Work Text:
It was the middle of summer, and Kaiji and Kazuya had left Tokyo to enjoy a short vacation together. The two decided to spend a week in a small fishing town south of the large city, famous for its clear skies, picturesque views of the ocean, and fresh seafood. Kaiji had argued that the slower, quieter daily pace of the town would give them the perfect opportunity to indulge in some time away from their normal schedules and relax (especially since Kazuya was particularly strung out, as of late, from balancing his schedule between business meetings and his numerous restaurant dates with Kaiji). Kazuya had agreed, saying he’d be happy to go as long as he got to pick their hotel room.
During the first morning, clouds had rolled in and the sky was overcast, blocking out the intense summer sunshine. Kaiji had excitedly roused Kazuya up for a bike ride along the coast, saying they would go “as far as their legs would take them”-- a certain spontaneity they both enjoyed. However, by the middle of the day, many of the clouds had cleared out, leaving the two miles up the road as the sun and heat began to beat down onto them. Though Kaiji was better about hiding his discomfort, neither one of them were very good with the heat, and both had reluctantly agreed to return to the rental home upon realizing they’d soon be defeated by the hot weather.
Cicadas buzzed loudly against the usual ambiance of waves hitting the coast. Kazuya wasn’t necessarily out of shape, but he could tell he had overestimated his ability to finish this roundtrip bike ride with the sun on his back. His eyes stayed focused on the road in front of him, listening closely to the cicadas, the ocean, and the quiet hum from Kaiji’s bike. He thought about how much he would enjoy this moment, this peacefulness, had it not been for the feeling of sweat running from under his arms and down his sides. His slight annoyance was only interrupted when Kaiji suddenly spoke up.
“Hey Kaz, let’s stop there,” Kaiji’s arm was pointing down the road towards a small convenience store opposite the beach, “we can take a break and cool off.”
“Yes, please…” Kazuya sighed as the two made their way towards the front of the store. They parked their bikes out front, when Kazuya stiffened up. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt this discomfort before, but something about visiting these smaller stores with Kaiji always seemed to remind him how vastly different they still were. There was this alienating feeling in the small aisles, a sense of how much “normal” life for so many people he could never connect with, this life and store that Kaiji could navigate with ease while leaving him behind. It was something he couldn’t buy his way into, and knowing that made him feel restless -- made only worse by the times Kaiji criticized him for the way he would speak to the workers or the loud comments he’d make about the upkeep of the store.
“I’ll…. Stay out here, I guess…” Kazuya mumbled awkwardly as Kaiji leaned his bike against its kickstand.
“Are you sure?” Kaiji looked up, meeting Kazuya’s eyes with curiosity as Kazuya turned his head down and looked away. “You’ll cool off much faster if you come in with me.”
“Y-Yeah, I mean… I kinda stick out in convenience stores anyway…” Kazuya folded his arms over his chest. Kazuya did stick out, a bit. Next to Kaiji’s plain shirt and shorts, Kazuya seemed to exude wealth, even down to his designer khakis. “Just don’t take too long, and we can start hea-”
“C’mon, Kazuya!” Kaiji pouted at Kazuya’s stubbornness, “It’ll be fine, I’m sure this place sees lots of tourists, you’re not gonna stick out that much! I don’t want you getting too hot out here…”
But Kaiji could sense Kazuya’s reluctance to cause a scene, even if it was ungrounded. Also, Kazuya was very obviously keeping his arms crossed and turning his face up in protest, and it was too hot to start an argument in the parking lot.
“Okay, I get it,” Kaiji sighed in defeat, “I’ll be quick.” He retreated into the store, cool air rushing out as the sliding doors opened. For a split second, Kazuya almost instinctively followed, guided by the air-conditioned sweetness. Though, upon remembering his resolve to avoid the store, he stopped himself. Just thinking about the cheap brands he didn’t recognize, the dingy floors, the less-than-enthused workers, made his skin crawl.
