Work Text:
“Leaving?”
The members of Trickstar were currently all standing in the middle of a practice room, getting ready to head home for the day.
“Yeah,” Mao sighed and felt a twinge in his heart as his three boyfriends looked at him with sad eyes. “I’m the representative of Starmaker since Eichi is on leave. It’s my job, but it’ll only be for a week. I’ll be back before you know it.”
‘ You can’t leave us…’
“Saaaariii!!” Subaru cried and dramatically draped his arms around Mao. “You can’t leave us!! Take us with you!!”
Mao gave a small laugh and kissed the top of Subaru’s head, “You know I can’t do that.”
‘ You can’t leave me….’
Subaru gave another whine as Hokuto stepped forward, “I’ll take care of any class work you miss while you’re gone,” he gave a tentative smile, “and I’ll take care of these two idiots.”
“Hey!” Subaru scoffed and pushed away from Mao. “What’s that supposed to mean, Hokke?! I ain’t an idiot!”
“‘Ain’t’, isn’t a word, Akehoshi.”
“It’s a word if I say it’s a word! Stupid, I’m not sitting next to you during lunch tomorrow!”
‘Does that mean…you’ll sit next to me?’
The bickering continued before a hand was placed on his shoulder, “Makoto? You doin’ alright?”
“H-huh?” Makoto blinked. He hadn’t realized he was spacing out. His cheeks turned pink from embarrassment as he quickly fixed his glasses, “Y-Yeah, I’m alright. Sorry.”
He gave Mao a nervous look, who in return didn’t look all that convinced, “It’ll only be for a week,” he whispered, “and I’ll be back. Then you can hug, and kiss me all you want. That is…if you can beat Subaru and Hokuto first.”
Makoto turned even more red and averted his gaze, “R-right. Uh huh. After the other two get their fill, is when I get mine.”
Mao gave a small chuckle, “you make it sound like I’m a cow. I have enough milk for everyone okay? Plenty for Subaru, plenty for Hokuto, and of course plenty for you .”
He leaned tilted his head to press a small kiss to Makoto’s jaw. The blonde shivered, “E-ew…don’t ever use that milk analogy again.”
“Haha,” Mao started to laugh more, “what? You don’t want milk from Mama Mao?”
“Ew- ew ew-“
“I want milk from Mama Mao!” Subaru laughed and tossed his arms into the air. He latched onto Mao who giggled even more. “I bet Mama Mao’s milk taste soooOOO good!!”
“Oh it tastes delicious I’m sure,” Hokuto couldn’t help but snicker himself.
Makoto had a disgusted look on his face. “Hey, you started it,” Mao teased through his fit of giggles as Subaru playfully kissed at his face.
Makoto crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks, “I didn’t mean to. You’re the one who took it the way you did.”
“Hehe~ Ukki~ you’re so silly~” Subaru let go of Mao to give Makoto a bunch of little pokes. “Come feast on Mama Mao before he leaves!”
“I’ll feast on Mama Mao,” Hokuto stepped forward.
Mao grinned and opened his arms and Hokuto, a little eager, wrapped his arms around Mao. The two hugged and Mao pressed a firm kiss to Hokuto’s temple before pulling away and kissing his lips.
“Whaaa!! No fair! Sari! You didn’t kiss me like that!!” Subaru whined and quickly pushed Makoto away and leapt onto Mao.
Makoto made a noise of surprise at the sudden- not so surprising- action. He watched the trio giggle and receive their kisses. He rubbed his arm nervously and stepped to the side.
‘They look so..happy..’
He didn’t even realize the trio had separated until he felt warm arms come around his waist. “Maakotooo~” the voice whispered. The blonde instantly melted into the embrace of Mao. He always knew how to make Makoto feel silly.
He could feel the eyes of his other two boyfriends watching with amused eyes as Mao gave him kisses. But he didn’t care. It was finally his turn and he was taking it like it was the last meal on earth.
The magenta hair boy laughed and gave Makoto a final kiss on his lips before pulling away, “there, is everyone happy? Satisfied?”
“Satisfied,” Hokuto gave a gentle smile.
Subaru gave a pout, “I’m never satisfied! Sari kisses are the BEST!!”
Makoto stayed silent. He still felt all gooey. Man he was a mess just from a few simple kisses. He finally whispered, “mhm…yeah..I’m satisfied…”
“Aheh~ Ukkiii~ you look so whipped!” Subaru teased and Hokuto flicked him on the nose.
“Akehoshi, be nice. We’re all whipped.”
“Yeah, whipped for Sari!!”
Mao chuckled a bit, “Now now, we all love each other, it’s not just me.” He checked his watch before sighing, “alright, I really have to go now. I gotta start packing and catch the subway. I’m supposed to be meeting Hasumi..”
“Classic Isara, always so busy,” Hokuto scratched his cheek, trying to hide his small smile. “Alright, we’ll let you go. Stay safe.”
“I won’t! Sari don’t lea- whawOAH-“ Subaru made an attempt to grab Mao as he turned away but Hokuto was quick to grab the back of his shirt, making him stumble forward.
