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#1. Miya
Chinen Miya, the young skateboard prodigy, first got wind of the S race when he overheard two older teammates from his skateboard training camp talking about some super exclusive, members’ only skateboard race happening at an abandoned mine. After some extended researching and skillful blackmailing, Miya got himself a S pin and became probably the youngest skater to ever graced the S tracks.
After spending some time at the S practice ground, Miya couldn’t help but hear about the two legendary skaters, Joe and Cherry Blossom, who were not only very famous in the skateboarding community, but also were the founding members of the S race. They didn’t come to the race regularly, but when they did, they always show up together. It was hard to miss their entrance because they were always fighting and tossing creative insults at each other like two 5-year-olds. Everyone at the S race, including Miya, knew how much they hated each other. Even their respective fan club members would exchange occasional death glares.
But one day, that happened.
It was a regular night at the S race. Some reckless hothead had challenged Cherry into a Beef because he argued that Cherry skating with an AI skateboard was basically cheating. Cherry’s disdain was obvious even under his black mask, but he nonetheless accepted the Beef and turn Carla the AI assistant off in front of everyone. The hothead was not a bad skater, but Cherry was still taking the lead with ease. They were heading towards a sharp turn when the guy suddenly bumped his board against Cherry’s and threw a handful of sand directly into his eyes.
Everyone watched in horror as Cherry lost his balance and crashed into the giant piece of rock at the corner; Miya could hear Cherry’s fans screaming. The next thing he knew, he saw a familiar figure appearing on the big projector screen beside Cherry, who was lying unconscious on the ground. He could hear Joe calling out a name in a panicked voice that sounded like “Kaoru” as he gingerly gathered Cherry into his arms. The S staff rushed toward them and Joe carefully lifted Cherry onto the awaiting stretcher with a face full of worry and anger. The night ended with Joe jumping into the ambulance with Cherry, and the culprit ambushed by an angry mob of Cherry fans. Miya replayed the night’s event in his head after he had gone home, and he decided that his previous assumption about Joe and Cherry being nemesis was very wrong. He wondered what kind of relationship Joe and Cherry actually had.
#2. Reki
Reki had only joined the S race for a couple of months, but he had heard enough rumours about the two famous skaters Joe and Cherry Blossom before he finally got to meet them in person. It was surprising for Reki to find that the Fastest Six Pack skater was actually the chef-owner of Sia la Luce that was a block away from the skate shop he was working part-time at, and the AI skater was the calligraphy master living just down the street. S rules required the members to separate their S identities from their real lives, but whenever Joe came into the skate shop for parts, he would always say hi to Reki and ask how he was doing. Reki thought Joe was one of the coolest guys he had ever met.
Reki borrowed some foreign magazines about skateboard making from Joe when he had decided to make a customized board for Langa, the new skateboarding buddy he had just acquired. He was on his way home after another late-night shift at the skate shop and thought he could return the magazines to Joe if he was still in the restaurant. The lights were still on, so Reki opened the restaurant door and stepped inside. He was about to call out for Joe when he saw two familiar figures sitting by the counter at the back of the restaurant, and his voice stopped in his throat.
Cherry was there, with his head pillowed on top of his left arm, snoozing away on the table, his right arm still in bandages from the accident Reki didn’t witness but heard about. Joe was sitting next to him, his chin resting on his palm and he was watching Cherry sleep, with a soft smile on his lips. His gaze was full of gentleness and affection that Reki could sense even from a distance. Reki felt like he had barged into a very intimate moment, so he turned around and closed the door quietly behind him. He could return the magazines another time, Reki thought, but what was that he just saw? Reki had never spoken to Cherry, but he had seen how he was always fighting with Joe and the two seemed like they would never be able to hold a peaceful conversation. Reki wondered if they were actually best friends, because there was a saying about how people would only fight constantly with the ones they truly care about, right?
