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The afternoon train was packed, smelling of wet umbrellas and muddy shoes. Yasu sat by the window, staring at his reflection in the half soaked glass and trying to ignore the group of guys standing near the doors. they were being obnoxiously loud, laughing, shoving each other, and shouting over the noise from the tracks.
It bothered Yasu a lot. They had no reason to be so loud, they talked like something was talking over them. All Yasu wanted was peace and quiet on his ride home, he rolled his eyes and pressed his earphones more into his ears. He turned up the volume on his phone, trying to ignore the annoying voices on the train.
Also what bothered Yasu was that he did notice a few people on the train staring at him strangely, but he just ignored them. Because people on public transit were always weird. The train came to a stop, urging for the people to rush out. So did the loud group of boys, so imagine Yasu’s shock when the boy with the messy hair, who he was silently hating on earlier suddenly stopped right in front of Yasu.
He leaned down, "i like that song too," the boy said, pointing to himself.
Before Yasu could respond, the boy turned around and disappeared into the crowd. He blinked slowly, a couple times before glancing at all the stares that turned their heads as soon as he looked at them.
How did he know what song?
His heart dropped as he looked down at his lap. The headphone jack was dangling against his jeans completely unplugged. His phone had been blasting the music through the main speakers the entire time.
…
Talk about embarrassing.
Yasu scrambled to hit the pause button, his face flushing pink from the embarrassment. No wonder why the boys were being so loud, they were trying to talk over Yasu’s blasting music. He shoved the phone into his bag,he had been blasting indie rock at full volume for twenty minutes.
A sudden, heavy wave of heartache hit him in the chest. It was the realization that he had just completely embarrassed himself in front of the prettiest coolest guy he had ever seen, and now that guy was gone.
Yasu sighed and looked down, his eyes catching something between the crack of the empty seat next to him. It was a small, worn out leather wallet. Yasu picked it up and opened it. A student ID card slid out, showing a photo of the exact same boy with that messy brown hair and that same stupid smile.
Isamu Uchiumi.
Yasu stared at the card. He had no idea where Isamu went, what school he attended, or if he would ever step onto this train line again. Trying to find a stranger in a city this big seemed impossible. But as he slid the wallet into his jacket pocket, he felt a strange feeling take over. Should he give it to the lost and found department..?
…
Weird, he doesn't want to. He wants to give it to this boy by himself,
is this what they call having blind faith?
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
Blind faith, heartache.
“Shoot! My wallet!” Isamu complained, patting himself down. “Oh gosh, I must’ve dropped it somewhere..!”
One of his friends laughed, “Just use your spare.”
Isamu clicked his tongue, “I don’t like the idea there's a stranger that has my info out there.”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
“Juno, what should I do?” Yasu asked, walking down the rain covered street with his phone in hand.
After he exited the station, he immediately started blowing up his cousin's phone. Ignoring where or whatever little time she had to listen to Yasu’s whining.
“Why didn’t you give the ID to the station workers?!” She scolded.
“I don't know!”
“Then go back to the station and give the ID back!”
“Too late for that, I’m already three minutes away from home..”
“Yasu you’re impossible! Just because some guy likes the same song as you does not mean you are gonna keep onto that like a trophy are you?!”
“Damn it! I’ll give it to the station tomorrow."
The next morning, Yasu planned to stay true to his word to Juno, he kept his hand around Isamu’s wallet inside his school bag the entire walk to the station. He was going to do the responsible thing! He was going to give it up and get his peace of mind back.
He forced his feet to go away from the ticket gates and toward the frosted stained glass window of the station's lost and found department. Behind the counter sat a station worker, looking completely bored as he stamped a stack of transit passes. He didn't even look up when Yasu stepped into the line.
…
"Yes? Lost something?" the worker muttered, his voice flat and uninterested.
"Uh, no. I actually found something," Yasu said.
He unzipped his bag and reached inside, his fingers holding the leather of the wallet. He pulled it out, about to drop it onto the metal counter. But right before his fingers let go, his eyes caught on the clear plastic sleeve.