“Bye bye, Isara-kun.” Makoto whispered and Mao gave a gentle smile as he left the practice room.
‘… now what..?’
Subaru gave a pathetic cry and hugged Hokuto’s arm. “Whaa!! I miss him!!”
“Akehoshi, it hasn’t even been a minute.”
“So?!”
Makoto nervously grabbed his bookbag and rubbed his hands together. He wouldn’t say it, but he already missed Mao too. Without Mao, there were only three of them. And four is much better than three.
“Alright, I’m gonna head home,” Makoto stated as he slung his backpack on his shoulder. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”
“Of course, silly~” Subaru grinned from Hokuto’s shoulder, “we see each other every day!”
“Y-yeah I know,” Makoto mumbled, going a bit red, “I-I mean like, for lunch. In the classroom?”
Hokuto hummed, “that’s the plan. Without Isara here, we should really try and get some work done. Our next release is for you, Makoto.”
“Bleghh! Doing work during lunch? Lunch is for eating not working! ” Subaru stuck his tongue out and Hokuto pushed him off.
Makoto awkwardly laughed and stared at them. He waited a bit before biting his lip, “well, see you tomorrow.”
“Bye bye, Ukki!”
“See you, Yuuki.”
Makoto slowly walked out of the room and covered his face. ‘ Why are things so…awkward…’
~~~
The bell rang and Makoto watched as all his classmates left the classroom. They all gathered in groups, giggling amongst themselves.
Makoto yawned and leaned down, taking his bento box from his back and placing it gently onto his desk. Subaru and Hokuto walked to his desk.
“Oh- crap,” Hokuto grumbled, “I forgot to grab my bento this morning.”
“Ehh?? Hokke, who's the idiot now?” Subaru laughed with a massive grin before sticking his hands in his book bag. His eyes went huge. “Ah! What?!” He peered into his back and rummaged around. “It disappeared!!”
Makoto hummed, “you forgot yours too?”
“No!! I mean- I swear I put it in here. Ahhh!!”
“Well, let’s hurry to the lunch hall then and get something before they run out.” Hokuto supplied and Subaru lowered his head in defeat. “You okay to wait a bit, Yuuki?” Hokuto asked and tilted his head to him.
“Hm?” Makoto blinked, “yeah, go ahead. I’ll just think of some lyrics while you’re gone.”
“Perfect,” Hokuto grinned, “come on idiot, let’s go.” He grabbed Subaru by the arm and dragged him out of the classroom.
Makoto waited a second before sighing. ‘ Alone again.. ’
“Yuuki.”
Makoto jumped and looked up, seeing his teacher -Jin- walk up to him holding an orange thick packet. “Oh, Sagami-sensei, hello.”
“Hi,” Jin hoisted himself onto a desk in front of Makoto. “So, Isara is going to be gone this week? Such short notice.”
“Mm..yeah, we just found out yesterday- right before he left.” Makoto awkwardly laughed, “he’ll be back soon, we’ll survive”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Jin grinned, “I can’t have my shining stars fall apart after a week.” Makoto stayed silent and Jin blinked. “Anyways, this folder has all of Isara’s work for this week.” He placed it onto Makoto’s desk before hopping off. “I’ll leave you be, don’t choke now!”
“Aheh…funny..”
Jin left the room, leaving Makoto to his own thoughts. Makoto grabbed the orange packet and slipped it inside his backpack before grabbing his small writing journal. He had covered it with little stickers from his favorite games, and he smiled seeing the one sparkly orange star Subaru had placed on it.
He carefully glided his finger across the glittering surface. His heart skipped a beat, remembering how silly the situation was.
They were all hanging out at Mao’s house and Makoto was playing his game on his phone. Hokuto was pressed against his side, head on his shoulder. He watched Makoto tap his thumbs onto his phone with precision.
“You’re really good at this game, Yuuki,” Hokuto whispered as he watched him beat the level he was on. “I don’t know how you do it.”
Makoto gave a little laugh, “oh.. I’m not that good..”
“Yes you are,” Hokuto huffed. He pressed his nose into Makoto’s cheek. “I just watched you beat three levels on your first try. Your teams are overpowered.”
“That’s just cause I’ve played for a while…” Makoto nervously messed with his phone case. “I just work on my favorite characters and make them the best I can..”
“And that’s how you’re good!” Subaru cut in and plopped down on the other side of Makoto. “You’re amazing, Ukki!!”
Makoto turned red at the compliments and glanced at Mao who walked into the room with a plate of sandwiches. Subaru gasped and made grabby hands and Mao handed him one.
“Hey, Makoto,” Mao looked at him, “do you happen to have a copy of the lyrics for Rebellion Star?” He asked and placed the plate on the table.
“Hm? Yeah it’s in my notebook.” Makoto hopped off the couch, not before quickly taking a bite out of Subaru’s sandwich.
“Hey! This sandwich is mine!!” Subaru whined but didn’t do anything else besides glare at Makoto who gave a silly grin.
