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Rumi bounced on her heels excitedly. “Where is she?” the girl whined.
Miya rolled his eyes. “She texted you like two minutes ago, calm down.”
She stuck her tongue out at him before resuming her lookout. A few seconds passed before she jumped up excitedly, waving her arm like a madman. “Tacchan!”
Miya couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction, watching as a girl rushed in their direction.
“Rumi!” squealed the new addition, laughing when she was tackled into a hug.
Rumi’s face was blindingly bright as her partner swung her around excitedly. Miya couldn’t help but notice how all the three couples he’d been around in his life, always had that expression. Pure, unadulterated joy. It made his heart warm and expression soften.
He’d do anything for them to keep that.
The kid was now red-faced but still beaming. “Ah-Miya!”
“Guess you’re finally here huh, Tamaki?” he said, giving them a coy smile.
Tamaki laughed, squeezing him with a hug. “Ah, I’m so excited to meet you! It was killing me back in Tokyo!”
“Glad you find my friendship so desirable,” he joked, making them giggle.
Rumi interlocked both of their elbows with hers and cheered. “Alright! Now that the gang’s together let’s go!” she squealed.
It was winter break, and Rumi’s partner, Ikari Tamaki, finally was allowed to come to Okinawa. Miya and Rumi listened, enraptured as she chattered excitedly about Tokyo, and their school.
“How has Okinawa been?” they asked, easily shifting topics.
Rumi grinned. “Tacchan, Miya’s group is literally the coolest thing ever! I met them—well all of them this time—and they’re absolutely brilliant! None of them are the same age as us but they’re hilarious? And they’re super nice too, you have to meet them!”
Tamaki mirrored her grin. “I can’t wait!”
Miya checked his phone, before chuckling. “You won’t have to wait long,” he said, catching their attention. “The idiots are already asking about you.”
“Ooh! What are they saying?”
“Kaoru-san is asking if you’ve reached safely and if we’re on our way home. Kojiro-san is asking if you have a favourite dish so he can make it when you come. The idiot couple is asking if you’re interesting and fun. Shadow’s asking if you…like flowers? Apparently, he feels bad he can’t contribute or something.”
Tamaki giggled. “They already sound exciting. Oh, I do like lasagna though. And bluebells!”
“I’ll let them know. Joe’s lasagna is honestly the best, so you’re in luck.
Their smile widened. “Sweet.”
Of course, it wasn’t like they could go to Sia La Luce directly. First, they went to Rumi’s house where Tamaki would be staying for two weeks.
“We’re here!” yelled Rumi, the moment they entered the house. Her mom peeked out from the kitchen.
“Oh! Welcome back, guys. Hi, Tamaki-chan!”
“Hi, Auntie! I hope you’ve been doing well!”
Rumi’s mom smiled. “I’ve been doing great. Lunch will be ready in half an hour so you can go to Rumi’s room for the time being. I hope you’re staying for lunch, Miya-kun!”
He bowed his head slightly. “If it isn’t a trouble-”
“Nonsense!” reassured the woman. “We love having you over. Anyway skedaddle you kids, I’ll call you when I’m done.”
They shuffled upstairs to Rumi’s room, closing the room behind them.
“So uh, tell me more about the group!” said Tamaki, settling on the floor with one of Rumi’s plushies. “I wanna be prepared when I meet them.”
Miya hummed. “Well, there’s Jo—Nanjo-san. He has green hair and he’s the tallest and he’s super buff. But he’s also really chill and nice. He’s the one who runs Sia La Luce. Then there’s Che—Sakurayashiki-san, with pink hair. He and Nanjo-san have been friends since forever. He’s the responsible one. You might think he’s a bit scary but he’s actually nice, just give it some time. He’s also like some mother hen, so he like, looks after us a lot. Both of them are in their 30s. Then there’s Higa-san. He works at a flower shop. He’s really good at makeup too. He’s just like an annoying cousin, he’s pretty chill and gives us rides around the city. He’s 25. Then there’s the idiot couple who are both 17. There’s Langa who’s from Canada. He’s quiet and has blue hair. He doesn’t talk too much, but that’s just how he is. And then his boyfriend, Reki. He has red hair, super loud. He designs boards so that’s pretty cool. He’s also really good at explaining, which was how Langa learnt how to skateboard so well. Then there’s me. And Rumi is kind of a new addition.” he paused. “And then you.”
