As usual, Akito wakes up before Toya.
As usual, Toya is dead to the world this early in the morning.
As usual, “this early” apparently extends to ten a.m..
Akito is thoroughly enjoying their embrace, of course; Toya is something of a boa constrictor when he’s asleep, so it’s a little uncomfortable, but Akito couldn’t care less if it means seeing his partner this content. All good things must come to an end, though. They have a busy day ahead of them, so unfortunately, Toya needs to wake up.
Akito takes a moment to prepare himself for the near-impossible task, then slowly leans back from his partner, ignoring weak arms trying to pull him back in.
“Hey,” he says quietly, raising a hand to poke Toya’s cheek, “wake up, partner.”
…No reaction. He tries again, this time gently pinching and pulling on the flesh. “Toyaaa~.”
There. He got one eye open, for less than a second. An opening.
“Ah-ah-ah,” he chides, bringing both hands up to squeeze Toya’s face, “I saw that. Don’t go back to sleep now.”
The only response he gets is probably meant to be a “no”, but it only comes out as a drawn-out nnnnn as Toya buries his face in Akito’s chest.
“Nope, none of that,” Akito says, pulling Toya back up. “‘S daytime now. You gotta get up.”
Toya, being the stubborn bastard he is, shakes his head and buries himself in the covers.
Akito sighs, trying and failing to break through the bunched-up blankets. “Oi, y’know what day it is?”
Suddenly, a hand raises from the sheets; it seems like he’s trying to cover Akito’s mouth, but his movements are sluggish, and his hand ends up more haphazardly slapped against his face. “Not a school day,” Toya grumbles, voice low and quiet, “so lemme sleep.”
“It’s not a school day,” Akito agrees, gently pulling the hand from his face and holding it. “But it is important. You remember?”
Toya just nestles back into Akito’s chest, still hidden under the blankets. Typical.
Akito leans down, smiling, lifting the sheets to peek down at Toya. “Partner,” he whispers, “happy birthday.”
He was hoping that that would be enough to tempt Toya into wakefulness. It doesn’t seem to work; his partner shifts to press his face into the crook of Akito’s neck, humming lowly. Akito sighs, gently teasing the hairs at the base of Toya’s neck. “C’mon, don’t you wanna open your gifts?”
“No. Wanna sleep.”
“We got a whole surprise planned, y’know.”
“Mm… later.”
Akito chuckles and tries to ease Toya off of him. “Too bad. The surprise is time-based, so we’re getting up now.”
Ignoring his partner’s upset whines, Akito starts sitting up, pulling Toya with him. Unfortunately, Toya decides to put up a fight; he clutches at Akito’s arm, falling back down onto the sheets and promptly lying on top of Akito when he gets pulled down.
Akito huffs. “Listen, if I don’t get you up, your brother’s gonna come get us. And he probably won’t be as nice about it as I am, hm?”
No response. Toya fell asleep again. Lying directly on top of Akito.
…Seriously, is this guy a cat?
Cautiously, Akito turns, trying to shift his partner off of him so he can resume his (fruitless) attempts at waking him up. As he does, though, loud footsteps begin thumping down the hall.
The door bursts open.
“Akito! Toya! Time is up!”
Toya visibly cringes at Tsukasa’s voice, once again trying to hide under the covers; the star sighs exaggeratedly, stomping across the room and setting something on the bedside before clutching at the edge of the sheets. “Come on, little star! Up, up!”
Akito chuckles as the blankets are pulled away.
Instantly, Toya whines. “Tsukasa-niiii, lemme sleep!” Eyes still half-closed, he reaches out, fumbling over Akito in a futile attempt to grab back the blanket; as he leans forward, though, Tsukasa pulls the blanket back, which prompts Toya to reach even further, and…
There’s a dull thud as he hits the floor in a heap. Akito sits on the bed, absolutely cackling.
“Now, here is the remedy to your plight,” Tsukasa says, placing a mug of coffee on the ground next to Toya’s head. “You drink that and come downstairs, we have breakfast prepared!”
Tsukasa leans down to press a kiss to Toya’s hair, then leaves the room, shooting an amused look at Akito as he steps through the doorway.
After a moment spent composing his laughter, Akito steps off the bed, sitting behind the now-upright Toya and hugging his waist. “Hey,” he murmurs, voice still laced with amusem*nt. “That enough to wake you up?”
Toya grumbles and leans back into him. “You’re all horrible to me.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Akito smiles, resting his temple against soft blue hair. “Just drink your damn coffee.”
They fall quiet as Toya slowly returns to his usual state; Akito presses kisses to the base of his neck every few minutes, an action which draws out a pleased hum each time. Eventually, the mug is placed down, and Toya turns around.
“There we go,” Akito murmurs, seeing the soft smile he adores so much. He leans forward, and Toya meets him halfway.
He’s long gotten over the coffee taste by now. It tastes good, even, when it’s on Toya’s lips; even better on his tongue, Akito muses, as he pulls his partner closer by the waist and delicate fingers begin to trace his jawline. Toya begins to lean forward, and Akito easily obliges, resting against the bedframe as his partner starts to crawl over him–
Right. Breakfast. Birthday. Not the time to make out, they have things to do.
