Archive of Our Own

Swinging open the front door, Souta kicked off his shoes in the genkan and stomped up the stairs with all the nervous energy of a cheetah, slamming his bedroom door behind him.

“Soutaaa!” his mum called him from the bottom of the stairs, “is everything okay?”

Souta felt his bones rattling inside his body, he took a deep breath and shouted back, “I’m good! Sorry for slamming the door!”

As he stood, back pressed up against his bedroom door, he let out a heavy sigh but the shaky feeling in his chest remained. He slid down the door, collapsing into a pile on the carpet. 

What? Did that actually happen? Did I imagine it?

He shot up, sitting cross-legged on his floor with a determined frown.

He said we should start with a date, but he didn’t actually ask me out, did he? Is he going to? Do I need to ask him?!

He slumped forward again with his head in his hands. This all felt like too much too soon. He’d never liked someone this much before so the idea of going on an actual date made him feel both elated and anxiety ridden.

I really really don’t want to have to ask him.

After setting the dinner table with five sets of cutlery, bowls and glasses of water, Souta sat in his designated seat and waited patiently for his mum to dish out the food she had prepared. She laid out a few dishes of vegetables, some boiled and some pickled, along with grilled tofu and rice.

“Thank you,” Souta said, side-eyeing the tofu.

“Mum, why was Souta running around earlier?” Iori asked innocently.

“I don’t know, sweetheart.” His mum looked at Souta expectantly.

“It’s nothing.” Souta picked up his bowl and began adding a small amount of rice to it.

“Souta was acting crazy,” Riku piped up from the other side of the table.

“Acting?” Souta’s dad laughed, adding a quick, “Only joking, son,” to lighten the blow.

“Ugh, stop it,” Souta grumbled, scooping more rice into his bowl. Before he realised it, the bowl was piled high.

“See! I told you!!” Riku yelled, standing up on his chair and pointing at Souta.

“Riku, sit down, and leave your brother alone. He’s clearly going through something at school.” His mum held on to the back of Riku’s chair with one hand and dished vegetables into the bowl in front of him with the other.

“I’m— I told you it’s nothing!” Souta yelled out, almost dropping his chopsticks as he tried to grab some vegetables from the bowl in the middle of the table.

☆

Souta, who usually ran up the steps to the clubroom two at a time, was making his way up the staircase with sluggish strides. Each step brought him closer to Nao, closer to the room in which they only just confessed their feelings, closer to losing his mind. 

It felt like he was walking through honey, his feet dragging on the hallway floor until they came to a stop at the threshold. The shaky feeling from the night before hadn’t fully dissipated, leaving him worn out even though the week had only just begun. 

As he reached the door he listened for any sign of life before slowly opening it. There Nao sat, along with Imai and Chiba, all working diligently in their workbooks. Imai swung around in her chair to face him with a big smile. 

“Hey, Ueshima-kun!” She grinned. “Long time no see! We thought you were avoiding us.” 

Souta let out a half-hearted laugh, then looked towards Nao who was already watching him — his eyebrows were half raised as he stared, but it didn’t take long for him to return his gaze to the book in front of him. 

Souta sidled to his chair, pulling it out and quietly placing his books on the table. He flipped open to the bookmarked page and tapped his pen on the paper a few times, glancing up towards Nao and catching his eye. A small smile appeared on Nao’s lips as he darted his eyes back down to the page, and Souta followed suit. 

Even just the sight of Nao made his pulse skyrocket, what was he supposed to do once they were alone again? 

Where did I get the confidence to hold his hand? What’s wrong with me?! He buried his head into his books, the blush growing more vibrant the longer his brain remained on the memory of the day before. 

Even through the nerves, Souta had managed to find the concentration to complete two of his homework assignments for the day, an achievement given the circumstances.

Imai reached up and stretched with a grunt, then pushed her books away from her. “I’m so bored,” she complained. “I’m gonna go home, you coming, Chiba?”

“Yyyyyuuuppp.” Chiba drew out the word just long enough to finish the sentence she was writing, then stood up to clear both her and Imai’s books away into their respective bags.

“Cya later, Nao-kun! Bye, Ueshima-kun!” Imai smiled and waved, then skipped over to the door, opening it for Chiba and slamming it shut behind them.

The two sat in silence for a little while longer as Nao diligently continued with his homework. Souta’s work was far from finished — he had at least one more sheet of homework to complete along with a chapter of reading, but that didn’t matter right now. Right now the only thing that mattered was getting to the bottom of this date situation. But Souta was not about to make the first move.

“You can stop staring, I’m not going anywhere,” Nao said with a small smirk.

“I wasn’t—” Souta averted his eyes to the window. “Whatever.”

Nao let out a small laugh through his nose, continuing with his work without looking up once. After another five or so minutes of Souta swinging nervously on his chair and trying his best not to stare at Nao, the boy put his pen down with a huff. 

“Okay. Finally finished.” He looked over to Souta. “Did you actually do any work or were you too busy gawking at me?”

“I wasn’t gawking, I only looked at you once.”

Nao replied with a simple raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“I did some work, anyway! Two of the worksheets!”

Without a word, Nao stood up from his chair and walked over to stand behind Souta, reaching over his shoulder and pulling the worksheets out of the closed book in front of him. He turned the page over, scanning it with his eyes. Souta could feel the gentle heat radiating from Nao’s body, even through the layers of their school uniform.

Nao held onto the back of Souta’s chair, and the gentle pressure of his knuckles pressing into Souta's back just below his shoulderblades sent his heart haywire.

“Not bad,” Nao finally said, slipping the worksheets back into the book and shutting it.

Not bad… Barely even a compliment but the words rang in Souta’s ears, and the proximity of Nao’s voice made his brain buzz in his skull. He sat, frozen, the blush that had found a comfortable home on his face ever since he first entered the room now making its way to his ears, tinting them red.

“Shall we go?” Nao’s voice was even closer now, and Souta could hear a smile in his voice as he spoke.

He jolted to the side, holding his hand to his ear as he spun around, his brows wrinkled in the middle. He couldn’t even find the words as he watched Nao’s small self-satisfied smirk transform into a grin. 

“CAN YOU NOT?” Souta yelled out, the blush hot on his cheeks.

As the two of them made their way out of the clubroom, down the steps and eventually through the gate they only spoke about school work. The bus stop was quickly approaching, and Souta was feeling more and more antsy. Was Nao ever going to bring up the date again, or was he genuinely losing his mind?

I can’t just ask him, what if he thinks I’m being obsessive? He already noticed me staring, he probably thinks I’m being clingy.

Just as they reached the bus stop, Souta realised he had walked Nao all the way there instead of turning off at his usual corner to head to his own bus stop. Nao turned to him with a smile, his head tilted to the side ever so slightly.

“So.”

“So…” Souta repeated.

Nao glanced to his left and right then returned his gaze to Souta. “You free on Saturday?”

“Yes.” Souta didn’t hesitate for even a second, his expression serious.

“Good,” Nao laughed. “Do you want to go to an arcade with me?”

“An arcade?!” Souta yelled out, almost catching air in his excitement. “Yes!”

“I was going to ask you closer to the weekend but…” Nao looked to Souta, who looked back expectantly. “Well, you know. I didn’t want to leave you hanging.”

Souta didn’t respond right away, his astonished expression said all he needed it to. 

“So… it’s a date?” Nao’s expression was soft as he watched Souta.

A date. Souta couldn’t help but smile, his heart racing in his chest. “It’s a date.”

☆

As they entered through the doors of the arcade, the arcade that Souta has been to more times than he could count, it suddenly felt like another planet. 

What do I usually play? 

Where am I?!

Nao nudged Souta with his elbow. “What do you want to play first?”

Souta scanned the room with his eyes, the blinding neons, loud jingles and button mashing enveloping every one of his senses. His eyes found one game in particular.

Zoink Destroyer XII. 

“That one's pretty good!” Souta said, gesturing towards a set of two arcade machines sitting on the left hand side of the room. They sat down at the machines, each taking a joystick to guide their character through the maze to escape the alien invaders.

“This is pretty hard,” Nao laughed, his character somehow doing flips on the screen in front of him as he awkwardly moved the joystick. “I guess I’m not very good at these games.”

“I guess it is hard, actually.” Souta felt a small pang of guilt. Suggesting to come here was probably, no, definitely, for Souta’s sake. “Want to try something else?”

The pair found another game, something a little easier for Nao to get the hang of. This time they had to work together to build a bridge to get across a river. Souta kept glancing across at Nao to see if he was having a good time, leading him to repeatedly fall into the river. 

“How are we supposed to…” Nao grumbled, the frustration showing on his face as his character got stuck behind a building that Souta wasn’t even aware you could go behind. 

Souta let out a sigh as “Game Over” flashed up on screen, not noticing Nao’s worried expression as he watched his profile.

“Sorry, I’m not very good at this one either…”

“No, it’s okay! Let’s try something else!”

Souta tried to lighten the mood with a few slightly easier games. First was a basketball toss game, which Nao won after Souta somehow managed to miss the net and almost knock a group of kids over. And lastly an air hockey game which stopped working halfway through. Even after Nao tried to laugh it off, Souta couldn’t help but feel frustrated, with himself most of all for putting a downer on their first date.

“It’s kinda stuffy in here, don’t you think?” Souta laughed awkwardly, ruffling the back of his hair with his hand. “Can we go for a walk to cool off?”

Nao wrapped his scarf tightly around his face and stuffed his hands into his pockets to stop the cold from getting to them. They walked in silence for a few moments, Souta’s brain reeling with ways to ease the tension that he had inadvertently created. 

“Sorry, I thought this would be a good idea…” Nao trailed off, a cold flush stinging his cheeks. “We can try somewhere else, if you want.”

“No!” Souta yelled out a little louder than he intended. “That’s not what— I am having fun, I’m just… I guess I’m just nervous.”

