Chapter Text
Groaning as he felt a weight suddenly climbing on top of his stomach, Reki knew before he even opened his amber eyes that one of his youngest siblings had begun to grow impatient and was currently working on the task of waking her big brother up.
"Hey Bud, what's wrong? Did I oversleep again?" Reki yawned as he opened his eyes to see Nanaka sitting on him with a small giggle escaping her. Shifting his eyes to the side, he saw the other half of the twins leaning against his bedside peeking up at him. Wrapping one arm around Nanaka, Reki had her settle in his lap while he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed; his other hand reaching out to playfully ruffle Chihiro's already messy hair.
Unlocking his phone that he grabbed from his desk, his eyes squinted at the brightness but he was able to see that it was already past 7:00 a.m. Did he forget to set his alarm? He was pretty wiped when he came home last night so it was possible. He wasn’t rushing on time too much but he had to get moving before his eldest younger sister barged in, telling him that mom said for him to hurry up or he’d miss breakfast. Who needs an actual alarm clock when he has three of them running around?
"Tell Mom I'll be out shortly, kay?"
"Kay!" Both siblings chanted in unison before Nanaka climbed down and ran after her younger twin who was now in search of her mommy. Yawning once more while running a hand through his hair, Reki checked his phone to see that he had a missed text from his manager asking if he and Langa could keep an eye on the store that afternoon. Sending a quick reply back that said it shouldn’t be a problem, Reki threw his phone back on his bed before hurrying to put on his uniform.
After making sure he had everything in his book bag, Reki walked into the living room slash dining area and ran a hand through his hair to help comb it a little more with his fingers. His headband that he always wore was hanging in his other hand, ready to be put on. Koyomi was sitting at the table rummaging through some box when she heard her brother dragging his feet down the hall.
“About time you woke up. You can’t just keep hitting snooze, ya know?” She spoke without even looking up.
“What are you doing?” Reki asked, ignoring her statement as he wrapped his headband around him, making sure it was in place.
When he peered over her shoulder, he saw that it was the box where the twins kept all their hair ties and clips somewhat organized.
“Mom asked me if I could help get Nanaka and Chihiro ready for daycare. Mom wanted to ask you something as well.” Koyomi explained before calling the twins over to pick out what they wanted for their hair.
Nodding in thanks, Reki shuffled his way to the kitchen where he found his mom making some sunny-side-up eggs to accompany today's breakfast.
“Oh, good morning Reki.” She greeted him as she turned to throw away some eggshells. The bread from the toaster popped up and she asked if he could put some jam on it for Koyomi while she finished up what she was doing.
“Sure. Uh, Koyomi said that you wanted to ask me something?”
His eyes shifted in his mother’s direction to show that he was listening to whatever his mom was about to say as he added a layer of cream cheese before adding a small glob of strawberry jam that he spread evenly.
“Oh yes, I was wondering if you could please drop your sisters off at daycare on your way to school. I don't have time this morning and it would really help me out.”
The daycare wasn’t too far out of his way and he was sure that the twins would like getting to see Langa on their way there. They would pass the spot Reki usually met up with Langa and he was sure that his friend wouldn’t mind if they took a little detour on their way to school.
“That’s fine with me but you don't need me to pick them up as well, do you? Cause I already told my boss I would cover for him today.” Reki informed as he put a slice of bread in the toaster for himself. “Though I guess I could ask Langa to watch the store till I get back.”
“I have the afternoon covered so no worries.” Masae smiled in thanks to her son for the offer as she slid the eggs onto a plate.
Reki helped his mom carry the food to the table where Koyomi was finishing up with Chihiro’s hair. Her hair tie had a little fuzzy ladybug while Nanaka’s had a charm in the shape of a star. Those who didn't know the twins might not be able to tell them apart right away when their hair was down since they were pretty close to being identical but there were a few small features that made them stand out, such as which direction their cowlicks stuck up.
Once they finished eating, Koyomi helped the twins to tie their shoes.
“And when you hold the loops like this they become bunny ears.”
Nanaka and Chihiro tilted their heads to the side as if trying to see the bunny from a different angle.
“Don't worry, you'll get it,” Koyomi assured, finishing the knot before she turned her attention to her older sibling. “Hey, Oni-san? Are you busy on Saturday?”
“I don't think so?”
Reki stopped for a second to think. He didn't usually have to work on Saturdays and Langa mentioned having to do something with his mom that day.
“Yeah, I'm free. Why do you ask?”
“I was wondering if you could take me to the skatepark that morning. I want to learn how to drop in from the vert ramp before it rains.”