There he was. Isamu Uchiumi.
Even under the lights of the station office, Isamu’s laminated photo looked really bright. That messy brown hair, those eyes, and that ridiculously happy smile stared right back up at Yasu.
Yasu felt that same pang in his chest. He realized with a terrifying certainty that if he dropped this wallet onto the counter, it would be thrown into a plastic bin. It would become just a number on a spreadsheet. And Yasu's only connection to the boy would vanish into the system forever.
"Well? What did you find, kid?"
Yasu froze. His grip on the leather tightened."I... uh..." Yasu stumbled, his face instantly turning bright pink. "Actually, never mind! I thought I found someone's transit pass, but it’s.. it’s just a promotional coupon. Sorry to waste your time!"
Before the worker could even frown, Yasu shoved the wallet back into his bag, zipped it shut, and ran toward the turnstiles. Oh Yasu what an idiot you were.
A mix of guilt and adrenaline raced through him as he tapped his own pass and sprinted down the stairs toward the platforms.
He had lied to Juno. He had lied to a station official. He was completely hopeless.
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
Two weeks passed like a slow exhausting cycle, with no sight of the boy . The afternoon train ride home was no longer a peaceful escape it had officially turned into a daily hunt. Every single day, Yasu stood on the yellow safety line of the platform, his eyes always scanning the crowd. He looked for a flash of messy brown hair, the specific cut of a school uniform, or the sound of boys laughing just a little too loudly.
He suffered through endless false alarms. On Tuesday, he nearly jumped out of his seat when he spotted a boy with messy hair on the opposite platform, only for the guy to turn around and be a total stranger.
"I Want It All" kept looping in his ears. Staring at his own reflection in the window, Yasu couldn't help but overthink that first afternoon. Why did Isamu have to lean down and talk to him like that? Was it just a stupid set of mind games meant to leave Yasu completely confused? The guilt was eating at him, keeping a stranger's property was wrong. He was letting a silly, unexplainable crush control his actions, and a sinking feeling in his stomach told him this was gonna be one of the biggest mistakes he had ever made.
Buzz!
The sudden vibration of his phone in his palm made him flinch. He looked down at the screen.
Juno: did u turn in that guy's ID like u said u would?
…
He couldn't lie to Juno, she was his cousin, and she always saw right through him anyway. But he couldn't tell her the truth either, because she would rightfully call him insane for holding onto a stranger's wallet for fourteen days.
Yasu: I'm handling it dw
He quickly locked his phone and shoved it face down into his pocket, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the cool train window, the drumbeat of the music in his ears. he was trapped in his own stubbornness waiting for a boy who might never show up again.
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
Mind games, mistakes.
Yasu stepped out of the station, immediately pulling his collar up against the sudden rain, it had been raining for so long now this wasn’t an unusual sight for Yasu. Realizing his umbrella wouldnt stand up, Yasu walked into a nearby convenience store. Yasu walked over to the drink aisle, he reached inside and grabbed a heavy glass bottle of coca cola, the glass was freezing against his palms.
Chime!
The little bell above the doors rang, immediately followed by a burst of noisy laughter.. Yasu’s entire body went cold, being outside in the rain didn’t compare to this. Peeking slightly Yasu watched as Isamu and his friends burst into the shop. Isamu was right at the center, shaking rain out of his messy brown hair, completely soaked with that same happy smile on his face.
Isamu’s eyes locked right onto him, he blinked in surprise, his smile instantly widening. Without saying a word to his friends, he walked straight down Yasu's aisle. He stopped just two feet away, he looked at Yasu, then glanced down at the glass bottle of Coke in Yasu's hand.
"Hi," Isamu said, "Headphones plugged in today?"
…
Yasu felt his heart bursting outta his chest, but he forced himself to play it cool. He leaned back slightly against the cooler door, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't going to let this guy see how much he had completely turned his life for the last two weeks.
"Perfectly plugged in," Yasu replied.
"I'm Isamu, I was actually hoping I'd run into you again."