With a heavy heart, Akito nudges Toya’s chest, pushing him to sit on the floor again (as opposed to on Akito’s lap). His partner tilts his head, looking like an abandoned puppy. The ginger smiles and lays a hand on Toya’s cheek. “C’mon, we gotta go eat breakfast. Tsukasa-senpai’s probably got a whole buffet down there.”
Toya’s eyes light up at the mention of his brother; he moves off of Akito as if his tongue wasn’t just in his mouth.
…Well, it isn’t all that unusual, to be fair.
A moment is spent making themselves presentable; falling off the bed followed by a short make-out session first thing in the morning has left Toya looking more than a little dishevelled, but Akito finds it nothing less than adorable as he fixes his partner’s bedhead. Toya frowns after he stretches, rubbing his elbow; “I hit it on the floor earlier,” he complains. Akito smiles, gently wrapping his hand around his partner’s wrist, lifting it and lowering his head to kiss his elbow, just under where Toya’s (Akito’s) t-shirt sleeve falls. Toya watches, eyes blown wide and blushing wildly.
“Mm, that help?” Akito asks as he raises his head, dropping Toya’s wrist. His partner just smiles bashfully and gives a slow nod. The ginger grins, slips his hand into Toya’s and pulls him towards the door.
The Tenma home is big, so much so that it had shocked Akito when he’d first come over. This fact makes it all the more concerning that, from an entire floor away, a long hallway separating he and Toya from the stairs, Akito can already hear the shouting of the house’s primary occupants.
“Tsukasa-nii and Saki-nee are certainly enthusiastic this morning,” Toya murmurs, amusem*nt lacing his tone. Akito chuckles. “Yeah, just hope they’ll have some mercy on my ears.”
That pulls a pretty little laugh from Toya as they make their way down the stairs. Akito doesn’t fail to notice how his partner’s pace picks up as his siblings’ voices become clearer– to anyone else, his excitement would be invisible, but to Akito he’s practically buzzing. Their hands slip apart when they get to the bottom of the stairs. Usually, Akito would feel the slightest twinge of disappointment at the loss, but right now he couldn’t care less.
They step into the living room, adjoined to the kitchen. A moment passes.
Toya is barrelled into a hug by his sister.
Akito watches as two of them go tumbling backwards, Toya barely managing to throw his leg back in time to catch her; he’s beaming, though, reflecting a quieter version of the sunny Tenma smile his sister proudly sports. “Toya-kun!” Saki exclaims, leaning back just enough to look at him, “happy birthday!”
Toya chuckles. “Thank you, Saki-nee.”
“Now remember,” she starts, taking Toya’s hand to lead him to the table (Akito follows, smiling), “I still have sixteen days on you, so don’t think you can go disobeying your big sister.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Ehe, perfect!” Saki ushers him into a seat, then pulls Akito down into the one next to him. “Now, my first command today as the big sister slash sister-in-law is to eat up! We have a very long day ahead of us!”
Right on cue, Tsukasa approaches the table, brandishing a plate of scrambled eggs & vegetables in one hand and pancakes in the other. “Yes! We need you full and energised, Toya!”
“Alright… what are we doing?”
“Aha!” Tsukasa makes a grand show of pressing a finger to his lips. “A surprise, my dear younger brother! But rest assured that we have everything handled to ensure that you will enjoy a perfect birthday!”
“A surprise…?” Toya tilts his head to the side, eyes twinkling; affection wells in Akito’s chest at the expression. The pancakes are probably also contributing to the warm feeling. Probably.
The two boys fall mostly quiet as they eat, watching as Saki and Tsukasa discreetly pack things into bags in the kitchen. A cooler bag is carried and placed by the front door, then a backpack, then another large bag, then a smaller tote bag—
“Um, do we really need that much?” Toya asks, looking just a little concerned about the growing pile.
Somehow, through the weird force of Tenma telepathy, Tsukasa and Saki spin in perfect sync with matching grins, fists held to their chests. “Ah, you doubt our power, little brother!” Tsukasa exclaims.
“There are no lengths we wouldn’t go to for our Toya-kun!” Saki follows.
“So don’t you worry your little head, Toya! Simply leave everything to us!” Tsukasa finishes, pulling some weird pose which Saki mimics.
“Amazing,” Toya whispers, perfectly in sync with Akito’s quiet mumble of “Weirdos.” He earns a warning bap on the shoulder.
Not long passes before Akito and Toya each finish their breakfasts; Tsukasa smiles at them. “Right! We’re going to get the train at eleven thirty, so you two had best go get dressed!” His gaze flickers over to Akito. “Akito, I trust you to make sure Toya has everything he needs?”
Akito gives a thumbs up; Toya looks between them curiously.
“Alright! Off you go, and we shall leave when you’re ready!” Tsukasa presses a smacking kiss to Toya’s forehead, then ushers the younger boys towards the stairs.
When they arrive in Toya’s bedroom, he goes for his wardrobe; while most of his clothes stay at the Aoyagi household, the Tenmas bought him plenty to keep here, should he ever arrive in a rush or want to stay for a few days. Just as he starts pulling through the drawers, Akito approaches and wraps an arm around his waist, pulling him to the side. Toya hums questioningly.
