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September 25th, 2012, Third year of High School (Present)
Sam was in the store they and their friends often went to for groceries. They were looking through the snacks when they saw a small bag of konpeito. It reminded them of middle school, when they meet Sakura.
April 3rd, 2007, First year of Secondary School
Sam was under the bleachers, crying. They were outcasted from the other kids because they were nonbinary. A girl sat down next to them, long braided hair the color of the shallows of the beach, magenta eyes sparkling with concern and warmth. “You okay?” She asked.
Sam looked away and wiped their tears. “Fine,” They said gruffly, but both of them knew it was a lie.
The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a bag of small colorful pieces of candy. She opened the bag and took a couple of pieces out, holding them out to Sam. “Here, try some!” She smiled. Sam took one and popped it into their mouth after some hesitation. It was really sweet, like it was made out of pure sugar. It probably was actually.
“What is this?” Sam asked, voice lighting a little.
“Konpeito,” The girl replied simply. “My dad gets me a bag every month, so I have plenty.” Sam looked at the girl, who was the first person in this school to treat them like a normal person.
They smiled for the first time all day.
“I see. Thank you.” Sam fidgeted with their skirt a little. “I’m Sam by the way, They/Them,” They finally said. “Name’s Sakura, She/Her. Nice to meet ya Sam!” The girl said, grinning.
Present
Sam smiled at the memory, reaching for the small bag for old times sake, when a hand brushed theirs.
They turned, curious to see who the other person was, then froze when they did. Long braided cyan hair, piercing magenta eyes…
‘No, it couldn’t be! There’s no way!’ Sam thought, but the doubt was erased by one word out the girl’s mouth:
“Sam..?”
“Sakura! I haven’t seen you since middle school! How have you been?” Sam greeted cheerfully. “Doing ok I guess. Do you have anything going on today?” Sakura asked. “No, today’s my day off,” Sam explained. “Good. Come, we’re having lunch together,” Sakura said.
“…I don’t have a say in this, do I?” Sam asked. “Nope!” And with that, the two old friends went to the nearby cafe and went to catch up on what happened during their high school years.
“Okay, spill. What happened while we were apart?” Sakura asked after the two of them sat down.
“Do I have to go first?” Sam wined.
“Yeah, you’re the one who stopped writing,” Sakura said condescendingly. Sam sighed, having no way out of this.
“So, I have a boyfriend,”
“You WHAT?!?!” Sakura exclaimed, causing Sam to flinch and people at other tables to stare. “But I thought you weren’t interested in other people!” She continued, not seeming to care about the attention. “Please lower your voice and let me explain,” Sam pleaded. Sakura took a deep breath and nodded. “You are not leaving this building until you tell me everything.”
“Yeah, figured,” Sam sighed, and went to explain how they got there.
June 13th, 2011, Second year of High School
[This means Present Sam is talking]
{This means Present Sakura is talking}
Sam twirled into the classroom, their skirt flaring out from the motion. They saw a certain parrot hybrid turn red, but assumed it was from how high the skirt flared.
{…Really?}
[I was oblivious, shut it.]
Sam took their seat next to Taurtis, who grinned up at them and waved. “Hey!” Taurtis greeted. “Hi Taurtis!” Sam greeted back.
They turned behind them where Grian sat, who was still red from earlier. Huh. Weird.
“Hey Grian!” Sam greeted. “H-Hey Sam, how are you?” The parrot greeted back. “Doing pretty good, how about you two?” Sam asked their friends. “Doing great!” Taurtis said. “Y-Yeah, same,” Grian said, avoiding eye contact.
The teacher walked in, and the trio turned to the teacher, pretending to pay attention but secretly chatting with each other instead.
After what felt like an eternity, the bell rang and students started packing up their stuff and filing out. Taurtis excused himself to the bathroom, leaving Sam and Grian alone in the classroom.
“..Hey, do you think we could meet after school? Just the two of us?” Grian asked, his cheeks a rosy pink.
“Sure, but what about Taurtis?” Sam asked.
{You do realize-}
[That he asked me out? I do now, but not then.]