Yasu raised an eyebrow, “Seriously..?”
Isamu didn't even look back at his group. He just raised his voice, shouting over the aisle. "Hey guys! Go on ahead without me, I'll catch up later!"
His friends stopped laughing, turning around to look at him with mixed faces. One of them whistled, teasing him, but they eventually waved it off and headed out the door.
"Let's get out of the aisles," Isamu grinned, pointing toward the glass exit. "Before the cashier thinks we're tryna steal."
…
They walked out together, stopping right under the convenience store's awning. The rain was coming down which was splashing on the pavement in front of their shoes. The air was freezing and the heavy glass bottle of Coke in Yasu's hand was probably gonna give him frostbite by the time he reached home.
"So," Isamu said, "Are you going to tell me your name?”
"It's Yasu.”
"Yasu," Isamu repeated, testing the name out like he wanted to memorize it. "I like it. I really thought I missed my chance to talk to you after the train."
Yasu looked down at his school bag, his heart starting to race again. He reached his hand inside, his fingers instantly finding the familiar leather he had been carrying around for fourteen days.
"Actually," Yasu added, pulling his hand out of the bag. "You didn't miss your chance, you just dropped something."
He held his hand out, showing the worn out leather wallet right in front of Isamu's face. Isamu froze, his eyes going wide, staring at the wallet, and then down at his student ID card showing. His jaw literally dropped.
"No way," Isamu breathed, taking the wallet from Yasu's hand. He flipped it open, checking his transit passes and receipts, a sigh of relief from his lips. "My wallet! Dude, I've been panicking for two weeks looking for this thing! I thought it was gone forever!"
…
Then, Isamu stopped laughing. He looked up, his eyes locking deeply onto Yasu, a smile spread across his face.
"Wait a minute," Isamu mumbled, stepping closer under the awning. "You've had this the whole time? For two weeks?"
Yasu felt his cheeks burning pink again, but he stood his ground, refusing to break eye contact. "You left it in the crack of the seat. I was going to give it to the lost and found.."
"But you didn't."
"But I didn't," Yasu admitted.
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
“What’s your favourite song?” Isamu asked, kicking a rock down the sidewalk.
Yasu rubbed the back of his neck, “I Want It All..”
Isamu’s steps slowed, “Are you listening to that right now?”
…
“Yeah..”
“Do you listen to any other songs?!”
“Not really..”
Isamu sighed, “Alright pass it over..” He held his hand out, signaling Yasu to hand over the other earphone.
“I mean, if you won’t get sick of it..”
He scoffed, “Who do you take me for?” Kicking Yasu’s ankle.
“Fine here!”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
They walked the rest of their time in silence, Yasu found it incredibly awkward, he must have seemed like a poser to Isamu back there. Worse part was that his favourite song was on the most streamed album, Isamu must have thought he was so lame..
Isamu on the other hand couldn’t care less, it was strange Yasu only listened to one song on the album but at the end of the day, it was a good song. So walking in the rain with some stranger, or now acquaintance with a good song playing wasn’t so bad..
♬ My sweet fireball ♬
♬ My sweet rigmarole ♬
“Oh, I don’t go that way..” Yasu stated, pointing his finger in the other direction. “My street is right there actually.”
“Seriously?! You live so close.” Isamu mumbled.
“Yeah um.. I’ll see you around–”
“Alright, gimme your number.” Isamu sighed, holding his hand out.
Yasu’s face immediately flushed pink, “Wait, what?!”
“I don’t do this often you know? Pass the phone.”
“But!”
“Whats wrong?”
…
Yasu reluctantly passed his phone to Isamu, he watched as Isamu’s fingers typed in something he couldn’t see. He was taking awfully long, how long does it take to type in a couple digits into a phone?
“Here.”
Yasu took his phone back, “Thank you..”
“For what?”
“Nothing!” Yasu coughed, “I mean nothing.”
“Well, text me soon, kay?”
Yasu watched Isamu as he walked off further into the distance, becoming smaller and smaller. He held his phone close to his chest, and couldn’t help the smuggest smile popping up on his face. Juno has to know about this.