“Wow, they sound fun.”
“The real chaos starts when you’re in the same room as them.” laughed Miya.
Rumi nodded enthusiastically. “I once saw Kaoru-san and Kojiro-san fight over ketchup for twenty minutes. It was so pointless yet so funny.”
“Oh but when they’re really tired or someone’s hurt they automatically go soft on each other,” laughed Miya.
Tamaki’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. “I really wanna meet them, wow.”
“Kids! Lunch!”
Miya grinned. “Lunch first. Then we can hop over to Sia La Luce.”
After filling their bellies, they told Rumi’s mom and started making their way to Sia La Luce.
“Wait seriously, you can speak English?” asked Miya.
Tamaki nodded. “You see my mom was born in America, and my dad moved there for college and met her and they got married and had me. Two years later they had my sister. And we stayed there till I was like…eight.”
Rumi snickered. “When she gets really pissed off they start swearing in English.”
Miya snorted. “Now that’ll be something to see.”
They continued chatting about mundane things. It felt nice having another addition to his friend group.
As Tamaki started into another story about Tokyo, Miya started looking around at the surroundings, while also making sure to pay attention. He had felt this odd chill a minute back, and he wasn’t sure what it was. As they turned around the corner, he caught sight of a black car with tinted windows. But through the front glass, he could make out something that made his blood freeze.
Blue hair.
No. No, this couldn’t be happening what—
What was Adam doing there?
His brain went into overdrive. He was with Rumi and Tamaki, how could he put them in danger?
“Hey Miya?”
“Hm?” He turned to Rumi. She gave him an easy smile.
“Can we stop at the store? I wanted to buy some candy.”
He shrugged, head still occupied by Adam. “Sure.”
They walked into the convenience store and immediately Rumi grabbed their arms and dragged them to the last aisle.
“Rumi?”
She hushed them. “Did you see it?”
“See what?” whispered Tamaki, confused.
“The car.”
Miya’s eyes widened. “You saw that?”
She nodded. “Miya, I don’t wanna worry you but…I’ve seen that car before. When I was with you.”
Dread curled in his gut. His hands trembled slightly as he fumbled for his phone.
“Miya?”
“I’m gonna call Shadow.” he said, slamming his thumb on the contact.
“Hey, kiddo—”
“Shadow.” he cut in urgently. “You need to pick us up.”
“Huh? I thought you were walking here?”
He chewed on the inside of his lip nervously. “I know I know, but we were on our way there and now we’re in a convenience store because—”
He paused. “Shadow, there was a car following us and Adam was in it, what do we do ?”
He heard a bunch of shuffling before another voice spoke.
“Miya?”
“Cherry.”
“Are all three of you safe?”
“Yeah, but Cherry—”
“I know,” said the man soothingly. “Here’s what you’re gonna do, okay? You’ll send your location to Hiromi. He’ll come with Kojiro, so it’ll be fine. Just take your time picking out some candy and snacks. And ice cream for everyone too. Kojiro will come to pay for it and Hiromi will drive you all back. Okay?”
Miya took in a breath before letting it out. “Yeah, okay.”
“Good. Don’t worry Miya, we got you.”
“Yeah. Bye Cherry.”
“Mn.”
He cut the call and quickly sent their location to Shadow.
“Miya?”
He looked over to Rumi and Tamaki who were staring at him with worried looks. His insides twisted. Now, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that if they left after this it would hurt so much. He wouldn’t blame them, because the situation was scary, but it would still hurt . After all, he’d gotten to know them so well…
“I’m sorry,” he swallowed. “I promise I’ll explain when we get to Sia La Luce—”
He cut himself off as Tamaki squeezed his arm.
“Hey, it’s okay. We got it.” they said softly. She smiled encouragingly. “Is someone coming to pick us up?”
“Yeah…Sh—Higa-san and Nanjo-san.”
“Great, did Sakurayashiki-san say anything else?”
“He wants us to pick out snacks and ice cream for everyone.”
Tamaki hummed. “Then let’s go do that, hm?”
He nodded slowly, now feeling a bit calmer. “Yeah. Thanks.”