“Uh… here, these should do fine,” Akito says, handing him a t-shirt and shorts after a moment of rummaging, with an extra pair folded in his arms. His partner looks at the clothes curiously and tracks as Akito places the additional set in his backpack.
“Why did you get more clothes?” Toya asks as he turns around, beginning to pull off his pyjamas.
Akito chuckles and answers a simple, “Secret,” grabbing his own clothes from where Toya had folded them the night before and begins changing.
“Where on earth are we going…?”
Akito laughs harder at that; he briefly turns to check that Toya is decent, and moves to wrap his arms around his partner’s waist when he finds that they’re both dressed. “We told ya’, it’s a surprise~,” he hums, hooking his head over Toya’s shoulder and pressing a few tiny kisses to the side of his neck. His partner giggles softly. “But I wanna know, Aki.”
“If not knowing really makes you nervous, I’ll tell you,” Akito says as he gently rocks the two of them back and forth. “I think it’ll be more fun if we wait, though.”
“Mm… okay. I trust you.”
Those three words ignite a tiny warmth in Akito’s chest and draw out a grin. “Cool.”
They stand still for a few moments, simply watching each other in the wardrobe mirror; Akito admires Toya’s frame, his hair, the moles he can see on the skin exposed by the short sleeves and knee-length shorts. His hands fit around his partner’s waist perfectly, “like a puzzle,” Toya had once said. Akito found it cheesy at the time, but he can’t say it’s incorrect.
After a moment, Toya’s phone buzzes in his pocket. Akito turns his face to the window; he’s not going to read Toya’s texts without permission. A few seconds pass as his partner views his phone.
“Akito,” Toya murmurs after a moment, “look at this.” There’s something happy in his voice. Akito turns.
Displayed on the screen is Toya’s message history with his father; Akito’s lips curl down on instinct.
> Toya, happy birthday. Let us know when you’re coming home and what you’d like for dinner. Your mother will be baking cookies, too.
> Enjoy your day.
Any feelings of annoyance towards Toya’s parents are discarded as Akito realises just how big of a deal this is; he can see his partner’s smile, silver eyes sparkling as they drag back over the text. Akito matches his expression.
“Happy for you, partner,” he says, pressing one final kiss on Toya’s jaw before regretfully untangling from him. He grabs his partner’s book from the bedside and tosses it into his bag alongside their clothes; Toya looks on curiously but offers no further questions.
With a final check, Akito swings his bag over his shoulder, grabbing his partner’s hand. “All ready?”
Toya smiles. “I don’t know, you tell me,” he says. Akito chuckles and swings his hand, walking the two of them towards the door.
When they make it back downstairs, they see Saki and Tsukasa attempting to share the bags between them; the elder has a backpack on and a bag over his shoulder, holding the cooler bag in his opposite hand, while the younger has the additional bags on each shoulder. Tsukasa is trying to pry a bag away from Saki while she tries to take one of his; Akito sighs.
“Why are you guys trying to carry all of those between you, as if there aren’t another two of us,” he deadpans, taking a bag from Tsukasa and one from Saki before they have time to protest. He hands the lighter one to Toya; Tsukasa snatches it back instantly.
“Akito! Don’t make the birthday boy himself participate in hard labour, that’s rude!”
“It’s one bag, Tsukasa-senpai—”
They’re both cut off by a quiet laugh from Toya; their heads turn in unison. “Please, I don’t mind,” he says, smiling. “I’d like to help.”
Tsukasa contemplates this for a moment; he holds his hand to his chin, humming loudly. He raises his arm after a few seconds. “Alright, Toya! As you wish!” With an overdramatic flourish, he swings the backpack off, depositing it to Toya. The bluenette seems satisfied, smiling softly to himself as he pulls it on.
After a few minutes spent finishing their preparations and pulling on shoes, the four of them leave the house, bags significantly more balanced than before. Toya’s hand ends up entangled with one of Saki’s, the only other person who isn’t holding something in both hands; Akito smiles, watching fondly as she rambles about her band, Toya occasionally tipping in with comments or questions. Tsukasa walks on Toya’s other side, delivering his own significantly louder commentary.
Akito might usually feel left out in this situation, walking a few steps behind the others. He doesn’t, though; his own feelings are easily drowned out by the sight of his partner, happily talking to his family– his real family, the people he feels at home with. Akito couldn’t be more grateful to Tsukasa and Saki for that. He’s glad that Toya has a home, a place where he belongs. A bookshelf filled with his favourites, walls painted a brighter pastel blue than that of the Aoyagi house, photos strung up of everyone in the tapestry of Toya’s life; every birthday celebration in Vivid BAD SQUAD’s history, their camping trip, the school festivals, so many photos taken after shows. A perfect room, a perfect capsule of Toya as a person. Akito hadn’t been able to stop smiling when he was invited over for the first time– not that Toya had been much different.
It’s funny how much three years in good company can change a person.
Akito is broken out of his musings by an arm thrown over him, bag bumping against his back. “Akito, my wonderful junior! What are you doing so quiet back here, hm? Don’t you want to spend time with the world's future star?”
