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That was in the middle of August, the peak of summer season.
Shu—your average university student—was walking sluggishly, with plastic bags in both hands, trudging along the sidewalk under the scorching hot sun—so hot it was that day, you probably could fry some eggs straight on the pavement.
He wasn't planning to go outside at all that day, knowing the heatwave warnings the news kept talking non-stop for days, but his empty fridge and his even emptier stomach gave him no other choice but to take a quick trip to the closest convenience store. Unfortunately the convenience store right below his dormitory was closed due to renovation, so he must go out his way to the next closest store in the other block, right across the bridge.
Usually he didn't mind it—he might be an indoor person but he enjoyed a short walk down the street from time to time; but with these crazy hot temperatures nowadays, he wasn't as eager as he typically is.
He said to himself that he would just go grab one or two things and then back quickly to his air conditioned room; all in no more than a 10 minutes trip. Yet he didn't expect there would be a long line on the counter, jam-packed with the new students buying necessities for their new places, and that 10 minutes quickly became a 25 minutes trip. That, and also because Shu couldn't help himself buying unnecessary things as he scanned through the aisles in the store and also the pop-up food stalls along the street, as always.
"Ugh, so hot …." Shu wiped the sweats on his forehead with his sleeve; hands still full with his bags, he couldn't wipe them cleanly off his face, some fell into his eyes, stinging them. He looked up at the road ahead, slightly hazy from the heat.
Why the heck this bridge is so long?!
It felt endless, especially on this hot day when he wanted to go home as quickly as possible. He felt his strength slowly leaving his body through his fingertips and his head feeling dizzier and dizzier for each step he took; he didn't think he could power-through this bridge alone. He would stop to take a breather if he could, but this stupid bridge didn't have any shade nor tree for him to take shelter from this heat. He blamed whoever built this all-concrete bridge with no regard for pedestrians.
He wiped his sweats again—this time more aggressively, making his white bucket hat slip off from his head by accident. He sighed as he looked at his hat falling floppily to the ground, quickly shifted and transferred all of his bags into his left hand with much difficulty. He crouched down to grab his hat but by some bad luck, a strong wind flew his hat up in the air.
"Ah …! No! My hat!" Shu frantically chased his hat, his finger grazing its rim just briefly, as his hat kept drifting away in the air toward the railing. He could only look in horror when his hat finally fell into the river below. "Nooo …!" He wailed, leaning far into the railing with both hands clutching the hot iron tightly, forgetting his plastic bags tossed away on the ground.
'Oh, frick' —that was his favorite hat too. He bought that just recently on a shopping trip with his friends. He really liked the simple and clean design of it, he thought it's a nice contrast to his mostly black hair. Even Uki complimented him whenever he wore that hat.
He stepped on a ledge, body bending on the railing, trying to look down as far as he could—hoping that maybe he could see his hat and retrieve it later. But a pair of hands circled around his waist and yanked him away from his place. "Don't jump!" The owner of those hands yelled with harsh voice, "we can talk about it, okay? I will listen to anything you want, no matter what."
Shu was confused as he got dragged away from the railing. He could feel the stranger's firm body pressed closely to him, their arms locked tightly around his waist. The stranger turned him around almost too quickly, dizzying him more. "W-what …?" He asked instinctively, disoriented by the sudden change of view. He could see the stranger's handsome face painted with worried expression, sweaty dirty-blond hair sticking to his face, and an interesting pattern in black ink peaking through his shirt collar. His broad shoulders and big pectoral muscle felt hard as rock as Shu's hands just uselessly—and unintentionally—laid there.
The stranger shook his whole body as they were stuck in this awkward position, trying to snap him out of his daze. But whatever the stranger said to him, Shu could barely understand it. His hazy vision was dotted with black spots—numerous of it, dancing around like a sick pattern. Those spots suddenly became much bigger and bigger, until it completely became full darkness in his eyes.
He fainted.
