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“Shinazugawa… Shinazugawa.” The voice called out from across the room. Sanemi ignored the raven-haired man, continuing to mark the papers in front of him. Even though the tests had been graded, he always double-checked to ensure accuracy, often resulting in stricter marks.
“Yo, asshole!” A pen flew across the room and hit the wall behind him. “Shinazugawa, you still marking?”
He hummed in response, glancing at the clock. It was five PM. Everyone else had left, leaving the two of them alone. Darkness had fallen outside, and the streetlights illuminated the cold November streets.
“By the way,” Obanai spoke again, moving closer, “could I stay over? My electricity is out.”
Sanemi's eyes drifted to the shorter man, narrowing his glare. “I thought you lived with Kanroji.”
Obanai's heterochromatic eyes widened as he stuttered a quiet no. They left the school grounds together, the snake around Obanai's shoulders hissing as it stared at Sanemi. The two had started teaching just over a year ago and shared the same strict attitude towards their work, which had forged a bond between them. Initially, other teachers, including Tomioka, had cast questioning looks their way, as they were the youngest teachers last year. However, they quickly proved themselves, and no one dared question them anymore.
This year, more young teachers joined their ranks. Kocho was doing an apprenticeship as a school nurse, Rengoku had a full-time teaching position, and Kanroji, fresh out of school, had been offered a job as a teacher. They all quickly became friends, enjoying each other's company.
"I don't." Obanai seemed to retreat further behind his mask. "We hang out, but that's it."
"Ah," Sanemi grinned as he gathered his stuff. "I don't think Kanroji would like that answer, Obanai."
Walking out of the teacher's room, the two headed toward the car. "Mitsuri and I never specified our relationship, just like you and Tomioka," Obanai grumbled.
Sanemi slammed the car door. "What did you say?"
Obanai glanced at his phone. "We hated his guts, but think about it. You complain about him every day, more than me. You bring each other coffee, bicker about your students, and talk whenever I'm not around. If you hated him, you'd avoid him."
Sanemi started the car, grumbling, "He's annoying. I don't like him. You're an idiot. Talk to her."
After a moment, Kaburamaru, Obanai's snake, hissed around his neck, its head facing Sanemi. "Asshat, take the snake away from me. How the hell they let you bring it to work is beyond me."
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Even with the mask covering his mouth, Sanemi could tell Obanai was smirking.
From the corner of his eye, Sanemi saw Obanai gently handling the snake, his long sleeves almost covering his hands. The moon illuminated the night sky, stars shimmering as the empty roads made for a quick drive.
When they parked outside the apartment, Sanemi noticed the curtains weren't drawn, indicating Genya was probably out with friends. He turned on his phone, seeing a notification from his younger brother and several missed calls.
Genya: Hi since you haven’t told me when you are coming back home and didn’t pick up your phone when I called, I'm just letting you know
I’m with Muichrio so don’t worry if I’m not home when you arrive. Love you
15:17
Genya: and yes I know be home by 8. Love you
15:18
Obanai leaned over, looking at his device. "I'm sure Genya would be happy for you."
"Shut your mouth." Sanemi exited the car and strode to the front door, waiting for Obanai to catch up. Climbing the stairs and unlocking the door, he was met with an unexpected darkness—no music, no gaming sounds.
"SURPRISE!"
The moment the lights flicked on, shouts filled the room. Obanai stood beside him, grinning.
"What the—" Sanemi began, but was cut off as Rengoku walked up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"Happy birthday, my friend!" Rengoku's smile widened even more. Everyone gathered around, hugging him as he took in the scene: the whole apartment decorated with balloons, ribbons, and banners, the smell of ohagi filling the air. The table was laden with gift-wrapped boxes.
He had forgotten it was his birthday. He couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of everyone there for him. He hadn’t celebrated his birthday in two years, too busy with studies and taking care of his younger brother. They usually just had a small cake, and that was it. But now, everyone was here for him.
"Aniki!" Genya walked out of the kitchen and ran up to hug him. "Happy birthday."
"Aww," Mitsuri giggled. "Sanemi does smile. Now we have to get Giyuu to smile."
Giyuu met his eyes. "Happy birthday, Shinazugawa."
Genya grinned as he dragged Sanemi to the kitchen to show him the freshly made ohagi. "Did you plan all this?"
The younger brother nodded. "Yes. You said you didn’t like going out, so I figured we could throw you a party here. Karaoke, games, and all that stuff."
"And I brought the booze!" Tengen's voice boomed from the living area.
Sanemi's face softened as he brushed a hand through Genya's hair. "You didn't have to do all that."
"I wanted to." Genya shrugged. "You've done so much for me these past two years. You took care of me after Mom passed and helped me while you struggled yourself. I'm gonna be grateful forever. You deserve good things too. You’re the nicest person in the world, Aniki."