Makoto grabbed his notebook and Hokuto laughed a bit. “Well that’s how we know you’re obsessed with this game. The cover is..well..”
“Covered in stickers!!” Subaru snatched the notebook from his hands. “Whaa!! So many!!” He brought it close to his face to examine the stickers before he puffed his cheeks out, “so boring!”
“E-eh??” Makoto went red, “I didn’t ask for your opinion!”
“Ohhhh, he didn’t ask for your opinion, Subaru,” Mao teased and placed a hand on his hip.
“Shush shush shush!!” Subaru waved his hand in the air, “I got the perfect solution for this!!” He tossed the notebook onto the couch and Hokuto glanced down at the many many stickers of characters.
Subaru reached into bag and pulled out a sticker sheet. “You just carry around a sticker sheet?” Hokuto blinked and Subaru scoffed.
“Of course I do! Look at them!” He held up the sheet. It was full of bright colorful glitter star stickers. “So sparkly! So shiny!!”
Mao laughed and peered at the stickers, “that’s so you, Subaru. There’s so many of them.”
Subaru giggled and peeled off an orange one. He leaned over and placed it in one of the small -almost nonexistent- empty spaces. “Ta-da! Now the cover is complete! It sparkles now! Just like you, Ukki!~”
Makoto blushed and took the notebook. He looked at the location of the sticker- it was right next to his favorite character. He went more red, “T-thank you…Akehoshi-kun…”
“Yahoo! You’re welcome!~” Subaru laughed and slid off the couch to press a quick sloppy kiss to Makoto’s cheek. He then peeled another sticker, a green one, and pressed it to the spot on Makoto’s cheek where he kissed. “Shine shine! Beautiful star, Ukki!!”
Makoto smiled, his cheeks hurting, “you’re so cute, Akehoshi-kun.”
“Hehe~”
“Can I have a sticker..?” Hokuto asked shyly and pointed to his face.
“Of course, Hokke! Everyone gets a sticker!!” Subaru kissed Hokuto’s cheek before placing a sparkly blue star. He then turned to Mao who gave a nervous laugh.
“Oh no- no no I don’t need a sticker-“
“Oh yes you do, Sari!~” Subaru gave a grin, “Come heeeree~”
Mao yelped as he was tackled onto the floor, and was attacked with kisses before a purple star was stuck to his cheek.
“Woohoo! Now everyone sparkles like stars!” Subaru giggled and stood up, twirling with his arms in the air.
Makoto leaned back against the couch and brought his legs to his chest, “I thought we already shined like stars. We ARE Trickstar after all…”
“Yes, but now we shine more!!”
“Akehoshi..” Hokuto said softly and picked up the sticker sheet. I think you’re forgetting someone..” he waved the sheet in the air.
Subaru tilted his head to the side like a puppy, “eh? No I didn’t. I got Ukki, Sari..and you!” He pointed to each person and placed his hands in his hips. He paused before he gasped. “Oh!”
“You forgot yourself~” Mao grinned and Hokuto stood up. He peeled off an orange sticker and everyone looked at Subaru.
“H-hey- what are you guys-“
Makoto giggled, “Come hereee~”
“Huh- HUH- Wha-whaaHAHA NOO! THAT TICKLES- AAAAHAHA-“
Makoto sneezed, snapping himself out of his reminiscing. He pulled his finger away from the sticker and opened the notebook. He flipped through the pages, landing on an empty one.
He tapped his pencil on the desk, ‘lyrics…lyrics…oh’ he heart hammered in his chest as his mind went back to the orange sticker in his video game covered notebook.
He grabbed his orange pen and started to write, “Beyond the point where our gazes meet, there’s a dazzling and sparkling victory waiting…”
He continued to write, completely forgetting about his unopened bento. Only when the bell rang he jumped, drawing a thick orange line across the page. He looked around and his eyebrows came together.
“They..didn’t come back..” he mumbled and watched his classmates come back into the classroom. He quickly shoved his things back into his backpack and tried to not to show his disappointment as he saw Subaru and Hokuto come into the room, laughing together.
~~~
“Aaaand cut!”
Makoto laughed as he watched Hokuto slump onto the floor. They were currently at a Dramtica practice and Makoto and Subaru watched- Subaru downing popcorn as always.
“Jesus…that was rough. Hibiki- you’re too rough?” Hokuto grumbled.
“Fufufu, I am not rough,” Wataru hummed and flicked his long ponytail. “It is General Bolten who is rough. I am merely portraying such a powerful character!”
“Hehe…still.” Nazuna clicked off the camera and glanced at them, “you’re still being a little harsh. They can’t keep up.”
Tomoya nodded and messed with his prop blade, “It’s been awhile since we’ve done swords in our plays, Hibiki,” he gave a nervous smile, “we’re a little rusty.”
“Nonsense,” Wataru waved his hand, “if Naru-chan can keep up, so can you.”
“That’s cause she’s in Knights!” Hokuto exclaimed, “Y’know, Knights??”