Nao looked at him with surprise. “We’re just… It’s the same as always, why should you be nervous?”

“It’s not the same as always, though.” Souta averted his gaze as he spoke. “I don’t know how you can act like it’s not a big deal. This feels like a big deal for me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Nao reached for Souta’s hand, but stopped just shy and let it fall back to his side. “I just thought this would be fun.”

“It is— I’m not—” Souta let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his temples with his pointer finger and thumb. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do right now. I’ve never done any of this before. I don't know why it’s making me feel so…”

The silence was heavy between them, the crisp winter air held their breaths in clouds of white smoke as it escaped them.  Souta wanted to speak, but the words escaped him. He lowered his arm to his side and fixed his gaze to the scene in front of him. The streets around were lined with groups of friends laughing together and couples walking hand in hand. He clenched his fist at his side, a subtle ache radiating from it and spreading up his arm and stinging his heart.

“I’m sorry,” Nao finally managed, cutting sharply through Souta’s thoughts. “It’s not that I’m not nervous, I guess I’m just better at hiding it. It’s not like I’ve been on a million dates myself…”

Just the word date brought the world back into focus. He didn’t forget it was a date, but the reminder made him feel a little more relaxed. Nao still saw this as a date; he was still standing with Souta in the cold even if his hands were stuffed in his pockets to keep them out of the bitter wind.

“I wanted to go somewhere I thought you’d like.” He let out a small laugh. “I usually just play puzzle games, honestly.”

Souta’s chest tightened — it felt as if Nao was offering a hand for him to grab onto and pull him to the surface. He wanted to spend time with Nao, even if he felt silly for getting so worked up about something he had no control over, but he didn’t want the date to end on such a sour note.

“I want a do-over.” Souta looked Nao in the eyes, a sudden confidence bubbling up inside of him. “I want to try again— Let’s just forget this date ever happened.”

“I don’t thi—”

“Please. I don’t want you to remember our first date with me crying about how anxious I feel, I want to have fun, I want to impress you, I want…” He trailed off, the words becoming more embarrassing the longer they hung in the air. “I just want a do-over, please?”

Nao watched Souta’s face as he spoke, his eyes flitting between his features as Souta refused to meet his gaze. An easy smile replaced the concerned frown that Nao wore moments before.

“Fine…” He finally admitted defeat. “Have it your way. You have to pick the next date, though.” Nao paused, breathing in and out, clouding the air in front of him. He stood tall, stretching out his shoulders. “Do you want to go to a cafe for a drink?”

“Yeah, let's!” Souta grinned.

☆

Souta sat across from Keisuke, pushing a few edamame around his bento as he let out a deep sigh. He slumped down on the table, his chin resting on the crook of his elbow.

“Keisuke…” 

“Yes, Souta?” 

“I want to go somewhere with someone but I don’t know where… Any ideas?”

“Erm…” Keisuke raised an eyebrow at the question. “It would help if I knew who it was.”

“Just a friend.” 

“Just… a friend? So… Nao?” Keisuke smirked.

“Like I said, Just a friend,” Souta repeated, looking Keisuke directly in his eyes as if that made the declaration any more convincing. 

“Okay… So, what does this friend like?”

“Erm…” Souta thought for a second, “M—” He stopped. Music is way too obvious. “Mmmmiso soup?”

“Miso soup,” Keisuke repeated incredulously. “Okay, sure. Anything else?”

“Hmmm… Stars?”

“Well, what about the planetarium at the science museum?”

Souta’s eyes lit up with excitement. Why didn’t I think of that!? 

“That’s such a good idea!! Thanks, Keisuke!”

“No problem,” he laughed. “Have fun on your ‘not a date’.”

If Souta had actually heard the remark before he shot up from his chair and bolted from the room, he would have definitely had a witty retort. Now he just needed to figure out how to ask Nao, and how to get there by train— no, by bus.

☆

Souta had set the date, bought the tickets, organised the bus tickets to and from the venue and even picked out his outfit, now he just needed to ask Nao. He definitely should have asked Nao beforehand, but somehow he knew it would all work out just fine.

They went about their usual week without mentioning the second date — now it was Friday afternoon and Souta had found himself once again studying in the club room, just him and Nao alone. 

Souta cleared his throat, cutting through the silence and prompting Nao to look up from his homework with a curious look on his face. As their eyes met, Souta suddenly couldn’t find the words, all of his previous confidence being replaced with butterflies.

“Erm…” he began. “Meet up with me tomorrow.” Damn it. That was not smooth in the slightest… He cringed at his delivery, but after he saw a smile tug at Nao’s lips his shoulders relaxed again.

“Okay.” Nao placed his pen down while maintaining eye contact. “What’s the plan?”

“You’ll find out.”

“Oh yeah?” Nao smirked, filling Souta’s stomach with an excited buzz.

“Yup! I have it all planned, don’t even worry,” Souta grinned.

“Do I need a coat? How far is it?” Nao tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes. “And what are we doing...?”

“It’s indoors so maybe just a—” Souta began pondering, but cut himself off halfway. “Hey! Stop trying to interrogate me, I won’t tell you where we’re going!”

“Fine, fine. So… I take it you’re finished with your homework since you haven’t touched your books in the last five minutes?”

Souta gulped, grabbing his pen again and continuing with his worksheets. He’s such a goody two shoes! But he was thankful for that, Nao was one of the only reasons he actually managed to stay on track with his schoolwork.

☆

“I’m leaving now!!” Souta called behind him as he dashed to grab his shoes from the genkan, almost tripping on the step. 

His jacket slipped off his shoulder and landed in a pile in front of him as he hopped on one foot, trying to cram the other into his shoe without untying the shoelaces. He reached for the door handle, coat scrunched into a ball in his other hand, but stopped just as his fingers touched it.

Ugh… I don’t really have time for this…

He quickly turned on his heel, threw his coat down, kicked his shoes back off and ran up the steps two at a time. As he reached his room, he desperately searched his drawers, throwing their contents around as he did so. 

Where the hell did I— Ah!

He reached deep into his top drawer, pulling out an old, scruffy cardboard box. The print was so worn off on the front that the text was a little difficult to read, but Souta knew exactly what they were. He opened it, grabbing out a handful of glow-in-the-dark stars and put the box back where it belonged and closed the drawer. He paused, reopening the drawer and grabbing a few more out just for good measure.

He sped back down the steps, running into the kitchen and taking out a small envelope. He quickly flipped it over, writing ‘Nao’ on the front and put the stars inside before returning to the front door to bully his shoes on once again. 

“I’m heading out now, bye!” he called again.

“Have fun, sweetheart!” his mum called from the living room.

Souta dashed towards the bus stop, holding the bus and planetarium tickets tightly in his pocket with one hand, and the envelope filled with stars in the other. 

He just managed to reach the stop as the bus arrived, and quickly hopped on and texted Nao to tell him which bus to catch. The bus hummed, then with a loud thud it started making its way down the street. It wasn’t long until they rounded the corner and Souta spotted Nao waiting at the stop closest to his house. 

His face almost pressed to the glass, he gave Nao a small wave which Nao returned. Before Nao got on the bus, Souta dashed to the front and showed the bus driver the ticket he had bought in advance, and then ushered Nao to the back.

“You didn’t have to buy my ticket.” Nao let out a small laugh.

“Don’t worry about it,” Souta grinned. “I won’t let anything go wrong this time around!”

“Hmmm… We’ll see,” Nao said incredulously, but his smile betrayed him. “And I still have no idea where we’re even going.”

The bus gently jostled the two of them, knocking them from side to side as it curved down the winding roads. Souta’s hand rested on his own leg, his thumb apprehensively tracing his pointer finger as he stared out of the window. The journey was set to be 30 minutes, and even after all this time, being sat so close to Nao still made his heart giddy.

After an especially harsh bump in the road sent the two of them careening forward, Souta found himself holding his arm over Nao’s stomach to stop him toppling over. They looked at each other with a mix of amusement and shock. Souta looked down, his brain only just registering where his hand had wandered to.

“Oh, sorry!” He quickly pulled his arm away, slinging it over his lap and holding onto his jacket to keep his hand from straying too close to his seatmate.

“It’s fine.” Nao smiled, his eyes warmly fixed on Souta’s. “Thanks.”

Souta could feel Nao shuffling in the seat next to him for a few moments until there was a tap on his elbow. Nao gestured down with a small nod, and Souta followed his gaze to where he had created a small gap between the two of them, his open hand filling the space. Souta looked back up to Nao, then back down to his hand. 

“You don’t want to?”

Souta’s eyes darted back up, meeting Nao’s as a smile began to form. He gingerly released hold of his jacket and placed his hand on top of Nao’s, who instantly interlaced their fingers, pulling him in closer. Nao quickly checked around before covering their hands with his bag to protect them from onlookers.

Their eyes met once more, a sheepish smile present on both of their faces.

The mountains in the distance faded further from view as the bus took them closer to the city center, the suburban streets lined with trees, bushes, local convenience stores and parks were replaced by high rises, shopping centers and car parks. They were getting close. 

As the bus rounded the final corner, a familiar sight came into view. 

“This is it!” Souta hopped up, almost knocking Nao’s bag from his seat as he dragged both of their hands up together, forgetting about their connection. He blushed, quickly letting go of Nao’s hand after repeated apologies. “I forgot!!”

Nao laughed, pushing Souta’s back to encourage him off the bus as they walked down to the exit.

As they approached the front entrance Nao looked around, taking in his environment, but the gigantic sphere that filled almost their entire vision was difficult to ignore.

“What is that…?” Nao began to lift his hand to point, but Souta quickly slapped it back down.

“Shh! Stop looking!” he hissed, covering Nao’s eyes with his hands as he guided him inside the front entrance.

“Stop it!” Nao laughed, “I’m going to trip over, get off me!”

At the front desk, Souta reached into his pocket to get out the tickets, but instead he found the envelope filled with glow-in-the-dark stars. He felt around a little, realising just how badly crumpled up the envelope had gotten from the short trip. 