By the time they finish picking out everything, Shadow and Joe rush into the store. They hurry over to the kids, worry dancing in their eyes.
“Is everyone okay?” Joe asked, eyes scanning over them.
“We’re fine.” said Rumi, smiling before looking over to the other two who nodded.
“You must be Tamaki,” sighed Shadow. “I’m sorry this is happening on your first day here.”
Tamaki smiled widely. “It’s alright, sir, I’m fine.”
“Oh, we should—introductions. I’m Nanjo Kojiro, this Higa Hiromi.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Ikari Tamaki!”
The adults visibly soften at their bright attitude.
“It’s a pleasure, have you picked out everything you wanted?”
They nodded and followed Joe to the counter like a group of ducks.
Joe’s eyebrows furrowed as he saw Tamaki reach into her pocket. “Hey, hey, what’s with that?”
They gave him a confused look. “Uhm money?”
“I’m paying kiddo, don’t sweat it.”
Her expression turned hesitant. “But…I’ll feel bad…”
Rumi clicked her tongue. “Tacchan, Sakurayashiki-san said that Nanjo-san would pay.”
Tamaki pressed her lips together, looking unsure. “Are you sure it’s okay? I don’t want to impose or anything-”
It hit Joe that the kid probably was taught to not accept things from anyone or to make sure she didn’t depend on people too much. He couldn’t resist reaching out and patting her head.
“Let the adults treat you guys, we’re the ones with steady wages.” he teased.
Tamaki blinked before smiling softly and nodding. Joe grinned, satisfied. He paid for the snacks and they pushed all the bags into one cloth bag.
“Ready to leave?”
Everyone nodded and quickly made their way to the car. Out of the corner of his eye, Miya saw it. Adam’s car was still there. His skin crawled and he wanted nothing more than to be away.
He snapped out of his thoughts when someone nudged him.
“And then Miya insisted that for some reason gummy worms were better than sour patches because which kid doesn’t like sour patches, right!?” ranted Rumi, her hands flailing around. Tamaki giggled, while Joe and Shadow gave her amused smiles.
Miya blinked, as Tamaki gave him a small nod.
He sighed, letting himself sink into the seats. It would be fine.
It took less than five minutes to pull into the parking lot of Sia La Luce. In half a minute they were all back inside and comfortably seated.
“Nothing happened?” asked Cherry.
“Nothing.” assured Shadow.
“Why was Adam there?” murmured Langa, frowning.
“I don’t know but-” he gave Rumi a worried glance. “Rumi said she saw his car before. When she was with me .”
The lump in his throat grew a bit.
The two kids glanced at each other before nodding.
“We wanna know what’s going on.” said Rumi firmly. They’d never seen her look so serious.
The group turned to Miya who was so certain he’d pass out. He sighed, rubbing his palms against his shorts.
“Okay.” he said finally. “But you can’t repeat this to anyone else.”
It took a while to explain everything. Cherry And Joe talked about how S came to be, and how they knew Adam. Miya, Shadow and Reki talked about getting into S. Reki and Langa talked about Langa’s arrival, how they met, how Langa got into S. And then the entire mess with Langa and Adam.
“So that’s how it is…I’m sorry for keeping it from you.” said Miya, biting the inside of his cheek.
The entire time, Rumi and Tamaki had remained expressionless.
There was a few seconds of silence before Tamaki got up silently and moved out of the room. Rumi sighed and gave them an apologetic smile before running after her.
Miya slumped in his seat, burying his head into his arms with a sigh.
“Miya…”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
“I should’ve known this would happen.”
How could he have been so hopeful? Actually keeping friends as good as them around him? What a joke.
The others could do nothing but watch him curl in on himself, feeling upset.
Two minutes passed and Rumi and Tamaki returned.
Miya looked up anxiously.
“You know, you guys should uhm-We probably shouldn’t hang out. This could be dangerous for you, I’d totally understand, yeah? I mean Tamaki should enjoy their holiday, you guys can uh-”
He cut himself off as Tamaki squeezed him into a hug.
“You are so unbelievably stupid.” they mumbled, burying her face into his shoulder.
“What?” he breathed out, slowly hugging her back.
“You’re stupid.” echoed Rumi, with an exasperated smile.
