Work Text:
Kiritani Shuji (pink shirt) and Kusano Akira (purple tank), as portrayed by Kamenashi Kazuya and Yamashita Tomohisa.
Narrative follows the line break.
~~~~~
“Shuuuuuuuji-kun!”
I roll my eyes, affectionately. I don’t flinch away, anymore, because I just expect it now. I feel a heavy, warm weight settle over my shoulder, and I feel Akira’s breath on my cheek.
“Yes, Akira-kun?”
“Is it done yet? I don’t want to lose my nerve.” He gestured towards my hand, holding a needle in a pot of boiling water, still leaning on my back.
I counter his lean, gently pushing him out of the way as I pulled the needle out, drying it on a towel and laying it next to the other, already sanitized needle. “It is now. 10 minutes, I told you. Or would you rather risk infection?”
We had decided to pierce each others’ ears. Why not, right? We had finally graduated. We were young. A little stupid. Full of love for each other. For life. Summer body modifications never hurt anyone.
“How do you want to do this?” I watch Akira as he bounces from one foot to the other. Energetic. Excited. A little scared.
“Um...you pierce me first, Shuji-kun. So I don’t sit around thinking about it any longer.” He suddenly folded himself up into a pile on the floor. Expectant.
I smiled gently and nodded. I placed the needle, towel, and earring stud on the ground next to him. A simple, surgical steel stud. A crescent moon.
“Ah, my hair-”
“I’ll get it.” I deftly grab a hairclip from the dresser next to us—they are littered throughout our apartment—and sweep his bangs gently to the side, clipping them out of the way. He affectionately headbutts my hand.
“Thank you, Shuji-kun.”
“Alright, match my breathing, okay? Inhale when I inhale, exhale when I exhale.” I feel Akira nod slightly in acknowledgement; I am already holding the needle and focusing on his ear.
I inhale. I feel his body expand next to me.
I exhale as I pierce his flesh. He tenses, but follows my lead.
I can’t believe I just did that.
I almost fumble with the stud, but recover just in time. I push it through the new hole. The wound?
The opportunity for self-expression.
I attach the butterfly back as gently as I can so I don’t jostle the piercing too much. I press my hand into his shoulder. “Done! Wanna see?”
“No.” He scoots away from me, and I startle back slightly, worried I hurt him, worried I pushed him too far.
“Akira…?”
“I want to pierce you, first. Then, we look together.” He smiles his goofy smile. With that pink hairclip. I avoid looking at his newly-pierced ear, to preserve our first-look experience.
I exhale loudly with relief. “Okay. Then pierce me.” I shift to face away from him, placing my needle and stud on my side. A star. To match his moon.
Akira grabs something from the dresser, himself, and he’s halfway to putting my hair in a high ponytail before I realize what he’s doing. I want to laugh and kick him away, but I settle for just gently shoving him in the stomach, since it’s in my face.
“Your hair is ready, Shuji-kun!” I love how his voice lilts up when he says my name.
“Inhale and exhale with me, okay?”
“Okay.”
I feel him inhale next to me, and I won’t lie, I feel a bit of fear shoot down my spine and pool in my stomach. He has such chaotic energy. Can he really do this?
I match his inhale.
I begin to exhale as he does.
And I feel the sting. But just barely. His hands are strong, and steady. He is grounded and stable, beside me, and all of a sudden, the stud is in my ear, and he relaxes, crossing his legs to match mine.
“Shock!” He taps my knee and then uses both hands to make sparks spread from it. “I hope it didn’t hurt too much, Shuji-kun.”
“Akira, you did...great.” I smile as I stand, offering him my hand. “Wanna go see?”
He takes my hand, stands, then pulls my arm and does an odd little dance, dipping me at the end. “Yessssss!”
I nearly fall, but Akira has surprising grip on me. He stands me upright, and jogs to the bathroom, still holding my hand. I can’t help but laugh.
We look in the mirror and both exhale slowly. Our ears are red. And the piercings aren’t exactly mirrored. But we did it.
Star and moon. In silver. Together.
Our grins are simultaneously adult and yet so childish. I take my hair down, and do a few steely gazes into the mirror. “Think it adds to my charm, Akira?”
I look over at him as he takes his hairclip out and mimics my face, holding the expression as he responds. “Shuji AND Akira. We are super cool.”
I pull him into a hug, surprising even myself. He laughs quietly in surprise before hugging me back.
In this moment. We are summer. We are combustible and infinite.