“You wish, weirdo,” Akito laughs, shrugging Tsukasa away and rolling his eyes. The blonde beams at him, nodding his head forwards towards the now-empty space at Toya’s side; Akito gives him a grateful smile and rushes forward, watching Saki drift back towards her older brother too.
Toya glances over at him, and the pretty smile on that face grows. “What were you thinking about?”
Akito feels his lips quirk up. “Nothin’.”
“You’re only that quiet when you’re thinking about something.”
“Well,” Akito starts, “I was just thinkin’ about a certain tall, pretty blue-haired boy. Ring a bell?”
His partner giggles, free hand coming up to cover his mouth. “Maybe.”
“Aw, don’t do that,” Akito coos, drifting across to nudge Toya’s arm. “I like seeing you laugh, y’know.”
Much to his glee, Toya laughs harder, allowing his hand to fall down. Akito grins.
“You excited?” Akito asks once their laughter has died down, moving the bag to his other hand in order to hold hands with his partner.
Toya hums. “Of course. I’m sure any birthday planned by you and Tsukasa-nii will be wonderful.”
“Even though you don’t have a clue what we’re doing?”
“Mhm.” Toys swings their hands back and forth. “I’m not very used to surprises, so I’m mostly just interested to see what it is. I don’t even feel nervous.”
Akito observes the thoughtful look on his partner’s face, then breaks into a smile. “It’s gonna be great, I promise. You’re gonna have so much fun.”
The rest of the short walk to the station passes in idle chatter, Tsukasa (unfortunately) invading their conversation after a few minutes. Saki chips in, too; Akito doesn’t mind as much. When they arrive, Tsukasa ushers the four of them to the platform as quickly as possible, even though they have plenty of time to spare; it must be the excitement.
Akito steps up to the vending machine on the platform, getting two chilled coffees of varying levels of sweetness and two lemonades (Saki and Tsukasa have yellow hair, they probably like yellow fruit). He hands the more bitter coffee to his partner, who takes it with a grateful smile. “Thank you. How much do I–”
“Nope!” Akito pushes the coffee against his partner’s chest. “No paying me back.”
“But–”
“It’s a gift.”
“Akito–”
“It’s your damn birthday!” Akito huffs, looking his partner up and down; an idea sparks in his head. He smirks. “If you’re that desperate to pay me, you could always do it another way.”
“Hm…?”
Toya looks confused for a few moments, then notices Akito’s pointed gaze towards his lips. He rolls his eyes, but obliges easily; Akito smiles at the familiar feeling of a cool hand around his jaw, tilting him up, and the soft lips that follow.
They’re interrupted by a squawk from Saki. Akito regretfully pulls back and turns, finding her pulled to the side of an indignant Tsukasa, his hands pressed over her eyes.
“Onii-chan, I kiss Shii-chan all the time!” Saki protests, trying to pry her brother’s hands away. “I have watched you kiss every single one of your troupemates!”
“YOU WHAT?!”
Tsukasa pulls away at that, face suddenly red and open in a comical gape. Akito and Toya both laugh at the scene. Saki places her hands on her hips, smug. “That’s right! You’re not as slick as you think!”
The two of them engage in a staring contest, amber eyes burning into each other. Akito watches for a few seconds before deciding that this is pointless and they both need to get over themselves (well, mainly Tsukasa). His solution is to approach them and press the cold lemonades to each of their temples– they each make a little ‘geh’ sound and close their eyes tightly, perfectly synced. Akito remembers doing something similar to Toya, once, and getting the same reaction; how is he not blood related to them, seriously?
He’s just about to start joking with the two Tenmas about the fact that he kisses their little brother all the time, but before he can begin, Toya yelps loudly behind him. Akito turns urgently, ready to be met with Toya having fallen on the tracks or spilled coffee on himself or being f*cking mugged–
Nope, false alarm. The arms of one Shiraishi An are looped around Toya’s neck from behind, bending him back to meet her height. Akito sighs. Of course that’s how An makes her entrance.
“Happy birthday,Toya!” she practically yells; Akito feels great sympathy for his partner as her voice bellows in his ear. His shoulders drop in relief, though, recognising the voice; An drops off him and clings to his side instead, a much more comfortable position. Toya leans down and presses his lips to her forehead in greeting, murmuring a quiet, “Thank you, Shiraishi,” as he does.
Kohane appears next, running around the corner, dropping her hands to her knees and panting as soon as she comes close. “I’m– sorry,” she heaves, “I tried to… stop her from jumping… but she…”
Instantly sympathetic that poor Kohane has had to deal with an excited An all morning, Akito walks over, gently rubbing her back as she catches her breath. She blinks up at him gratefully.
After a few moments, Kohane straightens up again. “Okay! Happy birthday, Toya-kun!” she exclaims, trotting over to him and wrapping around his arm. He smiles, offering the same kiss he did to An; Kohane giggles quietly.
“Alright, Toya!” An skips in front of him, grinning. “You know where we’re going?”
“No, I’ve been told it’s a surprise.”
“Hehe, cool!” The girl winks exaggeratedly. “You’re gonna love it, I promise! Especially since this whole thing was my wonderful Kohane’s idea!”
