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Perhaps today is just a bad day.
His little brothers fought over something trivial at breakfast and he forgot his lunch and his wallet at home after calming them down, and his Tsunawatari missed the net at morning practice. After lunch, where he begged some bread off of Jackal and some juice off of Niou, the other boys in his class were being noisy and he somehow got roped along and told off alongside them, and he had to get through the rest of his afternoon classes with a grumbling stomach, with only a singular lollipop and an entire pack of gum for added sustenance.
Bunta chalks it up to bad luck, even if he never really believed in that sort of thing. Bad things will happen sometimes. It isn't a big deal, and he's long since learned to take things in stride and keep moving forward with his chin held up high.
Later in the afternoon after their club activities, Bunta and Akaya walk home together, with Jackal being left behind at the school for committee work. The sunset is showing no signs of stopping the relentless heat as the both of them go through their usual route in silence.
When they find themselves in front of the station, Akaya suddenly stops them both, directing Bunta to a bench and telling him, "Wait, senpai, I have to go do something real quick!" before dashing off. Bunta stares at his shrinking form in bewilderment as it disappears behind the crowd of people in the station, wondering what's gotten into him, but tiredness takes over his limbs and he takes the opportunity to rest, stomach grumbling, his eyes a little heavy from pushing himself all day.
He wakes up from his light nap when something cold is pressed against his cheek, and he straightens up with a sudden jerk, eyes flying open to see Akaya smiling down at him and holding a sports drink bottle to his face. Bunta doesn't have the heart to reprimand him other than with a singular scowl, but he takes the drink gratefully anyway, opening it and letting the slightly sweet citrus flavor wash down his dry throat.
"Thanks," he rasps out, even if he's a little confused.
"Not just that, senpai," Akaya says, settling down on the bench beside him, rummaging through the paper bag he's brought back with him. He turns around to face him again, and Bunta suddenly finds an elegant white box shoved in his face.
"What—"
"For you," he presses the cake box into his grasp, closing his fingers around the handle for good measure. Akaya isn't looking at him, and Bunta can't distinguish if it's the sinking light of the dusk bathing Akaya's face in red or if it's just his expression.
Almost immediately, Bunta feels awake and alert, and he sets the cake box down on his lap. "What brought this on, Akaya?" He asks, his voice strangely soft.
"You were being weird at morning practice," Akaya replies, eyes stubbornly trained on the bulletin board behind Bunta. "Then Yanagi-senpai said you weren't feeling well. He said a bunch of other stuff too, about you not eating enough today and Ikeda-sensei being mean, but I didn't need his data to tell me this day sucks for you."
Bunta tries and fails to keep the smile off his face, not saying anything, and Akaya finally gulps, green eyes shifting to look at his own.
"Th-The point is, senpai," Akaya says, desperately trying to fill the space, hands flapping around uselessly. "Today's not only about the bad things, okay!"
Bunta isn't that good with words. Akaya isn't, either, but they still try with other methods anyway, and so it was never really a big deal for them in the first place. So Bunta takes the gift and gingerly opens the box, pulling it out and inviting the sweet, strawberry scent of the cake into the air, Akaya's gaze on every move he makes, a worried furrow in his brow. He inches closer to Akaya, letting their thighs brush against each other lightly. When he says, "Come on. Let's eat together," Akaya understands what he really means, and he breaks out into a wide, relieved grin.
Thank you.
Bunta doesn't really subscribe to the idea of good or bad luck defining your day. But as he's letting the strawberry goodness melt into his mouth, and as Akaya starts rambling about the events of today's practice, he tastes happiness in the form of whip cream and a familiar, welcome company, and he thinks that he has something even better.