Ugh. Damn it.

He shifted his attention back to the task at hand, getting the tickets out of his other pocket and presenting them to the receptionist.

“Thank you, we hope you enjoy your visit!”

“A museum…?” Nao looked at Souta with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yyyup! c’mon!” 

They quickly walked through the museum, pushing through crowds of children with their parents, groups of friends laughing, and old couples on dates as they made their way to the top floor. Nao looked around with curiosity at the rows of fossils, gigantic plasma balls and over the top science experiments, but didn’t stop once as he followed Souta diligently through the exhibitions one by one. 

As they reached the final set of stairs, Nao looked up, tracing the map with his eyes to see which way they were headed. His eyes lit up as he saw the word ‘Planetarium’, and he turned to Souta with a look of awe, his eyes almost sparkling.

Souta spotted the excitement on his face, and smiled in return. “Quick! The show is starting soon!” 

And with that they made their way up the stairs and through a large silver door into the planetarium. The room was lined with row upon row of red chairs, all pointing towards the center of the room, and above them was a huge dome where the projections would be shown. Souta took one last look at their tickets before guiding them to their seats. 

They sat back, waiting for the show to start. Souta took his jacket off and hung it on the back of his seat, then slumped back to get comfortable. He looked over to Nao, who was already watching him with a soft smile.

“Are you excited?” Souta flashed him a cheeky grin.

“Yeah, I am actually.” Nao sighed, resting the side of his head on the back of the chair as he looked at Souta. “Thanks, this is cool.”

“You haven’t even seen the show yet, it’s supposed to be really good!”

Before they could continue, the lights dimmed and the room fell into darkness. The low murmur of voices transformed into a choir of excited gasps as the room lit up with the hues of solar systems, planets, stars, supernovas and constellations. Hot flashes of red and trails of orange streaked across the ceiling as meteors began falling, lighting the whole room up in a sunset glow. The visuals shifted to a calm night sky, all known constellations and celestial bodies visible. It engulfed Souta’s entire vision with beautiful stars.

He turned to Nao, ready to make fun of how excited he had gotten, but instead he had to stop and stare. Nao’s face was lit up with a wide smile, his eyes trailing the layers of stars that were drifting into view, his whole body relaxed as he lounged on the chair, his hands gently resting together on his lap.

Souta’s heart suddenly filled his chest, his breath catching in his throat as he took it. He felt his eyes wandering, taking in every part of Nao as he watched the stars. Suddenly the room around him didn’t matter, it was as if he and Nao had been transported to a universe of their own. 

He felt it — the tug, the desire, the need to be close to Nao that had been itching at the back of his skull for the past four months. He reached over and took Nao’s hand before shifting his gaze back to the ceiling. His hand felt cold, but somehow it balanced Souta’s heat out perfectly. They watched the stars in silence for what felt like an eternity, Nao holding onto his hand tightly, occasionally tracing his thumb across the back of it which sent sparks running down Souta’s arm every time it happened.

Eventually, light began to fill the room once again, and the show was over. Souta looked over to Nao who still had his eyes fixed on the ceiling for a moment as if he were in a trance. 

“That was really cool,” Nao sighed, his expression soft and dreamy, then after a moment he turned to face Souta. “Thank you for bringing me.”

Souta wanted to reply, but he couldn’t. He once again was at a loss for words, his emotions filling his chest as he looked over to Nao who wore that wide smile that Souta had grown to— no, had always loved. He loved a lot about Nao: his passion, his commitment, his bluntness, even the way he grumbled and frowned when Souta said something he didn’t like.

I think I really love hi—

Souta blinked, as if the act would make his brain make more sense. The thought got stuck in his head, like gum on the bottom of your shoe. Love. It almost felt like he could see the word trace past his eyes like a neon sign on a shop window. He shook his head, suddenly paranoid that Nao would be able to read his mind if he thought about it any longer. 

“Souta?”

“Yep! Sorry, let’s go!” Souta hoisted himself up from the chair, slinging his jacket over the crook of his elbow as he did. He turned to Nao to help him up, but Nao was already on his feet by the time Souta turned around. 

As everyone filed out of the planetarium Nao held onto Souta’s sleeve so as not to lose him in the crowd. The slight tug on his shirt made Souta smile, a little reminder that Nao was still by his side. As they made their way back down the stairs, Souta noticed that Nao was looking over the banister at the exhibition space below.

“Shall we look around the rest of the museum?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Nao smiled, then looked down and realised he was still holding onto Souta’s shirt. He let go with a quiet apology, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets.

They spent the next few hours perusing the museum's floors. Exhibitions about the human body, nature, technology, food, and even an exhibition about the research in the polar regions.

“Do you think they have any penguins?” Souta said as he peered around the chilly exhibition space.

“This isn’t a zoo,” Nao scoffed. “But honestly… maybe.”

They continued to make their way down, floor by floor, until they finally reached the bottom where the cafe and giftshop were. Nao had excused himself to go to the bathroom, so Souta got his phone out to check if he had missed any messages.

Keisuke♠: “Hey, how's it going?” 

Souta☘︎: “Hey! I’m good, You?”

Keisuke♠: “I meant your day out, but I assume that is going good as well? ʕ ´- ᴥ•`ʔ”

Souta☘︎: “Ugh, whatever.”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“Thanks.”

Keisuke♠: “Glad to hear it! How’s Nao?”

Souta looked down at the message, a furrow forming in his brow as his face began to flush. He had to wonder how Keisuke seemed to know exactly what was going on at all times— Sure, Souta hadn’t exactly been subtle, but still…

Souta☘︎: “Ask him yourself! How would I know?!”

Keisuke♠: “No need to be snappy, I’m just asking. ᥥ ᵕ ˕ ᵕ ︡𐑠”

“Enjoy the rest of your date!”

“Day*”

Ughhh.

Souta shoved his phone back in his pocket, looking up just as Nao returned from around the corner. 

“Everything okay?” he asked, putting his hands back into his pockets.

“Yup! Do you want to go to the cafe or the gift shop before we head out?”

“Hmm…” Nao looked behind, glancing at the gift shop, and contemplated for a moment. “We could have a quick look.”

As they walked through the shop doors, Nao gestured over to the right. “I’ve been in here before, there's nothing but books and posters down that aisle so we can skip it.”

“Oh, really? You know I hate books, especially when you have to learn from them.”

Nao laughed, pushing him down the next aisle along. He picked up a small headband with some tiger ears attached and showed them to Souta.

“These are like the ones you wore for your class’ cafe.” 

He lifted them up to put them on Souta’s head, but before he could, Souta snatched them from him and put them on Nao’s head instead. He then stood, and pondered for a moment before swapping them out with some black ears.

“These suit you better…” He flashed Nao a cheeky grin. “I don’t even know what animal they’d be for though. A cat?”

Nao took the ears off his head, flipping them over and looking at both sides. “A panther, maybe?” 

“Well, you are as vicious as a panther.” Souta let out a laugh, but catching Nao’s annoyed expression he corrected himself. “Nevermind, you’re definitely more of a house cat.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t worry about it,” South said with an exaggerated wink.

The brisk air hit them as the doors opened and the sun had already begun to set, painting the sky in washed-out blues, purples and oranges as it dipped below the horizon.

“Damn it. Why is it so cold?” 

“Well, it is winter…” 

He turned to Nao, who stood with both hands sunk deeply into his pockets to try and grasp what little heat his body could manage with his jacket pulled tightly around his body. Souta looked down, realising he still had his own jacket over his arm. “You can use this if you want.”

“No, it’s fine, you’ll get cold,” Nao chattered, his whole body shivering by this point.

“No really I'm fine, I don’t get cold that easily.”

“It’s…” Nao looked towards Souta, and after looking at the jacket in his outstretched hand his expression softened. “Okay, fine.”

Souta quickly handed it over, and Nao put it on. The uncomfortable combination of both of their jackets made him look weirdly bulky, but Souta would never tell him that.

“What made you change your mind?” Souta grinned. “You already know I don’t get cold easily.”

“Hmm… I don’t know,” Nao managed, pulling the jacket close around himself. He paused, thinking for a moment. He opened his mouth, then frowned and closed it again in an instant.

“What?” Souta laughed, poking him. “You clearly want to say something.”

“Nothing,” Nao grumbled, putting his hands in the pockets of Souta’s jacket, wincing as his hand got jabbed by something. “What the hell have you got in your pocket…” 

Nao pulled out what would appear to an outsider to be a crumpled piece of paper, folded awkwardly in on itself with something scribbled on one side.

“Wait, Nao, I don’t—” Souta protested, attempting to grab the paper from Nao’s hand. Unfortunately for him, Nao had already begun to unfold the envelope just enough to see his name scrawled on the front.

He looked at Souta with a raised eyebrow. “Why do you have me in your pocket?”

Souta quickly reached across Nao in an attempt to grab the envelope from him, which only fueled the fire of Nao's curiosity. Nao swung his arm out to the side, holding Souta away from himself with the other hand. 

“Seriously, what is it?” He laughed, fighting against a squirming Souta as he tried to dodge his way around towards the envelope in Nao’s hand.

“It's nothing, just give it back!” Souta reached across, grabbing Nao's arm and dragging it towards himself with his full body weight. He pushed himself forward, his other arm reaching across Nao’s body in an attempt to grab the stars.

Nao began laughing again, no doubt because of how ridiculous the situation was. He swapped the envelope into his other hand and pushed Souta away once again, reaching his arm as high as it could possibly go. Souta wrapped his arm around Nao’s shoulder, trying to grab the envelope with his other hand, hopping slightly on his foot to try to keep his balance during the whole ordeal. Their dance was cut short when they heard a squeaky, but loud voice calling from behind them.

“Mummy, what are those boys doing?” A small boy stood with his mum, pointing at Souta and Nao as he stared with wide eyes.