Shu didn't know how long he'd been passed out but once he opened his eyes, he was lying on an unfamiliar bed. Cooling pads were plastered on his forehead and around his neck, he could see IV bag connected to his arm with a small tube and needle. He could see another bed right across where he laid down, pristine white curtains dividing the sizable room into small, almost-private areas. His belongings were put neatly on the counter next to his bed—even the multiple plastic bags he was carrying were there, almost seeming untouched.
"Oh, you're awake." A voice of another stranger—one that's much more feminine than before—greeted him as he laid there helplessly. He looked up to the person—a nurse of his university clinic, walked to him and checked his IV fluid.
"Where …?" Shu asked, his voice so hoarse as if he just went back from the Gobi and water never touched his throat for a long time.
The nurse smiled at him kindly. "This is the campus clinic. You passed out from the heat and someone brought you here," she explained. "Are you feeling okay? Any discomfort?"
Shu shook his head as he didn't bother to use his voice to answer that. He looked around the room, searching for something. They weren't the only people there as he saw some people go about their way—some were the staff and some were other university students like him—but none of them was the person he was looking for. "Umm …" he started, "where is …?"
"The boy who carried you here?" The nurse completed his question. Shu nodded weakly as she chuckled. "Well, he just left after he dropped you here. He said something about a super important meeting or something." She then fetched one unopened bottle of water from the cabinet and passed it to his hand. "You should rest a bit more. Here, drink this. You need to be more careful and stay hydrated, especially during hot days like this."
"Thank you." Shu mumbled under his breath, slowly sipping the water. The nurse simply nodded and left him alone, letting him rest more. Shu put the bottle down on the table next to his bed before he laid down again and closed his eyes. His mind wondered about how he could find that boy who saved him again. Maybe he would need some help from his friend to find him.
"So you're saying you lost your hat and then got rescued by a hunk who carried you all the way to the clinic?" Uki summarized his story with a smirk plastered on his pretty face.
Shu felt his face burned by his wording. "I didn't say that!" He complained, cheeks flaring with embarrassment.
"But he's handsome, all muscles, with big tiddies, right?" Uki pointed out—the smirk on his face widened into a full grin. "That's what we called a hunk."
"Ukiiii …!" Shu sighed in exasperation. He puffed out his reddened cheeks as Uki laughed heartily, attracting some curious looks from the other students around them.
The two of them were in the engineering faculty building's cafeteria, sitting across from each other after they met there by pure coincidence. While Shu was studying computer engineering, Uki on the other hand was studying psychology—and they absolutely didn't have any business in this building; heck , their faculty building was in the opposite place, the farthest in the whole campus complex from there—yet Shu bumped into him by accident here in his faculty cafeteria. He sighed again, ruffling his already messy hair with abandon as he looked around the almost full cafetaria. "Why are you here anyway?" He asked pointedly, hoping Uki would stop teasing him and drawing more unwanted attentions.
Uki scowled hard. "This place has cheaper foods and bigger servings. I swear to God, they charge us more in my faculty just because our students care more about fashion and how they look." He replied with much sass, stabbing a cherry tomato in his summer salads before putting it in his mouth.
Shu felt offended by that answer. "Y-you're saying the engineering students are unfashionable?!" He squeaked, voice went up one octave higher. Sure, most of the engineering students wore something more on a simpler and practical side—Shu himself mostly only wore semi-casual shirts with blazers and dark denim—but he didn't think they dressed that horrendously. Not the fanciest but at least it's acceptable .
"Well …" Uki gave him a judgmental look from top of his head to toe. "At least you have a pretty face." He said, unimpressed.
"What do you mean?!"
Uki laughed again—this time a wheezy, almost silent laugh. He poked Shu's puffed out cheek with his manicured nail playfully. "Maybe it's finally your time to bloom and fall in love too …" he whispered to himself while staring at his friend fondly.
"What?" The still pouting and embarrassed Shu asked with a sharp squawk.