“Ah, this was your idea, Kohane-san?” Toya looks down at her, tilting his head in that cat-like way he often does.
Kohane stammers and wrings her hands. “W-Well, I suggested the place, but Akito-kun and Tsukasa-san did most of the planning…”
“Still, I appreciate the thought, given how amazing this is apparently going to be,” he responds evenly, smiling. Kohane giggles and nods. Akito rolls his eyes at the politeness; seriously, will these two ever loosen up?
“Alright!” Tsukasa raises his voice, turning their (and the rest of the damn train station’s) attention back to him. “Azusawa, Shiraishi! You have everything?”
“Yup!” Kohane tugs on the strap of her backpack, An doing the same; Toya watches and murmurs an amazed “More bags…” under his breath. Akito chuckles.
A hand is raised dramatically. “In that case, we are ready! The train will be arriving in approximately T-minus five minutes and Toya’s birthday celebration will officially begin!”
“Onii-chan! Quiet down, people are staring!”
Tsukasa shouts a sorry, but doesn’t look apologetic in the slightest.
Their train arrives in the next few minutes, just as expected; due to their apparent main-character status, it’s fairly quiet, only a few others stepping on alongside them. The group scatters onto the seats quickly. Kohane gravitates towards Saki, talking excitedly in hushed voices, while Tsukasa and An somehow end up next to each other. When Akito strains to hear their conversation, he catches whispers of “you’re sure there’s nothing weird” and “yes, all he gave is a card” and “yes but are you sure the card won’t explode” and “probably not. Hopefully”. As is tradition whenever they ride the train, Toya takes his book from Akito’s bag, reading peacefully; Akito rests his head on his shoulder and watches as the pages turn quicker than usual.
Toya’s investment in his book means that he doesn’t notice when the passing scenery turns less urban, when each station they stop at is smaller than the last. He simply reads and takes the earbud Akito offers as if this is any other day. Akito finds it oddly endearing; from the speed at which he’s reading, the tap of his finger against the pages, he can tell his partner is excited, even if it’s showing in a muted way.
Eventually, they pass through a tunnel. Akito decides to interrupt his partner.
“Hey, Toya,” he whispers against his shoulder, lips curling into a smile, “look outside.”
There’s a small hm? as Toya breaks from his book-induced trance, glancing at Akito for a moment before raising his head to the window behind Tsukasa. A few seconds pass before they emerge back into daylight, and then–
“Oh!” Toya perks up, eyes sparkling as he takes in the rustic little town they’re moving through, so unlike the stark Shibuya skylines they’re used to. It’s more sparse, the roads they can see much quieter, and distantly, the horizon seems to blur. Toya takes in the view for a moment before turning back to Akito. “Where are we?”
“A little south,” he says vaguely, not wanting to make their final location too obvious just yet. “You’ll see.”
A quiet grumble leaves Toya’s throat. “Why won’t you tell me?”
“You want me to?”
“…No.”
“Then get that grumpy look off your face,” Akito chuckles. When Toya’s only response to that is to deepen his pout (where did he even learn to pout, Akito wonders), Akito decides to try to wipe it away by peppering kiss after kiss onto his neck and cheek until he’s reduced to a giggling, blushing mess. The attack ends with a final kiss pressed hard against his beauty mark; Akito smiles against his partner’s skin.
(Neither Akito nor Toya are aware of the scowl Tsukasa is directing towards the ginger during this moment.)
“We’ve only got, like… ten more minutes ‘til we’re there,” Akito says after a quick check of his phone; it’s almost one p.m. They’re right on schedule. Not surprising, considering that he’d planned lots of this and going off his plan makes him want to curl up and die, but still a good thing, especially how frustrating and problem-ridden long train journeys can be. (Maybe that’s their main-character status coming into play again.)
“Alright.” Toya slips a bookmark between the pages of his novel, placing it back on top of Akito’s bag and leaning into his side. Akito smiles and wraps an arm around his partner’s waist, content to enjoy the rest of the journey holding him close.
After about five minutes, Tsukasa commands that they prepare to leave the train, redistributing the bags and crowding at the doors. Toya’s movements are jittery with excitement. He’s the first off when the train finally clanks to a stop, even though he has no idea where they’re going.
“Aaaaaaal…right!” Tsukasa yells, looking at his phone in focus as he pulls up a map. Akito takes a deep breath, appreciating the fresh countryside air, a relief from the stuffy streets he’s used to. A few moments pass before the star raises his hand again. “If you would all follow me!”
Toya breathes a chuckle, shooting an amused glance at Akito; before their hands can clasp together, An steals him. Grey eyes are rolled without any bite.
The air is warm as they walk, sun beating down. Thankfully, it’s still cool enough that the heat is pleasant rather than unbearable, or else Akito would have keeled over by now. He’s never been good with the summer. It’s a good thing Toya’s birthday is at the beginning of the season; An’s in July is usually somewhat hellish for him.
He and Kohane walk beside each other in comfortable quiet; An is happily pulling Toya by the arm, vaguely rambling about how great of a day they’re all going to have, while Saki and Tsukasa fuss over the map (mostly Saki redirecting Tsukasa when he tries to go the wrong way). It’s peaceful. For now.