“They're just being silly, sweetie,” she said with a laugh as she watched the two of them.

Souta's face burned with a hot flush as he realised they'd been caught red-handed. He quickly let go of Nao, straightening out his own shirt, then reaching over and straightening out Nao’s jacket as well.

With an amused smile, Nao mockingly presented the envelope to Souta then quickly opened it before he could grab it again. He peered inside, then looked at Souta. “You remembered?” Nao reached into the envelope and pulled out a couple of the glow-in-the-dark stars.

“How could I forget, I've never seen you so excited about anything in your life,” he mumbled, then added, “Well, until I saw you in the planetarium, anyway… I obviously did a number on the envelope, sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter, the contents are still the same…” Nao looked down at the stars in his palm, a comfortable smile on his face. “Thank you, I’m gonna put them up as soon as I get home.”

He carefully put the envelope back into his own inner jacket pocket before pulling both jackets firmly around himself. He fumbled in his other pocket for a moment, pulling out a small paper bag of his own.

“Here, I got you this.” He gestured the bag towards Souta, who stood in shock for a moment before taking it.

“You got me something? When?!” He cautiously opened the bag, pulling on the small string at the top to reveal a small, soft plush tiger. Souta blinked at it a few times. “A tiger??” 

“I saw it in the gift shop and thought it was cute…” Nao smiled as he looked at Souta’s hands. “I guess it reminded me of you… I’m not really sure why.”

“Whaaaat! It’s so cute, I love it!” Souta's face lit up with a huge grin. He gave the plushie a few squishes as he held it in his hand. “Now I wish I’d given you something better…”

“Don’t be stupid, the stars are enough. It’s not like you needed to get me anything, anyway,” Nao said with a smile. “Besides, you planned this whole date, that’s better than a little plushie.”

“Well, you have Keisuke to thank for the idea of the planetarium— well, I mean, I would have thought of it myself if I’d had more time...!”

“You told him…?”

“Well, I just told him I was going somewhere… with a friend,” Souta laughed awkwardly.

“And you think that convinced him?”

Souta stopped, contemplating for a moment before he answered matter-of-factly, “Probably not.”

“You’re screwed.” 

“What, no, it’ll be fine! Besides, if I’m screwed, you’re screwed too,” Souta said defiantly.

“Well I don’t really care if people find out.” 

Souta paused, his eyebrows raised slightly. His heartbeat quickened in his chest, and a slight flush had reached its way across his cheeks. Nao had said it in such a matter-of-fact way that it had almost skipped past Souta’s senses completely. He had to actively fight against his smile to stop it from bursting at the seams. 

He doesn’t mind? He really wouldn’t care if people found out about us…? 

“What?” Nao looked at Souta, his head tilted slightly to the side and one eyebrow raised.

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I don’t really care. It’s not like it’ll change anything for me— I would still feel the same way about you. Certain people will have to find out eventually, right?”

“Mm…” Souta hummed, his blush reaching his ears. “I guess if we’re going to be together for the rest of our lives then we’ll have to,” Souta said in a sarcastic tone with an overdramatic shrug. Saying it out loud even as a joke felt embarrassing. “Just kidding…” he mumbled. “A-anyway, we should probably head to the bus stop before it gets too dark, we don’t want to end up missing the last bus— actually I think the last one runs until like midnight so…”

Nao stood with an amused smile as he watched Souta talk. “Something like that,” Nao added after Souta had finished rambling on. The blush on Souta’s cheeks must have been contagious.

They started to make their way over towards the bus stop which was only a short distance from the front entrance. Nao suggested getting the bus from the other side of a local park so they could enjoy a short walk before they headed home, and Souta happily agreed. The sun had now almost fully set and the streetlights had started to flicker on one by one as they walked along the cobbled street.

The park was dimly lit, and the trees swayed gently in the evening breeze that was just cold enough to cool your skin but not sting. The choir of tumbling leaves and rustling branches soothing all of Souta’s senses just enough to still his mind as he looked up towards the wide expanse of dark blue above them.

“Are you really going to put the stars up?” 

“Yeah, why not?”

“Isn't it a bit… childish?”

“Is that why you have them?” Nao looked at Souta with a half smile and one raised eyebrow. “It’ll be nice, it’ll remind me of you.” He let out a small sigh, which sent a cloud of white into the air in front of him. After a moment he spoke again, this time in a quiet voice. “It might make it feel more like home.”

Souta’s face was once again awash with red. “You’re being unfair right now.”

“How so?” Nao’s smile remained as he watched Souta, the moonlight bathing his face in a porcelain glow. He glanced down, his eyes tracing along Souta’s face to his shoulder, then his arm and finally landing on his hand, which he took, gently threading their fingers together.

Souta grumbled and looked away, holding tightly onto Nao’s hand as they walked under the shade of the trees. He wished they could do 100 laps around this tiny park before they went home, but the night was moving far too quickly for that. 

“What should we do next time?” Nao asked, tugging gently on Souta’s hand.

“Next time? Hmmm…” Souta pondered, happiness filled his chest knowing that Nao was already thinking about their next date. “Maybe we could watch a movie?”

“Yeah? Are you going to invite Keisuke this time?”

“Shut up,” Souta grumbled. “That was just because…”

“Hmm?” Nao smiled. “Why, exactly?”

“I was nervous, obviously,” he muttered, “I liked you and I didn’t want you to know… obviously.”

“And I asked you out because I liked you, obviously. Or I guess it wasn’t obvious.” Nao smirked.

“You’re being so unfair right now,” Souta complained.

“You keep saying that.” Nao laughed, his gaze meeting Souta’s. 

Souta swallowed hard, pulling Nao’s hand closer, causing him to jolt forward slightly from the force. Before the confidence had a chance to escape him, Souta placed a shaky hand on the back of Nao’s neck and pulled him in, placing a small kiss on his lips. It was warm, soft, and gentle, and even though it only lasted a second it sent Souta’s mind reeling and his heart thundering in his chest. He moved away, quickly tracing his free hand from Nao’s arm down to find his other hand and gently hold the outer edge of his fingers. Bowing his head, unable to meet Nao’s eye as they stood mere inches from each other, Souta held himself together as best he could.

They stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, both carefully drawing in the cold air. Souta’s insides were literally vibrating, a suffocating but intoxicating mix of adrenaline and nerves coursing through his body. He tried to quell the feeling by breathing out a deep sigh but couldn’t bring himself to look up, having no idea what kind of expression was plastered across his face but it burned with a hot flush regardless.

Shit. Fuck. Where did I suddenly get the confidence to do that!?

Nao slumped his head forward, placing it on Souta’s shoulder. He let out a heavy sigh of his own, shifting his free hand to thread his fingers around Souta’s. “Now who’s being unfair?”

After another few moments, Nao lifted his head slightly, letting go of Souta’s hands to place them softly on his back, pulling him in for a hug. Souta wrapped his arms tightly around Nao, resting his chin on his shoulder, then repositioning himself so his face was nestled in the crook of his neck instead. The night suddenly didn’t feel so cold, if anything Souta was getting a little too warm.

A quiet buzz could be heard from Souta’s pocket. Then another, and another. He grumbled, freeing himself from Nao’s grasp and pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

Mum♡: “It’s getting quite late, sweetheart.”

“Are you coming home soon?”

“Honey?”

Souta glanced up to check the time. “Woah, how did it get so late?”

“Hmm?” Nao looked at the time on the phone screen sleepily. “Oh, wow. Yeah we should definitely head back now.”

Souta☘︎: “Hi mum, sorry!! We missed the bus but catching the next one! Will be home soon.”

Mum♡: “Okay, see you soon. Hope you had a lovely day!”

Souta quickly grabbed Nao’s hand, dragging him through the remainder of the park and through the gate closest to the bus stop — they’d managed to get there just a few minutes before the next bus was due.

Souta reached into his jacket — that Nao was still wearing — and produced two bus tickets. “Ta-da!”

As they sat on the bus, the familiar rhythmic hum of the engine was starting to make Souta feel sleepy. He yawned, stretching his arms up in the air before folding forwards. It seemed like the adrenalin had finally worn off, and the only feeling left was tiredness.

As the bus pulled into the stop near Nao’s house, Souta got up to follow him off. 

“It’s fine, you should stay on this bus or you’ll be home even later.” He laughed, slipping Souta’s jacket off and handing it back to him. “I’ll see you on Monday."

“Text me.” Souta looked up at Nao.

“I will.” Nao smiled, turning and making his way down the bus and giving Souta one final wave before stepping off into the night.

Souta shifted across the seats, pressing himself up against the window to get one final look at Nao before the bus peeled away. He held his jacket in his hand, pulling it up and burying his face in it.

It still smells like him. Wait, is that creepy? Oh god.

He laughed to himself. I probably look insane right now. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out to check his notifications.

Nao⋆: “Get home safe. Thanks for today.”

Souta’s smile widened. The way Nao texted kinda sounded like he was texting a nan, or his boss, but it made his heart feel warm all the same.

He’s so formal.

Souta☘︎: “Thanks for coming with me!! I had a lot of fun! (ദ്ദി ᵔ∇ᵔ )”

After a few moments of staring at the “...” on his screen popping up and disappearing again, Souta was starting to lose hope of receiving another message. Finally, one appeared.

Nao⋆: “Me too. ♡”

☆

Souta didn’t need to say anything to Keisuke for him to guess that his date, no, day out had gone well. He watched Souta eating his lunch with an annoyingly smug smile.

“What,” Souta said, his mouth half-filled with rice as he rushed to finish his lunch so he could catch up on the homework he may-or-may-not have forgotten to do over the weekend. 

“Nothing, nothing.” Keisuke sighed, his smile still holding strong. “I take it your day trip went well?”

“Mmmh… mph.” Souta attempted to communicate with his mouth full, but even Keisuke couldn’t understand what he just said. Souta swallowed, then coughed slightly. “Yup. I don’t know why you’re so curious about this all of a sudden, I go out with friends all the time.”