"Nothing." Uki avoided his glare like it's nothing, nibbling on his remaining salads in silence. Not long after, his phone buzzed on the table so he picked it up before Shu could peek at it. Uki scrolled at his phone for a moment and suddenly stood up. "Gotta go now. DM me if you find that hunk, okay?" He said almost hurriedly. Before Shu could say anything, Uki already took his almost empty tray and practically ran to the exit. "Bye, bitch."
Shu didn't try to catch him—just sat there dumbfoundedly. 'Maybe it's one of his dates,' he thought, shrugging his shoulders. He knew first-hand about Uki's romantic endeavours—about many casual dates and lovers he had—and Shu never judged his best friend for that. As long as both parties are content and happy with that, there's no harm done. They're all responsible adults who know their limits—and Shu respects them for that. Although Uki said something about trying to 'rope him along the ride' to give him some 'essential experience' or whatever that means, Shu refused profusely—he doesn't need it.
He wasn't particularly opposed to the idea of romantic relationship; he just simply did not have enough energy or time to experience it himself. He was focused on many things in his life already; like his studies, his competitive FPS game sessions, his friends, his violin and philharmonic practices, his club activities, and his other hobbies …. so, yeah , he didn't have much time left to date anyone. Not even a small little crush; even during the most hormone-driven teenage years, he never felt that kind of attraction to anyone. Uki and Elira—sometimes Claude joined in too—teased him and called him a 'late bloomer' as somehow they believed he just hadn't met someone to spark that feeling in him yet—but was it really a thing he missed out if he voluntarily had chosen this path?
He looked at his phone and quickly finished his sandwich. He still had ten minutes before his next class but he planned to visit the office to submit his assignment first.
As he grabbed his bag and stood up from his seat, he suddenly crashed into a walking hard-wall going full-force to the point his empty tray flew a few feet away from the impact. "...!" Shu tried to grab the chair in front of him but it slipped and he almost fell ungracefully face-first to the ground. Almost, because a big hand held him on his waist and stopped him from the embarrassing yet imminent fall.
"S-sorry!" The person who held him—and the walking hard-wall who crashed into him—apologized nervously. He then helped Shu to stand up and even reassured concerned onlookers with a sheepish yet charming smile. When Shu regained his bearings and finally turned around to meet his savior face to face, a flash of recollection brightened up his face.
Oh .
It's him—the boy from that day.
"Ah! It's you! Hi!" The blond boy said excitedly, almost too energetically, beating Shu from voicing his thoughts. His pale lavender colored eyes and smile softened as he said, "you look better now. I'm so glad."
"Um—"
"Luca! We're going to be late, man!" Another boy shouted and passed them hurriedly, tapping on the blond boy's shoulder with a quick slap.
"Yeah, yeah!" The blond boy turned to face Shu one last time. "I'll see you again, okay?" He said with a toothy grin before he ran to the exit in a flash.
"W-wait …!" Shu reached out to him, trying to stop him—but he was too fast as when Shu turned around he was already gone.
It was another coincidence when Shu bumped the boy for the third time.
He tried to find him after their encounter in the cafeteria a week ago. He even waited for him in the cafeteria everyday, hoping to somehow bump into him again but he never saw him there. He was thinking about asking around and searching for anyone with the name 'Luca' … but he was only contemplating it because without any information to sort things out, it's bound to be very hard. He didn't know what program that boy was in—whether he was in undergrad or postgrad program—or maybe he's not even a student but a staff member, like … how many people do you think are named 'Luca' in the whole university ground right there? Maybe only one, maybe a hundred, maybe more—who knows.
So when Shu found him in the campus library, sitting alone on a quiet corner, Shu was overjoyed. He plopped himself down unceremoniously on the seat across from the boy. Sensing his abrupt presence, the boy looked up from his thick book. "Oh!" He said. "It's you! Again!"
Shu puffed out airy giggles. "Hey …" He greeted him with a shy smile.