#3. Shadow
Shadow still couldn’t figure out how he ended up becoming the designated driver and babysitter for a group of eccentric skaters consisted of one evil child genius, one overly enthusiastic skateboard maniac, one half Canadian snowboarder-turned-skateboarder, and two supposedly successful adults who were actually older than him.
He reluctantly joined them on the onsen trip because the kids played dirty and he wanted to impress the flower shop owner. They stopped by the beach and Shadow had to admit he had a fun time fooling around with them. He particularly enjoyed the little show Miya put up that had scared away the two beautiful ladies Joe was hitting up. Joe was notorious for flirting with anything on two legs, especially at S where he would steal all the attention from the crowd whenever he showed up, ruining several victories Shadow was about to enjoy.
Cherry had remained under the beach umbrella the whole time because he didn’t want to get wet before meeting his clients, but Joe had other ideas. Before anyone could call out and warn Cherry, who was resting on the beach chair with his eyes closed, Joe had snuck up beside him and lifted him up in his arms. Cherry let out an undignified yelp and after a split second, he was thrown into the ocean with a loud splash. Shadow swore he could hear his teeth clenching as Cherry struggled to stand up in the water while shooting daggers at Joe, who was doubled over with laughter. The kids burst out laughing as well, but Shadow tried his best to hide his own laughter because he didn’t want to get roasted by an angry Cherry. Joe was immediately assaulted with full velocity when Cherry finally got out of the water, and the two fought like two oversized children for ten minutes straight. After kicking Joe’s shin several times and sent him kneeling in the sand, Cherry snickered and demanded Joe to help him clean up. Shadow suggested they could use the towels he had in the car, and the two walked away still arguing with each other.
It had been a while and the two hadn’t returned. Shadow thought maybe he should check on them to make sure they hadn’t murdered each other yet. He walked towards where the rental car was parked, and he stopped in his tracks when he was a couple of feet away from them.
Cherry had changed out of his wet yukata that was hanging over the opened car door to dry under the sun. He was in nothing but his boxers and Joe’s red Hawaiian shirt, bare legs dangling off the edge of the large concrete roadblock he was sitting on. Joe was standing behind him, a towel in one hand, the other picking up small sections of Cherry’s long pink hair and drying each strand thoroughly. The redshirt was too big on Cherry, one side sliding off his shoulder and revealing a large patch of pale skin. Joe lowered his head and whispered something into Cherry’s ear, which made Cherry’s face turn bright red. He quickly tugged the shirt back up over his exposed shoulder and shoved Joe with a force so small Shadow thought he must be hallucinating.
Shadow turned around and went back to the kids on the beach. Miya asked him why he looked like he had seen a ghost, but Shadow couldn’t come up with an answer. He recalled how earlier Miya had called Joe “dad” and Cherry “mom” as a prank to scared away the ladies, and somehow that didn’t feel too absurd in a way now, come to think of it.
#4. Langa
Langa was having a great time on this onsen trip, mostly because he got to spend time with the most important person in his life, along with other amazing skaters who had somehow become his new constants.
He had been to the hot springs in Canada before, but the Japanese onsen was very different from what he was used to. Langa was never very good with high water temperatures, and he was more of the shower type, not the bath type. Even though he and Reki were the last ones to get into the water, Langa had to get up shortly after because he was having trouble breathing. He put his yukata back on and headed out towards the lobby, hoping he could find something to drink.
There was a small garden embedded within the maze-like corridors leading out to the main lobby; Langa could hear soft voices coming from the dark when he was turning around the corner. They were the only group currently inside the place, thus that must be Joe and Cherry, who had arrived in the bath first and had gone out to the sauna room by the time Langa got there. Langa followed the source of the sounds, and he found two figures by the long stone bench underneath a large tree.
