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With his birthday being amidst football season, near the end when things ramp up, Rensuke has long settled himself to his birthdays being among whatever teammates he may have, not necessarily family or more personal friends from home, like the boys of Blue Lock. Yet somehow, he’d been blessed with his team’s bye week being the week of his birthday, immediately getting permission to head back home that week when he saw the schedule.
Before getting on the plane to Japan, he received several early birthday texts from the Blue Lock boys group chat, many of them bemoaning how lucky he is to get a bye week on his birthday. Rensuke grinned at his phone as the flight attendant began calling boarding groups. Looking through all the messages, he can’t help but feel a bit down that the one person he’d been hoping to get a message from hadn’t messaged yet.
It’s ridiculous, one, to still be so hung up on Hyoma. For as close as they were, it wasn’t like they ever made the jump to being a couple. Two, it’s not even his birthday yet, in Japan or Europe. Maybe Hyoma will message him the day of. He doesn’t need to be so down about not receiving a message from one specific friend .
By the time he’d gotten off the plane and was waiting for his luggage, Rensuke had managed to forget about Hyoma’s lack of text. His phone buzzed with a message from his elder sister Takomi, saying she was waiting for him outside the airport, and gave him some descriptors of her location. By the time he shot her a quick reply, his luggage was coming over to him already. He grabbed his suitcase and made his way over to where his sister told him she’d parked. As he spotted her car, he waved, and the closer he got he could see Takomi excitedly waving back.
“Rensuke!” she cheered, popping open the trunk for his luggage. “How are you? How was your flight? Are you feeling the jetlag yet?”
Rensuke laughed at her excitement, shutting the trunk and sliding into the passenger seat.
“My flight was fine-I probably won’t be feeling jetlag until a little later though,” Rensuke replied. “Am I staying with you, or mom, dad, and Sakana?”
That made Takomi stiffen a bit, though Rensuke had no idea why. Had something happened between his sister and parents since the last time they spoke?
“What’s wrong?”
“Ack! Nothing! Sorry Rensuke, there’s, uh. Just a surprise for you at mom and dad’s place, is all.”
Rensuke cocked his head. “A surprise? What kind of surprise? My birthday isn’t until tomorrow.”
“A living surprise,” Takomi replied. “That’s all I can say. I really should’ve kept my mouth shut, but oh well.”
“A living surprise?” Rensuke stared blankly at his sister. “Does that mean it's a person?”
Takomi shrugged and kept her eyes on the road, clearly having meant what she said.
“Well now you made me curious!” Rensuke huffed, though he wasn’t actually upset.
“Maybe that was the plan all along,” Takomi replied, smirking.
“Is the ‘surprise’ here today?” Rensuke asked as Takomi pulled into the driveway of their family home.
“Should be,” Takomi replied evenly, not wanting to give anything away.
Rensuke lugged his suitcase out of Takomi’s trunk as his younger sister burst through the front door.
“Rensuke-nii!!” Sakana cheered, rushing over to crush him in a hug.
“Hey there guppie!” Rensuke laughed.
“C’mon Rensuke! I’m in high school now, stop calling me a guppie!” Sakana pouted, squeezing him tighter for ‘proof’.
“Ha! You’re definitely getting stronger! That’s for sure. We’ll have to arm wrestle sometime this weekend.”
“Let me carry your suitcase!” Sakana insisted.
“Ha, okay,” Rensuke replied, resisting the urge to laugh as his sister huffed and puffed while pulling the suitcase up into her arms. “You don’t have to-
“Just let her,” Takomi chuckled, watching as Sakana began marching back to the house.
Their parents emerged almost right before Sakana reached the steps, both quickly moving out of her way as she did.
“Hello, welcome home,” his mother said, smiling softly.
“You’ve been putting on an impressive season this year,” his father added as Rensuke and Takomi began their way into the house. “Maybe next year you’ll be a starter, hm?”
Rensuke laughed sheepishly. “I can hope, certainly. Anyways, Takomi was talking about some sur-”
Rensuke trailed off in shock, seeing Hyoma Chigiri sitting at his family’s kitchen table.