"Hello." The boy smiled back at him. He glanced around, shifting awkwardly. "Uhh … so, how are you? Are you feeling better?" he asked, trying to open the conversation with small talk.
"Yeah." Shu answered absentmindedly. He fidgeted with his fingers for a moment, gulped down his nerves, and built his courage to speak up. "Umm …" he started, "I want to thank you for saving me that day." He said finally and the boy listened to him patiently.
"It's okay, really. Glad to help you there, you were burning out like crazy when you passed out. Make sure to be careful next time, okay? It's kinda extremely hot nowadays." The boy spoke gently, and something strange inside Shu fluttered.
"Yeah, I will. Thanks." Shu smiled at him again, a little more bashful this time, and they fell into awkward silence for a long moment.
"Right!" The boy snapped with a nervous laugh. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet." The boy then stretched his hand toward Shu for a friendly handshake. "I'm Luca. Luca Kaneshiro. Second year, Civil Engineering."
Shu took his hand politely. The same hand that saved him two times now felt warm, gripping his much daintier hand firmly yet gently. "Shu Yamino, the same year, in Computer Engineering."
For some reason, Luca didn't let his hand go and grip it even tightly. "Oh, really? Why haven't I seen you before if we're in the same faculty?" He asked, a mischievous glint flashed in his soft lavender eyes.
"Well …" Shu awkwardly replied, slightly trying to tug his hand out from his grasp, "I don't really like to go outside, so maybe that's why ...."
"Really? Then what were you doing when you passed out on the street during a heatwave, huh?" Luca teased with a crooked grin, his sharp fang showing a little.
"I don't mean it like that."
Luca laughed hard as Shu pouted with reddened cheeks. His boisterous laugh turned people's heads who scolded him with harsh shush, but Luca didn't mind them a bit. "Just kidding." He said then, still grinning mischievously, finally let go of Shu's hand—yet Shu was ever-so-slightly hoping he kept holding into it longer. Luca suddenly dropped his gaze with remorse and mumbled, "I'm sorry for jumping into conclusion …"
Shu couldn't catch it and asked, "What?"
"N-no …!" Luca grew flustered, flailing as if he wanted to run away from there. But Shu stared at him rather intently, as if daring him to say it, and it broke him as he voiced his mind. "It's just—I just—I thought you … you were … going to jump off the bridge that day …." He said remorsefully with a smaller voice, growing inaudible around the end.
"Oh." Shu simply exclaimed, not looking offended at all. "No, don't worry—I wasn't going to do that. My hat was blown away by the wind and fell into the water."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah."
"I see …" Luca exhaled a relieved sigh, looking more relaxed but still whispering, " … sorry."
This time Shu caught that. "Why? You saved me though." He asked inquisitively. He didn't understand why Luca kept apologizing like this when he literally saved his life.
Luca smiled a wry smile. "I mean … it's just rude, y'know?" He bemoaned his guilt, and that alone showed just how much of a good person he is.
"You're just trying to save me. I'm still grateful for that." Shu retorted as matter-of-factly, crushing the guilt in Luca's heart almost instantly. He then reached out to touch Luca's tattooed hand on the table as he genuinely added, "Thank you for saving me, Luca."
That simple gesture alone somehow changed Luca's expression. His tanned face instantly dyed red like a ripe tomato and his lavender eyes wavered with an indescribable swirl of emotions. 'Wow …' Shu thought—never seen this kind of display before. Somehow it made him feel embarrassed too ….
Luca's phone buzzed in his pocket as his alarm went on. "Oh, sorry." Luca excused himself and turned off the alarm with a quick swipe. He quickly and haphazardly cleared off his things from the table, shoving it all into his bag. "Well, I have to go now. Catch you later, Shu." He hurriedly stood and ran off to the exit, face still burning red like a tomato.
This time Shu was quicker to stand and catched him but frick—he's so fast! Before Luca completely disappeared again, he grabbed his bag and stopped him. "W-wait, Luca …!" He squeaked desperately, already out of breath just from trying to catch him.
