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Amane hopped down the rocks carefully, mindful of the cuts and scrapes he'd gotten yesterday while he and Tsukasa had climbed trees all afternoon in their hunt for bugs. Today though, his little brother had woken with the singular thought of filling their old beach bucket with as many frogs as they could find.
Obaasan had made sure their bags were packed with snacks and bentos, tucking the refilled first aid kit into Amane's backpack before she watched them struggle into their boots and take off across the field for the little stream hidden in the woods.
Tsukasa had hurried off ahead as he usually did, turning every so often to make sure his brother was still trailing behind him before darting into the underbrush, croaking in hopes to draw frogs to him. Amane didn't have the heart to tell him it was probably scaring them off instead.
Plus, Tsu looked silly with his cheeks all puffed up, like when he'd shoved a handful of marshmallows into his mouth when they made cocoa with Ojiisan.
But Amane had stopped to dig through a pile of leaves to see if he could find any new rocks to add to his collection, and in the minute he'd been absorbed in comparing two lumpy stones, Tsukasa had slipped away.
His heart thundered in his chest as he cupped one hand around his mouth and called for his brother, nothing but the gentle breeze in the trees and his own voice echoing back at him. What if Tsukasa had fallen and gotten hurt? What if he fell into the creek and couldn't get up?
But of course, his little brother was fine, crouching down in the water as he tried to scoop up frogs into his hands. Amane sighed, jumping down onto the last stone before the water line before he set his backpack down carefully. Tsukasa had tossed his onto the bank carelessly, which was why Amane always carried their food, and laughed quietly at the twigs and leaves spilling from the open zipper.
"Tsukasa! Come here; it’s time for lunch!"
For a minute, Amane thought Tsukasa was just going to ignore him, his brother's eyes bright and focused on the swirling water around his knees. Then he jumped, plunging his hands beneath the surface as Amane startled, and yanked the biggest frog he'd ever seen from the creek.
"AMANE! Look what I got!"
Tsukasa slogged across the narrow expanse, waters sloshing into his boots with every step, and by the time he'd reached the rocks and Amane's crumpled, giggling form, one of them had been abandoned to sink. Amane wiped the tears from his eyes, making sure he could still see the brightly colored boot before he dragged their bucket forward for Tsukasa to drop the frog into.
Tsukasa set it in the bottom of the bucket gently before Amane turned to set it beside him, reaching out to pull Tsukasa up onto the rocks. He was a bit surprised when Tsu twisted away, tugging his other boot off and handing it to Amane before he set back out to retrieve the other. There was a faint blush to his cheeks as he clambered up beside his brother, tipping the water from both before he curled into his side.
"Tsu?"
"Obaasan bought them for me...I gotta take care of them."
Amane leaned over and curled his arms around Tsukasa, pressing their heads together as his little brother turned to mirror the gesture. For a moment, they sat in silence; only the quiet burble of the creek, the wind whistling through the treetops, and the gentle sound of their hearts and breath echoing around them. Warm sunlight puddled around them even as the water from Tsukasa's boots soaked into their shorts making them shiver, but Amane wouldn't trade this moment for the world.
Eventually, Tsukasa started to wiggle and Amane let him go to dig their bentos from his bag so they could eat. They'd still have a few hours to play before they'd have to head back, and he knew Tsukasa wanted to catch more frogs; he did too. They both gasped in delight as the lids came off, little onigiri shaped like the same frog Tsu had just caught staring up at them.
They laughed as they picked through each other's bentos; both were identical but Tsukasa insisted, as he tried to jab his chopsticks into one of Amane’s octopus hotdogs, that Amane’s lunch always tasted better.
They ran, leaped, and hopped around the little creek for hours, wiggling from their damp clothes to let them dry on the warm rocks while they swam carefully in one of the deeper pools. It was all the things Amane loved about lazy days.
He got to be outside, running wild under the bright sunshine with Tsukasa at his side. There was no one here to yell at them to be quiet or glares that made them slink to their bedroom to hide beneath covers. It was just him and his twin, off on another adventure.
"Do you think Obaasan would want a frog?"
Amane turned, watching as Tsukasa tipped their bucket over so that all the frogs they'd collected could hop away. The really fat one his brother had caught first was still sitting on the rock beside him, and he giggled as Tsu patted it gently on the head before it dove into the water.
"Probably not; she already has you leaping at her."
"Hey!"
Tsu jumped, landing half in his lap as he shoved his wiggling fingers against Amane's ribs so he shrieked with laughter. They laid in the grass for a bit longer, watching the sunlight dance through the leaves before Amane tugged them up to head back home.
Obaasan met them at the gate with warm towels to usher them into the bath, laughing as Tsu draped himself over the edge of the tub to show her just how big the frog he'd caught was. Amane let himself drift into the bubbles as Obaasan washed his hair, scrubbing the dirt away before she sent them off to dinner.
And that night, as he and Tsukasa curled up with the little knitted frogs Obaasan had made them, they decided that tomorrow they'd make her and Ojiisan breakfast as a thank you.