“And now he gave me both his instagram and his number!” Yasu exclaimed, pacing back and forward in his room happily.
“Uh huh, you lied to me!” She retorted back. “You said you gave the ID to the station!”
“I told you I was handling it!”
“You held on to that ID for two weeks?!”
…
“Yasu!”
“It was worth it I got his number in the end!”
She sighed, “Whatever.. Just send me his insta.”
“Why?!”
“I need to see this guy!”
Yasu groaned, “Fine, I’m sending it right now.”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
"Oh, wow," Juno's voice popped through the speaker. "Okay, I get it now."
Yasu looked down at his own screen, refreshing Isamu’s page. "Get what?"
"He's actually cute, Yasu. Like, effortlessly cute. Look at his pinned post."
Yasu clicked it. It was a photo of Isamu from last summer, laughing at something off camera with a melting ice cream cone in his hand. He looked so bright, so entirely full of life.
…
"See?" Juno teased. "No wonder you became a criminal for two weeks."
"I wasn't a criminal!" Yasu defended, his cheeks warming up again. "Anyway, I'm hanging up now, I need to text him."
"Good luck, Romeo. Don't fumble it."
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
The call clicked shut. Yasu stared at the empty text box under Isamu's name, his thumb hovering over the screen.
I want it all. The lyric from the song played in his head. He wanted to know everything about the boy, but right now, he couldn't even figure out a greeting.
…
After twenty minutes of drafts getting thrown aside, he went back to his last option again.
…
“Juno what do I say?”
“Bro, just say hi or something.”
“Should I say ‘Hi it’s Yasu.’ or ‘hello I’m Yasu?’”
“Is this a joke?”
“No!”
“Then why are you saying absolute BS in my face right now?!”
“Juno help me!”
“Just type ‘Hey, it’s Yasu’ and hit send before I come over there and throw your phone out the window!” Juno snapped.
“Fine! Fine! I’m doing it!”
Yasu aggressively tapped out the letters, his heart in his throat.
Yasu: Hey, it's Yasu.
He immediately slammed his phone face down onto his mattress.“I did it, with proper punctuation too.” Yasu stated smugly.
“That’s so corny, he’s gonna think you’re some grandpa hitting on him instead.”
“No he’s not!!”
Buzz!
“He responded!” Yasu exclaimed, picking his phone back up again.
“What did he say?” She asked.
Isamu: I’m freaking crying Y do u type like that
"Oh my god," Yasu groaned, dropping his head onto his pillow. "You were right, he called out the period."
Juno cackled through the speaker. "Told you! What else did he say?"
Yasu looked back at the screen as a second bubble popped up.
Isamu: I’m glad u texted tho
Isamu: what r u doing right now?
"He said he's glad I texted," Yasu murmured, a tiny smile appearing on his face.
"Well?" Juno’s voice was dripping with amusement. "Don't leave the pretty boy hanging. Tell him you're doing absolutely nothing except obsessing over his text format."
Yasu hung up on Juno, leaving her laughing into the receiver. He stared down at the glowing screen, his fingers hovering as he tried to type a response that wouldn't make him sound like a total loser again.
Yasu: Nothing really. Just listening to music.
It only took three seconds for the typing bubbles to appear.
Isamu: lemme guess i want it all??
Isamu: anyway u free this saturday?? there’s this old record store downtown.
Yasu’s breath hitched. A real invitation. Outta nowhere.
…
He gripped his phone tightly, staring at the words until they blurred. His brain was screaming at him to play hard to get, but his thumbs were already moving on their own.
Yasu: Sure. I’m free.
Isamu: meet me at the station at 1 PM. don’t 4get your headphones
I want
…
it all.
“Wow, you’re actually on time.” Isamu teased.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m always on time.”
He chuckled, “Come on, the record store is just down this block.”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
They walked in silence, no music nor talking. The sun shined down on them and the heat was becoming unbearable, this is when Yasu would wish for another rainy day again. Isamu’s steps began to slow when they reached a small store.