Luca turned around as he felt the tug on his bag. "Hm?"
"Uhh …" Shu halted when Luca finally faced him, all of his words just flew out the window, leaving his mind completely blank. "I … I really want to repay you, so …" he stuttered, uncharacteristically flustered, "m-maybe a lunch … or something …?"
"Oh." Luca smiled softly. "You don't really have to, Shu."
"I insist."
"No, no, no, I can't—"
"Please, Luca …." Shu tightened his grip on Luca's bag, unintentionally pleading with such a tone.
"Well …" Luca seemed flustered even more before he agreed, "okay ..." He said. "Okay. " He repeated with more certainty—sounding more directed to himself rather than to Shu. He then held his hand up. "Give me your phone."
Shu didn't hesitate a bit as he passed his phone onto Luca's waiting hand. With a quick typing, Luca swiftly put his contact number on Shu's phone and saved it. "Alright, you can message me later." He gave back the phone to the owner. "My offer from that day is still open, by the way." He said with a confident coy smile—completely different to the embarrassed display he showed earlier.
"Oh." Shu's brain short-circuited to process his words. "... okay."
Luca beamed at him. "See you later, Shu!" He said with a small wave, then turned around to resume his run.
Shu waved back at him awkwardly. "See you … later, Luca …" He said, a bit too late as the boy already left.
After that, something in Shu's life was shifted.
He met Luca once more for that promised lunch. He never expected to see him again after that, and yet somehow they kept meeting each other—not only once or twice, but everyday to the point they became inseparable in just a short amount of time. Even though both of them were busy with their studies and activities—especially Shu with his philharmonic performances and Luca with his track-and-field team practices and competitions—they kept seeing each other, stealing a little time to hang out, only the two of them. They clicked, just like that, like a missing puzzle piece finally found their pair. They grew closer—impossibly closer each passing day—like it's a natural thing bound to happen sooner or later. And then, just a month later, their relationship shifted, or rather bloomed into something Shu never thought before.
Luca was already a powerful force that moved fast and swept him off his feet, unpredictable and without notice. Yet what swayed Shu the most was his persistence in keeping his presence in Shu's life; to the point Shu couldn't think anything but him even when they're not together. Before he knew it, Shu always mentioned Luca's name even when he's not there—or rather particularly when he's not there—and his other friends, not letting a single chance slip away, teased the heck out of him for that.
But as fast as their relationship changed, they were frustratingly slow to name it and make it official. They knew it's not one-sided, they both acknowledged their feelings, yet they kept hesitating to move it forward.
"Oh my god, these bitches, I swear to god!" Uki exasperatedly groaned out loud.
"You two are soooo stupiiiid …!" Elira added with the same disappointed, tired sigh.
"You like him. He likes you. Why not just do it, bro?!" Claude furiously said, half-screaming from frustration.
Whatever his friends said didn't matter to Shu. He wouldn't admit it himself but deep down he was scared to change anything as the friendship he had with Luca right now was that precious.
What if they broke things apart just for the sake of 'moving it forward' ?
What if their expectation for the change wasn't worth ruining what they already have right now?
He couldn't take those risks, no way.
Yet once again, Luca proved to be the unpredictable force that swept him off his feet. He bravely stepped up and confessed—albeit he failed because he couldn't stop stammering so hard, he started reciting a meme mid-sentence; thankfully Shu already got it even through the laughter, saving him from further embarrassment. And finally, finally , after a year of awkward hesitation and dancing around each other, they officially became lovers. Their friends of course cheered and cried in joy, even louder than the pair themselves—and to be fair, they were the one who suffered the most from these two idiotic boys.
At first, they were still awkward—still stumbling and kept stumbling, as both really inexperienced in this kind of relationship. Shu was worried they couldn't make time for each other as they kept busier and busier with responsibilities, clueless at how to handle it all; but somehow they made it work—Luca made it work.