Under the bright silver moonlight, Langa could identify the one sitting was Joe, and the one standing in front of him was Cherry. Joe had his arms around Cherry’s waist, face buried into the front of his stomach. Cherry had a water bottle in one hand that was hovering over Joe’s head, the other hand tugging playfully at Joe’s hair.
“Told you to not stay in the sauna room for too long, you brainless gorilla.” Cherry was scolding, but there was no heat in his voice.
“Then why did you challenge me to see how long I can last in there, heartless four-eye?”
Cherry just shook his head, and pushed the water bottle flat against Joe’s face, “drink this, if you pass out on me, I’m not carrying you back to the hotel.”
Joe let out a noise that almost sounded like a whine. He lifted his head and looked up at Cherry, “what, you are just gonna leave me here, Kaoru?”
“You bet I will,” Cherry smirked, then laid his unoccupied palm over Joe’s forehead, “you are burning hot. You already have so few brain cells left, now you are going to have even less.”
Joe didn’t argue back, he grabbed the palm to keep it there despite Cherry’s attempt on wiggling his hand away. “Your hand feels really good, it’s nice and cool.”
“That’s because I was holding the icy water bottle.” Cherry looked down into Joe’s eyes, his lips curved into a small smile, “why are you smiling like that, Kojiro?”
“Remembered that time when I had a fever, and no one was home?” Joe pulled Cherry’s hand down to his chin and nuzzled against it, “you almost fell off the window when you tried to break into my room, and you cried like a baby because you thought I was dead.”
“Shut up! I was seven!” Cherry’s blush was visible even in the dark, “and for the record, I didn’t cry like a baby. I was reasonably concerned.”
“Sure, Kaoru.” Joe tightened his grips, they stayed like that without saying anything else. Langa watched them in silence for a while and walked back onto the corridor. When he had finally reached the main lobby, he saw Reki was looking for him.
“Where did you go?”
“Nowhere, I got lost for a bit. The corridors all looked the same.” Langa took the bottle of chocolate milk Reki had handed over to him, “Thanks.”
“What’s wrong?” Reki could tell his friend was puzzled.
“Are Joe and Cherry close?” Langa asked, “They always fight, but I don’t think they actually hate each other.”
“Cherry said they grew up together, but when I asked him if they are best friends, he didn’t really answer me.” Reki continued after a pause, “from what I have been seeing though, they look like best friends to me.”
“Like us?”
“More or less, I guess?”
Langa thought back on the fond smile on Joe’s face when he was looking up at Cherry. He believed Reki was right, because it was the same kind of smile Reki always had on his face when he was looking at Langa. Their relationship must go beyond what people could see on the surface, even Langa, as unobservant as he was, could tell from the intimacy that was reserved just between the two of them.
#5. Joe
When you had known someone since the age of three, it was easy to forget about the boundaries people usually have with others, emotional ones or physical ones.
Nanjo Kojiro never knew how to define the relationship he had with Sakurayashiki Kaoru. They were not brothers, because Kojiro had two younger siblings and the kind of relationship he had with them was far different from the kind he had with Kaoru. They were not just friends, because they knew everything about each other, even the things hidden in the darkest corners of their minds. They always fight, and they say the meanest things to one another a lot, but deep down they both knew no matter what kind of insults they throw at each other, they never truly meant it.
The fact that he couldn’t define their relationship didn’t bother Kojiro until they were in their first year of high school. Kaoru went into a rebellious phase and got so many piercings that almost gave his mother a heart attack. They had both been learning how to skateboard for some time and Kaoru was getting better and better, eventually establishing himself in the local skateboarding gang under the pseudo name Cherry Blossom. They would sneak out after midnight and skate around the city freely, followed by a small skater group of their own. It was the best time of his life, if one would ask.
Kaoru had always been the attention-drawing one, with his signature long pink hair and a face a work of art that would put all the pretty girls in school to shame. The wild body piercings and his infamous short temper didn’t stop people from admiring Kaoru, so it was only natural for them to start gossiping about his love life. Kojiro, being Kaoru’s inseparable twin, soon found himself in the centre of such gossips when he overheard two girls in a heated discussion about whether they were in fact dating. Kojiro’s first reaction was shock, because that was just crazy.
