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“Look Akira,” Jun pointed towards the various stalls that had set up shop for the festival at Alaya Shrine. “There’s all sorts of things to do here. Would you like to explore?” He asked gently, waiting for the little boy clutching the skirt of his yukata to make a decision.
It was hard to see what Akira was thinking due to the glare of his thick framed glasses, but eventually he peers up to meet his father’s eyes with a look of wonder and nods vigorously.
With a quiet laugh, Jun offers a hand to his son, giving the boy’s hand a gentle squeeze before setting off through the festival grounds.
It had only been a few short months since Akira had officially become his son, and it was a bit like adopting a skittish cat in all honesty. Most days had been spent at home, slowly allowing him to adjust to his new surroundings and company. Jun had learnt the hard way that Akira was easy to overwhelm, when he’d made the mistake of inviting over Eikichi and Miyabi Mishina too soon, resulting in the frightened 5 year old hiding under his bed until they left.
They’d both come a long way since then, but Jun was still cautious when introducing him to something new. Festivals were another beast entirely in comparison to his new Aunt and Uncle however.
They were loud and crowded, the perfect cocktail for sensory overload. The last thing Jun wanted was for his son to have a complete meltdown, but the further they venture into the crowd, the more his worries fester.
An excited tug on his hand pulls Jun out of his thoughts, “Hm?”
“Papa, there’s Featherman masks!” Akira tugs on his hand again, pointing at a stall. Sure enough, there they were in all their cheap plastic glory.
“Oh, good find Akira!” He praises gently, “Do you want to go pick one out?”
With an enthusiastic nod and a “Uh-huh!”, Akira pulls Jun toward the stall and all but zeroes in on the Red Hawk mask, pulling it off of its spot on the display. He proudly dons it and turns to Jun for approval.
Jun’s stomach sinks, and he can’t place why.
“Very cool, sweetheart!” Jun coos, despite the overwhelming sense of wrong that hits him. Swallowing roughly, he pulls out his wallet to pay for the mask and get away from this stall.
“You too!” Akira cuts him off, tugging at Jun’s yukata. “We need to match!”
“O-Oh, you want Papa to get a mask too?” He asks and his son nods excitedly. “Okay, can you pick one out for me?”
“Um…” Akira pulls the mask away from his face to get a better look, before pointing at his choice. “Black Condor!”
With dread, Jun pulls the black mask off its peg.
A boy with a Red Hawk mask… a shining silver watch clasped in his small hands… sobbing salty tears into the shoulder of an older girl as she gently rubs soothing circles into his back. Brief flashes, unfamiliar yet unsettlingly nostalgic.
Familiar.
Disturbingly familiar.
“... Sir? Are you going to pay for those?” The stall owner asks impatiently, snapping him to attention once more, the feeling passing as quickly as it had come.
“Huh? Oh, yes!” Jun curses himself internally before fishing out the required yen for their masks, handing the bills over to the owner who snatches them up.
Awkwardly placing the mask on the side of his head so as to still see, he puts on his best smile and looks back down at Akira.
“How do I look?” Jun asks.
The little boy reaches his arms up, the universal signal of “pick me up!”, and Jun scoops him into his arms and rests him against his hip. From his newly gained height, Akira grabs the chin of the mask and twists it to properly cover his father’s face.
“You look just like Black Condor!” Akira beams up at him, and oh if that didn’t just melt his heart.
“And you look just like Red Hawk,” Jun gently pokes Akira’s stomach, making him giggle. “I hope they don’t mind us borrowing their masks.”
Still giggling, he shakes his head. “No Papa, it's okay!”
“Alright then, well!” He adjusts his grip, “Where to next, Red Hawk?”
Pulling his mask up, Akira takes a brief look around, swiveling as much as he can to peer behind them. “I want taiyaki!” He all but yells into Jun’s ear.
He cringes a bit, but complies with his toddler’s demands, weaving his way back through the crowd.
-
The taiyaki was bog standard and overpriced, and Akira only ate the cake surrounding the bean paste, but he grinned and babbled as he shoved the half eaten snack into his father’s face in an attempt to feed him so Jun couldn’t even find it in himself to be irritated.
-
One stall was selling water balloon yo-yos, much to Akira’s delight once he spotted one with a cat face painted on it. Jun couldn’t help but stare as his son bounced the balloon rapidly, the sense of unease sinking into his gut once more.
-
“Try holding it like this.” Jun gently repositions the poi paddle in Akira’s hand, “It’s a little easier if your grip is looser.”
As they were exploring they’d come across the area sectioned off for games, and the little boy zeroed in on the goldfish scooping booth with fascination and excitement. After a passionate declaration that he was going to win a fish for Gatten Sushi’s fish tank (Eikichi would appreciate it, right?), Jun paid for a scoop and crouched down next to the tank with a loud pop of his knees.
“I’m gonna catch the biggest fish.” Akira says with determination only a child can possess, considering the fact that the fish in the tank were pretty damn small. He doesn’t move to scoop any, instead staring at them like a hungry cat.
Jun huffs a quiet laugh, figuring they’ll likely be at this for a while and cranes his neck to take a sweeping glance down the line of stalls. The summer festival at Alaya was always busy, and this year was no exception. Plenty of families and couples flooded with festival grounds, holding hands in contentment while their children laugh and weave through the crowds. If he looked hard enough he could probably spot some of his students out on dates, trying to impress one another by winning prizes or by wearing dazzling yukatas.
