Archive of Our Own

Tora placed the lantern beside him on the slippery riverbed rocks, careful to keep it still in his touch. With his other hand he tugged at Saga’s pale wrist, exposed to the night breeze as the sleeve of his yukata rode slightly upwards. The brunet looked at Tora’s fingers around his wrist and an unfamiliar look flashed across his face, too fast and too alien for Tora to understand.

‘It’s either me holding you or you holding the lantern. Pick your choice,’ he said instead of scrutinizing the expression. Saga’s face had gone neutral again by then, and, careful so he didn’t lose his grip on Tora’s hand, walked carefully to Tora’s other side and grabbed the lantern’s other handle.

‘There. Wasn’t so bad, was it?’

Saga stayed silent, because between the soft lull of cicadas in the air, the lantern’s soft glow lighting up the sharp features of Tora’s face and the ghost of his touch around his wrist, he was having a hard time not admitting that it wasn’t so bad, no.

They fell into a tranquil mood as the first set of lanterns traveled down the river, passing in front of them in soft, warm colours reflected in the surface of the water. He didn’t have to close his eyes to feel each soul attached to the lanterns. The image of an old woman floated up into his sight along with the feeling of contentment. Her granddaughter is getting married. From another lantern a felt the image of a little boy who wanted to stay longer, thought it was unfair that he could only see his parents every obon. From beside him, Saga could feel Tora reaching out a hand towards the boy. With the hand that wasn’t holding their lantern, Saga held Tora’s elbow back.

‘Don’t,’ he warned. Tora of all people should know, they’re just there to make sure all the souls travel back to the other world safely, not to interfere.

Tora’s eyes were still transfixed on the little boy’s translucent, crying face. The boy was sobbing openly facing them now, sensing that the humans on the riverbed can see him. Saga’s grip on his hand tightened. ‘Tora, Uruha will kill me if anything happens, don’t.’

That made Tora blink and his eyes as it fixed on Saga’s face now were less cloudy than they were before. In fact, they were entirely too sharp, reflecting the glittering lights from the lanterns. They were close enough that Tora’s steadying breaths swept across his skin, warmer than the night air. Surrounded by the wisps of souls passing them by, the other man felt maddeningly alive, Saga wondered if the heartbeats he was hearing in his ears were his or Tora’s.

Tora reached out and covered Saga’s hand around his elbow with his own hand, and they went back to watching the lanterns ran their course down the river, before dissolving into mists, disappearing into thin air.

They made their way away from the river and it should be as good a time as any to let go of each other’s hand, but somehow neither of them wanted to.

Saga’s hand was still in Tora’s as they walked under the glittering midsummer night’s sky, the warmth exhalation of their breaths proved how they’re alive. And it was warmth exhalations that they exchanged as Tora’s lips met his, Saga inhaling the other’s warm breaths and Tora swallowing the brunet’s soft gasps.

The lantern on their feet flickered and died.