“Chigiri?” he spluttered out. It had been a while since he’d seen him in person like this, and he frankly didn’t know if he should call him by his first name in front of his parents. “What? How did you? Why are you?”
“When you said you wanted to come home for your birthday since you had a bye week, I figured I would see if any of your friends might also have one,” Takomi explained sheepishly. “Chigiri was the only one who did, and I knew you guys were actually pretty close during Blue Lock…”
“We were!” Rensuke affirmed, not wanting his sister to feel bad. “Sorry, I’m just. Wow.”
That explained why Hyoma hadn’t been replying to his messages.
Hyoma giggled a little at his shock. “I can understand. Sorry I didn’t say anything, your sister said it was supposed to be a birthday surprise and it looks like you were surprised.”
“I know you just got here, but we wouldn’t mind if you and Chigiri would want to go catch up somewhere just the two of you boys,” his mother explained. “It’s been a bit since you’ve seen each other in person, right?”
“Two years,” Rensuke replied.
“Oh wow, I hadn’t realized,” his father added, bemused. “Yes, I think you boys deserve some catching up.”
“Well then, shall we, Kunigami ?” Hyoma asked, and Rensuke nodded. The ‘Kunigami’ felt pointed, and he realized he hadn’t heard Hyoma call him by his first name since before Wild Card. It was strange to hear it now.
Hyoma led the way, and Rensuke followed after him. As they left the house and Rensuke shut the door behind them, Hyoma smirked.
“You’ll have to lead the way from here. I’ve never been here before,” he teased.
“Right, yeah. Man, I still can’t believe you’re here.” Rensuke shook his head.
“I can’t either, Kunigami .”
There was a bitterness that time.
“What did I do?” Rensuke asked, eyes wide.
“Well if you’re not going to call me my name anymore, I figure I shouldn’t call you yours.”
“Hey, lay off it,” Rensuke shot back. “I was being formal for my parents. Plus, it’s been two years-I thought ‘Chigiri’ was a safer bet.”
“Hmph, you’re still the same dumb footballer I remember, Rensuke.”
“It’s only been two years.”
“A lot changes in two years.”
Rensuke felt his heart sink. What was Hyoma about to tell him?
“Hyoma…”
“I…I realized things over the last two years. About us.”
Rensuke coughed awkwardly. “C’mon, don’t come all the way to my hometown to see me for my birthday and tell me you hate me!”
“Why the fuck would I do that, dumbass?” Hyoma shot back, rolling his eyes.
“Okay, okay, sorry, I’m just…anxious, I guess.” Rensuke rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “We haven’t seen each other in person like this since Blue Lock, and I feel like I need to impress you all over again. Why don’t I take you to my favorite restaurant up here?”
“My treat,” Hyoma cut in before Rensuke could say the same himself. “It’s your birthday. And you’ve never had to impress me, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Eh? You sure about that? I feel like a princess definitely needs to be impressed,” Rensuke teased.
“Oh, please,” Hyoma huffed. “Lead me to this restaurant already.”
“So, what did you realize in the last two years?” Rensuke asked as the waiter left from taking their orders.
“Oh, right…” Hyoma blushed, and swirled his drink with his straw. “I almost forgot. It’s kinda embarrassing…”
“Hm? Don’t get shy on me now, princess,” Rensuke chuckled.
“I dated a few guys in England,” Hyoma began, still not wanting to meet Rensuke’s eyes. “And none of the relationships really lasted that long.”
“Oh, Hyoma, that’s rough, I’m sorry-”
Hyoma held up his hand, to show he wasn’t quite done.
“All those breakups made me think, and I realized that I was part of the reason things weren’t going the way I wanted. That…I wasn’t fully committed to those relationships, because I still had feelings for another man.”
Rensuke quickly sipped his drink, willing his heart to stop beating so fast. He really shouldn’t be assuming things, but…Hyoma looked up at him for the first time, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Yes, Ren. The man is you,” Hyoma chuckled softly. “I had a crush on you, back in Blue Lock. I wanna say it was obvious, but…”
Hyoma laughed again and smirked.
“What is it?” Rensuke narrowed his eyes.