They walked in and Yasu felt a rush of cold air on him, thank god there was AC.
Yasu noticed the song playing over the store speakers. American sports, he remembers it!
“Do you know this song?” Yasu asked.
“Are you seriously asking me that?”
…
“Of course I do!”
Yasu rolled his eyes, though his heart did a little bounce. "Shut up.. I was just asking since it's a good song.."
"I never said it wasn't," Isamu said, walking over to the nearest row of wood vinyl crates. "Come look at this section."
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
Isamu flipped through them fast, not even bothering to check them out properly. Yasu, on the other hand, was taking his time, carefully reading every single tracklist. For no absolute reason.
"You move too fast," Yasu muttered.
Isamu didn't stop flipping. "You move too slow."
…
"It's called appreciating the music," Yasu added.
Isamu finally paused, pulling a vinyl halfway out of the crate to show him. "Whatever you say, old dog. Look at this one."
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
Old dogs, new tricks
…
After a while of just looking around, they stepped back into the summer heat again. Heading back on to the street.
“Oh gosh, the heat is getting to me again.” Isamu complained, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
“Tell me about it.” Yasu muttered.
“Should we get some ice cream?”
Yasu nodded, “Sure, lemme see where the nearest store is-”
“No need,” Isamu interjected. “I know one, it’s nearby.”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
The ice cream shop gave off that kinda retro vibe Yasu always wanted to experience. It was colorful, covered in pinks, blues, yellows and many other colors. There was a lot of ice cream decor like props and signs. As soon as they reached the counter, Yasu was surprised since there were so many flavors, it felt as if he chose something plain, he would be missing out..
“Please don’t tell me you're choosing vanilla.”
“What?”
“I literally see you eyeing it.”
“No! I’m gonna get something good.”
…
“One mango raspberry sorbet and one dark chocolate sea salt please!”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
They managed to find a small bench right outside the shop, sitting down just as the ice cream started to melt over their hands. Yasu looked over at Isamu’s cone. The mango and raspberry pink colors were already dripping down the edge of the waffle.
“Do you come to this shop a lot?” Yasu asked.
“Sometimes, but I usually come with my brother and his friend.” Isamu looked up from his ice cream. “How’s yours?”
“Paradise.”
Isamu laughed, “Doesn’t look like it.”
"It's a sophisticated flavor, way better than eating a neon rainbow."
"Don't insult sorbet!" Isamu laughed, holding his cone up like a toast. "It matches the vibe out here!"
…
“Oh gosh.”
Yasu looked away from his cone, “What?”
“Brain freeze!” Isamu placed his hand over his forehead, “Can you feel it?”
“Nah, i’m safe.”
Yasu collapsed onto his bed, his legs aching from all the walking.. His room was quiet, the breeze coming through the open window a good relief from the burning afternoon. He pulled out his phone, his thumb instantly moving to the Instagram app before he could even stop himself.
He clicked onto Isamu’s page.
…
There was a new post. It was a photo from today, taken right outside the ice cream shop they went to. Isamu had his arm thrown over the back of the bench, squinting slightly against the bright sun with a smile on his face. Yasu stared at the screen, a quiet smile on his face.
Isamu’s feed had a vibe he couldn’t explain, it was filled with photos of basically anything really. Landscapes, streets at night, leather jackets or outfit photos, music shops and so much more.
♬ Space age country girl boy.. ♬
Buzz!
A text notification dropped down from the top of his screen.
Isamu: had fun text me soon ♡
A heart..
…
Yasu never sent a response that day.
“So, you’re telling me that you guys hung out yesterday?” Juno asked, “Please tell me you didn’t wear anything stupid.”
Yasu clicked his tongue, muttering something away from the phone speaker. “I didn't, I just wore a T- shirt.”
“Well what did you guys do?”
“We checked out some record store and got ice cream after.”
“That's so boring!”
“It wasn’t! We bonded over our music, we have much more in common than you think. And when you’re free, we have to go to the ice cream shop that Isamu showed me.”