He always made sure to find him, to hang out with him, to say that he really appreciated him even during the hellish weeks leading to his competition event. Luca showered him with so much love, Shu would be drowned in it if it was a whole ocean. Everyday is always exciting as Luca kept coming up with unique ideas; exciting dates followed by impromptu entertainment. Even the smallest banters became the funniest things he ever heard for a whole week.
With him, everything seemed easier, conquerable—even the ever pragmatic Shu would readily believe in him and followed his lead as they threaded into the unknown future together. And Shu was thinking, this isn't bad at all.
"Shuuuu!!!"
Luca tackled and pressed him into a tight hug as Shu closed the front door of their shared apartment.
"Wahhh!" Shu squeaked as he felt his body lifted from the ground and spun in the air. "Luca …!!!"
Luca put him back on the ground yet still wouldn't let him go from his tight embrace. "You left your phone and suddenly disappeared. I thought you got kidnapped." He said, pouting so hard—worry painted his face.
"What? Why?" Shu chuckled fondly, patting his boyfriend's head and gave him a kiss on his cheek to wipe away his pout. "I just went to the convenience store because I got hungry." He said, raising the heavy plastic bag in his hand.
Luca pouted even harder. "Why didn't you tell me before leaving?"
"Well, you were so focused on your assignment. I don't wanna disturb you." Shu reasoned. They had been doing their respective assignments since morning, with Shu on his laptop and Luca working on his blueprint.
Shu was feeling peckish after three hours working on his codes, thinking about taking a break from it for a moment and maybe a quick walk to the convenience store. When he saw over his boyfriend who hunched on his table, pencils and rulers strewn messily around, with his laser-focus expression as if he was completely in the zone, Shu didn't have the heart to break his concentration. He knew how much Luca had been procrastinating over that one assignment because it's such a pain in the butt; yet ultimately still had to finish it to pass his class. And so, he slipped out from their apartment without a single word to go to the convenience store just downstairs.
"You should just tell me though, Shubert. I could go with you …" Luca sighed, deflated like a sad puppy. "What if you pass out on the street again?"
Shu spluttered indignantly. "Nooo!!! It was only one time! And it's only downstairs, Luca; I don't have to go on the road. And even if I have to, it's already February—it's frickin' cold outside!"
"Yeah? Then what if you slip on the icy stair and fall down? Who will carry you then, huh?"
"Shut the heck— …!" Shu slapped Luca's chest while the boy laughed at him, cheeks flaring from the teasing. He sighed and pried open the arms that locked on his body. "Let's eat. I'm starving here."
Luca let him go from his embrace, walking closely behind his boyfriend as they moved to the living room. "What did you get?" he asked, not commenting on how much his boyfriend had bought again.
Shu put down the bag on the table, rummaging through it as he fished the contents one by one. "Some sandwiches … sweet breads … onigiri … chips … curry breads … pork buns … these are the limited edition pizza buns, we have to try it, and … oh!" He took a clear container from the bottom of the bag and passed it to Luca. "This is for you. Karaage —you like it, don't you?"
"I LOOOOVE KARAAGE !" Luca shouted loudly and excitedly, peppering Shu's face with kisses as he squealed and giggled at his silly antics. "Thank you, Shu! You're the best!" he said again, face beaming cutely as he clutched the food box like it's his early Christmas present.
Shu looked up at the grayish night sky outside through the window. "We should get dinner soon …" he mumbled, throwing his gaze to his boyfriend who was still glued to his desk.
"Whoa, it's already this dark?" Luca commented as he stretched his sore body—he had been sitting on his desk for hours, almost finishing his project. "What do you wanna eat, Shu? Should I order it or do you wanna go outside?" He looked back at Shu who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, laptop propped on his lap as he worked on his coding assignment.