Kojiro had the reputation as the ladies’ man, so he wasn’t too concerned by the ridiculous rumours. But Kaoru, when people dared to say obscene things about their relationship in front of him, immediately flipped out and punched them square on the face. Kojiro had once asked him why he got so upset over such trivial things, but Kaoru just glowered at him and refused to speak to him for an entire day. Kojiro thought it was stupid of Kaoru to care about what people say about them.
That was, until one day, when Kojiro realized some things he didn’t think he needed to know.
They were on another nightly stroll across their turf. It was just the two of them because none of their group members was able to join them that night, and it was nice to enjoy the rides by themselves for once. Their quiet night was interrupted when they almost ran into a patrol car and they began racing through the streets, trying to get away from the police. After being chased for about 20 minutes, they hid under a bridge so the patrol car couldn’t see them. They finally let out the breath they had been holding when the siren was far enough, and they collapsed onto the ground, laughing hectically.
When they had stopped laughing and decided it was time to go home, Kaoru said he wanted to show Kojiro a new trick he just learned before they leave. He jumped onto his board, but the board slipped away under his feet and sent Kaoru’s whole body flying over. Kojiro immediately ran up and grabbed him by his waist, one hand holding tightly onto Kaoru’s hand to stop the fall. Kaoru ended up being caught between his arms, and he looked up at him with widened eyes. Kojiro stared into Kaoru’s honey golden irises, his heart beating so loud he thought it was going to burst out of his chest. Kaoru’s lip piercing shined in the dark, Kojiro wondered what it would feel like kissing Kaoru.
It was like opening the gate to an overflowing dam. Kojiro found himself staring at Kaoru’s full lips when they were eating lunch on the school rooftop; at his delicate hands when he was practicing calligraphy in Kojiro’s bedroom after school; at his silky pink hair that spayed across Kojiro’s white bedsheets when he fell asleep on his bed; at his sparkling eyes when he was telling Kojiro about a new trick he was learning; and at the pale, smooth skin on his neck exposed after he had let loose of his necktie. It didn’t take Kojiro long to figure out what this meant and for the first time in his life, he knew what type of relationship he wanted to have with Kaoru.
It also didn’t take Kojiro long to realize why Kaoru would punch anyone that joked about them dating. Kaoru hated being mistaken as a couple with Kojiro. It appalled him so much that even the school principal’s warning didn’t stop Kaoru from getting into fights. After patching up Kaoru for the millionth time because he always refused to get proper medical help, Kojiro looked down at the pink-haired boy who was once again asleep in his bed, and decided that if friendship was the only kind of relationship Kaoru could ever accept from him, then he would do everything in his power to give the best of it to him, even if that meant he had to lock away his true feelings and bury it deep enough inside his soul so that Kaoru would never find it.
#6. Cherry Blossom
Even though he was the only child, Sakurayashiki Kaoru had never felt he was alone, thanks to the green-haired gorilla who had stayed by his side ever since the first time they had met.
Nanjo Kojiro was the polar opposite of Kaoru. He was loud and obnoxious, the sound of him playing with his younger siblings in the back garden could be heard from two blocks away. He was reckless and impulsive, never think first before he acted, and had gotten himself into dangerous situations multiple times when they were kids. He was a playboy and an attention seeker, who would flirt with anyone regardless of their age or gender, and loved to show off the unreasonable amount of love letters and hand-made chocolates he always got on Valentine’s day from secret admirers.