“I know you have friends, but I also know all of your friends, Souta… So unless you’ve summoned one out of thin air… And don’t forget I already know about your crush.” He rested his chin on his hand, still sporting the all-knowing smile that Souta had a love-hate relationship with.

“Yeah…” Souta couldn’t even come up with an excuse before he replied, because realistically, what excuse was there? “I… Oh, Inoue! Heyyy!” he said, pleading for Keisuke to not say anything conspicuous. 

Keisuke quickly turned just as Inoue reached the table, leaning over slightly to greet the two of them. 

“Hey guys!” She smiled, holding her hands behind her back. “Are you two free next weekend? Me and a few friends were gonna get together on the 2nd to visit a shrine!” 

“Huh?” Keisuke looked up at her, blinking a few times. He then looked over at Souta. “I think so?”

“Yeah, we are free!” And before Souta could even think of inviting Nao, Keisuke had already spoken up again.

“Can Nao come?”

“Sure!” Inoue smiled. “The more the merrier, Miki and Saya are coming too.”

“What about meeee!” Takeo called out from the back of the classroom, not so subtly listening in on their conversation. 

“You can come too, Hasegawa-kun.” It almost looked as if Inoue rolled her eyes at the thought, but instead she looked back down at Keisuke. “I can send you the details!”

“I'm in!” Souta grinned. “I really need a good fortune for next year…”

And so it was set, the rest of December went by without event, even Christmas eve and Christmas day were skipped over as Souta had to look after his brother Riku who caught a winter cold just in time for the festivities. Me and Nao didn't make plans to start with, Souta had thought, and we have only just confessed.

Inoue had texted Souta and Keisuke the details of where to meet and what time, and they had passed the information on to Nao and Takeo. To not make things too obvious, Souta told Nao to meet them at the entrance to the shrine with everyone else. 

Souta and Keisuke arrived together. Since they were a little early they stood in the entranceway to the shrine just before the market stalls and crowds had gathered. Strings of softly lit lanterns hung between every structure, dimly illuminating the paths that led around the stalls that bustled with excited festival-goers. It was early evening, which at this time of year basically meant night time, so spotting their friends in the crowds would be impossible.

“Is Inoue nearly here?” Souta asked, checking his phone for any messages.

“Yeah. Her and her friends are coming together. Takeo is running late but he shouldn't be too long either. What about Nao?”

While Keisuke was talking, Souta had gotten distracted by a message on his phone.

Nao⋆: “Just set off, should be 5 mins.”

Souta☘︎: “Ok!! Me and Keisuke are here already.”

“Is that Nao?” Keisuke asked, a knowing smile on his face.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. He said he won't be long.” Then Souta turned his attention back to his phone, waiting impatiently for a reply.

“I take it things are going well?” 

“Yeah, I think so.” Souta smiled, then stopped still like a deer in headlights when his brain finally processed what Keisuke had said. “Huh? Wait… I don't…”

Keisuke simply watched him with both eyebrows raised slightly. Souta looked back, brows furrowed.

“Yes…” Souta carefully watched Keisuke as he spoke. “What do you mean by ‘things’...”

“You know.” Keisuke gestured loosely with his hands. “Things.”

Souta squinted, keeping his eyes glued to Keisuke who wordlessly replied with an amused expression. 

“Ueshima-kun! Himura-kun!” 

Ah, finally. Freedom. You saved me again, Inoue-chan.

“Hey!” Souta grinned, spinning around to face Inoue, noticing Miki and Saya trailing close behind. “We’re just waiting for Takeo and Nao…”

“Oooh. If this were a year ago…” Saya gave Inoue a mischievous smile, who shot her back a death glare.

“A year ago?” Souta asked, not picking up on the subtle hint nor the look that Inoue was giving her friend.

“Yeah, Inoue used to have a huge crush on that Iseya guy.”

“Really??” Souta and Keisuke said in unison, both slightly surprised by the announcement. 

“Stop it, Saya, that was soo long ago.” Miki rolled her eyes.

“I mean sure, but it’s still funny.” Saya smiled. “I never got what you saw in him.”

“Well you wouldn’t.” Miki laughed.

Inoue quietly looked between Souta and Keisuke, potentially assessing the damage. 

I had no idea… I didn’t know they were ever that close.

Before Souta could think any further, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, holding it just close enough to his face that nobody else could sneak a peek. He smiled as Nao’s name lit up the center of his vision.

Nao⋆: “I bumped into Hasegawa… We won’t be long.”

After Nao and Takeo joined the group, the seven of them started to make their way through the small selection of stalls. Takeo wanted to stop at every single food spot, but Keisuke reminded him they still had to queue to get their fortunes.

They decided to stop at one stall each, Nao and Souta took the opportunity to make a break for an out-of-the-way stand selling mochi. Souta ordered two servings, handing one to Nao, whose hands were partially covered by his sleeves as he tried to preserve some heat. 

“Do you want to borrow my jacket?”

“No, no. It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” Nao stood with his shoulders hunched up from the cold. “Besides… someone might notice.”

As much as Souta hated it, he couldn’t say that Nao was wrong. People always seemed to have a knack for getting in their business.

“Fine… At least borrow my scarf then.” 

Souta unfurled the scarf from around his neck and wrapped Nao in it before he had a chance to protest. Even if he wanted to, the warmth that still remained in the scarf clearly was worth more to him than his worries.

“See, we balance each other out perfectly,” Souta said jokingly, but one look at Nao made his heart flutter.

“Yup,” Nao said, a wide smile sitting comfortably on his lips. The warmth radiating from him was enough for Souta to never feel cold again. That was it, nothing else needed to be said. Nao took a bite of his mochi, then nodded towards the crowds. “We should probably go find the others.”

Souta quietly agreed, wishing that he could be here with Nao alone, but accepting his fate instead. They dodged through the crowds trying to spot some of their friends under the orange-lit stalls.

Souta noticed Inoue standing with Keisuke by a different food stand, but the others were nowhere to be seen. As they approached, Inoue saw them and waved them over.

“Hey guys, what did you get to eat? We got some amazake and yakitori.”

“We just got some mochi…” Souta couldn’t help but be drawn in by the smells of the food stalls around them, and he began to feel hungry all over again.

“Here.” Keisuke handed Souta a chicken skewer. “I got an extra one for you.”

Souta looked to Keisuke with reverence and admiration. He took the skewer with both hands, head bowed. “Thank you…”

“Stop being dramatic.” Keisuke let out a laugh, shoving the wooden skewer into Souta’s hands. “Did you want one, Nao?”

“I’m alright, thank you though.” 

When Souta was about halfway done with his food, he looked over to Nao and gestured towards him. “Do you want some of mine?”

Nao took it with only a slight hesitation, thanking Souta before he started eating the chicken carefully from the stick. Souta glanced up, catching Inoue and Keisuke’s eyes. Keisuke wore his usual knowing look, but Inoue looked on with a slight blush and hint of surprise. 

Shit.

Luckily for Souta, Takeo, Miki and Saya arrived before Inoue could question Souta and Nao’s closeness any further. The group quickly made their way through the hustle and bustle towards the shrine itself, and the queue for the fortunes was much shorter than Souta expected.

He shook the box, grabbing out the stick that would foretell his fortune for the remainder of the year… number eleven.

He walked over to grab his fortune from the draw, then turned to see that Nao had just gotten his fortune also.

“What number were you?”

“Fifteen, you?”

“Eleven, wow our numbers are pretty close together!”

“Well, it’s not the number that matters…” Nao looked down at the crumpled paper that was in Souta’s hand. “What’s your fortune for next year, huh?”

“Oh!” Souta quickly checked over his fortune, scanning it from top to bottom before responding. “Great blessings…” He continued to read down the list, stopping near the bottom for a second before carefully folding it up and putting it in his inner pocket. “What did you get?”

Nao looked over his slip, turning back to Souta with a smile. “Excellent luck.”

“Excellent?!” Souta complained. “Well good for you. You always have to one up me, don’t you?”

“Yup.” Nao smirked, checking his slip once more before putting it into his pocket. “Were you looking at the love fortune?” he asked, still smiling but this time looking over towards the crowds in front of them.

“Wha—” Souta blushed at the completely correct accusation. “No. Of course not. That would be....”

“I did.”

“Was it good?!” 

“Yup.”

After taking a moment as his heart nearly sprung from his chest, Souta gathered himself just enough to say, “Mine was, too.” 

He had to fight the urge to reach out to Nao with every atom in his body as they stood so close to each other. He could almost feel the warmth radiating from him.

“Iseya-kun! Ueshima-kun!” Inoue called as she made her way over along with the rest of the group. They all gathered in a circle, each chatting about their fortunes. 

“Mine was TERRIBLE,” Takeo whined, pointing over to where he had tied his. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“Mine was pretty bad, too.” Miki was holding up a small mirror to her side which Saya was using to apply her lip gloss. She sighed, then quickly lifted the mirror back up when she noticed Saya watching her in annoyance.

“Mine was great,” Saya gloated, taking the mirror from Miki after she had finished.

“Mine was pretty neutral overall.” Inoue let out a disheartened sigh. “I wanted it to tell me I’d pass my exams with flying colours…”

“What about you, Keisuke?” Souta asked, turning his attention to Keisuke who was still watching Inoue with a small smile. 

Nevermind.

“Me and Saya are gonna go buy some talismans, are you coming?” Miki smiled at the group, but Souta could tell she was mostly talking to Inoue.

“Yeah, I could probably use one,” Inoue laughed half-heartedly. 

And with that, the three made their way back through the crowds to find better fortune, or in Saya’s case, even more good fortune.

“My mum told me not to be back too late, so I should probably head home.” Takeo shrugged. “I’m gonna buy some more snacks on the way, though.”

