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Shuichi hasn’t spent a significant amount of time out in the mountains, which is why he’s a bit surprised by how very cold it gets when night falls, even though it’s mid-July and a lot of the snow has long since melted. It’s been a bit chilly for the better part of the day, but the sun shining down on them has done a nice job at warming him. Now that the sun is gone, there’s nothing to protect from the increasingly cold breezes. Still nothing worse than you’d get in Japan around late Autumn, but not exactly pleasant without a coat either, and Shuichi finds himself grumbling a little as he escapes to their tent to put on an extra layer.
He can hear Kaito laughing behind him, and if it weren’t such a pleasant sound, it would almost be like salt in the wound. “Man, is it really that cold?”
“It is, Kaito,” Shuichi huffs, emerging only when he’s pulled on his sweater and bundled up his outer layer as far as it’ll go. “If you didn’t have such an abnormally high cold tolerance, you would be able to see that…” Despite his indignation, Shuichi can’t quite maintain a stern expression as he turns around and meets Kaito’s gaze, the broad, amused grin on his face. The day has been long and tiresome, as their hike to the campsite has been largely uphill—such is the nature of camping in the mountains, and Kaito hadn’t even been willing to go somewhere more easily accessible by car, citing it as backing down from a challenge, ugh—but having Kaito here has… made it a lot more enjoyable than Shuichi thinks it would have been with just about anyone else.
He’s feeling that now, too, even as Kaito’s eyes leave him and dart back up to the sky. They’ve been doing that all day, hoping for a glimpse of the stars, which haven’t quite come out yet. Shuichi understands his impatience, though, even beyond understanding how much Kaito loves space; he’s been looking forward to nightfall too, though perhaps for a different, slightly more indulgent reason.
Now completely placated, Shuichi makes his way back over, his hiking boots crunching against the leaves. What snow remains around them is largely off the path, and icy now after spending so much time melting under the warm sun. It still makes for a pretty nice backdrop, the blinding white against forest green. Not that Shuichi is out here to enjoy the trees or the snow—or at least, not any more than anyone else who goes camping—but it still does add to the experience as much as the clear sky and the fresh air.
Shuichi takes a deep breath of that air as he stops by his friend’s side. Kaito doesn’t hesitate to put an arm around his shoulders and drag him in close, grinning.
“Now that you’re all bundled up, you ready for some s’mores?” Kaito prompts, his eyes twinkling. At the reminder, Shuichi glances at their campfire, which has begun to dim as the wind strengthens. To compensate for this, Shuichi drops down, reluctantly leaving Kaito’s embrace to pile a few more logs onto the stack. That should breathe some life back into it, even with the gusts of wind blowing by every so often.
The fire casts a gentle orange glow onto everything, their dark blue tent and their shoes, and it also makes Kaito’s purple eyes look a bit amber in the flickering light as he plops down to sit on the dirt, reaching over for what he’d deemed his “s’mores kit” as they piled into the car this morning. Shuichi had giggled at the time, but he finds himself watching with more interest as Kaito pops off the lid and rifles through for a sheet of graham crackers. He’d expected Kaito to go into this flying by the seat of his pants as he does most things. Running off into the woods unprepared and trying to rough it just seems like something Kaito would do.
But actually… Kaito has a full list of items needed for every possible contingency, pieces of equipment that Shuichi has never even heard of packed into the brain of his backpack. He pitched their tent as though he’d done so dozens of times before, and made them both dinner over the fire, somehow managing not to burn their meat while simultaneously regalling Shuichi with fictitious stories of the time he conquered an evil dictator in the winter out in Siberia.
It’s stories like those and Kaito’s general more goofy facade that can make Shuichi forget sometimes, but actually… Kaito is extremely competent, coming off of years of survival training from both being an astronaut and also a general interest in living life to its fullest. He never does anything halfway, always doing extensive research into anything before he even begins to dip his toes in. They’re alike in that way, though Shuichi hadn’t expected it; he considers himself to be more of an overplanner than Kaito is, and he is, because Kaito can be reckless at times… but that also doesn’t mean that Kaito doesn’t have his fair share of skills, either. Shuichi doesn’t think of himself as a lousy planner at all, but he’s already realised he forgot a few things—trail snacks, a head lamp—and Kaito’s come up with all of them.