But there was more to Kojiro than meets the eye. Kojiro was fiercely loyal and protective over the ones he cared about. He had the patience of a saint towards his younger siblings and sometimes Kaoru if he wanted to. If Kojiro wanted to do something, he would give it all so he could do the best in it. He was not book smart, but he was a fast learner and he was able to do an Ollie in no time when he started skateboarding after Kaoru, much to Kaoru’s surprise. Kaoru, though he would never admit to Kojiro, was grateful to have him by his side, and he was sure they would just stay together like this forever, probably until the day they were both old and wrinkly.
After graduating from high school, Kaoru and Kojiro went to Europe for their post-graduation trip. Their last stop was in Paris; after they had checked out of the hotel on their last day, Kaoru looked at Kojiro with disbelief when he was told that Kojiro was not going back to Okinawa with him; he was actually heading straight to Italy for culinary school. Kaoru knew Kojiro loved cooking, but he didn’t know Kojiro wanted to pursue it professionally, or at least Kojiro somehow managed to keep that from him until this moment. On the plane back to Japan, Kaoru looked at the empty seat beside him, and for the first time in his life, his heart clenched painfully with loneliness.
Time flew by in a blink. When Kojiro finally returned to Japan, Kaoru had already set up shop as the famous AI calligrapher. He had tried to visit Kojiro in Italy during the earlier years, but Kojiro was always traveling around for his training, and Kaoru had deadline after deadline for competitions because he was trying to make a name for himself in the calligraphy world. They still kept in touch with long-distance calls and emails, but the time difference and their busy schedules had cut the calls into mere minutes and emails into just a few lines. Kaoru didn’t even know that Kojiro was coming back, until he saw a familiar crown of green hair stood before his calligraphy shop.
Kojiro had changed a lot, with his physique almost doubled in size and longer hair tied at the back of his neck. Kaoru changed a lot too, now dressed in elegant yukata and all piercings removed, but they picked up where they had left off easily as if Kojiro was never gone. They still fight and call each other names like two 5-year-olds, but Kaoru felt his soul was finally settled after a long journey drifting in the unknown. Shortly after returning home, Kojiro opened his own Italian restaurant, Sia la luce, not too far from Kaoru’s calligraphy shop, and Kaoru found himself at the restaurant after hours almost every other night, with a seat destinated for him by the counter. Kaoru actually preferred Italian food over traditional Japanese food, contrary to what people would assume about him based on his profession. He could confidently say that the success of Kojiro’s restaurant was mainly because of his valuable opinions and Carla’s impeccable analysis of everything on the menu.
Life was great, between the calligraphy shop, Kojiro’s restaurant, and the S race they had helped founding. Kaoru was fulfilling his duty as the official taste tester for Sia la luce when Reki, the red-haired high school boy Kojiro had gotten close to, came into the restaurant and asked him if Kaoru and Kojiro were best friends. Kaoru had never thought about the definition of their relationship before. Kojiro was not the brother he never had, because it just felt wrong. He was not a friend, because “friend” was too shallow a term to reflect the depth of their shared bond. Kojiro was just, Kojiro. There was no word in this world that could sufficiently define what he was to Kaoru.
Kaoru always felt that there was no need for definition when it comes to Kojiro. That was, up until recently, when that confidence was starting to crumble.
Kaoru was commission by a well-known resort on Miyakojima for a set to be framed and displayed in the newly renovated lobby. He was happy to get a free vacation out of it, but his supposed solo trip was hijacked by the kids from S and a smirking Kojiro who swore it was pure coincidence that he was going to the same resort on the exact same day and time. It was surprisingly fun to spend time with the skaters outside of S, minus the part where Kojiro threw him into the ocean. They even had a little race to go up to the hot spring, of which Kaoru had won over Kojiro fair and square.
They were the first ones to arrive, it was late at night so there were no other guests in the hot spring. They sat down into the hot water with a content sigh, but Kaoru could sense Kojiro was staring at him.
“What are you staring at?”
“It has faded.”