{Damn. That is a whole new level of oblivious.}
[Shut it.]
Grian looked away, nervous. “Well… I’d rather it just be the two of us if that’s alright..” They had started fidgeting, a clear sign he was nervous.
“I mean, sure, I guess,” Sam said, curious about what their friend wanted. Grian’s face immediately lit up.
“W-Well, would the park be a good place?” He asked, grinning like an idiot. “Yeah, sure. Any particular reason why?” Sam said. “It’s one of my favorite places here,” Grian replied. “It’s a date then!” Sam said, smirking.
{…}
[Don’t. I know you’re thinking it, don’t.]
The day went normally from that, though Taurtis seemed to be leaving Sam and Grian alone more often than normal. Did Taurtis overhear them and was hurt because they were leaving him out?
This kept stewing in Sam’s mind for the rest of the day. At last, the final bell rang and Sam approached the other two, who were talking together. Sam tapped Grian’s shoulder and bowed their head apologetically. “I’m sorry Grian, but I feel bad for leaving Taurtis out, and I’d like to invite him.” Sam said. They felt a pat on their back. They looked up to see it was Taurtis.
“It’s fine Sam, I was the one who told Grian to ask you out!” He said, grinning. The mentioned parrot hybrid turned as red as their feathers.
That’s when it clicked.
Grian wasn’t asking them to hang out without Taurtis.
He was asking Sam out on a date.
Present
“Aye, you’re not blind for once!” Sakura teased, twirling a strand of hair that was loose from her messy braid. “Shut it,” Sam shot back defensively. “Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?”
“Well, did you go on the date?” Sakura asked.
“Yeah, but not because I liked him, I didn’t, and still don’t, feel that way about him,” Sam explained. Sakura tilted her head in confusion. “But didn’t you call him your boyfriend? Or is that someone else?” She questioned.
“No, Grian is my boyfriend,” Sam replied. “It’s complicated, so please let me explain.” Sakura nodded. “Right, continue.”
Sam sighed and continued the story of how they and Grian got together.
June 13th, 2011, Second year of High School
Sam had decided to dress for the occasion; a bright pink sundress with a cherry blossom design. Grian was in black jeans and their regular grey shoes, along with the red sweater he always wore. Didn’t he say that his brother gave it to him?
Regardless, it was definitely meant for someone of a smaller size, and that was saying something considering how short Grian was.
The parrot avian danced around in the flower field, then turned to Sam and extended a hand to them.
“Come, dance with me!” Grian invited. Sam shook their head. “Sorry G, I don’t know how to dance,” Sam apologized. “I can teach you if you want!” Grian offered.
Sam thought about it for a moment before taking Grian’s extended hand. “Alright Birdie, I’ll take you up on your offer,” Sam teased. Grian held Sam’s hand surprisingly firmly. “Great. But call me Birdie again and I’ll break your hand.” He threatened. Sam whistled. “Alright, got it,” They said.
{Damn, your boyfriend’s feisty.}
[Your girlfriend’s feistier.]
{Touché.}
Grian’s grip loosened, and though it was still firm, it was much more comfortable than before. Grian smiled and began teaching Sam a weird dance. They swayed from side to side while slowly spinning in a circle. Was this a dance from where Grian came from? They did mentioned not being from Japan.
Eventually, Grian spun Sam around and dipped them down, smirking a little. “Surprise,” He said mischievously. Sam giggled, and Grian soon followed.
Grian helped Sam upright, both kids still giggling. “You’re an ass,” Sam said jokingly, smacking Grian’s arm lightly. “Yes, and?” The parrot playfully retorted.
A woman scoffed nearby. “Stupid hybrid kids,” Sam heard the woman mutter, their rabbit ears twitching in her direction. Grian didn’t seem to hear her, so Sam decided to ignore her. But the woman kept insulting them and Grian, until she took it to far.
“And what is that girl doing, pretending to be a boy?” She said, this time being loud enough for Grian to hear. He stopped and stiffened, their wings puffing up defensively.
Making fun of Sam for wearing dresses was one thing.