Arashi giggled, “just because I’m in Knights doesn’t make me good at wielding a sword. It’s called improvisation.”
“See? That’s what makes a true actor!” Wataru spun and gave a rose to Arashi who grinned in response.
Hokuto huffed and Natsume walked over to help him up. “I think yoU are too stiFF.” Natsume stated and Hokuto glared at him. “You need to waRM up and practice agAIN before the next sceNE…”
“Thanks, Captain obvious.”
“I’m tryING to heLP.” Natsume scoffed and gave him a gentle push. “Who here is oN the samE levEL as yOU, whO also has a similAR roLE?”
“Uhm…” Hokuto looked around. Nobody came to mind.
Arashi was already on par with Wataru, and Tomoya seemed to be keeping up fairly well. The only other person with a knight role was Leo and he wasn’t here- not that’d he’d be much help anyways…
“Oh oh!!” Subaru tossed his hand up in the air, “I kynow shomewone!!”
“Akehoshi..” Hokuto grimaced, “don’t talk with your mouth full.”
Subaru stuck out his tongue and swallowed his popcorn. He placed the bucket on the ground and did jazz hands towards Makoto next to him. “Ukki can help!! He’s amazing at fighting!!”
“E-eh?? Me??” Makoto went red and everyone looked at him. “N-no. No no, I’m not a good fit-“ he waved his hands in front of him nervously. “W-wouldn’t Kanzaki-kun be a better choice?”
“Does it look like Soumachin is here?” Nazuna pouted, “and even if he was, he’s definitely too advanced for us…”
“But that would make him the perfect fit,” Nagisa piped in with a calm tone, “Kanzaki-kun is a master of the sword. He would be able to tone down and help someone.”
“Y-yeah! See?” Makoto stammered, “plus I-I don’t know how to use a s-sword. All I know is martial arts a-and even then it’s pretty limited- whaA!”
Subaru grabbed him by the arm and dragged him onto the stage. “Come on Ukki! Just try! I believe in you! Look, you’re already so sparkly under the stage light, hehe!~”
“Ugh, if we’re just going to be watching Hidaka practice his moves, I’m leaving to do something more productive.” Shu tossed his hand into the air. “I’ve got an upcoming show and I need to finish dear Kagehira’s outfit. Bye bye now~” nobody stopped him as he hopped off the stage and walked away.
“And there he goes,” Tomoya blinked and crossed his arms. “Okay, I’ll go get the foam swords for you two to pra-“
“Already got them, darling Tomoya-kun!” Wataru did a spin and two foam swords appeared in his hands.
“I will never understand how he does that..” Nagisa mumbled and Arashi gave a nod in agreement.
Wataru gave Makoto and Hokuto each a foam sword and stepped back. He clapped his hands together, “Little Nazuna, turn on the camera. This is perfect behind the scenes material~”
“Got it!” Nazuna smiled and clicked on the camera.
“What?!” Makoto jumped and shook a bit. “I don’t want to be in this! I don’t consent- whaaAA!”
He stepped to the side as Hokuto slashed at him.
“Woooo!! Go Hokke! Go Ukki!!” Subaru cheered and tossed his hands into the air before stuffing more popcorn into his mouth.
The two started to swing at each other, each swing barely missing. Makoto eventually got the hang of it, adapting to Hokuto’s movements fairly fast. The more they practiced, the more Makoto started to zone out.
He started to remember a similar situation, where Makoto helped Hokuto with his stage performances.
“Ahhh! This is pointless!!” Hokuto tossed his play book onto the floor and Makoto glanced at it from his bed. “I can’t understand all this romantic bullcrap. Why does it have to be in here?!”
“Well..” Makoto pushed his glasses up, “it’s a play based on Romeo and Juliet. Of course there’s going to be romantic actions..”
“Smartass.”
“Hey- you asked why there was ‘romantic bullcrap’.”
“It was a rhetorical question, Yuuki.” Hokuto sighed and picked up the script. “Don’t get me wrong, I love having the opportunity to play as the Romeo-like character…but I just…I don’t understand these lines. These analogies don’t make sense.”
Makoto rolled on his side to face Hokuto, “well, would you like to practice then?” He asked, “I can pretend to be the ‘Juliet’ for you. Practice your lines and actions on me.”
“Really? You’d do that?” Hokuto looked at him, his cheeks going a rosy tint. “Are you comfortable with that?”
Makoto shrugged, “how hard can reciting a couple lines be?”
…
“What.”
“See? I told you!”
“No- no I think you read it wrong-“ Makoto grabbed the script from Hokuto hands and skimmed the highlighted lines. “‘Oh how thou shimmer in the starlight, like a beautiful golden…golden…erm…star.’ Huh? Why have star twice in the same sentence…”
“I don’t know! I would rather do the original Romeo and Juliet play- at least I can comprehend the words.” Hokuto crossed his arms, “but whoever wrote this script is illiterate and stupid.