“Oh..” Reki responded before a grin flashed onto his face. “Sure, I can teach you if you want, but you know we could always go to an indoor park if you still want to continue skating.”
“Hmm..” Koyomi pressed her lips together to show her distaste. “Maybe, but the only good indoor one you need a pass for. That other one you took me to seemed kind of small.”
She wasn’t wrong. The more local park was a great place when you were first starting out on a board since it had plenty of small ramps to help you get the feel of them but it didn’t seem as popular as the other one that was a lot bigger.
“If you’re not fully committed yet it might be better to start somewhere a little easier for you,” Reki suggested but promised to teach her no matter what as he checked his stuff one more time. “Got my bag and my board. What else am I forgetting?”
“Me!” Nanaka’s small voice called out as she held both of her hands up in the air as if trying to make her presence known. Chihiro was beside her, mimicking her twin’s movements. “And me!”
“You’ll also be needing this.” Masae chuckled at their behavior as she handed her son his bento along with two other boxes that contained lunch for the twins to take with them.
Making room for their bentos in his bag to temporarily carry in till they got there, Reki told Nanaka and Chihiro to wave goodbye as he led them out the front door, down the walkway that led up to their house, and then down the street; making sure that they stayed by his side at all times.
Normally Reki would be riding his board when he met up with Langa, but today he was going on foot. Now that Koyomi had gotten into skating, Reki decided to get a head start training their younger sisters as well. Nanaka was excited to be like her older siblings but Chihiro still had some nerves to shake off. But their practice would be strictly in the backyard. They were too young to be riding in the street.
“Hold my hands” He instructed both of them when they reached the corner and had to cross the street.
Up ahead was a familiar face that the twins recognized. They skipped along a little faster now, dragging their brother along. They were strong for little tikes and with both of their tiny hands pulling on his sleeves, he had to regain his balance when he nearly lost his footing.
“Wait, hold on!” He called out, making sure to keep up with their pace.
Langa had been waiting at their usual spot and when Reki seemed to be running a few minutes behind, he took out his phone and his thumb traced over the keypad as he wondered if he should send a message or not.
“Langa! Langa!”
The male snapped his head up when he heard a chorus of his name being called out. He certainly wasn't expecting to see the youngest of the Kyan siblings run at him and latch onto his pant legs from either side.
“Nanaka! Chihiro!” Reki scolded and sighed as he lifted his head to meet Langa's confused gaze. “Sorry about them. My mom asked if I could drop them off at daycare before I head to school.”
“It's okay. I don't mind at all.” Langa smiled softly as he patted each of the twin's heads. They released his legs but Nanaka reached for his hand this time while Chihiro clung to her brother again. Since they were going to be walking, Langa kicked his board up with his foot and tucked it under his other arm.
They got a move on so that they could make it in time. Luckily the daycare wasn’t too far from Reki and Langa’s high school. They walked for a few blocks, turned down a couple of different corners, and soon approached a building that you couldn’t miss unless you were blind. On the side of the daycare, a mural was painted that faced the direction of a little playground that the kids could play on during recess. The art portrayed the scene of a sunny day and whoever painted it made it look like a field of flowers was sprouting up from the ground. The main detail to take note of was all the little bees added. The place was called, The Honeybee Daycare so it made sense. Chihiro was excited to show Langa since this was his first time coming along with them.
“Look, Langa!” She pointed at it with a huge smile on her face.
“Oh, wow that does look pretty.” He commented with his expression of awe at the beautiful art displayed. Why couldn’t their school have something this cool?
Once inside, Reki helped them switch to their indoor shoes. He slid his bag off his shoulders so he could grab the twin’s bentos. “Alright, here are your lunches. Just let me-”
Nanaka didn’t even let her brother get a chance to finish his sentence before she sprinted right into the room; eager to play with the other kids.
“Kay, bye!” Reki called out to her rude behavior even though he knew she was no longer listening to him.
Chihiro was still by him, however, and watched as Reki put their belongings into the cubbies that they used.
“Mom will be picking you guys up later so I’ll see you tonight at dinner,” Reki informed as he turned to see her showing Langa some more artwork that was hung up in the hallway. Neither one of them was listening to him but he couldn’t necessarily blame them for it.
“You made this? It’s really good Chihiro.” Langa said as he complimented her drawing of her family. “I think you captured your brother well. I like how you used red for him.”
Chihiro giggled, feeling proud of herself as she gave him another hug before running to her brother for the same thing. Reki was rubbing Chihiro’s back when he felt a small force grab him from his other side. He turned his head to see that Nanaka had come back. He chuckled softly and did the same gesture for her.
