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With summer break just a day away, the whole campus is abuzz with excitement. Even with the homework that’s assigned to them, that doesn’t stop the discussion and promises of plans.
“Yo, Deuce, what are you doing this summer, anyways?” Ace slings an arm around Deuce as they pack their things.
“Other than my homework, I’m not sure…” Deuce shrugs. “I’ll probably end up helping mom around the house a lot.”
“Hah?” Ace frowns. “You don’t have anything fun planned? At all? No places you want to go, things you want to do? Anything at all?”
“Not really…” He pointedly refuses to elaborate further—before NRC, he’d hang out with his old friends…but he was really trying to distance himself from that life, so there’s no way he could spend his summer with them.
“Alright, let’s go do something, then.” Ace’s mouth turns into a grin. “If you can’t think of any good plans, then I guess it’s up to me to give you some.”
Deuce turns to him with surprise. “You want to see each other this summer?”
“What, you don’t?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant—it’s just…” Deuce rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’ve never dated someone before, so I don’t know what to expect. It makes me happy to think that you want to spend time with me this summer.”
Ace is silent for a while before quietly mumbling. “…how are you so cute? This is unfair…”
“Huh? What was that?”
“Nothing! A-anyways, let’s think of stuff to do together!”
“Hey, will I be able to see you this summer?” Jack sits in Vil’s room, watching him pack a suitcase—one that will join the many others sitting by the door.
Vil stops folding the shirt in his hands to look at Jack with a raised eyebrow. “Jack, we live in the same town. Of course you can.”
“You know what I mean. You’re going to be so busy. I know that companies fight tooth and nail to be part of your schedule since the summer vacation is when you’re willing to take on longer contracts. And I’d bet they’re gonna really push for your time since you’ll be doing your off campus study soon…”
“Hey…” Setting down the shirt, Vil walks over to where Jack is and sits down next to him. “I’m always going to have time for you, alright?”
“I’m not complaining, I knew what I signed up for when I decided to be friends—double that when we started dating. It’s great that you’re busy, because that means you’re in demand, as you should be since you’re so talented.” Jack smiles as he says this, however his tail droops slightly.
Laughing slightly, Vil takes Jack’s hand in his. “You know your tail has always been more honest than you are, right?”
“…traitorous little thing,” Jack grumbles. “Okay, okay, yes, I’m not thrilled that your summer is going to be occupied mostly by work because I want to spend time with you too. You’re going to be especially busy when you do your off campus study, and I want to make a few more memories with you. Can you blame me?”
“Not at all.” Gently squeezing Jack’s hand, Vil softly smiles. “I feel the same, which is why in my schedule there’s a whole two weeks dedicated just for you.”
“Okay, Jamil! You gotta enjoy your trip, okay?” Beaming, Kalim hands Jamil another item to pack with his belongings.
Sighing, Jamil takes the item and snugly packs it in his organized bag, slightly smiling as he does so. “Kalim, I’m still going home with you first. And even then, my trip won’t last the entire summer vacation. There’s no need for you to act like I’m leaving immediately.”
“Right, right, I know, it’s just…I’ll miss you…you’ve always been there for me and…” Kalim’s eyes widen and he shakes his head. “And I’ll be fine! This is a great opportunity for you since you’ve always wanted to travel, right? Sorry I couldn’t get you a longer trip, but they said that two weeks was already a lot.”
Jamil steps towards Kalim and pats his head. “Why are you apologizing? It’s already impressive that you got me a trip as it is. I’m…honestly touched you’d organize something for me. I read the itinerary—you planned all of that yourself?”
Nodding, Kalim’s smile returns to his face. “Mostly! I asked around for advice on what the best sights and places to eat were, and tried to make it so you had free time to see anything else you wanted to visit too! Is it…is it good?”
“It’s great. You did a good job with it.” Chuckling, Jamil removes his hand from Kalim’s head and resumes his packing. “I’m sure that I’ll have a great time. I’ll even get you a souvenir. How does that sound?”
“Really? Thanks Jamil! You’re the best!”
“Mmhm, not a problem, Kalim.” Narrowing his eyes at his bag, Jamil turns to face Kalim. “Kalim…”
“Yes, Jamil?”
“When you came into my room…did you finish packing yet?”
“Uh…” Kalim turns around and sprints out the door.
“Well, at least the thought was there.”
Azul hums to himself as he helps Idia pack his things. As expected, his boyfriend left everything to the last minute. “Idia, Is it possible to see you at all this summer?”
Freezing in place, Idia fidgets a little. “My home…isn’t exactly the kind of place you want to visit…or can visit…” Clearing his throat, he offers an alternative. “But we can meet somewhere else, if you’d like.”
“Well I’d prefer not to invite you to the Coral Sea,” Azul counters. “Even if you could subsist solely on my magic potions to breathe underwater, you would have such a difficult time traveling long distances.”
“So what alternatives are there?” Idia averts his gaze. “I do want to see you this summer too…”
“How about a trip somewhere together? Neither your homeland nor mine, and we can go see the sights together.” Taking Idia’s hand, Azul smiles. “You said there’s a Premo event you really wanted to go to, right? How about we get a hotel nearby for a week or two and then check out the sights while we’re there. A trip just for us to make the most of our time before our off campus studies.”
Turning his face to shyly return the smile, Idia squeezes Azul’s hand lightly. “Okay…if you’re with me, then dealing with normies shouldn’t be so bad…it’ll even be worth it to touch grass.” Looking over his belongings, Idia nods approvingly. “That’s everything. Do you want to start looking for places to stay and what we should do?”
“Sounds good to me.” The two of them take a seat as Idia pulls up some screens.
“Let’s see…if the event is taking place here, then these are the hotels nearby.”
“Oh? This one looks rather nice.” Azul taps one of the results on the screen.