There was a small tattoo on Kaoru’s back, above his right shoulder blade and below the shoulder line. It consisted of five small cherry blossom petals that were not connected but formed a perfect cherry blossom flower with simple and clean lines. It was not colored, and the thin black lines were fading, looking greenish.
One of the first things Kaoru noticed about Kojiro after he came back to Japan was that he had a giant sun tattoo covering his entire left shoulder. The idea of Kojiro getting inked in a foreign country by some random stranger made Kaoru’s stomach turn. Kojiro was there for every single piercing Kaoru had gotten, but he was marked by someone else without Kaoru. He hated the tattoo, and Kaoru would make insulting comments about it every chance he’d got. Kojiro was sick of Kaoru’s attacks on his pride and joy, so he challenged Kaoru into a Beef and demanded that he get a tattoo too if he loses. They ended up in a small tattoo parlor on the other side of the town, because Kaoru was a sore loser and he didn’t want to be seen getting a tattoo by anyone that could recognize him. Kojiro had actually designed it himself, and Kaoru chose to have it on his back where it would remain hidden from prying eyes under his yukata. Kaoru didn’t spare much attention to care for it, the friction from his clothes must have caused the lines to fade without him noticing.
“You should get it touched up.” Kojiro rubbed his thumb over the tattoo, drawing circles around the petals. Kaoru could feel the heat from his fingertip even though they were sitting in a pool of hot water. He turned his face slightly to look at Kojiro, and he saw him looking down at the tattoo with an unreadable expression. It was the look that Kojiro sometimes had on his face when he was looking at Kaoru, and Kaoru had been having trouble deciphering the sadness, loneliness and a hint of something else that were clouding the always playful chestnut eyes, not even Carla could provide a reasonable explanation. Kojiro had never been afraid of speaking his mind, the possibility of Kojiro hiding something was concerning. Kaoru had always thought the bond between them was strong enough for Kojiro to be able to freely share all his troubles and fears with him. Kaoru wondered if the years spent apart had somehow caused their relationship to deteriorate.
+1. Kojiro & Kaoru
Kaoru was angry. Sure, he felt bad about the kids staying at that broken little house and he would have happily asked the hotel staff if they could accommodate the kids with a new room. But Kojiro just had to jump in and offer Kaoru’s room up without his permission, so it was only fair for him to steal Kojiro’s room as compensation.
Kaoru was not surprised to find Kojiro following him out because Kojiro never listened to him anyway. Kojiro’s room was a much smaller, regular-sized guest room for two people. There were two sets of futons already set up side by side for them; it was obvious that Kojiro had planned this all along.
They had always shared the room on all of the school trips they had gone on, but now that they were adults, it had been a while since the last time they were on vacation together. They would occasionally stay over at each other’s house after a long night, but they had always slept in the guest rooms. It felt a little strange to be sleeping in the same room next to Kojiro again after all these years.
“Stop pouting, I have brought you a treat.”
Kojiro waved Kaoru over to the two lounge chairs by the window and took out a bottle of white wine from his bag. It was Kaoru’s favourite wine; he decided that he would forgive Kojiro for five minutes.
They drank in silence, soft moonlight spaying into the room from the opened window. Kaoru looked up and saw that unreadable expression had resurfaced on Kojiro’s face.
“What am I to you, Kojiro?”
Kojiro was startled by the question. He put the teacup he was using as the makeshift wine glass down on the table with a slightly shaky hand, “I thought you hated asking stupid questions.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Kaoru looked straight into Kojiro’s shifty eyes, “answer the question.”
“Why are you asking this?” Kojiro let out a heavy sigh.
“You have been hiding something from me,” Kaoru took another sip of the wine, “I could tell something has been bothering you, but you didn’t want to tell me,” there was a sour taste on the tip of his tongue, “you always tell me everything.”
“What can I say? People find mysterious men sexy.”
Kaoru scowled, Kojiro was diverging again. “I don’t always tell you everything,” the mischievous smile on Kojiro’s face disappeared, “don’t assume you know everything about me, Kaoru.”