“Oh?” Juno’s voice suddenly seemed more interested. “That good?”
“Really good.”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
“Oh my gosh.”
“What?”
“I left Isamu on read.”
“Yasu!”
“I think I’m gonna die! He definitely hates me now!”
“No he doesn’t hurry up and send him a message idiot!”
…
Yasu: Hey
…
“Please don’t tell me you said something stupid.” Juno pleaded.
A month passed, and the summer heat was completely gone. The afternoon rain had returned, but this time it was freezing cold, the autumn wind blowing down the streets and forcing everyone to layer up.
Everything had changed, yet everything also stayed exactly the same.
…
Yasu sat by the window of the afternoon train, his earphones plugged in perfectly this time. He looked down at his phone, a soft smile as he scrolled through his and Isamu’s messages. Against all odds, Isamu hadn't ghosted him after that dry "Hey" text. They actually hadn't stopped talking since. They now knew each other's favorite foods, their dumb habits, and their schedules.Looking back at how a broken headphone jack and a lost wallet turned into this, it felt like an actual stone cold miracle. Or maybe that was only what Yasu thought.
The train came to a stop, the doors sliding open.
Yasu stepped out onto the damp platform, the cold air biting him already. He didn't even have to look around the crowd this time. Standing right under a station light, was Isamu, who was waiting for him.
"Took you long enough." Isamu teased as Yasu walked up to him.
“I’m not the one driving the train am i?”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
They left the station together, the sky by then turned a heavy gray. Before they could even cross the street, the clouds appeared, and threw a sudden, freezing downpour all over the sidewalk.
"Oh, great," Yasu muttered, shivering as the cold raindrops soaked his shoulders.
Before he could even step back under the station awning, Isamu moved.
He unzipped his oversized jacket, holding it high over both of their heads like a little tent. "get in!"
Yasu didn't think twice. He stepped right into Isamu’s space, under the heavy fabric. The sudden closeness was embarrassing. Because the jacket was only so big, they were forced to stand face to face. The air inside their little shelter was warm, smelling liek of the same sweet scent from Isamu's wallet.
The teasing completely stopped.
Yasu looked up, his breath hitching. Isamu was already staring at him, his brown eyes reflecting from the streetlights. Their faces were just inches apart.
♬ I want ♬
…
♬ it all ♬
The lyric hit Yasu's heart harder than the rain.
Standing in the dark with Isamu's heartbeat practically matching his own, oh gosh, don’t tell me you like him Yasu?
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
“Stop!” Isamu laughed as they splashed through the rainy street. “You’re gonna catch a cold!”
Yasu didn’t listen, he purposely kept stepping out of the jacket Isamu and he were using as an umbrella. Isamu would try to shield him but Yasu would pull the jacket away and laugh before entering their shelter on his own.
The cold droplets would hit him instantly, they were freezing. But Yasu never felt more alive, he was speed walking through the rain covered street, playing with Isamu, and most importantly? Listening to his favorite song as it happened.
This was probably a dream, there was no way something so sweet was happening to him right now.
Yasu stood in his room, scrubbing a towel over his wet hair. He was still shivering from the rain, but his face felt completely hot. He couldn't stop thinking about Isamu and he was under that jacket. He snatched his phone off his desk and dialed Juno's number before he could talk himself out of it.
The line picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"
"Juno," Yasu breathed, dropping the towel onto his shoulders. "I may be in trouble."
…
"What did you do now, loser?" Juno groaned. "Don't tell me you left him on read again."
"No!" Yasu exclaimed. "We ran through the rain together. He used his leather jacket as an umbrella for us. We were literally inches away from each other, Juno."
The line went completely dead for a second.
"Oh," Juno's voice changed, losing its teasing tone. "Oh, wow. Yasu, do you actually like this guy?"
Yasu stopped pacing, instead looked at his reflection in the dark window. “Juno?”
“What?”
“I do.”
…
Juno sighed in relief, "Well, it's about time you admitted it. So what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," Yasu muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've never felt like this about anyone before."
