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May rolls in the sudden shift to summer, the sky seems brighter and the constant rain has brought about beautiful flowers that bloom in rows. Rin gently picks one from its stem, adorned with blue petals and a sickly sweet smell. She brushes a finger against it and admires the feeling, May is her favorite month.
She walks (mainly stumbles) through the rocky path leading deep into the forest, no one knows she comes here and she rests assured that they wouldn’t care unless she stayed too long. The sun beams down from between the tall trees and there she sees him.
She doesn’t remember when she and Kabru agreed that this was “their spot”; it was an ordinary tree, maybe it stood taller and thicker than the others but nothing exactly set it apart.
But Kabru had said during the warmer months, this was the only tree with the proper amount of shade. The statement was strange to her as the entire forest was covered in shadow from the thick collection of leaves. But she wasn’t going to point that out and start an argument about trees . (And seeing Kabru happy made her feel the same, but it’s never a feeling she wants to explore.)
A soft clink and Kabru is looking at her with a smile, a closed book in his hands that was definitely a gift from Milsiril. “You’re here, I thought you got lost.” He laughs at her and her face flushes a subtle hint of red, walking over with a pout. “I made it here fine, I’ve been around this forest way longer than you have anyway!” She says with a huff, but still takes up a spot next to him under the shade, nonchalantly laying her head on his shoulder. “So… what are you reading?”
Kabru lifts the book so they can both read its cover. “Global Cities & Towns: A Complete Guide.” Kabru repeats in a matter of fact tone, Rin loudly groans. “Are you serious? This was what you wanted for your birthday?” Her brows furrow. “This is why I’m your only friend.” Kabru giggles lightly at that.
And she isn’t wrong, it’s not like there are any children like them around here. “Well if I learn a lot about the world now, then we can travel together when we’re older!” Rin smiles at that, even if it feels like a silly dream to her.
She scoots closer to Kabru, prepared to ask him to read from his book like she always does but she then feels something squish in her pocket. She's hit with a small tug of confusion until it hits her.
Kabru’s gift!
She shoots up quickly, even startling Kabru as he turns to her, playful concern plastered all over his face. “Is it another bug-“ he’s cut off by Rin searching her satchel and then pulling out a blue flower tied to a (lightly) squished white package. She shoves it towards Kabru’s chest.
“H— Happy Birthday! I’m sorry it’s… kinda ruined.” Rin almost visually deflates as she finally gets a full view of the item, looking completely different from this morning when she put it together with so much care. Kabru looked at the package in surprise, taking note of a sticky substance that was staining the white wrapping. “A gift from Rin, herself? I’m honored.” Kabru flashed a grin that turned Rin’s face a deep red. “Just open it!” She grumbled with a light hit on his shoulder.
He slowly unwrapped it and inside were pastries, small dough balls that seemed to be covered in a sweet syrup and with some nuts on top. Some of them may have seen better days, as they appeared to be mushed on the sides.
Kabru stares at them, his smile slowly falling as he looks up at Rin and for a moment she’s worried this may have not been the best gift. “Did you make these?” Kabru asked as he looked back down. “Yes! Well I tried to make them with some…uh— help? We didn’t have too many cookbooks on Utayan food so I kinda tried to go off of what you told me and—“ she’s cut off when Kabru quickly embraces her, pulling her into a tight hug.
Huh.
Rin is silent for a moment, her body tense as her eyes shift from the sky to Kabru’s abandoned book on the grass. She hears a sniffle and worry quickly settles into her heart. “Kabru?” She mutters, arms hovering over his back as the sniffles slowly progress into shaky, silent sobs. “Are you okay?”
“I— uh, haven’t had these in a l- long time.” Rin can hear him try to keep his voice calm and steady, even when he’s crying on her shoulder. “They look really good… like how my mom would make them…” At the mention of his mother, Kabru hugs Rin tighter and her chest squeezes.
For the few years Rin has known Kabru, his mother has been a shaky topic, and anything regarding his home seems to be off limits for his sake. Deep down Rin feels bad, a kind of guilt that tugs away at her for possibly digging up buried memories in Kabru’s mind.
She hugs Kabru back, a silence falls between the two, only the sound of rustling leaves and bird’s chirps can be heard. The soft audible sniffles as Kabru calms down. “I’m sorry—“ Rin mutters, voice heavy with regret.
Then Kabru loosens his hold and looks at Rin with wet, sincere eyes. “Don't apologize! I love it!” He hurriedly says as he grabs the package and quickly takes a small pastry, and Rin watches (in slight horror) as he proceeds to stuff his face, eating in huge bites without taking a breath.
“Thish— is shuper ghood—!” He chokes in between bites, body proceeding to shake again as the waterworks come back. “Really— ah- ghood!” His voice is shaky again and Rin can only let out a sigh as she takes a handkerchief out of her satchel, neglected to lay against their tree.
“Eat slowly, it’s okay.” She wipes his face and wraps her arm around his shoulder, his face is red with tears and snot dripping as he finally eats the dessert slowly, savoring the taste.
Jeez, he’s a seriously ugly crier. Rin thinks to herself with a smile.