“Something on your mind, sidekick?” Kaito asks. His eyebrows are raised, and he’s holding out a graham cracker for Shuichi, which prompts Shuichi to wonder how long he’d been spacing out. His neck warms slightly, and he reaches out to accept, clearing his throat.
“Ah, n-no, sorry. Or well, yes.” Shuichi smiles sheepishly, snapping his graham cracker in half to make s’mores with. “But it’s silly… nothing you need to be worried about.”
“See, when you say shit like that…” Kaito braces the bag of marshmallows between his knees to open it. Shuichi, anticipating a catastrophe, leans over with his hands extended just in time to stop a few marshmallows from flying out into the fire with the force of the bag popping open. It earns him a grin and a wink from Kaito as he continues speaking. “It just makes me think it actually is something I gotta be worried about. You know?”
He probably has a point there—certainly, whenever Kaito says something like don’t worry about it or it’s not something you should be bothered by, it’s a cry for help more than a dismissal—but this is genuinely something Shuichi would be embarrassed to say.
On the other hand, Shuichi knows that Kaito gets insecure about his competence, even though he genuinely is really capable and skilled… just because he gets really emotional at times, people tend to underestimate them, and Shuichi can tell that it affects Kaito. Or he can now— it used to be that whenever Kaito brushed something off, Shuichi took that as a sign of high self esteem, and thought that he’d just be coddling the man if he tried to reassure him. Now, though…
“I meant that it was nothing to worry about,” Shuichi clarifies carefully. “But… um, I was just thinking about how well-prepared you have been for today… sometimes I forget how good you are with survival skills.”
Kaito smiles, but it’s clearly more bashful than his last grin. He fishes a few marshmallows out of the bag and offers them to Shuichi. “Well… of course I am.”
“Of course,” Shuichi agrees, thoughtlessly taking the marshmallows into his palms. “You’re an astronaut, and even if you weren’t, you never slack off when you embark on a new adventure… I guess I was just thinking, you never fail to impress me when it comes to stuff like this. I’m really glad I got a chance to come out with you… I doubt this would have gone nearly as smoothly with anyone else.”
It’s hard to tell in this lighting, but Kaito must blush, because he turns his head away and coughs into his shoulder. It gets a smile out of Shuichi, though he feels a little guilty for it; he just can’t help but find it cute whenever Kaito gets embarrassed like that. Someone who presents himself as so pompous shouldn’t be so easy to fluster, but in fact…
“So, thank you for inviting me,” Shuichi continues serenely, offering a smile as he reaches for one of the branches they collected earlier. Or rather, that Shuichi had collected; Kaito had tasked him with stick collection while he lit the fire, and Shuichi had gotten unexpectedly into it, spending around half an hour scouring the trail for the best possible marshmallow roasting sticks before remembering that there are only two of them. Well, at least whoever uses this campsite next will have some good options. “I’ve been having fun.”
“I mean… yeah, of course,” Kaito says again. He clears his throat, rubbing the side of his neck. “I’ve had a really good time too, Shuichi… I mean, I always do when you’re here.” He picks up a stick himself, gaze not straying from his task as he spears a couple marshmallows on it. “You just got this way of, uh… making shit feel more fun.”
It’s kind of a vague compliment, but Shuichi thinks that’s probably just because Kaito is so embarrassed, because he’s said something similar before in a much more eloquent way. That Shuichi gets into things as much as Kaito does, so it makes it easier to get enthusiastic. Or maybe that’s not what Kaito is saying, and Shuichi is just projecting onto him… regardless, Shuichi understands the sentiment.
“I’m glad,” Shuichi says, earnestly. He leans closer to get a good angle on the fire, positioning his marshmallows over the coals for optimum roasting. “You haven’t been camping casually in a while, right?”
“Yeah, just with my crew.” Kaito thrusts his stick right into the open flames. Shuichi glances over in time to watch one of the marshmallows catch fire. Kaito blows it out, unaffected, and then sticks the marshmallows right back in. “That’s a lot of fun too, y’know, but a lot of it’s survival training—like you said earlier. Actually, a lot of the skills you learn out here are transferable to bein’ out and space. Stuff about first aid and equipment repairing, thinking on your feet, communicating, making sure the whole team’s on the same page… even if it’s a different environment, you can still learn a lot.”
