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The hustle and bustle of the festival was already well underway by the time Yuta and Hinata arrived, the stalls crowded with eager people wanting to get the special takoyaki, or the goldfish catching, or a little trinket to remember the night by. Hinata bounced on his heels in excitement, wanting to run towards the games and food, but Yuta quickly grabbed the sleeve of his brother’s yukata before he could speed off.
“We’re looking for the others, remember? Don’t go rushing off on your own yet,” Yuta scolded, even as Hinata pouted at him. “We were supposed to meet them around here--”
“Yuta-kun! Hinata-kun!”
A voice called from behind them, and the twins turned in unison to see a group of their classmates clumped together, waving at them to come over. Hinata finally broke away from Yuta’s grip, rushing over to greet his friends, while Yuta followed behind at a slower pace. Greetings (and hugs from the more excitable ones) were exchanged, laughs were traded, and eventually small groups started to form, since all of them walking around would be pretty cumbersome.
Hiiro had brought along Aira and Kohaku, who were explaining all the different stands, while the Ryuseitai second years were welcoming Sora into their group, and Tori was sticking close to Hajime and the other Ra*bits boys. Hinata bounced over to the last group, smothering Tomoya in a hug, but Yuta hesitated. He could go with his brother, but that would make the group into a fairly large 6 people, and he didn’t want to just follow in Hinata’s shadow all the time. He didn’t really know any of the newer guys… and though Shinobu was his best friend, he seemed to be pretty distracted with the members of his group. He was just about to tag along with them anyway when another voice caught his attention.
“Yuta-kun?”
Tsukasa stood there nearly rigid, obviously pretty nervous but trying not to show it. “Ah, my apologies. I saw you were not in a group, so… would you like to walk around the Festival together? I-I would have gone with Kohakun, but he seems pretty involved with his friends… and he has been irritated with me fussing over him lately, anyway.”
Yuta couldn’t help but smile in sympathy at the slightly dejected look on his friend’s face. Ah, Tsukasa Suou. One of his classmates last year, the two of them grew closer because they were a couple of the more studious ones, sharing notes at first but soon starting to talk about more mundane things. There was often banter between them, spicy versus sweet, and they sometimes wandered to eat at the café together. Now that Tsukasa was king of Knights, their outings had decreased significantly.
And well, Yuta missed him. He had always felt that they were connected more than it seemed on the surface. Though Yuta often thought of himself as a commoner, and Tsukasa as the king. But both of them strove to prove themselves constantly, fighting in the shadows of their more talented unitmates, and wanting to stand on equal ground with those that they admired. They both seemed to be in a bit of a tumultuous state as well, recently. Perhaps a night like this, alone together without the pressure of family or idols or drama, was exactly what they both needed.
Yuta kept his smile unwavering and reached out a reassuring hand to take into his. “I would actually really like that, Tsukasa-kun. Come on, I’ll help show you around. I bet a rich heir like you hasn’t actually been to a commoner’s festival before,” he teased, a slight grin on his face.
Tsukasa flushed--at both the hand in his and the comment--and tried to sputter out a response. “I-I have been--! I have been before, with Knights, and… and…” He failed to think of another time. “...Though that was for work…I have never been to one simply to be there, until now.”
Yuta laughed, a jingle that rang through the air, and squeezed Tsukasa’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’ve been to a few. There’s plenty of games, food, and shops that we can look at, and we can also watch performances and the fireworks at the end, especially since you’ve only been in said performances. Where would you like to go first? I know you like sweets, so we could go to some food stalls…? Or goldfish scooping, or we could buy a mask, or--”
“Not goldfish scooping.” Apparently Tsukasa had a bad experience. “Ah, well, unless you want… but perhaps we could get some food first?”
Yuta laughed again and started off, leading him over to the food stalls. “Well, there’s plenty to choose from. Yakisoba, yakitori, karaage, tornado potatoes, tamasen, dango, kakigori, chocolate banana--”
“Choco Banana?” Tsukasa repeated in his usual perfect English, reading the sign in the distance. “That sounds delicious… oh, but the shaved ice sounds wonderful as well… yet, I should eat something substantial instead of just sweets…”
Yuta just giggled quietly. “That’s the beauty of it, the portions are pretty small so you can get a few different things. And if a portion is too big, you can share it with your companions… Though…” Yuta bit his tongue slightly. Their tastes were… pretty different. Yuta would probably have gone for the spicy takoyaki, while Tsukasa would probably faint if he even got a whiff of the hot sauce. He remembered one time when he had convinced Tsukasa to try a bite of his curry at the cafe once, and the poor boy had almost fallen out of his chair coughing…
“Yuta-kun!” But Tsukasa’s voice now was bright and cheerful, and Yuta turned to see his friend beaming brightly, holding a stick with a skewered banana covered generously in chocolate sauce and sprinkles. “Come, try this chocolate banana!”
Yuta laughed nervously, feeling his heart jump. “U-Uh, the thought is appreciated, but sweets are--” He was cut off by the banana being brought up to his lips, and Yuta just couldn’t resist the earnest shine in Tsukasa’s eyes. He sighed, bracing himself, and leaned forward to take a tiny bite of the sweet treat.