Tamaki pulled away, discreetly wiping at their tears.
“I can’t believe…” she huffed, flicking his forehead. “Did you really think we’d leave you to this dangerous situation alone?”
He pouted, looking away. “Leave me alone.”
“The truth is, we already knew that something was going on.” confessed Rumi. “Every time you guys would slip up on your names or mention something from S but backpaddle so fast? I already guessed something was up. And when I talked about it to Tacchan, we agreed we would wait until you were comfortable enough to tell us.”
Tamaki nodded. “But honestly…this? We didn’t expect something like S.” she sighed.
“Are you mad?”
They shook their heads.
“Angrier at this creep.” scowled Rumi.
“Yeah, I don’t get it, he really needs therapy.” agreed Tamaki.
Cherry snorted before mumbling, “You can say that again.”
“But…” Tamaki’s expression darkened. “Seriously I don’t get it. What kind of adult attacks kids?”
“Well, it’s more of S-”
“No.” she interrupted, making them blink. “I mean…” their expression fell on Reki and Langa.
Everyone’s eyes widened as she cursed violently in English under her breath.
Langa pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh at their choice of words.
“No, because how were you okay with it!?” they said unhappily.
Langa blinked, being the only one who could understand them completely. “Okay with what?”
“He—That man literally touched you without consent. In a manner that wasn’t appropriate for an adult, how—” her expression was horrified. “How did you even…”
“I didn’t…” he trailed off. “I don’t know. I just-I didn’t know what to do, okay? I was so confused and it was a new place, and I didn’t know shit about Japanese culture so I tried to rationalise it-”
“There is no place that would ever be normal and legal, Langa!”
Everyone jumped at the rise in volume. “Guys-”
“How was I supposed to know!?” his voice was rising too. “I wasn’t exactly in the best headspace, I was running from so much, I was looking for an escape, I was focused on keeping it-”
“Then what the fuck are all these adults for?! You should’ve gone to them! You should’ve-”
“I fucking know!” he snapped. “But I didn’t then, and what’s the use in bringing up the past!”
“It is useful!” they cried, angrily. “At least they’ll know they made a fucking mistake, and maybe they’ll fucking realise how far that man messed with you too?! And don’t even tell me none of that affected you!”
“Guys!”
Langa and Tamaki flinched. The group stared at them with shell shocked expressions. The pair had been yelling so hard, tears gathering in Langa’s eyes, and an angry flush developing on Tamaki’s face, almost face to face at this point.
Reki slid in next to Langa, taking his hand. “Hey, what’s going on you two?” he asked worriedly.
“Tacchan, you can’t just burst like that.” murmured Rumi, patting her head.
Tamaki sighed.
“You guys…Why did you guys just stand there and watch while that Adam dude put his hands on Langa?” she asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“What?”
“You guys stood there watching him… touch Langa as if he was some showpiece…even while they skated against each other? As if that was normal ? I get S is aggressive and all that shit, but clearly there has to be a limit right?”
The adults stared at Langa who looked away uncomfortably.
“Langa…”
“I didn’t-” his voice faltered. “What was I supposed to do ?”
“You should’ve come to us.” whispered Cherry, regret in his eyes.
“I didn’t know whether-” he pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no-” Joe protested. “We’re the ones who should be sorry. We didn’t even do anything…we should’ve made sure he didn’t do anything. I’m sorry.”
Langa nodded jerkily. It was clear it was still a sore subject for him.
“This dude’s a major asshole.” muttered Rumi thoughtfully. “From everything we’ve heard, he could’ve killed Reki, Langa and Cherry, if the tiniest thing went wrong? He’s clearly insane.”
In the end, it was an odd yet fulfilling meeting and Rumi and Tamaki went home quite satisfied.
“You okay?” asked Shadow, nudging Miya softly.
Miya hummed, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
He smiled slightly. “Pretty okay, I think.”
Everyone exchanged relieved smiles.
“They’re pretty great, huh?” commented Langa.
Miya’s smile brightened a bit more. “Yeah.”
Miya and Takashi stood across from each other awkwardly. They definitely hadn’t expected to see each other there.
“Hey,” offered Takashi.
“Hi,” said Miya.