Yeah, I made the right move staying out here , he thought to himself. Kazuya figured it would be better to let Kaiji handle these situations from now on. They really were too different, and even if Kazuya tried, he’d never fit in with the normalcy that Kaiji surrounded himself with. Kazuya had grown up in a world of luxury and extravagance -- it was all he knew. At Kaiji’s small apartment, or on the metro train together, he could almost feel the distance between them, the glares they received and the silent scorn, and it made him uncomfortable. There wasn’t much point in fighting against the natural order of society -- better to bring Kaiji up into his world than force his way into Kaiji’s, unsuccessfully.
Kazuya peeked through the windows of the store. The inside wasn’t particularly spectacular, and he could see the top of Kaiji’s head poking over the full shelves. He seemed to be the only person in the store, save for the employee working behind the counter. Kazuya turned his back towards the windows, fanning his face with his hand and staring out onto the coast opposite the store’s parking lot. The cicadas seemed louder now that Kazuya’s breath had calmed from their ride, and the sun seemed hotter without the wind hitting his face. He could feel large beads of sweat run down his brow.
Probably the right move staying out here , he thought to himself. He stared out over the ocean. Admittedly, he hadn’t paid much attention to it during the bike ride, but looking at it now, he paused to take in the vastness of the sea. Blue stretched out to the horizon, both in front of him and out to the sides, a distance visible but incalculable.
It scared him. A year ago, he never would have dared to get this close to the coast. There was a dark uneasiness beyond the surface. Even the sight of the ocean brought up painful memories. But, he’d agreed to this vacation, hadn’t he? Kaiji’s insistence was something Kazuya just couldn’t ignore. There was something about how Kaiji would enthusiastically convince him into agreeing on restaurants, date spots, and adventures that Kazuya never would have considered before. When Kaiji was there, Kazuya could see the world through his eyes, the genuine kindness and curiosity that he had deeply fallen for. Despite their differences, Kaiji always seemed to look at the real Kazuya, grabbing his hand and pulling him over that space between their worlds.
Was this trip the same? Despite his fear of the ocean, this was the first time since their arrival that Kazuya was getting a good look at it. When Kaiji was there, he felt a sense of relief, a detachment from his past and his burdens, and an indulgence in who he was now and what Kaiji admired about him the most. He hadn’t even considered his proximity to the ocean their entire bike ride; or if he did, it hadn’t concerned him the way he thought it would have. Kazuya had a tendency to overdo things, sometimes without consideration, when it came to money and appearance. But there was never rejection from Kaiji over who Kazuya was at his core, or at the very least who he wanted to be (even if he overdid it with gifts, or showed up overdressed to their date in, say, a fur coat). The uneasiness Kazuya felt in Kaiji’s world wasn’t because of Kaiji. Instead, he always found ways to invite him in warmly, enthusiastically, to the things that were important to him. A cheap ramen shop, a neighborhood park after sunset, a long walk home down an uncrowded street, the inside of a convenience store; unfamiliar to Kazuya, but maybe not nearly as much as they had been before.
Kazuya jumped as he heard a knock come from behind him. He turned around to see Kaiji knocking on the glass windows from inside the store, waving his arms to beckon Kazuya inside. Kazuya was taken aback as Kaiji ran for the front of the store, sliding doors opening again as he peeked his head out.
“Kazuya!! Come quick, look at this!!”
Kaiji ran back inside as Kazuya stood stunned against their bikes. Was there really something so urgent inside this normal store? He still held his reservations about going inside, but… curiosity would get the better of him. He reluctantly stepped up to the doors, and as they slid open again, the cool air from inside clung to his sweaty face, causing him to let out an unintended sigh of relief.
“Kazuya, over here!!” Kaiji was seated down at a counter at the front of the store. Kazuya quickly shot a glance at the only employee in the store, who seemed mostly uninterested in Kaiji’s excitement. Kazuya shuffled over towards Kaiji, who pulled a plastic chair out from under the counter and motioned for Kazuya to sit down. The plastic legs squeaked against the tile floor.