Surprisingly, the chocolate was not as sweet as Yuta had anticipated, and instead melted smoothly in his mouth, the darkness complemented by the fruity bright taste of the banana. The sprinkles were sweet enough to make his nose scrunch up and his teeth hurt, but they were just a small part of it, and Yuta found himself closing his eyes, wondering about the taste. He didn’t eat many sweet things--those that he did were often because of his brother. This was a pleasant surprise, and he found himself actually enjoying it.
“It’s… not bad,” Yuta mumbled, his face heating up. Like he’d ever admit that he actually enjoyed something sweet. But seeing Tsukasa’s face drop a little, Yuta quickly amended his statement. “I-I mean--it’s good. I don’t usually eat sweet things… But this isn’t that sweet, and it’s actually pretty good.”
“I got dark chocolate, for you, as I knew that it’s not as sweet…” Tsukasa said sheepishly, and Yuta noted the small blush on his cheeks with amusement. “I-I’m glad that you enjoyed it, Yuta-kun.”
Yuta smiled gently, taking Tsukasa’s free hand in his own. “Let’s get a few more things to eat and share, then? I’ll even get the least spicy stuff for you.” And he laughed as Tsukasa breathed an audible sigh of relief.
They picked up some fried chicken, some potatoes, and a couple of dango, and walked along the various stalls, happily munching and chattering, laughing as they saw some of their classmates trying to win prizes at some of the games. Midori was currently stalling his group, fawning over the various character masks available, Kohaku was draining one gun-shooting stall of their prizes, and Mitsuru was running away every 5 minutes, bouncing from stall to stall so fast that Hinata didn’t even tackle Yuta in a hug when they crossed each other, only a quick high-five that Yuta happily obliged.
“Yuta-kun!” Tsukasa tugged on his hand, and Yuta glanced over to see his friend pointing at a senbonbiki stand. “Perhaps we could try our luck? It’s nearly guaranteed a prize!”
Yuta held back a skeptical laugh, and nodded as his friend pulled him over to the stand, waiting in line for just a few minutes before they were at the front, forking over the yen in order to play. Yuta chose a string far to the left, while Tsukasa stuck with a string near the middle.
“1..2..3... Pull!”
Gasps and claps erupted from the crowd waiting to play, and Yuta glanced up to see that his string had tugged down one of the biggest prizes--a large stuffed orange tabby cat, with a smiling face that made Yuta grin with excitement. However, a whine of disappointment next to him made him look over--to see that Tsukasa had simply won a pack of gum.
Yuta tried his very hardest to hold back his laughter as both of them were handed their prizes, but his amusement must have been evident on his face, because Tsukasa pouted at him. “W-Well, I do not exactly chew gum that often… but I suppose this is fine…” His sadness was so evident, that as they walked away from the booth, Yuta’s words worked faster than his brain.
“Here.” Yuta held out his prized cat. “Do you want to trade? I won’t use this often, anyway…” That was a lie. He could do with something to hold besides his pillow on nights where loneliness ate at him, but the way Tsukasa’s face lit up made it all worth it.
“R-Really?! I--I mean--” Tsukasa cleared his throat. “That would not be very gentlemanly of me… I am fine, Yuta, really…”
“Come on, I’m sure I could use that gum in some pretty fun pranks.” Yuta pushed the cat into Tsukasa’s arms, gently prying the packet of gum from his fingers. “I’m happy just being here with you, anyway.”
Tsukasa’s eyes shone, and Yuta thought his heart would jump out of his chest. Yeah, it was definitely worth it. “If you insist, then… Th.. Thank you, Yuta-kun…! I’m indebted to you, I will serve as your loyal knight--”
“There’s no need for that!” Yuta laughed--though the thought of a personal knight was honestly pretty appealing, especially with someone like Tsukasa. Though he’d heard that the other had been a bit pushy lately, with his unit and otherwise... seeing him like this, as excited as a child in a candy store… Yuta knew that Tsukasa was pure at heart, and only wanted the best for those around him. Almost too good, too loyal, for someone who had been tainted and shoved into mud like Yuta had.
Yet Tsukasa’s hand was firmly squeezing Yuta’s, and for just a moment, Yuta could imagine a world where nothing was wrong, where neither of them were bending under the pressure of being idols, where they could simply be teenagers goofing around together. And, revelling in that fantasy, Yuta’s lips curled into a grin, pulling Tsukasa along to the outskirts of the festival as the moon started to rise in the sky.
They found a spot, secluded from all of the people, and settled down on the grassy hill, their fingers still intertwined even as they chatted about nonsensical things, waiting for the final show to begin. A whistle alerted them to the start, and they both gasped in unison as the first fireworks burst open across the sky, leaving sparks in the heavens and in their hearts.
Yuta found himself scooting closer and closer to Tsukasa, until their shoulders brushed against each other--and he froze for a second, thinking maybe he’d gone too far. Tsukasa paused, and when the other withdrew his hand from Yuta’s own, he opened his mouth to apologize and pull away… until he felt the same hand snake around his waist, pulling him in even closer.
Yuta relaxed, leaning his head against Tsukasa’s shoulder, and watching the show in the sky. There was so much to say, so many words on his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them, and he wasn’t sure if they would be heard anyway above the booms and oohs and aahs of the crowd. Still, he cherished this moment, and focused on the warmth he felt, and the sparks that flew.
And as the fireworks lit up the sky, and Yuta settled into leaning against Tsukasa’s side, he thought that maybe, spicy and sweet could mix well together after all.