“I think you were just too dense. At least the last two years made you a bit better at realizing things. Though, I have to say, you’re a lot less surprised than I thought you would be. It’s almost disappointing, frankly.”
Rensuke rolled his eyes playfully, but grinned softly back at Hyoma, and slid his hand to the center of the table.
“I’m definitely surprised, but I think that’s overpowered by the relief,” Rensuke laughed. “I’ve had feelings for you too, since Blue Lock, but, well, I guess you’re right to say I was dense, since I struggled to realize how I really felt for a while.”
Hyoma snickered, but placed his hand atop Rensuke’s on the table.
“Sounds about right to me. If that wasn’t the case, we’d have already been together.”
“Hey!” Rensuke protested. “I think Wild Card’s more to blame than I am!”
“Whatever you say, pretty boy,” Hyoma laughed, waving his free hand.
“Anyways,” Rensuke huffed playfully, and threaded his fingers with Hyoma’s. “I felt almost guilty that I still liked you, because I figured you were probably living it up in England, and you didn’t need me to come and confess to you because I figured it out too late.”
“I take it you also figured out that I liked you back in Blue Lock, then.”
“Yeah. You were obvious to anyone that wasn’t going through a mid-life crisis at 17,” Rensuke snorted. “I’m sorry I was so late. I’m glad I wasn’t so late that…your feelings changed.”
Hyoma blushed, and leaned into his free hand. “I don’t think it was possible for that to be the case. I think even in 5 or 10 years if you confessed you were in love with me, my feelings would come rushing back.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think so. I’ve never met anyone else like you, birthday boy.”
Rensuke felt his face warm, and he lifted his hand to gingerly touch it. “Hyoma, c’mon.”
Hyoma smirked at him softly. “A blush looks nice on you.”
“I already said I was in love with you too, you don’t have to keep trying to flatter me,” Rensuke replied.
“What? Can’t I compliment the birthday boy? I think he should learn to take compliments more often.”
Rensuke flopped his head into his hands, willing his blush to go down, just in time for the waiter to return with their food.
After paying for their meal, Hyoma quickly returned to Rensuke’s side and eagerly took his hand, pulling it up to press a kiss to his knuckles.
“Happy birthday, Rensuke,” Hyoma giggled.
“It’s still not until tomorrow,” Rensuke teased. “So, I think I’m still owed a proper birthday present.”
“Spoiled, aren’t we?”
“I learned from the best.”
“How about I sleep in your bed tonight…” Hyoma waggled his eyebrows, and Rensuke gasped.
“H-Hyoma, I don’t know. My family…”
“Why don’t you stay in my hotel room then? I think your sisters already get the idea. Or at least, seems like they did when they asked me to come.”
“Takomiiii…” Rensuke groaned, but he couldn’t be too mad. “But…that’s made me think…what do we do now? Where do we go from here? We’ve got a few days in Akita, but…then it’s back to Munich and Manchester. We might not see each other like this for another two years-maybe more. Plus, the way the media is with this stuff…”
Hyoma was silent for a moment, before Rensuke felt him tracing circles onto his hand.
“Hyoma?"
“We’ve waited this long, haven’t we?” Hyoma asked softly, his eyes shining clear with his affection. “We could wait a little longer.”
“Is that really ‘a little longer’? Hyoma, I don’t want to lose you after I just got you.”
Hyoma shook his head. “You won’t lose me. I think you’re worth waiting years for.”
“Aw, don’t make it sound like I’m saying you’re not.”
“I know, I know. I just think I should prove it to you as well.”
Hyoma narrowed his eyes seductively, and leaned up on his toes to press a kiss to Rensuke’s lips. Rensuke gasped, but quickly reacted, wrapping his arms around Hyoma’s waist to pull him in closer, deepening the kiss. He could feel Hyoma hum contentedly into the kiss, and when they pulled apart, Hyoma wrapped his arms around his neck.
“See? We can figure it out as we go, I promise. I’ll make it worth it. And I’ll always make sure to spoil you for your birthdays, hero. Now c’mon, there’s a hotel room with our names on it.”