He was supposed to be waiting for Rumi and Tamaki to show up, so they could take Tamaki shopping but…he hadn’t expected Takashi to be here…
“Waiting for someone?”
He nodded. “Yeah…Rumi and her friend.”
“Ah. Tachibana Rumi, huh? You guys have been real buddy buddy.”
Something about his tone made annoyance flicker in Miya’s stomach.
“Yeah, well at least they’re nice to me.” he muttered, kicking his foot against the pavement idly.
“At least?”
Miya snorted. “Don’t even.”
“Miya-”
“I said , don’t even.” he said sharply.
Takashi regarded him carefully.
“You’ve changed.”
“Yeah, no thanks to you guys.”
“We-”
“No. Don’t try to explain, or justify, okay?” he sighed. “To be honest I get it.”
“…what?”
That was probably the last thing he’d expected Miya to say.
“Another friend of mine…he explained it. He told me how he felt, and I kinda guessed that it was similar to your guys’ situation, so I get it. But-”
He scowled at the floor. “I still can’t forgive you. You guys genuinely made me scared of making friends, for a long time. I didn’t have any friends, until people literally forced themselves into my life and refused to leave.”
He met Takashi’s eyes. “I understand you guys. But the fact that you didn’t trust me or like me enough to know that I wouldn’t leave my friends for something stupid like fame ? That’s what hurts.”
He spread his arms with a mocking smile. “All this stupid Chinen Miya you see in expos and tournaments? God it’s the fakest role I’ve ever played in my entire life. They really think Chinen Miya is so confident, so quirky, so cute to some and such a fucking asshole to others. Everything’s a shitty show. No one knows that all Chinen Miya really is, is scared to show himself because the last group of people he did that to left.”
“I-”
Takashi cut himself off. “I’m sorry.”
Miya sighed looking away. They were well past apologies now. It was of no use.
“Yeah, me too. Apparently I wasn’t good enough to make you stay.”
“Miya-”
“Miya! Sorry we’re late!”
The pair turned to see Rumi and Tamaki jogging over.
“Oh? Takashi-kun, what a surprise to see you here.” said Rumi smiling.
“Yeah, nice to see you’re doing well, Rumi-chan. I’ll leave now.”
Takashi sent one last regretful glance in Miya’s direction before heading off.
“What was that about?”
Miya shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugging. “Who knows?”
The conversation played in Miya’s mind well after that. He didn’t know if what he did was right. If he was being honest, he’d never expected to ever hold a conversation with Takashi ever again. He’d just expected them to continue their awkward radio silence relationship until they graduated and eventually never saw each other again.
He sighed, slumping in his seat.
“You’ve been sighing a lot today.” said Reki, looking over at him.
Miya pressed his lips together, clearly troubled by something. Reki wanted to help, but at the same time, he didn’t want to push too hard or in the wrong way and make Miya’s shell activate all over again.
The younger one weighed his options. Reki wasn’t one to laugh when he was seriously in a punch. And he was nice enough to listen. Maybe…Miya could confide in him just a tiny bit?”
He let out another sigh.
“What would you assume if a person told you that someone like you isn’t supposed to hang out with people like them?” he confessed.
Reki’s eyes softened in understanding. “I’d think…if it was me , they meant it as a loser thing. But if it was you , I think it would’ve been a ‘ you’re too good to hang out with us ’ kind of thing.”
“But-”
“Even if you never saw it like that, insecurities are a bitch. Sometimes they warp your way of thinking. I wouldn’t be surprised that they felt that way because you’re pretty cool man.”
The compliment didn’t make me feel better, it made him feel empty.
“And I know because-” he gave Miya a crooked grin that spoke over a thousand words. But they all boiled down to one sentence. I felt the same way.
“But,” added Reki, making Miya look up. “I still don’t agree with them leaving you like that. Having a fight…misunderstandings…getting hurt…it’s all a part of normal relationships. But sometimes relationships do break off because one side lost faith or felt hurt. It may not be the other side’s fault but at that moment it doesn’t really matter.”
“So you’re saying there’s nothing I could’ve done about it?” asked Miya, staring up at the ceiling.
“Basically. It also isn’t your fault. To be honest you can’t pin the fault on anyone. It might have been an accumulation of small mistakes. It might have been nothing too. You can never know.”