Makoto pursed his lips, “and these actions are so…extra. I get chivalry but this is…intense. Bowing, kneeling, saying some lines, holding out your hand, grabbing and kissing her hand. Standing up, kiss the hand again, then lean and kiss her. Twice. Kissing twice, then spin, and kiss again- dip- kiss again-“
“I get it! I get it…lots of kissing…” Hokuto dropped his head onto his hands. “This is too much work for me, I think I might faint on stage…”
“Don’t say that,” Makoto sighed and tapped the script on Hokuto’s leg, “who’s playing the Juliet-like character anyways?”
“Who do you think?”
“Erm…I dunno.. Itsuki-san?”
“Hibiki, idiot. It’s Hibiki.”
“Oh…”
Hokuto flopped back onto the bed. “All is hopeless. I might as well drop out of the club. I’m sure Naru could do a better job than me…”
Makoto watched him pout and he looked at the script. He picked it up before he hopped off the bed. He went into his closet and started to rummage around.
“Yuuki? What are you doing?” Hokuto asked as he turned his head to see Makoto pop out of his closet wearing some sort of black clip on cape and a red sash around his chest. He put on a large top hat and grinned.
“Stand up!” He held his hand out to Hokuto, “I’ll be your character, and you play as Hibiki’s. If you see how I do it, it’ll help, right?”
Hokuto’s heart leapt out. Makoto was too adorable to handle.
He slipped off the bed and Makoto flipped through the script. He cleared his throat, “Detective Parker, oh how thou shimmer in the starlight, like a thousand shimmering flakes in the sky!”
Hokuto blinked in confused, “That’s not what the script says-“
“S-shush!” Makoto crossed his arms, “improvise! Isn’t that what Hibiki is always going on about? Work with what’s given and expand on it!”
“I-“ Hokuto felt shivers go down his spine, “alright…sorry. Let’s start over.”
Makoto huffed and redid his lines, “Detective Parker, oh how thou shimmer in the starlight, like a thousand shimmering flakes in the sky! Would you care to join me in a dance under the moonlit grass?” He held his hand out to Hokuto.
“Silly Chara Kawa,” Hokuto crossed his arms, “you are merely a Phantom Thief, the lives of you and I cannot coexist. If we were caught, we’d be beheaded in front of the throne!”
“Oh, but detective,” Makoto grinned, “then the solution is quite simple, we must not get caught~”
Hokuto shook his head and walked around Makoto, pretending to stare off into the distance, “the stakes are too high, Thief Chara. I cannot risk my life for a simple dance..”
“But I am willing to risk my life for you,” Makoto said with a bow, “I will throw myself out into the world, and take every arrow they may shoot.”
Hokuto eyed Makoto, “What if I am the one who shoots the arrow?”
“Then I will take that arrow with open arms,” Makoto knelt down on one knee and took Hokuto’s hand. He pressed a small kiss to his knuckles.
“That’s suicidal,” Hokuto huffed and his cheeks turned pink, “I cannot allow you to launch yourself into danger for me. I am a detective, it’s too dangerous.”
Makoto stood up and kissed his hand again, “it does not matter. I’ll survive every arrow so I can always be your savior. Now please, Detective Parker, join me.”
He stepped forward and brought his hand to Hokuto’s face who hesitated. They stared at each other for a second before Makoto leaned forward, kissing Hokuto softly.
“Whaaa!! Hokke!!”
Makoto jumped and looked around frantically. Was he daydreaming again? He looked down and saw Hokuto had tripped and fallen off the stage.
Makoto panicked and dropped the sword, quickly hopping off the stage. Subaru was already there, and scooped up Hokuto in his arms. “Hokke! Hokke! Talk to me!!”
“Ugh…” Hokuto grumbled.
“Fufufu~” Wataru walked over and placed his hands on his hips, “that was quite the fall Hokuto~ maybe a true love’s kiss can heal his wounds~”
“Ahh! I’m on it!!” Without thinking Subaru leaned down and kissed Hokuto. Hokuto squawked and flailed his arms in the air.
“A-Akehoshi!! I’m fine! S-stoMPF-“
“Shut! I’m trying to save you Hokke!! Don’t die on meEE!!”
Makoto watched the situation and looked away. Maybe if he wasn’t daydreaming, he could’ve stopped Hokuto from tripping. He rubbed his arm and stepped back.
‘ No no, he was too far. You wouldn’t have made it…’
“Okay!” Hokuto shoved Subaru off of him, “I’m okay! Thank you.”
Subaru grinned, “anything for you, Princess Hokke!~”
“Uhm..are you alright?” Makoto asked nervously. “I’m sorry…I should’ve been able to catch you…”
“I’m alright, don’t worry about it.” Hokuto huffed and stood up. “I think I’m good now. Thank you. We can get back to practicing now, Hibiki.”
Hokuto walked past Makoto, bumping their shoulders together a little harshly. Makoto flinched and watched him get a proper prop sword from Arashi and get into position.
“Yayy!! The show continues!!” Subaru giggled and grabbed his popcorn. He put some in his mouth and made a face “ewww, it’s all cold now..”