Jun had never had a relationship, and that one boy he kissed way back in middle school didn’t count. He’d never managed to find that person who made him happy, and the only person he’d ever been dazzled by… well, he’d long since forgotten his name and face. The day the aerospace museum burnt down was a hazy blur and any attempts to remember his savior had proved pointless. The likelihood he’ll ever meet someone like that again was slim, so single he remains.
As he watches Akira delicately scoop out a fish, he can’t help but feel a little lonely.
Akira presents his baggie filled with three little fish swimming in circles up to him like it's made of gold. “Papa look! I did it!”
Jun beams at him and claps a little. “Well done! Do you think that’s enough for Michel?”
His son gives him a victorious nod, before gasping and waving ecstatically. “Uncle Eikichi!”
“Huh??” Jun twists around, spotting the towering figure of Eikichi Mishina waving back at them with just as much energy. Beside him was his wife Miyabi who tugged her husband over to the father son duo.
“Hello little Aki-chan!” Michel loudly greets them in poorly-pronounced english. “I didn’t know you guys were coming, we could’ve all come together!”
After getting acquainted with Eikichi in high school after the incident , the two had become fast friends. It had felt natural to spend time with his junior, and he considered Eikichi like family. This of course extended to the lovely Miyabi, who’s kindheartedness and wit were always a delight.
“Oh, well that’s because we only decided to come this morning.” Jun stands up and dusts off his knees before leaning in and speaking in a hushed voice. “I wasn’t sure he’d be up for an outing, this is all very new to him.”
Eikichi nods in understanding. “Hey no worries. Nice uh…” He pauses, giving Jun a look. Jun doesn’t know why he feels nervous.
“Nice mask…” Eikichi finally finishes.
“I choosed it!” Akira blurts out. “I got you fish too!”
“It’s chose, Akira.” Jun corrects him.
“You caught these all by yourself?” Miyabi gratefully accepts the bag from Akira, and holds it up to Eikichi.
“He wanted to give you those for the tank in Gatten.” Jun explains when the couple give him a bewildered but amused glance.
“Aw geez,” Eikichi grins, “Thanks little buddy!”
“... Will the bigger fish eat them?” the teacher whispers.
“No, we’ve got mostly domestic fish in there.” Miyabi whispers back. “We wouldn’t want fish eating each other in full view of customers.”
“Anyhow, I’m glad we managed to run into you guys. The fireworks are supposed to start at around 7, but we’ve got a little time to find somewhere good to sit before all the good spots are taken.”
“Wait, what time is it?” Jun mentally curses himself for still having not bought a watch. 7 was when they’d start their bedtime routine before tucking Akira in for 8. All the books and parenting blogs he’d read had stated time and time again that consistent routine was very important for small children.
Eikichi looks at his own watch. “It’s like 6:34 or something.”
Doing the mental math, Jun figured if they walked fast enough they could get back to their car parked down the road and get back home in time for bed. Probably even earlier if he carried Akira and ran, but then they’d skip the fireworks show. He knew his son would be disappointed but he’d also run the risk of Akira becoming cranky in his exhaustion if they stayed.
“ ...That’s a lot of thinking happening there, Kashihara. You good?”
“I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late.” Jun admits, “I usually start getting Akira ready for bed at 7…”
“7’s not late.” Eikichi points out.
“He’s 5. Any time past 6 is late.”
“Well what’s one day spent up past bedtime, huh?” Eikichi asks, like a true man who’s never had to put a toddler to bed before. The rat bastard.
With a thoughtful hum, Jun looks back down at Akira who peers back up at him expectantly through the slits in his mask. “What do you think, hon? Do you want to stay and watch the fireworks?”
Akira nods so fast that his mask nearly goes sailing off his head, but he catches himself and slips it back into place.
“If we head up towards the shrine we should be able to get a good view.” Miyabi chimes in, “Eikichi and I sat on the stairs leading up to it last year.”
With that decided, Jun scoops Akira back up into his arms and rests him against his hip and nods toward Eikichi to lead the way. With his height the once Death Boss cut an intimidating figure, easily splitting the crowd as he marched through, Miyabi and Jun quickly trailing behind before the crowd closed in again.
The walk up to the shrine wasn’t too long, with their small group easily finding space on the stone steps. With how the trees grew in around the shrine their view of the sky wasn’t fantastic, but what it lacked in visibility it also lacked in a crowd, allowing Akira to run around and play a bit while they waited.
“He’s gotten a lot more comfortable, hasn’t he?” Miyabi observes. “How long has it been now?”
“It’ll be 5 months next tuesday.” Jun smiles proudly, watching as his son tries to hit Eikichi with his water yo-yo while his Uncle dramatically dodges with a squawk.
“I’m glad everything’s going well so far, this experience has been really good for you.”
It has been. Despite everything, despite the month he can barely remember, the unfortunate passing of his father and the eventual falling out with his mother, Jun had Akira and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
With a squeal and a loud CRACK, the first firework is set off, lighting up the shrine grounds in a bright gold. Akira comes racing back to his father and crawls onto his lap to watch, followed closely by Eikichi who settles down and wraps an arm around Miyabi.
Jun presses a kiss onto the crown of Akira’s head before resting his chin on top, before turning his attention back to the sky.
-
Akira ends up having a meltdown from exhaustion on their drive home, but all in all it was worth it.