“This is so hard, why is it so hard?” he complained.
Reki laughed, hooking an arm around his neck and tugging him into a hold. “I don’t know either. But I hope you can get to a point where you aren’t bothered by it anymore.”
Miya hummed before letting his eyes close. “Me too.”
After one week of not seeing Adam, they’d assumed one safe thing. He’d backed off. Which was a relief to Miya because he didn’t want to put his friends in any more danger.
He hummed to himself, taking another sip from his straw. Slushies were the greatest invention of mankind in his opinion.
“Chinen-kun, what a surprise seeing you here.”
He froze. Oh for heaven’s—
He let out a tiny breath before spinning on his heel. “Adam.”
The man smiled. Miya felt a chill run down his spine. “Why don’t you join me?”
Miya cast a glance to the shop across from them, where Rumi and Tamaki were admiring some headphones. Tamaki’s had broken and Rumi’s mom had given them more than enough money to replace them, so they were taking their time.
He held back a regretful sigh and shrugged. “Sure I guess.”
Following the man away from his seat, he silently prayed that it all wouldn’t go downhill.
“You’ve been slacking on your training.” said Adam, regarding him carefully.
Miya leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “My parents are letting me take it easy. I have more time for friends and school now. I don’t see a problem.”
“You’re gonna fall out of your #1 spot, Chinen-kun.”
“Adam. Skating isn’t my entire life. It’s a passion, a hobby, something I love doing. But I’m not going to obsess over it.” he said, sighing. “I also actually wanna live and not ruin my mental health.”
“Sounds like bullshit.”
Miya almost was startled by his cold tone. “It doesn’t matter what you think. What did you want from me?”
Adam sighed, taking out a card. He recognised it, almost like the invitation Reki had gotten so long ago.
“Do me a favour and give this to the Little Red-”
“No.”
Adam paused. “What?”
“I said. No.” he grit out.
“I believe I misheard you-”
“Adam. No. I’m not gonna deliver your stupid death note to Reki.” hissed Miya, slapping the card out of his hand. “I don’t care how humiliated or pathetic you felt when you skated against him. Did it piss you off? When you won yet everyone was cheering for Reki, calling his name, telling him he was amazing? Because he was. Reki got the shit beaten out of him in his first beef with you, and in the second, he almost beat you. He’s not the nobody you think he is, he’s ten times the man you will ever-”
Miya coughed as Adam grabbed him by the front of his hoodie.
“You’re being quite rude Chinen-kun. I’d never expected this from you It’s quite upsetting after I put so much love and care into growing your skating-”
“ Fuck you ,” spat Miya with as much venom as he could. “All you did was make me feel bad about myself!”
“I think you’re not being very self-aware, Chinen-kun. Do you realise the position you’re in? I could easily snap you in half. I’m in power right now. I can do anything I want right now, and I will never be caught.”
Miya knew. He knew it so well. But he couldn’t be caught feeling scared in front of someone like Adam. He wouldn’t.
“Do your worst.” he seethed.
Adam lifted him by his collar, clearly enraged.
“Miya!”
Miya gasped as he was abruptly let go by Adam, and stumbled into someone’s arms.
“Miya, can you hear me? Are you okay? Miya-”
“I’m fine,” he coughed. He blinked, looking around. Langa and Reki were standing in front of him protectively. Joe was on the floor, punching Adam. He slowly steadied himself. He turned to see that Tamaki and Rumi were the ones who caught him.
“You guys-”
Rumi hugged him fiercely. “You idiot! What kind of idiot just goes along with that psycho!? You should’ve yelled and made a fuss and-”
“Sorry,” he said, dazed. “Are you guys okay?”
“You’re asking if we’re okay?” snapped Tamaki. “Miya you could’ve been hurt!”
“He didn’t do anything.”
“You’re sure?” asked Reki, immediately checking him for any sign of pain.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” he insisted.
“Why did Adam bring you here?” asked Langa. His eyes shone with cold, muted fury.
“He” Miya paused. “He wanted me to give some challenge thingy to Reki.”
“Really?” said Reki, turning pale.
“Yeah but I refused and then he got physical.”
All four of their eyes lit up with anger.
“He didn’t beat me up!” he assured, hurriedly. “Just…lifted me by my hoodie.”