Makoto smiled a bit and sat back down next to him. He thought for a moment before he grabbed his notebook. He suddenly got some lyric ideas.
He clicked a blue pen and started to write, “An exciting thrill runs through your body on this field, this fake reality feels so real…”
“Ooooo, that sounds catchy!!” Subaru popped his head over Makoto’s shoulder, “sounds like something Hokke would sing!!”
“H-huh?” Makoto turned pink. “W-well..that’s why I’m writing in..blue pen.” He smiled nervously, “I haven’t come up with the order of these lyrics..and I don’t have many..”
Subaru hummed and looked at the rest of the lyrics, “well it sounds really good so far, Ukki! Do you have a name for it??”
“No…no not yet,” Makoto fidgeted with his pen, “it’s a work in progress…”
He waited for a response and when he didn’t get one, he looked at Subaru. He saw him facing Hokuto with wide sparkly eyes.
‘ Ah… never mind then…’
~~~
‘ The breeze feels nice..’
Makoto leaned against the railing, as he looked down at the river. He had been stumped on lyric and melody ideas, so he decided to go on a walk in hopes of inspiration.
The walk wasn’t helping much, but it did feel nice.
“Yuu-kun? Is that you?”
Makoto blinked and fixed his glasses as he looked over to see Izumi waving at him. “Izumi-san, hi!” Makoto smiled a bit, “nice to see yo-uU?”
“Yuuuu-kuuuun~” Izumi dropped his arms onto Makoto’s shoulders, “Life sucks!”
“E-eh?” Makoto blinked in confusion. He patted Izumi’s back awkwardly, “is this about Leo-kun? He’ll be back tomorrow…along with Isara-kun…”
“You’re so smart, Yuu-kun,” Izumi pulled away and grinned before it turned into a scowl, “no it’s not about Leo-kun! Why would it be about Leo-kun?!”
Makoto stared, “…because…it’s always about Leo-kun?”
“Aaaaugh! It’s not about Leo-kun!” Izumi ran his hands into his hair, “It’s about Kuma-kun!!”
“Ehh?” Makoto tilted his head, “Ritsu? Huh- wait. Has he gone missing?! Is he dead?!” He started to panic “Isara-kun is gonna kill me if he finds out Ritsu is dead!! A-am I am accomplice?! Izumi, why did you talk to me?!”
Izumi scoffed and crossed his arms, “okay, now you’re just overreacting.”
“W-what?”
“Ritsu hasn’t gone missing, but he has been a massive pain in my ass- hence the ‘life sucks’” Izumi puffed his cheeks, “it’s like I’m babysitting a- well- a baby!” He tossed his hands into the air, “I have no idea how Isara does it- it’s like he’s a damn magician.”
Makoto hummed and looked back at the river, “yeah…he really is a magician, isn’t he.”
“Ew. That look doesn’t suit you,” Izumi pinched Makoto’s cheek, “you look like a heartbroken middleschool girl who got rejected by some popular jock who she never had a chance to be with anyways.”
“Ow- hey…” Makoto puckered a lip, “that’s oddly specific…also I’m not heartbroken- why would you say that- wait we were talking about Ritsu how did this turn into me-“
“You’re an idiot.” Izumi rolled his eyes.
“H-huh?”
“Talk to me!” Izumi turned and leaned his back against the railing. He tilted his head towards Makoto, “I told you about my…Kuma-kun baby struggles, now you tell me yours.”
Makoto was quiet for a moment, “you didn’t really talk about Ritsu- you kinda just flailed your arms around and called him a baby.”
“Dude.” Izumi pinched the bridge of his nose, “you are the densest person I’ve ever been friends with. Can't you see I’m trying to help you. It’s obvious your problems are more important than my babysitting issues.”
Makoto opened his mouth to speak but Izumi pressed a finger to his lips.
“Shush! Let me finish.” Izumi huffed, “my issue can be solved tomorrow but that look you just made.. yikes. Yuu-kun you have some deep-rooted feelings. So talk to me.”
Makoto was so confused. He gave a slow nod, “I…I’m not really sure what you’re talking about. I’m just struggling to come up with lyrics…”
“Lyrics?” Izumi raised an eyebrow, “that can’t be all… What have you based your lyrics on so far?”
“Based on…? Well..” Makoto thought for a moment, “the few I have down…I guess I was inspired by my relationship with the rest of Trickstar.”
“Your boyfriends. Okay,” Izumi nodded and tapped his chin, “so lyrics based on love. What are you struggling with? Just think of them some more.”
Makoto looked away, “it’s not that simple…”
“Oh?”
“I dunno…things are kinda weird right now. At least for me.” Izumi stayed quiet and let Makoto speak. “It’s hard trying to…uhm..”
‘ It’s hard to think about them, when I’m never with them.’
“Yuu-kun?”
‘ It’s hard to watch them be together, when I’m casted on the sidelines.’
“You have your thinking face. It’s ruining your complexion.”
‘ I…I wish things could go back to normal. I wish I could be loved too. I wish I had the courage to give my love, instead of waiting for ‘my turn’ every time. I wish I wasn’t their last choice. I wish-‘
“YUU-KUN!”