“I’ll go with you,” Keisuke said “Souta, I’ll talk to you later.” He turned back to Nao and Souta with a nod and a quick goodbye before he practically shoved Takeo through the crowds in front of them.

“I would say you could come back to my house for a bit, but my brother still has a cold...” Souta glanced over to Nao who was still watching the crowd with a comfortable smile.

“It’s alright, I’m actually pretty tired now anyway.” He shifted his gaze back towards Souta sporting that all too familiar smile. “Thank you for inviting me, I had fun.”

“Mm.” Souta was almost lost in a trance as he found his eyes meandering over all of Nao’s features, settling for a moment too long on his lips. He blinked, snapping himself out of his thoughts and taking a sharp breath of cold air. “Yeah, I did too! And our fortunes are pretty promising.”

They stood in silence, taking in the sights and sounds of the festival in front of them. Different groups of friends and families passed them at every moment but nobody was watching. Nobody would notice if they were there or not, and that thought was almost calming. One thing kept swirling around Souta’s mind, sending his heart-rate skyrocketing. 

I just want to hold his hand. 

Souta took a deep breath in through his nose in hopes of quelling the feeling resonating in his chest. It felt like his heart was rattling directly against his rib cage, but he didn’t exactly hate it. He took a small side-step towards Nao who remained motionless. It felt like he was moving through thick sticky honey, somehow making such a move in public felt so much more fear inducing than in the comfort of their club room. 

Nao let out a laugh through his nose, leaning closer to Souta as he whispered. “Okay, fine.”

With one movement Nao shuffled closer to Souta, sliding his fingers between Souta’s and intertwining them. Nao’s cool skin felt refreshing against Souta’s, and he wondered if Nao would be able to feel his pulse through the palm of his hand. With backs pressed up against the fencing behind them, and hands hidden by their coats, they both basked in their shared moment.

Even as a group of children passed by close in front, Nao held onto Souta’s hand tightly, pressing the tips of his fingers into the back of his hand as if he might run away. Souta could barely suppress the emotions that bubbled up every time Nao would move against him — it felt like a shock of electricity. 

He half-turned to Nao, leaning his head against the fence behind them. A smile had crept its way onto his lips that he couldn’t contain even if he tried, and the only thing that could help was saying his thoughts out loud.

“I really like you, y’know?”

“I know.” He turned to Souta with the same love-struck expression Souta was sure he wore on his own face. “Me too.”

☆

As quickly as the festivities had started they were over. It was back to school, and with exams around the corner Souta could really feel the pressure building… along with his mountain of homework.

As he approached the club room door he heard three familiar voices coming from inside. Reaching up to knock on the door — which had become a habit now that Chiba and Imai were studying with them more often — he heard his name. He stopped, leaning in closer to listen in on the conversation.

If it’s about me, I should know. That’s how this works, I’m not eavesdropping.

“Really?” 

“Yeah, you two have been really chummy lately…” Imai giggled.

“It’s not like…” Nao started, then Souta heard him let out a sigh. “Chummy doesn’t always have to mean—”

“But it does, doesn’t it?” Imai said, and Souta could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke.

“Hmm.” Nao conveniently did not answer the question.

“I can tell.” Imai spoke up again, and Souta could hear a chair moving slightly. “I think he likes you, too.”

“Imai, stop…” Nao groaned. Oh how Souta wished he could see his embarrassed expression right now, just the thought brought a smile to his face. “It’s…”

“Imai, don’t push it,” Chiba said in a stern but still calm tone. “Remember how embarrassed you were when Nao found out? You hate people prying into your life.”

“Yeahhh buuuut…” Imai whined, and Souta could hear another scuffing of chairs. 

He quickly straightened himself up, took a few quiet steps back away from the door then marched loudly towards it and knocked.

“Come in!” Chiba called from inside.

Souta quickly slid open the door, hoping that nobody noticed his nervousness. He smiled, greeting the three of them with a loud “Hey!” before taking his seat and pulling out his homework.

“Hey, Ueshima-kun!” Imai called in a cheery voice. “Long time no see!”

“It's only been a few weeks!” Souta retorted, flashing Nao a cheeky grin. “Besides, I've had other things to worry about besides school work.”

“Ooh, I bet,” Imai mumbled with a smirk, not looking up from her schoolbook. She barely flinched as Nao kicked her under the table.

“Well, it sounds like you've been busy,” Chiba added. “Don't fall behind.”

“I won't.” Souta had already dived nose first into his books, flipping the pages by the handful to find where he left off last time.

The four of them sat in silence for the first 30 minutes until Imai started to get bored, Souta could tell because she began humming and swinging on her chair. 

“Hey, Ueshima,” Imai said in a sing-song voice. “I found out that you rejected Tamura-san… does that mean you have someone you like?”

“Ignore her,” Nao snapped from the other side of the table, not looking up from his books. 

“No, no. Don't ignore me…!” Imai complained. “I'm just curious, Nao never tells us anything interesting so…” She shot Nao a playful look, almost as if to prove a point. “I need some hot gossip or I'll die.” 

“Sooo dramatic.” Chiba laughed, but didn’t do anything to stop Imai’s ambush.

“I mean…” Souta started, then noticed everyone was looking at him. “I do like someone.”

Nao grumbled and returned to his books, pretending not to be bothered by the conversation but his blush told a different story.

“Ohhh do tell!” Imai swung forward on her chair, propping herself up on the table with her elbows. 

“Er… that's it. I like someone.”

“So are you guys dating?”

“Dating…” He wanted so badly to look across at Nao for clarification, but resisted the urge. “I… think so?”

“Cuteee!” Imai grinned. “Oh I'm so jealous, do you remember what that's like, Chi—” Souta just caught Chiba’s annoyed look before Imai quickly moved on. "Anywaaaay, would you look at the time! We better go, right Chiba?” 

She quickly scooped her work up and put it into her bag, and Imai reluctantly followed suit. They left the room with a wave and a “Bye!” before escaping down the hall. Souta could hear the bickering all the way down to the stairwell.

Nao looked across at Souta, face flushed. “Ignore them,” he mumbled, but maintained eye contact. 

“It’s okay! I don’t really mind, I wasn’t too obvious was I?”

“Hmm. No.” Nao flipped through the sheets in his book, loosely holding a page between his fingers. “They wouldn’t judge you — us — though. So don’t worry.”

“If you’re sure…” Souta let out an awkward laugh.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Nao paused before closing his book. “Hmm… I think I’m done for today.”

Souta looked down at his half-finished homework. “I think I’m gonna stay for a little longer.”

“I can wait if you—”

“No, no! It’s okay, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Souta said with a genuine smile.

“If you’re sure.” 

Nao quietly packed his school work away, clasped his bag and swung it over his shoulder. He rounded the table, and as he reached Souta, who was still diligently scribbling in his book, he set a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

“Oh, and by the way, we are dating.”

Before Souta could even react, Nao had said a quick goodbye and left the room with a smile.

That sly— No. This homework needs to be finished. Concentrate!

☆

Souta had just finished getting ready for bed, scruffling his hair with a fresh towel to dry it before he lay down. He and Nao hadn’t crossed paths in school the past few days, and even if their text message chain had been kept well-fed with updates Souta couldn’t help but feel a little lonely.

He sat heavily down on the bed, trying to remember if he had any homework to hand in for the next day when he felt a soft repetitive buzz emanating from under the sheets he was sitting on. He got up, lifting the blanket to find his phone and someone was calling.

That someone was Nao.

A giddy heat filled his chest as he took a deep breath in, swiping to answer the phone call. Before he could even get a word out, a voice came from the other end of the line.

“Souta!”

Just one word was enough. A huge, goofy smile had begun spreading across his face before Nao had even finished the word. 

“Hey.” Even Souta could hear his own smile in his voice as he spoke.

“What’s up?” And he could hear Nao’s smile even more.

“What's up yourself, you called me!” Souta let out a laugh.

“Yeah, I know…” There was a comfortable but electric silence between the two for a moment before Nao spoke up again. “How are you? Have you been doing your homework?”

Souta could hear a slight but continuous movement through the speaker as if Nao was walking around his room as he spoke.

“I’m good, and yes I have, sensei. I already know you’ve done yours, so I won’t ask. How are you?”

“I’m good.” There was a slight creak of floorboards from Nao’s side of the line, even more evidence of his pacing. 

“Not to be rude but… Why did you call?”

“Am I not allowed to?” Nao replied almost instantly, and the sound of movement came to a sudden stop. “I missed— I... miss you.”

Souta’s heart felt like it had leapt up into his throat, stopping his breath halfway in. Even as he thought he couldn’t smile any more, his grin threatened to tear at the seams at Nao’s admission.

I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. “I miss you, too,” the words escaped him almost too easily. “Do you want to have lunch together tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Another silence took over the line, and Nao took in an audible breath. “We should get to bed— I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow!”

☆

They shared a quiet lunch together, making comfortable small talk and sitting with their feet tangled together under the table. Even as they sat at their respective seats at opposite ends of the table they couldn’t bear to be too far from one another.

“Oh yeah! The guys want to have another study session together… are you free after school?”

“Today? Sure.”

The distance between Souta and Nao had halved since their last group outing — their steps in tandem, hands drifting almost too close as they made their way down the street. Takeo had suggested a trip to a local cafe to bridge the gap between the two sets of friends, but Souta couldn’t help but think Takeo was plotting something else — he did seem a little too keen after learning that Nao’s friends were girls. 

Nevermind. Takeo isn’t smart enough for plotting.

After a short back and forth Keisuke managed to convince them to turn it into a study session so he didn’t have to cancel his plans with Inoue. 

Suspicious.

Keisuke, Takeo, Souta and Nao arrived at the cafe first, requesting the largest table they had and quickly taking their seats — Keisuke had left a space to his right, Souta and Nao had found themselves is a cosy corner and Takeo had taken the head of the table. The set-up looked awkward at first, but as their friends arrived and filled the empty spaces everything started to make sense.