That peace only lasts for the walk, though. Because as soon as their location comes into view, An runs forward, dragging a yelping Toya; Tsukasa and Saki join them in the excitement, and Kohane holds her hat down as she and Akito follow.
He can’t blame them, though. The beach sunlight illuminates Toya perfectly.
“This is…!”
The group’s collective gaze turns to Toya as he takes in the new environment, glittering grey scanning over the sands and lapping waves, just staring in awe for a good thirty seconds. When he breaks out of the trance, he looks between Akito and Tsukasa, seeming almost panicked through his joy– it doesn’t take long for them to catch on.
Tsukasa comes to hug his left side, Akito latching onto his right, peppering kisses onto his hair. Toya gasps and giggles under his breath. “Akito, Tsukasa-nii…!”
“Yes, Toya, we’re going to have a wonderful day!” Tsukasa laughs, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You’re happy?”
“Mhm!”
A moment longer is spent like that before Toya untangles himself and approaches Kohane, taking both of her hands. “Thank you, Kohane-san!”
“Eh?!”
“You suggested this, right?” He tilts his head, eyes sparkling with his smile. “Thank you. I love it.”
Kohane giggles nervously. “No, I really didn’t do much…”
Akito and An must both have the same idea, because An shakes her by the shoulders while Akito rubs her head through her hat. “Take the damn credit, dumbass,” he grumbles, over An’s loud groan. Kohane laughs, then looks up, honey eyes shining. “Alright, alright. I’m glad you like it, Toya-kun!”
He smiles– a wide, open-mouthed smile, gleefully shaking Kohane’s hands– before pulling away. Then he looks around. “What do we do?”
“We should set up first,” Saki chirps, swinging the bag she’s holding.
“Ah, that’s what we did when we went camping!” Toya starts walking forward; Akito assumes he’s trying to find a spot on the sands, and is content to follow with the rest of the group. “If we set up first, everything is ready and we don’t have to worry about doing it later.” He pauses and tilts his head. “…What is later? I’m not really sure what people do at the beach…”
“Aha!” An runs up to his side, taking his arm again and increasing their pace to a march. “There’s plenty to do on the beach! We’re going in the water- oh, we’re definitely having a water fight-, and we’ll look in the rockpools! We’ve got a picnic and some games and you have to get your gifts. So we’ve got loads to do!”
“Wow…”
“Don’t overwhelm him, An,” Akito says, gently whacking her arm and earning an affronted hey! before leaning past her to look at Toya. “It’s not like we have to do absolutely everything, and we’ve got all day.”
“Alright.” Something lights up in his eyes– the familiar spark of determination that always appears alongside a new experience. “I’ll embrace my first beach trip to the fullest!”
Dork, Akito’s mind supplies, heart warming.
After a few minutes of wandering, Tsukasa loudly declares their “base”. He and Saki begin laying out towels, while Akito puts up a windbreak they’d managed to squeeze into one of the backpacks. Toya watches curiously. After a few minutes, they have a nice little setup built; the bags come in helpful to hold the towels down, and they all sit when Tsukasa beckons them.
“Soooo, what’re we doing first?” An asks with barely concealed excitement.
Akito scoffs. “We’re at the beach, An. We’re going in the sea, obviously.” He looks to Toya. “That okay?”
“Ah… yes.” Despite his mostly controlled tone, there’s a cute little sparkle in his eyes indicating his excitement.
Before any of them can move, Tsukasa interrupts them. “Toya! You will not be leaving this spot until you apply… this!” He holds out a bottle of sunscreen, brandishing it as if it’s some ancient artifact. “I’d hate for you to have your first beach day ruined by pesky sunburn.”
“Ah. Thank you, Tsukasa-nii,” Toya says, taking the bottle and popping off the cap. It’s placed between him and Akito as they both use it, the Tenmas with their own bottle; An and Kohane had apparently applied long-lasting sunscreen before leaving, so they just chatter excitedly as they wait.
(Akito decides that it’s warm enough for him to sling his shirt off, especially since they’ll be going in the ocean; Toya almost instantly offers to sunscreen his back for him. Akito survives the majority of this moment, but when his partner murmurs an absentminded, “So strong…” as he rubs across Akito’s shoulders, the sun is suddenly the last thing warming him up.)
After a few (mildly embarrassing) minutes, they’re all ready to go; Toya spends a moment scrunching his toes in the sand when they take their shoes off, something which Akito finds absolutely adorable. His awe continues as they walk towards the shore, seeming to note every shell and pebble.
“Alright, Toya!” An calls as they reach the edge of the lapping waves. She walks in just up to her ankles then waves back at him. “Welcome to… the ocean!”
Toya takes a tentative step forward, so that the water just about splashes over his toes. “It’s cold.”
“Duh! Not like there’s any heaters out here!” An runs forward again, grabbing Toya’s hands and tugging him further into the water with her. “The only way to get over it is to get used to it!”
“Ah, Sh-Shiraishi! Cold!”
An just laughs, and once the water is just reaching up to their calves, she leans past Toya. “Come on, slow-pokes!”