“…Azul? That’s a love hotel.”
“Goldfishie!” Floyd bursts into Riddle’s room while the other boy is going over his belongings to ensure that he has everything. “I’m gonna visit you this summer!” As he says this, he drapes himself over his boyfriend’s shoulders. “We gotta have so much fun together~”
“You can’t!” Riddle instinctively shouts before making a face, regretting his words already.
“You don’t wanna see me?” Pouting, Floyd leans a bit forward to look at Riddle’s face. “I don’t wanna spend the whole summer without you. Are you saying you’re not gonna miss me?”
“That…that’s not what I said.” Riddle grimaces and his hands tighten around the list in his hands. “I do want to see you, it’s just…I’m still working things out with my mother.” His hands turn into fists and the paper crumples under the pressure. “I don’t want you to meet her yet.”
Floyd raises an eyebrow. “What, don't you think I can impress her? C’mon, if I can get Goldfishie to like me, I can win her over too.”
“That won’t happen.” Looking down at Riddle, Floyd sees that he’s curled up a little bit where he’s standing, pulling his arms into his chest. “Just by being my boyfriend she’s going to hate you because you’re a distraction to the future she wants for me…”
“Ah…” Floyd nods, and his arms shift around Riddle to pull him into an embrace. “Got it.”
“Yeah…I don’t want you to meet her and…and then have you decide she’s not worth putting up with to be with me…” Riddle sniffles a little and Floyd’s embrace immediately tightens around him.
“Hey. Look at me.” Floyd turns his face to look at Riddle’s, who takes a moment before meeting his gaze. “I can wait. It’s worth it for you, ‘kay Goldfishie?”
“Won’t that be boring for you? I…I don’t know how long it will take for her to see things the way I do.”
Shaking his head, Floyd presses a kiss to Riddle’s cheek. “Nah~ I don’t mind waiting for Goldfishie. Everything’s better with you.” Nuzzling his face against Riddle’s for a bit, Floyd smiles. “I just gotta figure out a way to sneak ya out of the house until then.”
Riddle laughs and leans into Floyd’s embrace. “Thank you, Floyd. I…I really appreciate that. I’m not sure how I’ll be able to leave the house under her watch, though.”
“‘Course. Anything for my Goldfishie.” Floyd hums to himself as he thinks. “Hm, doesn’t Sea Turtle live near ya? Say you’re gonna study with him 'cause he's an upperclassman. Jade’s gonna go see him anyways, so we both can make the trip and we can spend time together then.”
“That’s not a bad plan I suppose…though we’ll have to consider…”
As Trey finishes packing his things, he’s interrupted by a knock on the door. Opening it, he smiles as he sees that it’s Jade. “Ah, Jade. Finished packing?”
“Yes, and since Floyd has gone to see Riddle-san, I decided I also wanted to see you. May I come in?”
“But of course.” Trey gestures inside, and Jade stands alongside Trey as the man resumes his packing.
“Hm, none of your roommates are here, I see.”
“Yeah, they all finished a while back. I got held up with last minute vice housewarden duties, so here I am now.”
Jade smiles. “I think that’s to my benefit, then.” As he says this, he wraps his arms around Trey’s torso. “I prefer being alone with you, anyways.”
“Mmhm, I feel the same.” Trey chuckles. “I’d much rather keep you to myself.”
The two of them stand there for a few minutes, basking in the moment before Jade breaks the silence.
“I want to see you this summer.”
“Oh? I thought you’re going back to the sea. Won’t you want to fully enjoy your time there after all this time on land?”
“I can still visit, Trey. There’s plenty of time for me to spend in both the sea and on land.” Jade nuzzles his face into Trey’s neck. “And…I want to see you before you have to go do your off campus study.”
Trey sets down the pants he was folding to turn around to face Jade, staying in his arms and wrapping his own around Jade as well, making Jade meet his eyes. “Mm, you’re gonna miss me then, huh?”
“Of course I will…”
“And I’ll miss you too. I’ll definitely find time during my fourth year to come see you. As for the summer…you’re always welcome to visit me, Jade. Just…let me know ahead of time, okay? I don’t want you to come when there’s some holiday and we’re going to be really busy, alright? If you’re coming over, I want to fully enjoy our time together.”
Jade smiles and leans forward and steals a kiss from Trey’s lips. “Understood. I, too, wish to savor every moment we have together.”
Pulling Jade closer into his embrace, Trey takes a kiss in return. “As long as I’m with you, every moment is precious.”
“Thank you for assisting me, Sebek. Father always ends up accumulating so many more things than he initially brings in…”
“But of course! This is nothing for me! I will always help out you and Lilia-sama!” Sebek beams and puffs out his chest slightly. “Is this everything he asked us to move?”
Silver looks over all the items before nodding. “Yes, he said that he would get the rest on his own after organizing them.”
“Understood. In that case, I will return to my own quarters to finish my own packing. I will see you later, Silver.” Sebek turns to leave and takes a few steps before turning back around. “When we’re back home…same time as usual?”
“Of course. Training doesn’t stop just because school does. Father, I’m sure, already has a schedule laid out for us.” Silver taps his finger on his chin as he thinks. “Though, I believe he has a lot more trips planned this year…something about world experience being a kind of training in itself.”
“Hm…a summer outside Briar Valley…well, if Lilia-sama is the one who organizes the trip, then I have no complaints. I’m sure it’ll be a worthwhile experience to better us for when we are in waka-sama’s service!”
Smiling slightly, Silver nods in agreement. “Well, no matter where we go, I’m sure it’ll be a good experience if we’re together.”
With cheeks dusted in pink, Sebek nods as well. “Right. Together.” He clears his throat slightly. “To another summer together?”
“Yes. To another summer together.”