Chapter Text
1
Spring.
The chalkboard outside the convenience store flashed in the spring sun with a fresh image of a pair of ice lollies; it hadn’t been there before. Sae studied it with interest from the edge of the football pitch across the road as he waited for Rin to gather his things.
Make a bet with your friends! Who’s going to win?
Interesting. But lukewarm.
Just as Rin stood up from where he had knelt down to retie his shoe laces, Sae wandered across the silent road to the convenience store.
"Nii-chan? Nii-chan, wait!” He heard Rin call behind him, before a pair of footsteps hurried across the road. Sae turned back with a disapproving look.
"Look before you cross,” he frowned down at Rin as the younger stopped just behind him.
"You didn’t,” Rin complained. The little-
"Yeah, I did,” Sae returned, turning back around to head inside the store.
It was a small store - typical for the countryside really. Not many people lived around here anyway, Sae wouldn’t be surprised if the store owner’s only customers were him and Rin, considering how they very rarely even heard a car pass by as they passed a football between the two of them on the empty pitch.
The owner of the store was an old man was always either sat behind the till on a small stool or, sometimes while he watched them practice from across the street, out at the front of the store on a rocking chair that creaked with each swing, a large fan in his hand that he moved up and down lazily. He had simply set up two rows of stands in the front of what seemed to be his own house and arranged sweets, crisps, bread, and various other daily necessities on it that Sae never paid any attention to really. A small refrigerator hummed in the corner just beside the old man’s table, the only sound in the otherwise silent store.
The old man was sat behind his table today, looking up when Sae and Rin stepped into the store. A small electronic fan whirred silently from on the table, blowing their faces with a cool breeze in the warm spring heat. Sae greeted the man with a nod, as Rin waved before running straight to the refrigerator to pick out a drink, the old man simply settled back onto his stool after confirming who they were.
Sae wandered around the store a little before feeling a tug on the sleeve of his shirt - Rin joined him in wandering around.
"Looking for something?” The old man raised an eyebrow from his seat.
"The sign outside,” Sae began after casting a look around again.
"Oh, those ice lollies? Come here,” the old man stood up slowly, waving a hand to motion them closer.
As Sae made his way towards the table, Rin towing behind, the old man leant down to the bottom of the refrigerator and brought out two small ice lollies in white plastic wrappers. Placing them onto the table in front of Sae and Rin, the old man sat down again, leaning back on his stool. Rin stared in wonder at the two ice lollies on the table as he placed his drink onto the table beside them.
"How much?” Sae reached into his pocket for the money their parents had given him to buy drinks after practice.
"100 yen,” the old man replied after a moment’s consideration. Sae frowned.
"That’s just for the drinks,” he said.
The old man nodded.
"How much are the ice lollies?” Sae continued at the man’s lack of reply.
"Haven’t decided yet, take them for free today. You won’t be so lucky next time.”
"Thanks, old man,” The man frowned at him as he placed 100 yen on the table. Sae reached for the ice lollies and the drinks, thanking the old man before nudging Rin, who had taken to watching the fan with interest, to also thank the store owner.
"Thanks, old man!”
The store owner shooed them out of the store.
Once again under the warm spring sun, Sae studied the two identical white plastic wrapping before holding one out in front of Rin.
"I want the other one,” Rin’s eyes were glued onto the one Sae was in the middle of unwrapping. Sae frowned down at his brother. The little-
"No,” Sae replied simply as he stopped trying to fumble open the wrapping as he pushed the other into Rin’s hands again. Rin pouted but begrudgingly accepted his older brother’s order.
They continued down the side of the road in silence, Rin focused on tearing open the wrapping as Sae studied the ice lolly under the sun, trying to see the writing on the stick without having to finish the entire thing. After no success, he gave up and stuck it into his mouth, noticing Rin still fiddling with the wrapping.
Taking it from his little brother’s hands, Sae opened it and shoved the lolly into Rin’s hands before scrunching up the two now empty plastic wrappers together to toss into the trash can as they passed by. With his hands now free, Sae held onto the ice lolly stick and took a large bite out of the side before lifting it to the light again, to try and see the writing.
Still not enough.
He huffed as his eyebrows scrunched slightly, about to take another bite when he noticed Rin watching him with a disgusted look.
"What?” Sae deadpanned after a moment, turning to Rin as his younger brother continued frowning at him.
"Nii-chan bites his ice lollies,” Rin muttered. “My teeth are too cold to do it.”
Sae’s lips tugged upwards, watching as Rin pouted, turning to face the other direction.
They continued home in silence.
Until Rin’s voice called out again.
"Nii-chan, Nii-chan. Look, it says ‘win’ on the stick,” Sae glanced down at Rin before taking the now dissolved ice lolly out of his mouth, frowning at the stick.
Lose.
"Nii-chan, what do I win?” Rin’s widened eyes looked up at him, open in excitement.
"…Another ice lolly when we go play football again,” he replied after a while, sighing with furrowed brows.