“Wha!” Makoto jumped as hands shook him by his shoulders. “S-sorry- I spaced out!”
“Obviously,” Izumi scoffed, “you are a daydreaming mess. You stopped mid sentence…”
Makoto frowned a bit and stepped back, “I think…I’m gonna go home.”
Izumi sighed and placed a hand on his hip. “Whatever. Sorry for trying to be a decent friend.”
Makoto gave a nervous smile before taking a couple steps to the side and walking away. He rubbed his face. “Ugh….just sitting and praying won’t make your wishes come true…” he paused, “hm…those are good lyrics- I should write those down…”
~~~
“Hokke!! Hurry up!!”
“I’m hurrying as fast as this microwave will let me.”
Makoto sunk into the couch, bringing the blanket up to his nose. “I’m cold…”
“And I’m colder! Hokke come warm me up!”
The microwave went off, “okay okay, I’m coming.” Hokuto grabbed the popcorn bag and shook it a bit before dumping it all into a big bowl. He walked over to the couch and sat in between Subaru and Makoto.
The three were having a movie night at Hokuto’s as they waited for Mao to show up.
Subaru pressed himself into Hokuto’s side and grabbed a fist full of popcorn. “Yayy!! Popcorn!!”
Makoto shifted closer to Hokuto and dropped his head onto his shoulder. He instantly melted as he felt Hokuto’s arm wrap around him.
‘ This is nice….’
Makoto felt like he could fall asleep like this. Hokuto was so warm and safe…
He was slightly pushed by a leg and another head. He opened his eyes -wait when did he close them?- and saw Subaru had weaseled his way into Hokuto’s lap, clinging onto him like a koala.
“Idiot Akehoshi, I can’t see the tv with your fat head in the way.”
“Hey! My head isn’t fat!” Subaru stuck out his tongue and head butted Hokuto.
Makoto frowned a bit and just brought his blanket around him. He hugged his knees and looked at the tv, seeing the opening scene of the movie they were watching.
He tried not to let the thought of how he was upset with Subaru eat him but it was hard.
‘ I miss Isara…’
Makoto hugged his knees tighter.
‘ Isara would love me. Isara would kiss me….’
He closed his eyes.
“Heads up!!” Mao called out as he tossed a basketball towards Makoto’s direction.
“Wh- ah!!” Makoto held out his arms to try and catch the ball, but it landed smack into his face.
“Shit!” Mao ran over to where Makoto fell onto the floor, “I’m sorry man! I thought you had that!” He knelt down next to Makoto and cupped his face. “Makoto, Makoto! Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?!”
Mao held up his pointer finger and his pinkie, and his thumb stuck out. Makoto blinked and narrowed his eyes. “Uhm…three.”
“Wrong, two. Guess that was a trick question- the thumb isn’t a finger.”
“Whaaa?” Makoto went pink as he watched Mao take off his shirt. “W-woah- what are you doing??”
Mao pressed the shirt to Makoto’s nose, “your nose is bleeding, I gotta apply pressure to stop it.” He shifted to sit comfortably next to Makoto as he held his shirt to his face.
“Mm..oh…” Makoto blinked and stared at Mao’s face.
His face was red and sweaty from running around. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his eyes focused on his hand which kept the shirt to Makoto’s nose.
Mao’s eyes flicked up and caught Makoto staring at him. He gave a cheeky grin, “what? Is there something on my face? Or are you really out of it?”
“Erm…” Makoto went more red, “you’re really hot…”
Mao laughed and shook his head, “Man, that basketball must’ve really knocked it out if you, huh. I’m not hot- unless you mean literally because then yes- I’m sweating like crazy .”
Makoto closed his eyes, “s-sure…I meant you’re literally hot…”
Mao hummed and took the shirt away, “I think the bleeding stopped. Geez, this shirt is a goner..” Makoto mumbled something incoherent and Mao looked down at him. “Alright, let’s get you to the infirmary, you might have a concussion.”
Mao slipped on his purple hoodie before picking Makoto up. He hoisted him onto his back, and carried him out of the court.
…
“Mng…”
“Morning, sunshine.”
Makoto turned his head, seeing Mao sitting in the chair next to the bed. Mao had an opened manga in his hand, but as soon as Makoto looked at him he closed it and put it in his bag. “Hi,” Makoto smiled softly as Mao got up and went to the edge of the bed.
Mao leaned down and pressed a few kisses to his face, “glad to see you’re alright. Man..I’m sorry, I totally knocked you out earlier…”
“No no..it’s my fault,” Makoto gave a nervous smile, “I should’ve been able to catch it.”
Mao crawled into the bed to lay next to Makoto, “no, it’s my fault. I should’ve been more careful. You play tennis, not basketball. I should’ve been aware.”
“No- it’s not your fault- it’s-“
“Okay okay,” Mao giggled, “how about this. We’re both at fault.”
Makoto pouted but smiled a bit, “fine, we’re both at fault.”
