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It hasn’t changed very much since the last time he came here. Other than the flowers and neatly arranged stones in the corner of his vision, the beach is still the beach.
But now it’s become more than just that.
He walks over to the flowers and stones. In the middle of it all was a photo of a dear friend.
“Hey, Reiji.” Ranmaru crouches down, right in front of the photo. “It’s been a while. Looks like more people came to visit ya.”
He gently places a bouquet of anemones in one of the stone circles. “You know those promise flowers? I still remember yours.” Gray eyes momentarily look away. “I know they’re supposed to be for weddings and stuff, but that doesn’t matter right now.”
Ranmaru takes in the surrounding sounds while looking for the newest additions to the memorial. Some more flowers have been placed. There are some pieces of merch too. Multiple letters stick out from a bouquet. Super Reiji-kun has some new friends, as well as a light stick resting upon its arm.
“You must be happy to have brought many people such happy memories.” His smile grows. “Our fans still love you, y’know. They miss you, too. Lots of people miss you.” His voice begins to tremble. “I-I still miss you. . .”
With his sleeve Ranmaru hastily wipes away any tears about to fall.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” he mutters, changing his position. “Oh yeah, um, Alexander’s living with us now. He’s been sticking real close to Camus though. Every once in a while they go into your room and kinda just sit there together. Sometimes Ai joins them. I do too, but only when I feel like it.”
Rummaging through his bag, he takes out some bread. “Speaking of Ai, he’s got himself one of those cleaning robots. It mainly buzzes around on the first floor, but he takes it upstairs too. He takes care of it very well. You’d probably be proud of him.”
Ranmaru breaks the bread in two and places the bigger half in front of Reiji’s photo. “As for me, I’m doing much better. We finished moving me in not too long ago—that’s pretty much why I wasn’t able to visit you until now. I’ve been improving with sleep, and it feels like my life is starting to get itself back together.” He takes a bite of his bread. “I’ve been thinking of getting a cat. Ai and Camus have their own comfort companions, why not get one too, right?”
He laughs to himself and looks up at the memorial in full. “I’m actually impressed that it’s gotten this big already,” Ranmaru says. “It used to just be you, some rocks, and a small bouquet of flowers. I guess it wouldn’t have taken long for STARISH and HEAVENS to find out and add their own gifts. And then there’s the fans.” He gently runs his hand through one of the flower stands. “They contributed the most.”
A pair of pale arms wrap around Ranmaru’s neck as he feels someone pressing against him. “You cheated.” The person in question pouts.
“Oh, Ai.” Ranmaru pats Ai’s head. “I guess that means Camus’ here too.”
“You promised we’d all visit Reiji together.” Camus comes into view with Alexander right by his side. “Ai didn’t take your betrayal lightly.”
“Haha, sorry, sorry.”
“You better be.” Ai plops himself next to Ranmaru. “When we go out, you’re buying jello for me.”
Ranmaru raises an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
Camus laughs and sits on the other side of the eldest, beckoning Alexander over as well. “This is where we go and talk to Reiji now,” he tells the borzoi.
“Oh yeah, this is the first time Alex has been here, right?” Ranmaru asks, earning a nod from Camus.
“He wanted to bring some of his toys too for some reason,” Ai adds. “I don’t really know why, though.”
“Oh!” Camus gently strokes Alexander’s head in his lap. “Reiji, Alexander came and he’s here to stay.”
“I already told him about your dog,” Ranmaru interjects.
“What?” Camus furrows his brows. “But I wanted to be the one to inform him.”
The eldest shrugs. “Sorry.”
“Does that mean you told him about Rei-chan, too?” Ai questions.
“The roomba? Yeah.”
“Their name is Rei-chan, Ranmaru.”
Alexander nudges Camus’ hand. “Hm? Do you want your toy now? Okay, I got it.” The blonde asks Ai to hand one over and gives it to his pet. “You can play with it to your heart’s delight. We may be here a—“
Alexander puts his toy down next to Reiji’s photo and trots back to his owner.
“O-Oh. . .” Camus’ eyes begin to water. “A-Alex, y-you didn’t h-h-ha—“ He quickly covers his mouth, trying to quiet any forthcoming sounds.
Ai, starting to feel similarly to the blonde, hugs tightly onto Ranmaru’s arm and buries his face into it. “No,” he whimpers, “I-I didn’t wanna. . .”
Ranmaru smiles warmly, bringing them close to his chest. “It’s okay,” he whispers in a comforting tone, “you guys can let it out.”
“B-But I—“ Ai sniffles. “I-I promised I w-wouldn’t cry this t-time.”
“A-Alex. . .” Camus holds Alexander close to him, letting the dog lick away his tears.
He’s starting to cry again himself.
~~~~~
The three of them eventually calm down, sitting side by side in mutual silence. Ai and Camus have fallen asleep, resting their heads on Ranmaru’s shoulders. Alexander lays his head in Camus’ lap as his swishes his tail in the sand.
“Hey, Reiji,” Ranmaru begins to speak, “there are so many things that make me wish I could just go back in time and slap myself in the face. I bet you had those moments too.” He gently wraps his arms around Ai and Camus. “But we can’t go back no matter how much we try. At the very least, we can still try and make things better than they used to be. And, I guess things are getting better.”
Ranmaru looks out towards the ocean, watching the surface shimmer and reflect the sun’s light.
“We’re getting better, Reiji. So, you don’t need to worry about us anymore. And we’ll do our best not to worry you in return.”