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Rin and Karasu began playing video games together when they were six years old.
Karasu’s parents were elated, happy their son found a friend close enough to invite over.
Rin’s parents nodded their permission, and continued staring at their laptop screens.
Sae was somewhere off in the world playing soccer. Rin excitedly watched all his games on the tv, and wished he was here, bittersweet.
Rin was fine hanging out with Karasu, he was kind of crass at times, but he was awful at Mariokart, which was a plus.
“Nii-chan,” a baby voice called out.
The sound of small feet pitter-pattering on hardwood floor echoed in Karasu’s family living room.
Rin turned to the source of the noise; a cherub-faced toddler with big blue eyes, blue hair, dressed in footie pajamas.
“Whaddya want, pipsqueak? Go back to your room,” said Karasu.
“I play too?” the boy smiled, reaching up for the controller in Karasu’s hand.
A memory of Rin begging to play soccer with Sae flashed in his mind.
“No way, isn’t it close to your bedtime, Hiori?” Karasu said, lifting up the controller so his little arms couldn’t reach it.
“Ni-chan…” Hiori was crestfallen, eyes welling up with tears.
“He can watch?” Rin suggested.
Karasu shrugged, selecting a new game from the collection.
Rin took that as a yes, and waved to the toddler, patting the empty seat on the couch beside him.
Hiori sniffled his little tears away, and climbed up on the couch, staring at Rin.
“I’m Rin,” introduced Rin.
“‘Ori,” the boy replied, holding up three fingers. “I’m three years old!”
“Wow,” Rin deadpanned, nodding.
After ten minutes of watching the two boys play games, Hiori had fallen asleep slouched on the couch.
Karasu’s mom picked up the slumbering toddler, taking him to bed.
“He’s your brother? You look nothing alike,” said Rin.
“He’s adopted,” explained Karasu. “From an alien planet.”
“Ha, ha,” Rin rolled his eyes. There’s no way alien adoptions were happening without everybody knowing.
Hiori looked more like a baby angel, if anything, all innocent eyes and chubby cheeks.
It became routine for the toddler to watch them play video games, transfixed by all the bright colors on the tv.
Sometimes the blue haired boy would tap Rin’s shoulder and whisper in his ear.
“My new favorite color is green,” he confessed one time, “like Rin-chan’s eyes.”
Rin was unsure what to say in response, so he patted his little head.
~~~
It wasn’t until Rin was eleven that he first saw the blue boy actually cry.
Karasu was going on about girls and some videos that he found online. He opened his laptop in the privacy of his room to show Rin a few of them.
Rin was disgusted, watching in horror as Karasu laughed over the images of nude women having sex, the sound of their moans echoing in the room.
“You like that one?” Karasu pointed to the one with larger breasts.
“…Yeah sure,” lied Rin, wanting this to end.
“Ha, I knew your type of girl was big boobs,” said Karasu.
At that moment, Hiori opened the door, clearly overhearing what was just said.
His small face was stricken, as if someone had just slapped him.
“Oi, get the hell out!” Karasu closed the laptop, standing up.
“I, I wanted to ask—“
“Did ya hear me? Get out!” Karasu pointed at the door, looming over him.
“It’s okay—“ Rin tried.
Hiori’s bottom lip quivered, sky blue eyes filling with tears.
“Hiori,” said Rin.
The boy burst out crying, sobs wrenching his small frame.
Karasu rolled his eyes, but looked a little remorseful.
“Mommy said to tell you,” the boy choked between sobs, “we’re having pizza.”
He let out a despaired wail.
“Hey now, it’s okay—“ Karasu reached out.
Rin was faster, taking Hiori into his arms for a hug.
The blue boy inhaled sharply, eyes blinking rapidly. He wrapped his arms around Rin to return the embrace, rubbing his cheek against his neck.
Rin felt the dampness of his tears, but ignored it, patting the little one’s back.
“What’s your favorite kind of pizza?” he asked after a moment.
“Cheese,” sniffled Hiori. “What’s your favorite, Rin-chan?”
“Pepperoni,” replied Rin, pulling back from the hug.
Hiori was hesitant to release him, hand brushing Rin’s as he left the embrace.
“Maybe pepperoni will be my next favorite,” smiled the blue boy.
~~~
The next few years, Hiori was more distant, leaving the two friends alone most of the time.
Whenever Rin visited the house and greeted him, Hiori would nod and continue with whatever he was doing. Rin noticed a sad look in his eyes sometimes.
That pattern changed when Rin was invited to join the family for their vacation.
Rin and Karasu were now seventeen, Hiori fifteen.
The beach house was beautiful.
Karasu’s current girlfriend had also been invited, and she was practically glued to his side.
Rin would wonder why he was there, aside from the fact that Karasu’s mom felt sorry for him being alone much of the time.
The Itoshi parents, as usual, barely acknowledged their younger son. Sae had championships to win, and only texted back in one word replies. It was difficult to find time to video call him due to his busy schedule.
“I’m gonna need the room to myself tonight, catch my drift?” smirked Karasu, eyeing his girlfriend.
The parents had assigned rooms, one for Karasu and Rin to share, one for the girlfriend, and Hiori would sleep on the big couch.
“Why don’t you use her room?” argued Rin.
“It’s right next to my parents’ room, dude,” Karasu stated.
“I’ll sleep in her room then.”
“Hell no! That’s a girl’s room, she’ll be sleeping in those sheets,” said Karasu.
“I can just wash them.”
“And make my mom suspicious? Just sleep in the recliner chair for one night,” pleaded Karasu.
Rin hummed disapprovingly.
“I’ll pay for your food for two weeks,” offered the dark haired boy.
Rin raised one eyebrow.
“Three weeks.”
“Sold,” Rin rolled his eyes.
