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“Mayoi-senpai!” Hiiro cupped his hands over his mouth, a cool summer breeze combing through the red locks on the top of his head. Fading once more into the muggy atmosphere of late August, Hiiro furrowed his brow and weighed his options.
This was the meeting spot that the two had agreed upon to get the last ice cream of summer, and yet his companion wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Frustration that built itself up inside of Hiiro’s curled knuckles wasn’t towards Mayoi, however, but rather to himself. He understood that Mayoi had difficulty with being around other people, but he also knew that Mayoi wanted to do just that. The sparkling of his jade colored eyes as they absorbed the image of the new cotton candy flavored ice cream being offered on a pamphlet, those were the true feelings of his companion that Hiiro would continue to believe in. He wouldn’t give up until he found his senpai here in this park.
“Mayoi-senpai!!” Hiiro yelled louder, the wind picking up another gust. Standing under the shade of four trees so large that their branches met in the middle, he was at the very least protected from the blistering heat of the sun in their shade. That also meant he could look up to the sky without fear of hurting his eyes. In doing so, he was able to observe the way one tree swayed less than the others, almost like its branches had something weighing it down. Hopping up the chest-level planter box, Hiiro rushed over to its trunk and began to climb.
Trees were abundant in Hiiro’s hometown, though none as stocky as these. It ended up making climbing this one all the easier, as he didn’t have to manage his balance against the tree’s quite as much. All he had to do was focus on his footing and hand placement, and he’d ascend the trunk in no time. The higher he got, the more he could hear a distinct, loud breathing; a presence he detected long ago, before he even knew who it belonged to. Hiiro’s heart swelled, and he felt for the one who must have been shivering in the dense brush of the tree. A few new blisters in his hand, Hiiro managed to make it to the top with a relatively steady breath, and there he met those jade eyes that he had been searching for, staring at him widely.
“H-Hiiro-san,” Mayoi’s shaky breath was followed by a few sniffles, and though it didn’t look like he would spring tears just yet, Hiiro knew that they weren’t needed to tell that Mayoi was remorseful. “I’m sorry. I climbed up here because I panicked while waiting for you, and then you showed up, and I...I couldn’t bring myself to come down.”
“It’s alright, Mayoi-senpai,” Hiiro held out his hand, forming a confident smile as he reached out for the other. “What matters is that you were here at all. Thank you. I knew you would be faithful to our appointment, you always are. There’s still plenty of time, let’s get some ice cream!”
“Ah...” Mayoi’s gloved hand enveloped Hiiro’s palm, and on the count of three, they both fell to the bottom of the planter box. From there, Hiiro got down to ground level, and held out his hands above to assist Mayoi by grabbing his waist and pulling him off the planter box’s level. Once fully back on earth, they brushed themselves off, Mayoi’s hands running themselves over Hiiro a few times before he curled up his arms to his chest as he caught himself. “Uu, I’ve ruined this before we even started, and now I’m ruining it again!”
“That’s not true, Mayoi-senpai!” Hiiro reassured, gripping Mayoi’s hand and taking care to remove a little dirt that hadn’t been brushed from Mayoi’s thigh. “We’re still able to have our ice cream date, and we are both healthy and well. Let us enjoy ourselves on this momentous occasion!”
“Momentous...Date?” Mayoi’s free hand, the one not within Hiiro’s vice-like grip, cupped his chin as sharp teeth chattered together.
“Yes!” Hiiro observed his companion’s odd behavior and moved in close. “Mayoi-senpai, are you cold?”
“What?” Mayoi’s face, usually a ghostly pale color, turned a dark shade of red. “N-No, I’m surely not, it’s quite warm, actually. I thought I was going to die of heatstroke while I was up there, actually, although I’m wearing sunscreen...Hiiro-san, are you wearing any? Do you need me to put some on you?”
“No, I put some on as well,” Hiiro reassured, pulling back just slightly so they could start their walk towards the outside ice cream parlor at the other end of the park. “I’m glad to hear Mayoi-senpai applied some already! I would be happy if we could reapply some to each other before we head back as a way of reassuring our protection from the sun.”
“Ah...Yes...” Hiiro didn’t know why, but even though Mayoi’s smile was always a nervous, small one, he seemed especially happy upon agreeing to the promise. In turn, Hiiro was happy too, because he truly seemed to understand his friend.
Walking down the shady path on the way to the parlor, the wind here was a relief from the blistering heat outside of it. Particularly, the ES had a large space outside of it that was uncovered by trees, and in the summer like this, that was unbearable. Thankfully, as the ice cream parlor came into view, it appeared as though its patio space was also covered by the large trees of the park. Though all the tables were taken, it wasn’t an issue at all, as they could easily spend their time leisurely walking through the area with ice cream in hand.
There was a line, but thanks to the hardworking individuals inside, the gap between them and the shop window was shortening with each half-minute. Eventually, they were able to get a second glimpse of the shop’s menu, and Hiiro realized something he hadn’t seen on the poster they looked at before.