Saying that their friend is pretending to be their chosen gender and publicly misgendering is another.
Sam turned to the woman, absolutely disgusted. “Excuse me, but what did you just call my friend?” Sam asked, their tone threatening.
{Ooo, someone about to get their butt kicked!}
“Simply what she is. Nothing more than a faker begging for attention,” The woman stated coldly, giving Grian a piercing stare. Grian shrunk even more under the woman’s gaze, crossing his arms to cover their chest.
Sam clenched their fists, then thought of an easy non-violent way to make the woman shut up.
{Awww, no butt kicking?}
[No, but I think what I did was even better.]
“Well, you see,” Sam started, a smirk forming on their face. “My friend here was assigned male at birth, so unless you’re insinuating that he’s a trans woman in disguise, I suggest you shut up and mind your own damn business.”
The woman looked astonished, but quickly recovered and scoffed, turning around and leaving. That was surprisingly easy. Sam turned to Grian, just in time to feel the avian pull the rabbit into a hug.
“Thank you Sam,” Grian said, burying his head into Sam’s chest not long after. Definitely turning red though, probably due to their proximity. Sam smiled and returned the hug. “Of course, what are friends for?” They said, scratching behind the shorter man’s ear-wings, causing him to thrill a little. Grian reached up and put Sam’s ears, probably a ‘You pet me I pet you’ type of thing, which Sam really liked, leaning into the touch.
{Wait, you can be pet?}
[Yes, no you can’t, not while I’m telling a story.]
{Aww.. Rude.}
The date went on with little incident after that, mostly just them dancing and talking, with Grian sometimes doing a surprise move that caused them both to laugh.
But, as all good things do, it must come to an end.
With the sun setting in the horizon, it was about time for the two of them to go home, but there was something to talk about before then. “So… Where do we go from here?” Grian asked. “Well, did you enjoy the date?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, of course!”
“Well, I did too, so I say we get together.”
“…That’s not how dating works..”
“It’s not?”
Grian looked at them confused. “I- Okay, let me ask this, do you like me romantically?” He asked. “I mean, I don’t really feel romantic feelings in general,” Sam explained. “Oh… So, why did you go out with me?” Grian asked. “Because you’re a cool guy,” Sam said simply.
Grian was quite for a long moment. ”So… Would you like to maybe… Go on another date with me?” He asked finally, his cheeks a soft pink color, ear wings fluttering nervously. Sam chuckled. “Is that your way of asking me to be your partner?” They asked. Grian’s blush deepened, ear wings covering their face in embarrassment. “Maybe..?” He said from underneath his colorful feathers.
Sam chuckled. “Well, yeah, let’s give it a shot. What’s the worst that’s gonna happen, we find out we aren’t working and go back to being friends?” They reasoned. Grian’s ear wings moved so Sam could see his face better, and they saw a small smile on the parrot’s lips.
“Thanks,” He said softly. He turned to Sam, eyes glinting with a happiness that Sam had never seen from him before. “For everything. Today’s been the best day ever,” Grian continued, each word filled with genuine emotion. Sam smiled and ruffled Grian’s hair. “I could say the same to you. Today’s been awesome!” They said, a wide grin on their face. Grian turned red again, but leaned into the touch.
And at that moment, Sam felt something that they’d never truly felt before.
It wasn’t love, not really. They weren’t even sure they could feel romance.
But it was a very similar feeling that felt arguably better.
Home.
Present
“Well, someone’s getting really sappy,” The cyan haired girl teased. Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Really?” They asked, exasperated. “Really,” Sakura confirmed. She glanced at the time, realizing how late it had gotten. “Oh shoot, it’s time for me to go,” She muttered.
“Oh, ok. Let’s meet up here tomorrow after school, then you can tell me your own stories,” Sam offered. Sakura nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, and bring your boyfriend, I’d love to meet him!”
“Only if you bring your girlfriend.”
“Deal! See you tomorrow!”
“See ya tomorrow.”
And with that, the two friends waved goodbye and headed their separate ways once more, but this time, they knew they would see each other again, very soon.