Sanemi couldn't help but pull Genya into a tight hug, not wanting to let go. How did he get so lucky to have him as a brother? "Thank you."
"Shinazugawas," Shinobu called out to them. "We connected the karaoke machine."
They walked over, and Senjurou approached Genya. "It’s so weird to see the scary math teacher smile. I mean, that’s what Zenitsu says when I hang out with Tanjirou."
"Nah. Nemi is great. He wants everyone to do well in class."
Mitsuri began singing along to "Break Free" as Tengen poured shots for everyone. Within half an hour, the room was alive with dancing and singing, punctuated by the ring of the doorbell, a sound Genya recognized.
"Tanjirou. Muichirou!" Genya greeted them, surprised to see the long-haired boy among the guests.
"I brought the cake you ordered," Tanjirou said, stepping inside as the singing continued. "Looks like Mr. Shinazugawa is having a great time."
Genya laughed. "Drunk Nemi is hilarious and surprisingly honest. But everyone only had that one shot—gotta work tomorrow."
"I also brought a card for your brother," Muichirou said, tilting his head as his hair fell to the side.
"Me too," Tanjirou added. The two placed their cards on the table with the other gifts.
"What's Kamado doing here?" Sanemi asked, noting the unexpected presence.
"Happy birthday, Shinazugawa-sir," Tanjirou said, flashing a wide smile.
Sanemi grabbed the cake from Tanjirou. "I ordered it, and he brought it over. Muichirou came with him."
"Hm." Sanemi acknowledged the gesture, his attention drifting to Giyuu, who was being coerced into singing by Shinobu. Tengen pulled Giyuu to his feet, placing his legs on the sofa, while Rengoku handed him the second microphone, nodding for him to sing the other part.
"No," Giyuu refused.
"Why not?" Obanai asked, curiosity piqued.
Tengen shot him a look. "Even he sang."
Mitsuri started the song, urging, "Come on, Sanemi."
"Giyuu, Giyuu!" Shinobu cheered him on. "Or are you just afraid of showing off a bad singing voice?"
Mitsuri selected "A Million Dreams," and Tomioka rolled his eyes before reluctantly opening his mouth. The moment he began to sing, Sanemi's eyes widened. The room fell silent, stunned by Giyuu's voice. It was smooth, mesmerizing, and almost hypnotic. Sanemi felt his face flush as Giyuu's gaze locked with his, adding an unexpected layer to the evening’s festivities.
After a while, as his turn approached, Genya cheered, “Nemi, sing! Nemi, Nemi!” The crowd began to clap along with his encouragement.
And Sanemi sang. Looking into Giyuu’s deep blue eyes, he saw the other man’s encouraging smile. At that moment, while singing, Sanemi realized Iguro was right—he was in love with Giyuu.
When the song ended, everyone rushed to hug the birthday boy. The cake, adorned with candles, was brought out as everyone sang "Happy Birthday." Sanemi blew out the candles, and the cake was enjoyed as the party continued, filled with laughter and conversation until eight o'clock. As guests started preparing to leave and bid their farewells, the atmosphere was warm and joyous.
Just before leaving, Giyuu stopped at the door and handed Sanemi a small box. "I almost forgot to give you this. Happy birthday again."
Sanemi nodded and closed the door behind Giyuu as he walked away. Opening the small blue box, he found a dog tag necklace engraved with both his and Genya’s names. A smile tugged at his lips as he admired the thoughtful gift, the evening’s warmth and joy lingering in his heart.
The Shinazugawa brothers
Sanemi and Genya
With that small note
I know how much your brother means to you and how you spoke before you had full custody of him. Also how you hate being away from him. So I thought you might like to have something so you always have something to remind you he is always with you.
Sanemi held the small blue box and glanced at Genya. “That’s really thoughtful of him, isn’t it?” he remarked, receiving a nod in response. Genya then handed him a bag. “Open it,” he urged.
Sanemi unwrapped the bag and pulled out a jacket with a bold "Wolf" emblazoned on the back. A laugh escaped him. “I wanted to get you a husky, but this is the next best thing, right?”
“No,” Sanemi said with a grin. “It’s amazing. Thank you for the best birthday party.” He wrapped his arms around his brother in a warm embrace. “Maybe we’ll get a dog soon.”
Afterwards, they cleaned up and settled on the sofa to watch a movie, gradually falling asleep together. It had been a perfect day. Just Adrifting off, Sanemi remembered Obanai’s broken electricity. He reached for his phone and noticed a new message had arrived.
Obanai: Before you worry, electricity is fine. Don't stress out
20:11
That fucker. He had a problem with electricity more than once. He shook his head before falling allowing asleep to take over.