Shuichi nods. “That makes sense… it’s similar for investigative work, as well… a lot of those skills are extremely useful at my uncle’s agency.”
Not that Shuichi has mastered all of them, especially communication or making sure people are on the same page. That’s always been Kaito’s strong suit. Even if Shuichi likes to think he’s usually pretty cognisant of how other people are feeling… he has his weak spots. Sometimes he has to actively catch himself before ploughing over someone else in the interest of getting something done, just so he can make sure to come out of a situation with both the intended result and his relationships still intact.
It’s a delicate balance. But Kaito has taught him a lot in that regard… and Shuichi always feels better at it when Kaito is here. It hasn’t always been this way, but nowadays… it feels as though they’re on the same level. If Kaito has an issue, Shuichi is confident he’ll say as much. That makes it a lot easier to communicate and make sure that they’re both having a good time.
“Right.” Kaito’s smiling again as he blows out another little fire. His marshmallows have begun to take on the appearance of the coals Shuichi is using to toast his own. Shuichi’s, to contrast, are golden-brown on one side and pale on the other. He rotates his stick to get a more even roast.
Silence settles between them for a moment, broken only by Kaito blowing on his stick and cursing when one of the marshmallows starts to slide off the end. He hastily constructs his s’more, passing over a few squares of chocolate for Shuichi as he uses his other hand to pull the marshmallows of his stick. Always so thoughtful, even when he’s working with a limited window of time. Shuichi smiles at him, then looks back at his work, feeling warmth burst in his chest.
It’s… funny. Shuichi had gotten attached to Kaito in the first place because of his way with words. He’s so comforting and compassionate, surprisingly sensitive and genuine for someone who acts so abrasive. Yet it’s these moments, when they’re quiet, just doing their own thing, existing together… that Shuichi really feels the most at peace. As he constructs his s’more, Shuichi leans into Kaito’s side. The fire is keeping them plenty warm, but Shuichi still snuggles right up against his friend, especially as Kaito shifts to wrap an arm back around his shoulders. He’s so indulgent… Shuichi’s heart beats a little harder as it always does when they get this close, yet simultaneously relaxes. There’s nowhere else in the world that makes him feel safer than he does at Kaito’s side.
After a careful bite of his s’more, Shuichi tilts his head back to look at the sky, then lets out a little ah of realisation. “Kaito, the stars are out.”
That gets a quick response out of his friend, whose head shoots up to follow his gaze. Shuichi, in turn, takes his eyes away from the stars—as breathtakingly clear as they are from out here—in favour of admiring the thing he really came out to see.
Kaito’s lips are parted, a wide, breathless grin on his face. His eyes now take on the silver sheen of the starlight as they dart back and forth, and there’s a wondrous glow to them, like this is his very first time seeing the universe in all its glory. It isn’t, and Shuichi knows it isn’t, because he’s been out under the stars with Kaito before, on a cruise Hope’s Peak Academy took them on during their third year… but every single time, Kaito never fails to look like it’s the most wonderful thing he’s ever seen, and Shuichi never fails to think the same of him.
His heartbeat is starting to get a little uncomfortable, pounding so loudly against his ribcage, but he finds that he can’t complain. Shuichi swallows down a mouthful of marshmallow and chocolate and tries to figure out something to say, some comment to make on the sky, but what comes out instead is—
“You’re beautiful.”
Kaito sputters, looking down at Shuichi in surprise. Once again, it’s not so easy to see, but looking directly at each other Shuichi can just barely make out the way red spreads across Kaito’s features, his eyes going wide and startled. Just a little bit of that amazement from the sky is still there, but more pressing is bewilderment, as though Kaito can’t fathom why Shuichi would say such a thing.
“Wh-What?”
Now, to be fair to Kaito—Shuichi hadn’t meant to say it. The moment Kaito stammers out his response, Shuichi’s heart starts to beat in his ears, and he groans, feeling heat flood his own face as he pulls back and drops his head into his hands. He’s… never actually said that to Kaito before, not because he’s never thought it but because he’s never been able to work up the courage, and he’s really quickly realising why as what feels like an entire brigade of butterflies are set off in his gut.