“He still put his hands on you.” said Rumi angrily.
They all watched as Cherry marched in, followed by the police.
Miya gaped as they took Adam and carried him away, while Cherry smiled smugly.
“Cherry what-”
The man hurried over to Miya. “He didn’t do anything, right?”
“I’m fine , oh my god, more importantly, what was with the police !?”
Cherry sniffed, looking away. “I just gave them a little thing to go on about Shindo Ainosuke and they investigated and then this happened and he got taken away.”
“Shindo Ainosuke?” echoed Reki. “The politician?”
“I had a little help, right?”
Someone stepped out from behind. “Yes, I would say so.”
“Snake!?” yelped Reki.
Snake smiled politely, dipping his head in greeting. “It’s been a while, everyone.”
“How do you know Adam?” wondered Langa.
“Er-he was my boss,” said Snake.
“What!?”
Spending the vacation with Rumi and Tamaki proved to be enjoyable in its own way. From skating in parks together, trying to teach it to Tamaki before they ended up crying from her wounds, pigging out in Joe’s restaurant, shopping, going laser tagging with the gang…everything seemed so nice.
Adam—or Shindo Ainosuke was arrested. All his corruption was aired out. And the inspector who was so invested in catching him finally got a break.
And then came the day Tamaki had to leave.
Sia La Luce was decorated grandly, with streamers and balloons and Joe had made Tamaki’s favourites.
“We’re gonna miss you, kiddo.” said Joe, ruffling their hair.
She smiled. “I’m gonna miss you guys too.”
“I can’t believe we’re losing our only sane brain cell after Cherry.” mourned Shadow, stabbing his cake piece sadly.
Everyone laughed.
That scene would always be tinged with comfort and warmth in Miya’s head. In the room, with all the people he cared about.
The cake was cut and served with a side of ice cream. Everyone was chatting with each other as a group of eight for the last time.
And then Tamaki had to catch their flight.
She pulled on her backpack and grabbed her suitcase. Rumi’s mom was going to drop them at the airport and Rumi was of course going with them. Miya decided to stay back, wanting them to spend the time together.
Tamaki sighed, giving them a smile. “Thank you for having me.” she said.
Everyone smiled back. “You’re welcome here any time.”
They turned and reached out to turn the knob before their shoulders started trembling.
“Tacchan-oh…oh Tacchan.”
Miya rushed over to both of them as he saw Tamaki rub at her face.
“God, I thought I’d make it to the car.” they laughed as more tears dripped down her cheeks.
“Don’t feel sad, kid.” murmured Shadow. “We’ll always be in the same place.”
“I know, I know.” she breathed out, unable to stop the drops. “It’s just…oh it was so nice. So nice to be…so free with Rumi and be so casual and-”
She hiccuped, making them frown.
“It felt so nice to be with people that are so nice and sweet, it felt like a dream. It makes me so sad to leave…”
Everyone crowded around her for a group hug. Miya and Rumi pressed closer to her.
“You’ll always be a little while away, dumbo.” said Miya softly. “Don’t feel sad when you can visit any time.”
“If you need a weekend to get away, just pop on over.” insisted Joe.
“All of us would be more than ready to accommodate you.” agreed Cherry, stroking their hair.
“Yeah! Even my mom and sisters would love to have you there!” said Reki cheerily.
“My mom would be more than happy too.” said Langa softly.
Tamaki sniffled, closing her eyes and soaking in everything.
“Yeah. Thanks, you guys.”
“Are you sure you didn’t wanna go with them?”
“Nah,” said Miya, looking up from his switch. “They deserve some time together without me being there.”
“They’re such sweet kids.” sighed out Shadow.
“I can’t believe Reki started crying.” teased Joe.
The redhead flushed. “I managed to hold it in until Tamaki left because I didn’t want them to feel bad in case she thought I was crying cuz of her!” he whined. “I just got attached to the little bugger.”
“It’s kinda hard not to.” hummed Langa.
Miya smiled, turning back to his game.
And just like that school started again. Rumi and Miya fell back into their usual schedules. Every Sunday, the trio ended up calling for an hour or so before Miya left for S and the other two continued their call.