Inoue took her seat next to Keisuke, and opposite Souta. Chiba and Imai sat side-by-side next to Nao, and Saya sat across from Takeo with Miki on her left. The room began to fill with introductions, friendly chatting and a noticeable lack of studying. 

“Are all of you guys as bad at studying as Souta?” Imai chirped up, aiming the question directly at Takeo with a smirk. 

“Don’t put me at his level!” Takeo blurted out, practically slamming his drink onto the table.

“Yeah, you’re much worse,” Saya added blankly, fixing her lip gloss with a small hand-held mirror.

“Hey I’m not that bad at studying,” Souta spoke across Nao, leaning his elbow onto the table to peer around him and throw Imai a disgruntled frown. “I’m always studying in the club room.”

“Studying what, though. It sure as hell isn’t maths,” Chiba half-mumbled with a smirk of her own, which only widened when she noticed a small blush gracing Souta’s cheeks.

Nao rolled his eyes, pulling his bag onto his lap and getting out a few textbooks. “I’m starting to think this was a bad idea.”

The same as last time, the groups split up between Keisuke and Nao — Takeo, Saya, Miki and Inoue all putting their faith in Keisuke's teachings, while Souta, Chiba and Imai all crowded around Nao’s messy notes for their key to success. 

“I seriously hate maths.” Imai sighed, copying Nao’s notes word for word.

“I’ve always sucked at maths, I think it has a personal vendetta against me.” Souta let out a dry laugh.

The warmth radiating from Nao’s leg as he unabashedly pushed closer and closer to Souta was almost too much, and it wasn’t allowing the blush from earlier to cool on his cheeks. 

“I’ll help.” Nao’s voice was soft and gentle, and it instantly put Souta at ease. 

Nao reached his hand over a touch and placed it gently on Souta’s leg, just for a moment, but a moment was enough. He let out a relieved sigh, giving Nao a quick nod and a smile. Catching Chiba’s eyes on him he tensed up, ready to fight back with a quick retort to Nao’s kind words to distract her from their closeness, but before he had the chance she had already turned back to her work with a small smile. 

“Nao’s a great teacher, but I’m sure you’ve already figured that out,” she said, her smile remaining. 

The groups continued studying, occasionally checking in from the other side of the table and swapping answers. Suddenly there was a gasp and a clatter of wood against tile from the other end of the table as Takeo shot up to his feet, almost knocking his chair over.

“Shoot, I forgot I needed to pick something up from the store before it closes— I’ll catch you guys later!” Takeo said as he quickly packed up his books and ran out of the door.

Everyone watched him in silence, glancing between each other all sporting the same knowing look.

Miki let out a small laugh when the coast was clear. “Did anyone actually believe that? He totally just wanted to bail.”

A choir of ‘nope’s filled the air, followed by a few laughs, then the continued scribbling of pens on paper.

Nao half-turned his head towards Souta, and Souta could see him watching out of the corner of his eye. 

“What?” he mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Nao to hear.

Nao looked at him, his lips curving at one corner. He shook his head, turning back to the book in front of him and pushing his leg even closer to Souta’s. He couldn’t help but wish that this study date just happened to be at Nao’s house, and that they were alone. His hand felt empty as it sat curled up on his lap. He traced the edge of his pointer finger with his thumb, distracting himself from the feeling. 

He glanced back up at Nao, who at this point had already delved back into his book and was scribbling away with a look of concentration. He glanced over at Keisuke who was quietly guiding a sheepish-looking Inoue through a question Souta had no doubt she already understood and wished so painfully that he could be as obvious as her without worrying about the consequences.

He quietly glanced around at the familiar faces surrounding him, wondering what kind of reaction he would get if he just announced to the table that he and Nao were a thing. Would they care? Would they be disgusted? Happy? Impressed? Confused?

The chaos that was silently brewing in his chest made it painful to breathe, even after drawing in a controlled breath he still felt like his brain was gasping for oxygen. He rested his head on his palm, his eyes fixed on the book in front of him as the kana and numbers swirled and mixed on the page. 

Suddenly he felt a cool hand on his, and glanced up to be met with a slightly furrowed brow and kind eyes as Nao watched him. He gave Souta a small nod as if to ask ‘are you okay?’ Souta quickly returned a nod of his own, but Nao’s expression didn’t shift — he instead glanced around the table from face to face as if to assess the situation.

“I’m actually—” he began, but as everyone on the table turned to look at him his voice became ever so slightly quieter. “I’m not feeling great, I might head home.”

“Are you sick?” Inoue asked with concern.

“I think I’m just getting a headache.” Nao turned towards Souta. “Do you mind going to the bus stop with me?”

Ah. 

“Well we’re pretty much finished, right?” Keisuke looked around at the group who had almost finished what they came here to do, but were all very happy to be dismissed early. “We can always meet again another time. I hope you feel better soon!” 

Before Keisuke had even finished his sentence the group had begun putting their books into their bags and finishing the last few drops of their drinks — ready to escape from the hell of their own making.

As everyone said their goodbyes, and gave their well wishes to a slightly awkward Nao, Keisuke turned to Souta and scanned his expression carefully before speaking. “You alright?”

“Hm?” Souta was pulled out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah I’m fine.” 

“You sure?” 

Keisuke always knew too much, and Souta found it unbelievably hard to lie to him.

“Yeah… I mean, I think so. I’ll talk about it another time. I’m okay, though.”

Keisuke took a brief pause, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “Alright, I’m here whenever you need me.”

“I know.” Souta’s smile was genuine, and Keisuke's words did wonders in calming his nerves.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” 

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Once again Nao and Souta were alone.

“Sorry,” Souta mumbled half-heartedly. 

“What for? I wanted to be alone with you, anyway.”

Souta still wasn’t used to these attacks on his heart — he had no idea how Nao was able to say these things without breaking into a nervous sweat. A brand new blush sprung to his face at the concept of being alone, especially after their previous date.

“Want to take a walk? There’s a park nearby.”

“A park?” Souta scoffed. The movement of Nao’s hair in the breeze easily guided his eyes to follow it, then slip down to Nao’s lips — followed instantly by the memory of his taste of them just a few weeks before. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“What else would you suggest? My house isn’t any more of a good idea.”

Nao clearly found the combination of scrunched up brows and fervent blush to be amusing as a smirk quickly dominated his entire expression. “Hm?”

“Fine, a walk.” 

The familiar route around a park that lay so close to both of their homes suddenly didn’t feel so recognisable. The twinge that pulled at Souta’s heart every time his and Nao’s hands almost touched kept him from relaxing, and this park was definitely too well lit to walk around hand-in-hand, or steal kisses under the shroud of the treeline. 

He glanced up at the sky, the bright lights of the park diminishing any chance of seeing the stars that lay on the soft, cool blanket of black above them. The moon sitting poised in the heavens at least gave Souta something to fix his eyes on as they strolled, but his mind still wandered.

“You’re being uncharacteristically quiet right now,” Nao’s voice broke the silence, startling Souta ever so slightly.

“Huh? Oh, I guess I am. Sorry.”

“You don’t need to… Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Sorry, I’m being boring right—”

Nao stopped, taking Souta’s hand in his and pulling him to a stop before giving it a gentle squeeze. “What’s wrong?”

As their eyes met Souta could feel the corners of his mouth being pulled down involuntarily. His eyes flitted between Nao’s, who watched him with a searching compassion that made Souta want to break down into tears right then and there. 

He finally averted his gaze, letting out a small sigh, but Nao gave his hand a gentle shake to regain his attention, adding a firm but kind “Souta.”

“I don’t know, I feel like I’m being stupid.” Souta’s voice was strained as it came out, and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I’m… scared.”

“Scared of what?” Nao’s eyes were still glued to Souta expectantly.

“I’m—” A steady trickle of tears began pouring onto his cheeks, and Nao wordlessly brought his hand up to wipe them away with his thumb. “I’m not embarrassed — of you, of us, but I’m scared for people to find out. What if they…”

“They’re your friends, Souta, nothing will change.”

“What if it does?” 

“Then I’ll kick their asses.” Nao’s tone was almost a little too serious, and it caused Souta to let out a small laugh even through the tears. There was a short pause, and Nao added a quieter: “…and I’ll be there. I’m not going anywhere.”

Souta took in a deep, shaky breath, closing his eyes as he sighed it out. Looking at Nao, and remembering Nao’s hand in his, he felt calmer. The idea of not feeling Nao’s skin against his right now felt scarier than some stranger seeing them standing hand-in-hand.

“Okay. Good.”

Nao and Souta said their goodbyes, drawn out with coy smiles and quickly cooling hands as they parted ways, turning back to wave to each other after every third step. Even as Nao disappeared from his line of vision, Souta got out his phone to text a final goodbye but was greeted by a text already awaiting his arrival.

Nao⋆: "Goodnight, Souta. Get home safe. ♡"

Souta sat on the edge of his bed, unsure of why his brain and heart were still rioting against each other even now. He let out a sigh, hoping to quell the discomfort, but the relief only lasted a moment before returning with a vengeance. He held the corner of the mattress with both hands, scrunching the fabric under his grip. His chest ached, his arms felt heavy and his eyes were beginning to sting at the emergence of fresh tears. Nao’s reassurance earlier in the night really did help, but he still needed to get his thoughts in order.

He took a breath in, a small sniffle echoing in the quiet room, then let himself fall back to lie on the bed. As his eyes fixed on the stars on the ceiling his mind continued its perilous journey. 

Why can’t I just be happy? We’re together. Who cares if we can’t hold hands in public, or tell our friends. It’s not a secret, but I don’t want people to know. It’s not a secret, but I don’t want people to figure it out. 

It’s not fair.

Souta felt a buzz next to him, a new text message.

Keiskue♠: “Hey. You already know this, but I’m here if you wanna talk.” 

“About anything.”

Souta looked down at the screen, his heart filling with soft warm cotton as he read the text. 