Shuichi swallows, then manages to say, “Um. I mean. You’re—”
“Sorry, I didn’t wanna be like,” Kaito quickly self-corrects, rushing to reassure Shuichi, “that wasn’t weird to say or anything—I really appreciate it, Shuichi, I think you’re—”
“N-No, no,” Shuichi interjects, lifting his head to look as Kaito flails his hands around. “It’s okay, you don’t have to—I just didn’t mean to—ugh.”
They both stop to breathe, and Shuichi waits for the cold to have nipped at his blush enough to make it disappear completely, though that’s admittedly a bit of a tall order when he’s still so close to both Kaito and the campfire. Kaito, too, doesn’t seem to have recovered fully, even as a more disgruntled smile starts to make its way across his features. They make eye contact, look away, then tentatively peer back over again at least three times before Shuichi can finally speak again.
“What I meant was… you are beautiful. You’re, um… you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, actually. I just, ah, said that involuntarily, b-because it’s what I was thinking.”
This, while true, is no less embarrassing than Shuichi’s initial misspeak. He has to look away from Kaito after he’s said it, for fear of dropping dead on the spot.
Kaito sputters again, only collecting himself enough to speak after four failed attempts. “Sh-Shuichi, that’s bull.”
That probably makes the top ten of things you don’t want to hear when you call your crush beautiful. “It’s not bull, Kaito, I meant—”
“No, I mean—” Kaito drags his hands down his face. “I believe you meant it. But I mean it’s bull—how the hell can you think that about me when you’re—when you’re so…”
He trails off. Shuichi’s heart suddenly quiets, and it’s as though it’s stopped beating overall. In fact, Shuichi’s everything stops functioning; the blood silents in his ears, his breathing stops. He looks over at Kaito, and sees that his friend is regarding him almost shyly, peeking out through his fingers, a bashful but sincere look in his eyes. Shuichi swallows past a dry throat, trying to formulate some kind of response, but it’s impossible under that gaze.
Kaito, at least, seems to recover quicker this time. “When you’re so breathtaking, is what I meant.”
Shuichi makes something between a squawk and a nonverbal protest, covering his own face. “Y-You can’t mean that.”
“But I do!” Kaito grasps Shuichi’s wrists suddenly, pulling his arms away from his face and leaning right up into it, his purple eyes burning into Shuichi’s. “I do mean it, Shuichi—you’re the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever—I’ve never even met anyone who comes close to—” He stops, then clears his throat. “And not just in looks, I mean, you’re so… smart, and caring, and patient with me… you’re beautiful.” A nervous laugh, so unlike what Shuichi’s come to associate with Kaito, escapes his throat. “I can’t even imagine you’d think that about me.”
God. Shuichi has to take a breath, almost floundering for air under the weight of Kaito’s words, his sincerity. He leans forward a little too, so their foreheads press together, pulling his wrists from Kaito’s hands to intertwine their fingers instead and dragging their hands down to rest in his lap. He takes another breath, then another.
“Then imagine it,” Shuichi whispers. “Because Kaito, you—you are the most empathetic, and brave, and intelligent person I know, and everything good you just said about me, I… I could never have become that without knowing you.”
“You’re crazy,” Kaito breathes out. His eyes close. “Don’t you dare credit me for that shit, Shu. That was all you.”
Maybe it’s the nickname that does it, or the reassurance. In truth, Shuichi’s not sure what does it, because he’s also not sure which of them moves first; all he knows is that one moment they’re sitting there, so close together they’re practically swapping breaths, and then they’re kissing, and Shuichi stops trying to analyse anything at all. All he can think about is Kaito, beautiful, reckless, warm Kaito, and the softness of his lips, and the beautiful stars overhead, the only witness to their feelings other than one another.
The cold, all of a sudden, becomes irrelevant, as does anything else. Even if the cold did matter, Shuichi wouldn’t notice it anyway, as Kaito’s arms wrap around him and pull him into his lap, as the fire continues to crackle at their side. There’s nothing that matters more than this in this moment, not the breeze, not the perfectly browned s’more that falls into the dirt when he moves—nothing.
It’s been a long time coming, perhaps. Shuichi leans in to deepen the kiss, only pulling away briefly when he has to breathe, and every time he feels Kaito smiling into his mouth he can’t help but wonder why he never did this sooner.