Things settled into a nice routine, that even Miya was happy. School was fun now, home wasn’t as suffocating, his friend group was the same…maybe this was what he’d hoped for so many times those months ago.
He shoved his phone into his pocket, humming along to the song playing in his headphones. The weather had cooled down in Okinawa, and it was still pleasant enough to wear shorts. The air tousled his hair and cooled his face. A small smile spread on his face as he pushed against the ground to gain speed again. Just as he passed a small skatepark he did a double-take.
“Takashi?”
Luckily he hadn’t said it too loud. Besides, the male was preoccupied with something else. That something else being…his little sister?
Was he teaching his sister how to skateboard?
Miya paused, one foot still on his board.
He could just go over. But did he want to? He wasn’t sure.
But he hadn’t seen the little girl in a while, he realised. Sayu…was her name right?
Miya sighed. Did he really wanna do this?
“Miya?”
His head shot up, as he cursed internally.
Takashi stared at him, surprised.
“What are you-”
“Miya!”
Miya smiled awkwardly. “Hey.” He skated over slowly. “What a coincidence seeing you guys here.”
Sayu bounced on her heels. “Miya!”
He crouched down. “Hey Sayu-chan, it’s been a while, huh?”
She grinned brightly. “Mhm! Brother said you were busy so that’s why you haven’t been coming home!”
Miya glanced at Takashi who looked away.
“Yeah, sorry about that Sayu-chan. But mom and dad have been giving me a lot more breaks so I’m not as busy anymore.”
“What were you doing passing by here?” interrupted Takashi.
“Going to a friend’s house.” he said simply. “Were you teaching her how to skate?”
Takashi shrugged, rubbing his neck. “She wanted to learn so…”
Sayu tugged on his hoodie, making him look down.
“Miya! Can you show me those cool tricks you always?” she pleaded.
“Hey, Sayu-!”
“Sure, why not?” said Miya easily.
“Wait-really?”
Miya shrugged, holding out his phone and headphones to Takashi. “Hold.”
Takashi wordlessly took them and watched him skate to the other side.
Taking in a tiny breath he pushed off, gaining more and more speed before he went up the ramp. Sayu squealed as he lifted himself into the air before slamming back down. He whizzed past them, towards the other side, relishing the way the air hit his face.
A few jumps and tricks later he slowed to a stop in front of Sayu and Takashi.
“Miya you’re so cool!” squealed Sayu, jumping up and down excitedly.
Miya chuckled ruffling her hair. “You can also be as cool as me if you practise hard enough, Sayu-chan.” he assured.
“Really?” she asked, eyes wide with wonder.
“Of course.”
“Awesome!”
He watched as grabbed the skateboard excitedly.
“Thanks.”
Miya rolled his eyes. “It’s fine, don’t think much of it.”
“About…last time…”
Takashi trailed off, unsure how to continue.
“Not now.”
“Huh?”
He looked up to see Miya staring at the ramp.
“Not now. Maybe one day I’ll be able to talk about it without feeling bitter. But not right now. So let’s…not.”
Takashi stared for a second before nodding.
“Sure.”
Miya’s lips quirked up. “Thanks.”
There were a few more minutes of silence before he spoke again.
“You know, one of my friends makes boards. I could ask him to make one specially for Sayu.”
“Really?”
“Sure. I know he’d be more than happy to.”
He knew Reki would understand. Reki would also be proud that he was actually taking the first step in mending ruined friendships. If he could really work this out…it would be so great.
“That would be great thanks.”
“And maybe…we could skate a little. Like old times.”
Takashi’s eyes widened as Miya looked away.
“I hope you haven’t gotten rusty or something.” he muttered.
“No-I…I’ve been practising the entire time. Trying to catch up to you.”
Miya turned his gaze back to him before snorting. “Idiot. You shouldn’t be skating to catch up to me.” He sighed out, stretching his arms as the sunlight returned to the area. “You should always stick with something cuz it’s fun.”
The taller couldn’t help but stare. Eventually, he ripped his gaze away and turned to the view.
“Yeah, makes sense.”
Miya smiled softly. His belly felt strangely warm. And he was sure Takashi was flustered by the entire thing. But everything about it made him feel a little better. He was growing and learning. Addressing old wounds, healing and feeling better.
It was so different and he loved it.
“It does, doesn’t it?”