“Yasu you’re so so cute, this is like your first teenage crush.”
“Shut up!”
“Stop overthinking it for once in your life,"
…
“What do you want?”
“What do you mean?” Yasu asked.
“I mean, with this guy, what do you want to do with him?”
Yasu’s face instantly flushed, “Juno!”
“I don’t mean it like that! I mean like do you wanna hold his hand or something??”
…
Yasu gripped the phone tight, his face burning red. He looked down at his feet,for the first time, he didn't feel like backing down. He didn't wanna play it cool anymore.
"Yeah,"
…
"I want to hold his hand. I want to walk to the train station with him every day. I want to share my music with him without worrying about being lame."
…
“I want it all, Juno.”
The line on the other end stayed quiet for a couple seconds, Yasu thought by then Juno had probably hung up on him just from how cheesy he was being.
“Damn loverboy, you need this guy.”
“You make it so embarassing!”
“I’m not wrong!”
“Shut up!”
♬ And then suddenly it hit me, it's a year ago ♬
…
It had been at least two months since he knew Isamu.
Yasu kept his hands in his pockets, trying to warm them up in the cold september weather. It felt as if Isamu thought Yasu had all the time in the world just from the way Yasu had been standing outside for five minutes at the cafe they were supposed to be at.
Yasu also wasn’t supposed to be asked why he didn’t wait for Isamu inside the shop and would rather choose to freeze in the chilly air.
“Yasu i’m here!’ Isamu exclaimed, running up to Yasu with a couple of shopping bags in his hand.
“Finally, I was freezing. Cmon, let's go inside.”
“Why didn’t you wait for me inside the shop?”
“I don’t know..”
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
The cafe was alright, Isamu and Yasu just chatted about the time being. More like Isamu ranting to Yasu about absolute nonsense happening in his school while Yasu would sit back and actually take the time to enjoy his food.
They walked back outside, and the cold air hit them instantly. Isamu already turned back, his hand reaching for the cafe’s door handle again.
“No.” Yasu blocked the door. “We’ll make it through, we have survived worst weather before."
“Yasu I think I'm gonna die!”
Yasu just rolled his eyes, keeping his hands in his pockets. “Just walk faster!”
Isamu pulled his hands out of his jacket pockets, swinging his arms a little as he tried to keep up with Yasu’s pace. As they walked side by side, their hands naturally brushed against each other.
Once.
Twice.
…
Yasu’s heart gave a sudden, familiar beating against his ribs. He didn't pull away this time. Instead, he kept his hand loose by his side, his pulse racing in the cold air.
On the third brush, Isamu’s hand didn't move away either.
Slowly, carefully, Isamu reached out with his hand. He didn't grab Yasu's whole hand, he was probably too nervous for that. Instead, his smallest finger slid over Yasu's.
Their pinkies locked.
…
Yasu froze for a split second, his face turning burning red. He looked at Isamu, but Isamu was staring straight ahead at the sidewalk, trying to act completely normal. The only giveaway was the bright pink on Isamu’s own ears. They didnt say a word bout it. They just kept walking down the chilly street, their pinkies hooked together with the cold air that was no longer coming in between them.
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
They stood by the railing, watching the grey sky over the city. Their pinkies were still hooked together, for like absolute no reason but they stayed like that anyway. Yasu unzipped his school bag with his free hand, pulling out a familiar glass bottle of coca cola he’d bought earlier.
"Perfect!" Isamu smiled, his eyes lighting up.
He let go of Yasu's pinky,losing the only source of heat they had. But before Yasu could complain, Isamu reached deep into his heavy jacket pocket and pulled something out.
It was a tiny, glass bottle of miniature whiskey.
"Isamu where the hell did you get that?!"
"Stole it from my brothers desk," Isamu laughed, completely unbothered. He cracked the tiny cap open, the scent of alcohol hitting the frozen air. "Come on. Let’s mix it."
…
Yasu popped the cap off his Coke. Isamu carefully poured the liquor straight into the fizzing soda.