“Reki, we should get going.” Langa reminded him; checking the time on his phone. Their teacher would be understanding, but they still didn’t want to be late to class.
Telling the twins to be good, Reki got his board ready while Langa did the same. Feeling the sunlight hit their faces once they stepped out, the two teens glanced at each other for a brief moment with a small grin forming on either of their faces before they dropped the boards to the ground and took off on them.
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Sitting at her desk, Koyomi sucked the inside of her cheek as her eyes scanned over a flier that her teacher had passed out. The Naha International Film Festival is coming up at the end of next month. It wasn’t a school event or anything but it was highly advertised and it was something to look forward to. Koyomi was reading over some of the rules that were listed when she started feeling a consistent poking on her left arm. She was about to lift her head in the direction of her friend Himawari, who was sitting beside her, to ask if she needed to borrow a pencil or something when her name was suddenly called on.
“Miss Kyan! Please try to pay attention.”
Her head snapped up front and Koyomi accidentally bit the inside of her cheek in the process causing her to hiss as she now had a metallic taste in her mouth. She quickly apologized to her teacher and tucked the flier away in a folder so she could go back to copying what was written on the board in her notebook. Once the teacher went back to explaining the math problem they were going over, Koyomi slid down in her seat and her face turned a rosy hue from having everyone’s attention temporarily on her.
“I tried to warn you.” Himawari smiled in sympathy at her friend.
Now that that embarrassment was over with, Koyomi did her best to follow along with the lesson but her mind would still wander every so often.
Himawari questioned her on it as soon as the bell rang for lunch and they went outside to eat.
“You were looking at that flier like your life depended on it.” Himawari pointed out as they sat on the grass, under a cherry tree that wasn’t in bloom this time of year. “Are you trying to decide which film you’re most excited to go see?”
“Actually.. I was kinda thinking of making a film of my own.” Koyomi admitted shyly.
Himawari’s chocolate brown eyes went wide when she heard that was the reason her friend seemed so invested in this. The Naha International Film Festival showcased movies from all around the world, as well as local filmmaking talent. This year, however, they were allowing entries for anyone to send in for a short film contest. The top picks will get a chance to have their hard work shown during the festival itself along with a few other prizes. But there was no guarantee that a local elementary school girl would be one of those lucky few.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting that. Any reason you want to enter?” Himawari questioned as she pried open her bento and hungrily took a bite of a piece of tonkatsu. She was fully prepared to support Koyomi and be a part of her film crew but she was still curious about what her friend was thinking.
“I don’t know. It seemed fun I guess..” Koyomi shrugged and asked Himawari for a bite of one of her cherry tomatoes.
“Oh, come on! There has to be more of a reason than that.”
Himawari had Koyomi open her mouth so she could feed her and watched as she hummed in thought as she chewed.
“I do love skateboarding and I wanna be able to fly as high as my brother one day.” Koyomi began to say. “But I also want to find something of my own that I’m good at. Not only has Reki gotten cooler with his skating but he also has a serious talent for making the boards! You should see the workshop he has in our garage! I’ve seen his work and he’s amazing at what he does.”
Koyomi let out a long sigh and looked down at her bento; using her chopsticks to grab some rice.
“I just want to show off my artistic side for once. I had fun filming my brother skating and your piano recital so I thought I would challenge myself." Koyomi explained. “There’s no specific reason other than it seems fun to try. I just don’t want to regret not giving it a chance.”
Himawari listened carefully and smiled. She knew that Koyomi was plenty creative already and she didn’t doubt her at all. As simple as the reason might have been, it was still nice to see her friend so motivated.
“Well, if your film is as good as the video of me playing the piano that you made, you’re sure to be a shoo-in!” Himawari flashed a huge grin and Koyomi’s face brightened up as well.
“Thanks, Hima-chan, that means a lot. I know my chances are one in infinity but it’s nice knowing that you’re supporting me.”
“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t encourage you to go for it? I’ll help you with whatever you need!” She offered but then she had a very important thought. “Hey so, what is your film going to be about anyway?”
Koyomi’s face fell. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. There were so many options but if she was going to challenge herself, she wanted to capture something new. She wasn’t sure what that would be yet exactly but she hoped inspiration would smack her in the face soon. There was only so much time before the deadline.
“I don’t know but whatever I decide on, I’m going to give my all and not give up on it!” Koyomi announced her newfound determination before quickly eating the rest of her lunch before class started back up again.