Akito watches for a moment (notices Toya’s deathgrip on An’s hands, presumably because of the cold) before running forward, splashing water in his wake; yeah, it’s cold as sh*t, but all he can feel is excitement. “Oi, that’s my partner you’re stealing, An!” he calls, and as soon as he’s close enough he wraps his arms around Toya’s waist and pulls him back. He feels Toya laughing in his grip and shoots An a smug grin over his partner’s shoulder.
“Well, dearest Akito,” Tsukasa shouts, suddenly right next to them, “that’s my little brother, so I’ll be taking him, thank you very much!” Now he’s grabbing Toya’s arm, pulling him away from Akito and holding him by the shoulders like some grand prize. Toya laughs harder.
An affronted gasp sounds from beside them as Saki approaches. “Onii-chan, don’t tell me you’re hogging Toya-kun now?” She manages to wrestle Toya out of the older brother’s grip, and she hugs his side as he just keeps laughing. “How could you! As his twin I think I take priority!”
“Saki! How dare you!”
Akito smiles as he watches the two of them bicker, Toya being pulled back and forth between them; the bluenette is laughing, genuine, unfiltered laughter that Akito has hardly ever heard from him. It’s perfect. Music to his ears.
He’s so focused on Toya’s pretty giggles that he doesn’t notice when Kohane approaches the siblings; apparently, they don’t either, because she manages to slip Toya out of their shared grip with little difficulty, wearing a stupid little innocent smile. “I’m sorry, I need this. He’s my appointed short-person-assistant.”
Everyone pauses.
Tsukasa gapes. “I’m sorry, your what?!”
…Toya bursts into laughter.
Not the small, sweet laugh they’re all used to; he has to crouch down, one hand in the water supporting him while the other clutches his stomach, gasping for air under his laughter. “You,” he giggles out eventually, “are all ridiculous.”
They’ve all formed a little circle around Toya; An clicks her tongue and places her hands on her hips. “I think you all broke him.”
“We,” Akito corrects. “You were involved too.”
“You started it.”
Akito is about to retort that no, if you use your brain, you’ll remember that you started it, but when he opens his mouth, all that comes out is a gasp– a sudden rush of cold hits his legs, and when he looks down, Toya’s dripping hand is raised out of the water, smiling eyes glinting mischievously. “Shiraishi said we should have a water fight, right?”
“…Oh, you’re on, partner.”
As soon as the agreement is made, the two Tenmas drag Toya up by his arms– he yelps quietly. Tsukasa laughs in that obnoxious way he often does. “Ah, you underestimate us, Akito! The Tenmas are nothing if not determined!” His eyes narrow. “We will reign victorious.”
“Alright, then!” An stretches, making a grand show of stomping her legs in the water as she does. “Bring it on. There’s no way you’re beating the Vivids!”
“…And me,” Akito adds, because there are very clear teams here.
“Sure, the Vivids and some random ginger we found on the street.”
“I’m sorry, wha—”
Saltwater hits his mouth. He sputters, wiping his face, and then he sees damn Toya with his hands cupped and this stupid cute smug expression on his face. He goes for a counterattack, but Saki dives in front of Toya; “Fear not, beloved brother! We’ll protect you!”
Tsukasa raises a hand. “Tenmas, attack!”
…It’s a resounding loss for the Vivids-Ginger team. After a good half hour of splashing, Akito somehow comes out of it worst, absolutely dripping– the Vivids are in a slightly better state, and Toya has a few smaller splashes. Saki and Tsukasa took a lot of the attacks directed at Toya, so they’re both fairly soaked too.
“Why did you literally only target me,” Akito moans, running a hand through his damp hair. Toya laughs, wringing out his t-shirt on a patch of sand a few metres away from their towels. “Because you looked funny. And I did go for An-san and Kohane-san a few times.”
“Yeah, a few times. Not a constant damn onslaught.”
Toya chuckles, settling at his side and pulling on the fresh t-shirt Akito offers. “Well, I’m very sorry,” he says, voice entirely unapologetic– the kiss he places on Akito’s cheek compensates. Then he co*cks his head to the side. “The water must have washed off some of your sunscreen, though…” He picks up the bottle, a glint in his eye. “Would you like me to help you reapply it?”
Akito stares at him for a moment, trying to decipher that look, before realisation suddenly hits. “Wh– oh my god, Toya, you f*cking–”
“What?” Toya smiles, all sweet and innocent and oh my god Akito can’t take this- “I’m just trying to help, Aki.”
“You know what you did!”
“Just turn around.” He nods imploringly, expression distinctly smug; it’s so damn cute that Akito just wants to kiss it away, but he has to maintain some dignity. He sighs. “Toya, y’know sunscreen absorbs, it wouldn’t wash off like that.”
Toya seems to contemplate this for a moment, then shrugs with an easy smile. “Better safe than sorry.” He shifts to sit behind Akito when he doesn’t move and wastes no time in squeezing some cream out and beginning to rub Akito’s back. And it’s not like he’s complaining about having Toya all over him, but…
God, the summer sun is bad enough.
“You’re so lucky I love you. And that it’s your birthday.”