"Hmm …" Shu thought for a second, tapping on the side of his keyboard mindlessly. "I kinda want some meat …" he muttered again to himself. He looked at Luca with a smile. "What do you think about Korean barbecue?"
"Oh, yes!" Luca jumped out from his seat, looking excited. "Let's go to that restaurant! It's been awhile!" He was already drooling at the mention of meat—just like a dog promised to a treat. Shu tried to suppress a chuckle, but Luca caught that. "What is it?" He asked, confused.
Shu snorted. "Nothing." He said, this time chuckling openly. "You're just … so cute …."
"W-what …?" Luca was flabbergasted by that remark. He marched toward the sofa as Shu giggled even more, crashing himself on top of his boyfriend, and trying to hide his flustered face as he nuzzled his neck. "Shuuuuu~!"
Shu laughed even more, feeling ticklish as Luca kept nuzzling onto him. He patted his back, telling him to get off from him. "C'mon, Luca. We gotta change our clothes now." He said, suppressing his laugh again as he thought just how much Luca resembled a big golden retriever dog right now. When he saw the pout and the blush decorating his boyfriend's handsome face, he couldn't help but kiss him silly.
He's really so cute.
They walked side by side through the quiet sidewalk, hands intertwined as if they didn't want to be separated from each other. There weren't many people around as the biting cold of February night drove most of them out from the road and into the toasty warmth of an indoor kotatsu . It wasn't even freezing that day, yet the temperature dropped quite low and people thought it's going to snow sooner.
Shu could see his breath condensed into a faint, white fog as he exhaled. He took a deep breath, feeling the chilly air biting into his lungs as he smelled a faint fragrance in the air. He looked forward, following the tantalizingly sweet, sugary smell as they almost reached the road lined with rows of plum trees, blooming with its small, pinkish flowers. "Oh, the plum blossoms are blooming …" Shu commented, tugging on Luca's hand as he pointed at the pale white flowers. "I love how the air smells sweeter when the plum blossoms flowering."
Luca looked up at the tree. "Yeah, it's really nice." He said, smelling the air thickened by the floral fragrance. He suddenly remembered something from his past. "You know, Shu? When I was younger, I thought plum blossoms were just another species of sakura flower." He said, chuckling at his foolish younger self.
"What …?" Shu was taken aback from that confession. He was already familiarized himself with how Luca sometimes surprised him with random thought and his way of thinking—to the point he was unfazed with most of it—but this was one of those times he really didn't know how to react. "Were you never taught about 'plum blossoms in February, sakura in April' thingy?"
"N-no? I just thought they're the same!" Luca retorted defensively.
"Then what about peach blossoms?"
"Huh? P-peach blossoms?" This time Luca was seriously confused. "They're not the same as plum blossoms?!" He asked, really not familiar with this fact.
"Well, yeah." Shu nodded as-matter-of-factly. "It's the one used in Hina Matsuri doll display, Luca." He said while chuckling—he found it cute how Luca reacted to the trivial fact he never knew before.
"H-how am I supposed to know?! We're a family with three brothers—we don't celebrate Hina Matsuri, Shu!" Luca yelled in embarrassment, cheeks flaring red visible even in the darkness of night.
Shu stopped his chuckles. "Oh, right …" he said flatly, "I forgot about that."
They continued their walk in silence after that, savoring each other's presence through their still intertwined hands. They turned into a familiar road to their shared apartment—a very familiar bridge ahead.
For Shu, that hot summer day seemed like forever; yet at the same time, it felt like it was just yesterday. The day he never expected to be his turning point; the day he met the man who changed his world—his view—for better. The day when his unluckiest became his biggest fortune in his lifetime.
Luca nudged his shoulder and brought him back from his reverie. "Don't slip on the snow now." He said, gentle as ever; his grip on their hand tightened into a comforting hold.
"Well …" Shu chuckled, leaning more into his boyfriend until his head rested on his shoulder. "You'll carry me if I fall, right?"
Without hesitation, Luca beamed brightly. "Of course!"