffle him. He hushed him with a single gesture, and Taiga clamored off of him, pushing Kakeru’s arm away. “Shut up,” he tried again, this time more quietly.

“I don’t blame you. It’s almost like when you go to sleep, the festival’s over, right?” Kakeru sighed and looked back at his screen. The next email was still loading. A part of him couldn’t wait to get back to Tokyo so he could finally get things done. But another part felt for Taiga; the part that didn’t want the weekend to end.

“Right! Exactly!” Taiga whispered with an exuberant nod, before remembering himself and clicking his tongue, turning to look out to the corner of the large common room. “I m-mean. I’ll sleep on the ride back, anyway. Idiot.”

“Right, right,” Kakeru smiled to himself and looked up again, following Taiga’s gaze to the corner of the room. “That’s a pretty impressive piece of armor. Is it vintage?”

“How should I know?! ‘s been there my whole life, that’s all I know.”

Kakeru looked around the room. Not a soul was stirring. He let out a small breath of relief. Everyone must have been completely exhausted from the events of the day. “Your whole life, eh? Must have been real scary as a kid, in the dark like this…”

“Wh-what did Ozora tell you?!” Taiga stiffened, eyes wide with horror as Kakeru laughed, filling in the dots easily. He wondered how many nightmares the poor child had thanks to the old thing. There was something cute about it.

“Nothing, nothing. Well, not about that, anyway.” He wondered if now was a good time to ask about the things he told his sister. He wondered if it mattered, or if Taiga would even tell him if he did. In time, he decided. There was a lot to figure out in time.

“Still, I think that side of Taiga-kyun is cute,” he finally said with a sure nod. It was nice, talking like this. After today, he felt like he had nothing to hide anymore. Edel Rose truly had become a place where one could be their true selves. He glanced over at Leo’s sleeping figure, caught between Yukinojo and Shin, and he smiled.

“Sh-shut up,” Taiga tried again, and Kakeru looked back over at him, disappointed that he couldn’t tell if the other boy was blushing in the dark of the night. He let out an aggravated huff and fell back onto his futon, presumably to get back to sleep.

Good, Kakeru decided. He would do the same soon, he promised himself. Still, there was one thing he had to say before he could get to sleep. Just one thing to get off of his chest, whether Taiga could hear him or not. “Your prism show was amazing, Taiga-kyun.”

No answer. So Kakeru continued.

“It was really like you were flying. I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. I’ve always wanted to achieve something like that. To fly.”

Taiga grabbed for his blanket and pulled it over his head, burying himself into his futon and successfully divorcing himself from the entire situation. Still, Kakeru could hear the boy mumble into his pillow, just barely able to make out the words. 

“You already do…idiot.”

Kakeru looked over at the lump next to him, covered in his blanket and decisively unmoving. Perhaps he had heard incorrectly. Or perhaps he hadn’t. He sighed, wondering if it really mattered at all. But even if it didn’t he couldn’t stop smiling anyway. He shut the laptop slowly, and tucked it away, resolving that he could finish everything when he had better internet. For now, all he could do was sleep, and perhaps dream of flight.

---

They left a while after breakfast, with Yamada clearly in no real hurry to get back to that grueling drive. Kakeru decided that next time he was definitely going to insist on that private jet. Still, they could only delay it for so long, lest they’d be on the road deep into the late hours of the night once again.

They had to struggle to get everything into the van this time, between the souvenirs from the festival and the fresh produce from the farm. Upon learning his penchant for cooking, Taiga’s relatives became all too eager to impart gifts on Minato, shoving item after item into his arms. He couldn’t refuse a single one, of course, out of both delight and courtesy. So packing everything in had become quite the struggle.

“Ah, sorry,” Minato confessed as everyone began to climb into their seats. “Looks like we’ll have to place a couple of containers on the floor and seats.”

“Your family sure is generous!” Shin chirped happily, blissfully unaware of how tight the eight hour journey back home would have to be. “They’re even letting us keep the baskets!”

Yamada-san only sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s going to be a tight squeeze. So make sure you’re next to someone comfortable. You’ll definitely want to get some sleep on this one. It’s been a long weekend.” He placed a package of his own in the back, gingerly. And Kakeru could hear the telltale clank of glass bottles, indicating that he also parted with a few gifts.

“Move over, Kazuo,” Taiga grunted, pressing Kakeru against the window as he piled into the backseat. Kakeru looked over at him, adjusting himself to make more room. Taiga plopped down, wiggling himself into place so that he was pressed firmly against Kakeru’s side.

Kakeru moved himself back to get a better look at Taiga’s face, blinking at first before he saw the frustrated blush grow across his neck. “Sh-shut up! It’s only because the window was too cold and uncomfortable last time.”

“Right, right. Of course,” Kakeru hummed, unable to fight the smirk that rose to his face as everyone buckled themselves in as best they could. Minato took the front seat, since he was the largest of the seven by far. But before he climbed in, he peered back at the two and winked. Yukinojo slid in next to Taiga, catching Kakeru’s eye with a small smile on his face. Kakeru refused to let it go to his head. There was still so much left unanswered, and Taiga still had so much to figure out before they could go forward.  

But even still, it was warm like this.

Taiga leaned into Kakeru, turning himself in a thousand different angles in an attempt to get comfortable. “You’re too bony, Kazuo,” he grumbled, finally picking a position and sinking down, until he was against Kakeru’s shoulder, despite himself. He turned his head outward, desperately trying to save face.

Kakeru snickered to himself, looking out the window to put some distance between him and the boy leaning against him. But he could still see Taiga’s reflection in the window’s light, blending in with Aomori’s bright blue sky freckled with clouds. Kakeru let out a long breath, as though he had been holding it all weekend, resolving one day to take to the sky too. To fly, right there alongside Taiga Kougami.