“Jesus, man, what?!” Kazuya was perplexed by Kaiji’s enthusiasm.
“Look what I go- Damn, you’re fucking sweaty. Why the hell did you stay out there, again?”
“Don’t worry about it! What did you want to show me?”
“Uh, first, this,” Kaiji grabbed a hand towel out from his backpack and held it up to Kazuya’s face, encouraging him to wipe himself off. Kazuya dabbed at his face as Kaiji pulled something else out of the plastic bag he was holding. It was a blue wrapper that Kaiji tore open, revealing a double popsicle with two sticks.
“I thought you’d like something like this. I love this flavor, it’s like, soda, and they put little candies inside, so it feels like it’s carbonated as you eat it,” Kaiji tore the popsicle apart, handing one half to Kazuya and eagerly sticking the other half in his own mouth.
Kazuya shyly accepted the popsicle, realizing he’d never even known you could buy something like this in a convenience store. When Kazuya picked out dessert, he normally opted for the fancier menu items -- mile-high sundaes or golden-dusted chocolates. Though, if Kaiji endorsed it so highly, it was worth a try.
The cold sweetness hit Kazuya’s tongue without resistance. It tasted delicious, and was exactly what Kazuya needed to feel refreshed. Kaiji smiled as Kazuya freely shared his thoughts while eating ( “I wouldn’t say it’s EXACTLY soda-flavored,” “Oh, it does feel like it’s carbonated!” ), adding on that they’d have to try another flavor tomorrow. The two chatted as they rested against the store counter, recalling their favorite sights from that morning as they cooled off together.
Kazuya had been swept up in Kaiji’s excitement, but after accepting the towel and the popsicle, realized how relieving it felt to be out of the sun. Maybe he would’ve been better off following Kaiji into the store, after all. He stared out towards the ocean through the store windows. It was endless, and intimidating, but maybe it could be exciting, too. He wondered if he and Kaiji could walk down to the beach before their vacation was over, together. He’d have to ask.
--
Kaiji handed Kazuya a water bottle before mounting their bikes, quickly chugging down one of his own. Kaiji let out a hearty sigh, having quickly gulped over half of the bottle while Kazuya was adjusting his helmet. The cicadas continued their loud buzzing, and ocean waves beat against the shore.
“Oh, try this out,” Kaiji grabbed the towel from his backpack again, this time pouring the cold water from his bottle over it. He wrung it out over the parking lot and tossed it towards Kazuya. Kazuya pressed the cold towel into his face, indulging in the last bit of cool relief before they finished their trip home in the summer heat. He let out a deep sigh as he felt something tug on his shirt, suddenly lifting up as something icy and unexpected pressed against his bare skin.
Kaiji burst out laughing as Kazuya jumped back, quickly shrieking at the contact from the icy water bottle Kaiji had held up. Kazuya grinned and threw the towel back into Kaiji’s face, undoing the cap from his own bottle and squeezing it towards Kaiji’s direction. Kaiji yelped as he stepped out of the way, cold water hitting his arm.
“Hey, hey, that water’s for drinking!!” he continued to laugh as Kazuya squeezed another shot of water towards him, this time soaking his back. Kazuya snorted as Kaiji frantically leapt away from the barrage of bottle squirts. He lunged forward and grabbed Kaiji from behind, holding him in a tight embrace.
“Where do you think you’re going? You gonna run back to the house instead?” Kazuya teased as Kaiji continued laughing.
“Well I’m trying to get back to my bike, asshole!!” Kaiji giggled as Kazuya hugged him tight, turning to return the hug and learning forward as he gave Kazuya a deep kiss. Kazuya smiled and kissed Kaiji back.
“Hey Kaiji, let’s have fresh sushi tonight. From the nicest restaurant in the whole town! And let’s get some more of those popsicles after we’re done. I wanna pick the flavor next time.” He rested his head against Kaiji’s shoulder, looking out over the ocean.
“I’m down for that. But… maybe a shower first.” Kaiji said, “We’re both kinda sweaty.”