“Good.” Mao shuffled forward and kissed Makoto’s nose and sputtered in response, “kisses to heal the wound.” He kissed both sides of Makoto’s nose then kissed the bridge.
Makoto laughed, “I-Isara-kun!” Mao just grinned and pressed more kisses which made Makoto giggle more.
Mao placed a final kiss on his forehead before pulling away, “there, you’re all healed~” he winked, “see, I’ve got magical kisses, and it looks like they’ve done wonders! You’re glowing, Makoto!”
“Mhm,” Makoto hummed. He felt all gooey. Mao’s kisses really were magical, “how long was I out for?”
“An hour, I think.” Mao scratched his cheek, “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t paying attention to the time too much. I got too absorbed reading this new manga I got…”
“Haha,” Makoto laughed, “well, I hope the manga was good..”
“It’s very good,” Mao grinned, “there’s a character in there I really like- he reminds me a lot of you actually. He’s a massive nerd, and wears these dorky glasses.” He poked Makoto’s nose, “in one chapter, everyone got trapped in his favorite video game and they had to rely on him to get out- since he was the only one who knew how to beat it.”
Makoto smiled, “sounds amazing, I would love to be trapped in my favorite video game.”
“Of course you would,” Mao chuckled.
“Mm..hey, Isara?”
“Yeah?”
“Can… Can you kiss me again?”
Mao chuckled again, “of course, you don’t have to ask.”
The door opened and Mao came inside the house.
“Sari!!”
“Isara!”
“Isara-kun!”
Mao laughed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, “wow, hello. Didn’t expect everyone to be so excited to see me again..”
“Why wouldn’t we?!” Subaru got up from Hokuto’s lap and ran over to Mao. He hugged him tightly, “I missed you so so so so so so so so so much!!”
“And I missed you too, Subaru,” Mao whispered and kissed Subaru’s head.
Makoto watched Hokuto perk up and stand from the couch, going to Mao as well. Makoto stayed where he was sitting, watching the two get their Mao love.
‘ This feels familiar…’
“Makoto!” Mao called out and Makoto jumped. “Get over here! You’re not being left out!”
….huh?
Makoto felt an arrow pierce right into his heart.
“Yeah, come on Yuuki,” Hokuto smiled, “stop sitting there like a sad puppy.”
“Ukkiiii!!” Subaru jumped over to him and pulled him off the couch. “Ukki Ukki!! Join us! Join us!”
“Okay! O-okay…” Makoto laughed and felt his stupid smile come back again. He let Subaru drag him over and Hokuto and Mao instantly wrapped their arms around him.
‘ Oh…oh…’
Makoto turned into a pile of goo.
‘ This…I like this…”
Makoto started to shake as Subaru joined the hug.
‘ I…I…’
“Makoto?” Mao lifted his hand and cupped Makoto’s face. “Are you okay?
“W-what?”
“Ukki! Don’t cry! What’s wrong?”
Ah. Makoto sniffed and rubbed his face. He didn’t even notice he was crying. He felt a kiss to the back of his neck.
“Yuuki,” Hokuto whispered, “tell us what’s wrong.”
“I-I-“ Makoto stammered. “I don’t know-“
“Take your time,” Mao whispered, “we have all the time in the world.”
Makoto shook as he dropped his head onto Mao’s chest. “I…I love you guys…I love you guys so much- I-It hurts. It hurts so much….”
“Aww..Ukki!!” Subaru cried, “we love you too!! Noo! I’m gonna cry too!!”
Makoto choked, “I-I love it when you guys hug me- a-and kiss me- and spend time with me…I-I don’t like being left out…I-It makes me..so..so sad..”
“Yuuki…” Hokuto frowned a bit and kissed his neck again, “we never meant… I never meant to make you feel left out…”
“Yeah!” Subaru exclaimed, “we all love each other! It’s..it’s hard..trying to love everyone at the same time…too many people- not enough arms!”
“Makoto..” Mao whispered, “hey, we won’t leave you out, okay? We love you. I love you. I’ll make sure you won’t be left out.”
Makoto collapsed into broken sobs as his boyfriends held him. Everything hurt, but he was happy. He was so incredibly happy.
He shot his eyes open and pushed everyone away.
“M-Makoto??”
He ran over to his backpack and took out his notebook. He flipped through and scribbled down the words in his mind.
“This is a game of ups and downs. And you only have one chance to win, so don’t miss it.”
“Wow…these lyrics are…so emotional..” Mao whispered as he dropped his head onto Makoto’s shoulder. “I love them, I love you.”
“Hehe, I know! Ukki is amazing!” Subaru giggled and came to the other side. “Oh yeah! Did you think of a name yet?”
Makoto stayed silent and stared at his notebook. He looked between everyone. He remembered all the times he had with them in the past, how much he wished and dreamed those could happen again.
And yet, he was content. He was happy where he was, here in now, in this reality.
It clicked.
“Yeah,” Makoto smiled and held up his finished page of lyrics, “it’s called, ‘ DaydreamXReality’ .”