Souta☘︎: “Thanks. I will soon, I promise.”

There was a moment of quiet. The typing bubble popped up, then disappeared, then popped up again.

Keisuke♠: “Any time.”

“( ´ ▿ ` )”

Souta let out a small laugh, then flipped the phone over again. 

Maybe I wouldn’t mind if he figured it out. He already knows I like the guy…

☆

“Hey, Keisuke…” Souta leaned his chin on his palm as he spoke, holding one single edamame between his chopsticks.

“Yes, Souta?”

Souta quickly glanced around to make sure nobody else was in the room before he spoke — barely louder than a whisper. “What do you think of Inoue-chan?”

Keisuke paused, his eyes fixed on Souta’s, his mouth agape as he was about to take a bite of his lunch. He put his chopsticks down, cleared his throat before he spoke. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean, I’ve seen how you are with her. I just thought maybe you…” Souta glanced around the room, unable to make full eye contact after making such a bold accusation. When he looked back at Keisuke, a slight flush had graced his expression.

“You used to like her, so…” Keisuke cleared his throat again. “Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“Weird?” Souta paused, considering the circumstances. “I don’t think so, it was a while ago and besides I…” Keisuke watched him expectantly. “I’m…” He curled his hands into fists, crumpling the fabric of his school-trousers. “I’m… kinda… dating… Nao…” His voice grew quieter, and eyes scrunched more firmly shut with every word.

“Dating?” 

Keisuke’s words sent an unintentional dagger into Souta’s heart. Anxiety churned in his stomach, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up to see Keisuke’s expression. 

Liking someone is different to dating them. I know he wouldn’t stop being my friend but it must be weird for him to know that two of his friends are—

“Congratulations.” Keisuke’s words were warm and calming, and Souta’s shoulders instantly relaxed. He let out an audible sigh, slumping forward slightly. “Thank you… anyway, back to Inoue-chan!”

Keisuke let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “What about her?”

“You know what I mean,” Souta complained, but a smile curved the corners of his lips. “Spill it.”

“There’s nothing to—”

“Souta?” A familiar voice came from the doorway, and Souta spun around to see—

“Nao!”

Souta turned back around to Keisuke with a look of determination. “We’ll continue this conversation later!”

“I’m sure we will,” Keisuke smiled.

☆

Another day, another study session — Souta and Nao had decided that they deserved a little more alone time now they didn’t have any exams in the near future. This was only the second time he had been to Nao’s house, but everything still felt familiar to him as if he’d been there 100 times over. Souta peered into the kitchen, but Nao quickly shooed him upstairs to get out of the way.

As he reached the second-to-the-top of the step, his foot landed with a familiar creek of old floorboards. He looked down, lifting his foot and placing it back down in the exact spot to produce another squeak.

“What are you doing?” Nao held a tray with drinks and snacks in both hands, furrowed brows showing an exerted effort to stop and not let the drinks spill after Souta came to a sudden halt on the stairs in front of him.

“This floorboard.” Souta gestured towards where his left foot lay. “Is this the only one that creeks?”

Nao looked at him, puzzled. “I… think so?” He pondered for another moment, then confirmed, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it is. Why?”

Souta hummed in response, a small smile turning his lips at each corner. “I remember hearing it a few times during our phone calls, and that time I visited.”  

“You notice the weirdest things.” Nao let out a small laugh, taking another step up to force Souta to keep moving.

“Hey, it’s not weird! It makes this house yours. I bet no other house in this neighborhood has this exact creek on this exact step!” He raised and lowered his foot a few more times to prove the point.

“If you say so.” Nao shook his head, but his expression fell into a comfortable smile as he looked up at Souta. “Now move, I need to put this tray down before I drop it.”

Their study session went by quicker than usual, helped by Souta working up until bed time the night before to ensure they’d have some free time afterwards. Souta leaned back, planting his hands firmly on the floor behind him.

“Ugh. Studying makes me feel so sleepy.”

“It’s because you're using your brain for once,” Nao smirked, glancing over at Souta who replied with a smile of his own and an eye roll. “What do you want to do now?”

“Hmmm…” Souta stretched his legs out in front of him, accidentally making contact with Nao who sat on the other side of the table. The hint of a blush appeared on his cheeks, but he ignored it. “I’m pretty tired so I’d probably fall asleep if we watched a movie.”

He suddenly sat bolt-upright, his face lit up with a bright smile. “Wait! I have an idea!”

He shuffled over to his school bag, pulling out handfuls of loose paper and a few textbooks before calling out a satisfied “Aha!” and spinning back around holding up a box of playing cards.

“Cards? What are you, 50 years old? Why do you have those in your bag?”

“Just in case.” Souta shuffled back over on his knees then slapped the box down on the table. “I have some great memories of playing cards with my dad when I was a kid.”

“Okay, fine, what card games do you know then?”

“Snap.”

Nao watched him expectantly, then let out a small laugh when he realised that was the start and end of the list. “Just snap?”

“Yup!”

“Snap!” Souta called out, slamming his hand onto the table, then looking at Nao with a grin. He picked up the cards, then spread them out to fan himself with. “I win!” 

“Yeah, yeah, you win. Congratulations,” Nao laughed, marking a line on Souta’s side of the make-shift scoreboard. “You wanna play again?”

“You only say that because you’ve won the last four rounds…” Souta trailed off as he looked down at the time. 9:40pm. He let out a sigh, looking back at Nao. “I should probably head home soon.”

“Or you could stay over… We don’t have school tomorrow.” 

Souta’s heart-rate quickened at the thought, and a giddy smile tugged at the corners of his lips when he saw a slight flush on Nao’s cheeks. “Really? I’d love to.”

Souta took the bed even though he told Nao at least five times that he didn’t mind sleeping on the floor. Nao handed him a set of pajamas and a spare toothbrush as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and after getting ready for bed and rolling out the futon, Nao switched out the lights. The ceiling was lit with tiny specks of green from the glow-in-the-dark stars he’d managed to put up. The idea of Nao perching on the edge of his bed, or dresser, or side table to clumsily attach them to the ceiling brought a smile to Souta’s face. 

It’s the same as my room — even when I’m at home we’re looking at the same ‘sky’.

“Goodnight, Souta,” Nao called from the floor.

“Goodnight, Nao!” 

There was a moment of silence followed by a shuffle of bed-sheets, then again a few seconds later. Nao sat up and pulled something from under his bed, then slumped back onto the floor with a small huff.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just a little cold. I was just getting another blanket— sorry if I woke you up.”

“Nah, I’m not even tired right now.” Souta paused, eyes fixed to the misty-green stars above him. “Do you want to sleep on the bed?”

“I told you already you’re the guest, you should sleep on the—”

“I mean both of us.”

Souta stopped breathing for just a second, he raised his hands to cover his mouth with the sheet as his heart thumped loudly in his ears. 

I can’t believe I just asked that.

“Okay.” Souta could hear movement beside him. Nao flipped the cover off himself, leaving the futon un-made on the floor as he stood over his own bed. “Move over.”

Souta’s brain was screaming at him in a mix of anxiety and adrenaline as he shuffled over towards the opposite edge of the bed, his back pressed up against the cool wall.

Are we even both going to fit? 

As soon as he felt the bed under him shift with Nao’s weight his mind went silent. All of the questions were unnecessary, all that mattered was Nao’s hand haphazardly searching for him under the covers — his fingers cold as they intertwined with Souta’s.

“Woah, you’re really cold.”

“I wasn’t lying.” Nao let out a shaky laugh, a slight shiver shaking his body. “It’s warm in here.”

“Using me for my warmth, I see.”

“Exactly,” Nao’s laugh warmed Souta’s already blazing heart. 

Nao’s shivering had come to a stop, and the ebb and flow of his breath matched Souta’s almost perfectly. Souta couldn’t help but watch him, even though in the darkened room he could barely make out the features of his face, the only thing that was clear was his silhouette. 

Souta felt a slight squeeze as Nao pushed their hands closer together. He shuffled ever-so-slightly closer, so close that Souta could feel the warmth of his breath.

“Souta?”

“Yeah?”

Souta’s heartbeat was now thumping deafeningly loud in his ears. He was sure that Nao would be able to feel the slight shake of his hand as they inched even closer together. 

Nao released Souta’s hand and propped himself up on his elbow — this scene felt much more intense than their measly kiss in the park, and Souta had to close his eyes tightly shut to stop the coursing blood sending flashes of fireworks over his vision. 

He felt a hand graze across his cheek, finding a comfortable place to rest over his temple, the tips of Nao’s fingers holding the back of his head gently. Souta took in a breath and opened his eyes — he could see a little more of Nao’s features with the light coming in from the window. As Nao leaned in, Souta raised one hand to hold his face and rested on his elbow, pushing himself up slightly to meet Nao halfway. 

Their second kiss was softer and sweeter than the first. Nao leaned in a little further, allowing Souta to slump his head back on the pillow. He traced the edge of Souta’s brow with his thumb, pulling away but quickly coming back to kiss him a second, and third time before moving away completely. He fell back on to his side, still looking towards Souta.

Left speechless, Souta could only turn his head towards Nao, a smile pulling both corners of his mouth. He leaned in to give Nao one final kiss before speaking. “I really like you.”

“Me too.” Nao’s voice was quiet and sleepy, but the deep breaths he was still drawing in proved his heart was beating just as quickly as Souta’s. He moved again, threading his fingers back around Souta’s before muttering a quiet, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Souta closed his eyes, hoping it would help calm his heart down as he slowed his breathing. 

Thank god I went to his clubroom that day.

Souta couldn’t help but laugh to himself at the thought of their meeting, but luckily Nao didn’t seem to notice. His heart ached with adoration as he listened to Nao’s breaths, his mind slowing down until he was almost asleep, whirring with dreams of their future, and memories of their past.

If only we could stay like this forever.

If only I met you sooner.

☆

End.