“Oh, Mayoi-senpai,” Hiiro pointed to the chalkboard menu above the order windows. “It looks like you can order two flavors and have it be the same price, as they go by size. I think in that case, I shall try the lemon zest ice cream and the cotton candy one we intended on getting! What about you, Mayoi-senpai, is there any other flavor you would like to try?”
“Eh? Oh,” Mayoi’s attention raised, he searched and searched the board, but eventually shook his head. Arriving at the window, Mayoi quickly blurted out his order and hid behind Hiiro’s body. Left with no other option, Hiiro simply made his own order as well, and hoped he’d be able to ask once they had their cones.
Delicious ice creams in hand, Hiiro licked both of his scoops in one go and was delighted with the flavor. Looking over towards Mayoi as he did the same thing, his eyes were just the same as when they saw the poster, a rare bright happiness that Hiiro rarely got to observe. That smile, it brought out all of Mayoi’s best features. He was so beautiful, the tied up end of his purple braid having a few strands stirred by the wind.
“Mayoi-senpai, is it good?” The two were walking along the path they just came from, slower this time and hands still held together. “I’m happy they had at least one flavor that you were eager to consume.”
“Ah, yes,” Mayoi shrugged towards himself, and his already small smile shrunk. “I’m sorry I didn’t order a second flavor. We were already so close, and I couldn’t make up my mind on what else I wanted. If they had grape flavored ice cream, I would have chosen that, but most places choose not to carry it.”
“Eh? They don’t?” Hiiro tilted his head, their slow pace coming to a crawl. “Why’s that?”
“It’s difficult to make,” Mayoi explained. “The acid from the grapes must be removed first, and it’s a step that other flavors don’t normally involve. It’s too burdensome, so no one bothers.”
“That’s so sad,” Hiiro’s brow curls up, finding his tongue unable to reach out for another lick of his ice cream.
“Sad?” Mayoi blinks rapidly as he turns towards Hiiro, eyes failing to make contact with the blue ones across from him. “Um, I’m sorry, I don’t understand how it’s sad.”
“Mayoi-senpai’s favorite ice cream flavor is neglected!” Hiiro spoke a little too loudly as usual, though Mayoi’s habit of wincing whenever he picked up his voice had dissipated by now. “I wish I had known. I wouldn’t have picked out my favorite if that had been the case!”
“Please don’t feel upset about it,” Mayoi begged, shaking his head and turning his head back towards the ground. “Please don’t apologize, Hiiro-san. You’re so nice to me, I want you to enjoy life properly as well. I’m sorry for bringing it up, I’m complaining about something so important, and on our date of all things...!”
“Ah, Mayoi-san, your ice cream has dripped onto your finger.”
Without waiting for Mayoi to notice or clean it up himself, Hiiro ran his tongue across Mayoi’s gloved finger and wiped away the cotton candy flavor. When looking up, jade eyes were staring at him, bulging out of their sockets, long eyelashes accentuating their beauty.
“We should eat quickly,” Hiiro beamed a bright smile, hoping it would give Mayoi the reassurance he’d done nothing wrong in the slightest. “It’s a warm day, after all, I wouldn’t want it all to melt on you!”
“Ah...In that case, Hiiro-san,” Mayoi’s trembling voice was accompanied by a familiar heavy breathing, one Hiiro found oddly comforting these days more than threatening in the days where the source was unknown. How could anything about the delightful and princess-like Mayoi be threatening? “Um, you have some on your lips.”
“I do?” Hiiro chapped his lips together, but he could still feel a spot of wetness in a crevice that couldn’t be reached without using his tongue. Instead, he’d leave that up to another to take care of. “Mayoi-senpai, since I helped you, would you do the same for me, then?”
“A-Ah...” Mayoi’s breathing, already heavy, grew abundantly loud, each inhale a gasp, each exhale shuddering. “Yes...Yes, I can do that, Hiiro-san.” Bending down and leaning in slowly, Mayoi’s tongue brushed itself across the surface of Hiiro’s lips slowly. Once he pulled back, those pale cheeks of Mayoi’s were ruddied once again. “Ah...Hiiro-san...I think I might faint.”
“If that’s the case, then let’s sit down on that bench, right there!” Hiiro gestured towards one that sat against a planter box, and before long, the two were sitting down with hands still tied together. “Thank you for coming with me, Mayoi-senpai! I hope we can do this again. Now, let’s consume our ice cream together. Just as we promised to apply sunscreen, we can clean each other afterwards as well!”
“Mm..Mhmhmhm~” Mayoi’s giggle was airy and pretty, as expected for someone with such a gorgeous singing voice. “Thank you, Hiiro-san. Thank you for bothering with me.”
As the two ate together, Hiiro racked his brain for how they could follow up this spontaneous date idea. Summer lasted into late September, so maybe this didn’t have to be the last ice cream of the season itself. Maybe they could instead make some homemade grape ice cream and enjoy it together.