Yasu took a sip. It burned his throat, he let out a soft laugh, handing the bottle back. Mixing soda and liquor? What a stupid, rebellious thing to do, his parents would freak if they knew he was doing this! Isamu set the bottle down on the railing. The wind blew a strand of his messy hair across Isamu's face. He stepped closer, closing the distance until they were standing face to face, just like they had been under the jacket a month ago.
"Yasu," Isamu whispered, his eyes meeting Yasu's.
"Yeah?"
"I'm really glad you didn't give my wallet to the lost and found."
…
Isamu’s hand reached for Yasu’s, taking their hands together. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes dropping down to Yasu’s lips before looking back up into his eyes. This was actually happening was it? Yasu leaned in closer just like Isamu..
Their lips landed in a kiss.
Soft.
Freezing.
Cold.
Yasu's heart didn't just beat, it completely stopped. the world around them vanished, leaving nothing but the sweet taste of Coke and whiskey between them. When Isamu pulled back, his cheeks were a bright burning pink. He flashed that same ridiculous, happy smile. A sharp train whistle echoed from the tracks below. Three PM, Isamu’s train was arriving.
"Ain't it just like you to kiss me and then hit the road?" Yasu murmured, a soft, smug smile spreading across his face.
Isamu laughed, stepping backward toward the station stairs. "Hey, I have to catch my ride! Text me soon, kay?"
He turned and sprinted down the stairs as vanished into the station. Yasu stood alone by the railing, holding the glass bottle in his hand. He put his earphones back in, pressing play. The final lyrics of the song filled his ears.
He smiled, he really did have it all.
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
♬ Leave me listening to the Stones' "2000 Light Years from Home" ♬
Bonus!! ꉂ(˵˃ ᗜ ˂˵)
The taste of cola and whiskey was still on his lips, no matter how many times he licked them. Yasu felt the air hitting his cold face, he pulled his phone out and clicked on the first contact.
…
“What do you want now Yasu? I don’t have time to listen to you ramble on how you think Isamu is the most perfect guy or whatever.”
Yasu’s voice squeaked out, he couldnt bare the excitement. “Juno! We kissed!”
Juno’s voice instantly rang out from the speaker. “You’re kidding Yasu! Go back to bed, it was probably another dream you had–”
“Juno, i’m not kidding.” Yasu assured
...
“Tell me everything right now.”
Bonus 2 (♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈)
Isamu instantly rushed into his house, running straight toward the dining table where his older brother Senzai and his friend Kibo sat, studying for some exam that Isamu was hearing non stop about.
“Senzai! Kibo!” Isamu exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table.
“Yes,” Senzai nodded, not bothering to take his eyes off the textbook. “We know you’re here.”
“Don’t mind him, what's up ‘Samu?’ Kibo asked, still focused on his papers.
“I have something to tell you!” Isamu admitted, his eyes switching between Senzai and Kibo.
…
“Guys this is important!”
…
“Guys I’m serious!”
…
“I have a boyfriend!”
“What?!” Kibo stood up, “You?! Isamu?!”
“He’s just kidding.” Senzai added. “He’s doing that to distract us.”
“Aniki!” Isamu whined.
"Prove it then," Kibo challenged, leaning his hands on the table. "Who is he? How did it happen?"
"His name is Yasu. He and I shared a Coke by the tracks. And we kissed." He said smugly
Senzai finally looked up from his textbook, narrowing his eyes at his little brother. "Ha, liar. You don’t drink plain soda."
…
Isamu’s smile turned slightly nervous. He rubbed the back of his neck, taking a small step toward the kitchen. "Well.. we didn't just drink plain soda," Isamu muttered. "I kinda mixed something into it."
Senzai’s eyes instantly went toward the hallway leading to his bedroom desk."Isamu, where is the miniature whiskey?"
"See you later Kibo bye!" Isamu yelled, instantly turning on his heel and sprinting up the stairs to his room before his brother could kill him.
ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ
♬I want ♬
...
♬ it all ♬
—------------