Kaoru felt a needle had punctured a hole in his chest, “fine! Keep your precious little secret and let it rot inside your pea-sized brain!”
Kaoru stomped over to the futons and angrily climbed into one, ignoring Kojiro’s intense gaze that was following his movements. He hid under the sheets and covered himself from head to toe, with only a few strands of pink hair peeking out from the top of his cocoon. Kaoru’s body was trembling from a mixture of hurt and frustration. Sure, they were not kids anymore and adults were bound to have a secret or two that they didn’t want others to know, but hearing those words coming out of Kojiro’s mouth still felt like a knife to his heart. Or maybe he had found someone else he could share those secrets with, so he didn’t feel necessary to tell Kaoru anymore. If tears were threatening to well up in his eyes, Kaoru blamed it on the alcohol for weakening his defenses.
Kaoru reminded hidden under the covers without moving. He didn’t know how much time had passed, he could hear the occasional clink of teacup hitting the table, meaning Kojiro had continued drinking by himself. He couldn’t fall asleep like this anyway, with all sorts of emotions in a scramble. He debated if he should get up and grab Carla to play his usual lullaby, when he heard Kojiro getting up from his chair and walking towards the futons.
Kojiro’s footstep was muffled by the sheets, but Kaoru could feel his presence coming closer even from under the covers. He could sense Kojiro had sat down behind him, his familiar body heat seeping through the duvet, ghosting over Kaoru’s back. Kaoru’s body tensed up; he was not ready to face Kojiro yet.
“You awake?” Kojiro’s voice was incredibly soft.
Kaoru didn’t respond. He just reminded in his curled-up position and pretended he had fallen asleep.
“What are you to me, you asked.”
Gentle fingers picked up the loose strand of pink hair that sprayed over the top of the pillow, twisting and wrapping around his palm, Kojiro’s voice continued.
“You are my light.”
A featherlight kiss landed on top of his head.
“The one and only sakura in this world.”
Kaoru wondered if he had indeed fallen asleep, his dream so real it felt like reality.
Coda:
Kojiro was in the kitchen of Sia la luce. It was his birthday, and the restaurant was closed for the day. He still came in to test some new recipes he had been working on since he was very passionate about his job and he didn’t have any plans for the day anyway.
It had been a couple of weeks since the onsen trip. Kaoru hadn’t shown up in the restaurant at all after the trip. Kojiro had texted and called him a few times asking if he was ok, but Kaoru just passed off saying he was busy with a new commission that had very tight deadlines. They usually had plans for each other’s birthdays, but this time Kaoru never said anything about it; Kojiro wondered if Kaoru had (intentionally) forgotten about his birthday.
The kids from S had said earlier they would drop by to say hi today. Kojiro doubted they knew about his birthday though, they probably just wanted to get another free meal out of him. Kojiro shook his head fondly, since Kaoru was not here to test taste for him, might as well have the kids be his guinea pigs for once. He immersed himself into the works at hand, then he heard the front door open.
Kojiro thought the kids must have arrived, but when he turned around, he saw Kaoru standing by the kitchen door, eyebrows drew into a deep frown.
“Kaoru? What are you doing here?” Kojiro wiped off the flour on his hands and walked up close to the pink-haired man, he reached out a hand to touch Kaoru’s face, “what’s wrong?”
“Nanjo Kojiro,” Kaoru called out his full name, voice serious but with a hint of tremor, “I will ask you one last time,” golden eyes boring into Kojiro’s soul, “what am I to you?”
Kojiro looked back into Kaoru’s eyes. He could see fear and hope glistering behind Kaoru’s lenses. He scratched the hair at the back of his neck, “you were awake.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Kojiro stepped even closer to Kaoru, their faces mere inches away, lips almost touching.
“You are my everything.”
The whisper of promise closed the gap between their lips, and then their hearts.
The END