Karasu pumped a fist into the air.
“Come on, boys, get your swimsuits on!” The dad ordered, carrying a shovel and a bucket.
Rin lounged on the sand, watching Karasu and his girlfriend frolic in the waves.
Hiori emerging from the water came into his view, and Rin thought offhand how this is the first time he’d seen him shirtless.
The sun almost made his body glow, the ocean water running down his lithe frame.
“Oh no, baby you need sunscreen!” his mom called.
“I already put some on!” he returned, walking by Rin to meet his mother.
“Put on another layer,” she instructed. “I’d get your back but I’m slicing the watermelon. Ah, Rin!”
Rin turned around to see them.
“No, it’s okay—“ Hiori tried.
“Can you please get his back for me? I’m busy and his father is,” she glanced over at the monumentally large sand castle and moat the dad was building, “also busy.”
“Yeah,” nodded Rin.
Hiori finished coating his body in sunscreen, and Rin pointedly looked away to give him privacy.
The blue boy sat down in front of him, back facing him.
Rin took the sunscreen bottle and poured a generous amount into his hand.
“How’s life,” deadpanned Rin.
Hiori startled when his hands first touched his skin.
“It’s fine,” he said.
“Cool,” said Rin.
Hiori shuddered when Rin’s hands touched the small of his back.
“Sensitive?” Rin smiled, then schooled his face into his normal mode.
His hands finally reached the end of his back, fingers brushing where his shorts met his skin.
Hiori jumped up, said a quick thanks, and ran into the ocean.
Rin watched the blue boy the rest of the morning.
He hadn’t noticed until today exactly how much Hiori had grown. No longer a chubby baby, he was now mostly skinny, aside from… a very nice ass and set of thighs. His face was still angelic, his eyes still wide and gorgeous.
Wait, gorgeous? Rin backpedaled in his mind.
It’s true that he never really found himself attracted to women, despite girls in class asking him out sometimes. He’d gone on a couple dates, but there was no spark.
When puberty truly hit, his thoughts wandered to men, but he disliked the men larger or stronger than him.
If his porn searches mostly involved the word “twink,” that was between him and whatever god there was.
So what if his best friend’s younger brother was his type.
It wasn’t like he was going to do anything about it—
A wave crashed over Hiori, and he rose from it, wet hair dripping down his face.
Rin bit his lip.
~~~
After an evening of playing board games with the family, (Rin won every round of uno, much to Karasu’s annoyance), the parents retired to bed.
And thus, Rin was exiled to the living room, bringing a blanket.
Hiori’s eyes widened. “What are you doing.”
“Sleeping, I guess,” answered Rin, sitting down in the reclining chair.
“Um. I was about to put on a movie,” said the blue boy.
“Go ahead, I didn’t think I’d be getting any sleep tonight anyway.”
Hiori turned on a film, lying back down and cuddling under his own blanket.
Rin had seen this one, a romantic drama about two men, torn between each other and their wives.
“Do you, uh,” started Rin.
“I know, you’re straight. It’s just a movie,” defended Hiori, bristling on the couch.
Huh.
“I’m straight?”
Hiori glared at him. “Don’t joke around, Rin.”
“Whatever happened to ‘Rin-chan’? And I’m not joking,” said Rin.
The blue boy blushed, sitting up.
“I’m too old for that now,” he insisted. “What do you mean you’re not joking?”
“I mean,” paused Rin, eyes drifting to the boy’s tight tank top and parted pink lips. “I’m not straight.”
Hiori scoffed. “There’s no way.”
“You don’t believe me?” Rin barely noticed the two men onscreen making love.
“You’re straighter than Karasu,” stated Hiori.
That was it.
Rin stood up from the chair, tossing his blanket to the side.
He almost stomped over to the couch, capturing the blue boy’s face in his hands.
“Rin?” His sky blue eyes fluttered.
Rin tilted his head, catching him in a kiss.
Hiori did not hesitate at all, returning the kiss instantly and licking inside his mouth.
Rin had never kissed anyone before, and now he was wondering why he hadn’t kissed this specific one sooner.
Hiori grabbed Rin’s shirt to yank him down on top of him.
The couch shifted with the movement, making a loud squealing noise on the floor. The two boys stared at each other in alarm.
Just then, the parents’ door opened.
“Hiori? Is everything okay?” His mom asked, walking into the room.
Hiori smiled at her, blanket up to his chin.
“Yep!”
“Are you cold? You must have several blankets on,” she worried, staring at the mound of fabric on top of her son.
“I just like being warm, it’s okay!”
“The thermostat is in the hallway if you need to adjust the temperature. Have a good night, sweetie,” his mom said, exiting back to the bedroom.
“Goodnight!” Hiori said, then flipped the blanket down enough to reveal Rin’s head.
“Hey,” whispered Rin.
“Hey,” Hiori whispered back.
Rin stroked the blue boy’s face. “No privacy here.”
“Should we take a walk?”
The two boys stumbled off the couch, trying not to giggle. They slipped their shoes on and walked out to the beach.
“I thought for sure you were straight,” mumbled Hiori, bumping into Rin’s side as they walked.
“You were wrong,” Rin replied, taking his hand to hold. Their fingers laced together.
“Wow…” Hiori trailed off. “Uh, I had a big crush on you as a kid.”
“You’re still a kid,” said Rin, letting the waves wash over his feet.
“Yeah,” nodded Hiori, holding steady eye contact. “I am.”
Under the moonlight, they kissed once more.
The blue boy deepened the kiss, hands tugging at Rin’s dark hair.
Hiori ended the kiss for a moment, tracing little circles on Rin’s shoulder.
“I have to warn you, I’m a little into sadism,” Hiori confessed, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.
“Okay,” Rin said. He would look up what that word meant later.