“I’m sure I am,” with a kiss to Akito’s bare shoulder that leaves him seconds away from death. Then Toya just hums happily as he rubs along Akito’s back and shoulders, occasionally pressing kisses to his shoulders and neck.
“Akito-kun, are you alright?” Kohane asks after a few minutes, “your face is very red. Are you too hot?”
“Ooooh! Toya, maybe you should sunscreen his face as well!” An grins, glancing between the two boys. “We wouldn’t want our dearest Akito to get sunburn~!”
Toya perks up. “You’re right, Shiraishi.” Quickly rubbing the rest of the sunscreen along Akito’s back, he shifts, coming to sit in front of Akito. “May I?”
He glares. “You’re all f*cking evil. I hate all of you.”
“Akito! We just want to make sure you don’t get hurt!”
“Yes, I just want to take care of you…” that stupid adorable pout don’t give in don’t give in don’t give in– “Won’t you let me?”
A beat.
Stupid pouty lip.
An distantly chanting “kiss him” which is weird because that’s not even what they’re talking about–
“Fine! Just put on the damn sunscreen. Assholes.”
Instantly, Toya smiles, eyes twinkling again. “Thank you, Akito,” he says; logically, it should be the other way around, but Akito is far too flustered and annoyed to thank him right now. Plus, he shouldn’t be thanking his partner for publicly humiliating him.
Toya squeezes out some more sunscreen and gently begins massaging it into Akito’s face; his embarrassment combined with the sunlight have left him burning, so his partner’s cool touch is a welcome respite (although it only exacerbates the former issue). A soft smile sits on Toya’s face. It makes the humiliation worth it.
“Toya-kun,” Kohane calls halfway through the treatment, “would you like to go look in the rockpools next?”
“Hm?” Toya turns to look at her, head tilted; he keeps his hands on Akito’s face, just… gently kneading his cheeks. “What’s interesting about it?”
Kohane practically starts glowing in his periphery. “Animals! Lots of small marine animals live in rockpools. There are shaded and lit areas, and the water will rise and fall with the tide, plus hiding places under rocks and such… it’s a perfect little environment!” She giggles. “I bought one of my ID guides, so we can see what it all is! And my camera. I used to do this all the time with my dad, so I know how to find things!”
“Yes, that sounds fun,” Toya says, smiling again, and still… not releasing Akito’s face? He just keeps gently rubbing at his partner’s cheeks, seemingly unconsciously. “That does seem interesting. I don’t know that much about marine animals, though I do recall unpacking some books about it at the library once… I would have checked one out if I’d known we were coming here.”
“Ehe! Don’t worry, I’ll explain anything you want to know!” She giggles, trotting across to one of the bags and pulling out the aforementioned book. “I always do research ahead of time about the fauna if I’m going somewhere new. It’s fun to know what I’m looking for.”
“Hehe, my Kohane is a genius!” An chirps, throwing herself over her partner’s side; Kohane squeaks out a flustered little “An-chan” and blushes, giggling under the praise.
The three of them continue chatting as Kohane sorts her camera. Toya does not let go of Akito’s face.
Eventually, when he feels like he’s going to melt from embarrassment, he gives in.
“Toyah,” he mumbles, the hands squishing his cheeks making speaking even more embarrassing, “ca’ I ‘ave my fashe back?”
Toya turns. “Hm?” Looks at him. “Oh!” Loosens his grip, though doesn’t actually release Akito’s face. “I’m sorry. Your cheeks are so nice and soft that I got distracted.”
“Toya…” Akito’s voice comes out in a stupid flustered squeak, which only seems to amuse his partner; he chuckles, pulling Akito forward to kiss his nose. “Come on, let's go.”
With that, he finally frees Akito, instead reaching for his hand to pull him up. An gives Akito a knowing look. He ignores her.
~
“Over here, Toya-kun!”
Toya nods, allowing Kohane to pull on his sleeve; her excitement is always adorably endearing, infecting him with the same smile that she wears. She brings him to crouch over a pool and points at where the rocks meet the sand.
He follows her finger, and sees… “Slime?”
Kohane giggles. “No, no, they’re anemones, silly,” she laughs, unfolding her hand and holding it towards Toya. “Hand?”
He smiles; she always asks, even though he’s long given her and An permission to touch him. Their hands connect. Much to his surprise, she lowers their hands into the water– Toya gasps quietly at the sudden cold. She guides their hands towards the anemones.
“Um,” he interrupts, bringing their hands to a gentle stop, “what are we doing?”
“Hehe, just trust me!”
“Alright…”
He allows her to continue; she unfolds his finger, inching closer to the… weird hairy-looking part of the anemones.
He touches them.
And makes a weird, yelpy squeak noise.
“It… feels weird,” he mumbles, in awe and also mildly freaked out by the sensation. The sticky, tickly feeling tingles lightly against his fingertips.
Kohane giggles. “They’re tentacles, when small animals swim by the anemone will pull it in towards its mouth,” she explains, releasing Toya’s hand. “But because we’re so big it just tickles like that.”
“That’s interesting, thank you.” Toya smiles, pulling his hand from the water and turning away to shake the water off.
“Hehe, no problem! Also, um… ah, they don’t technically have brains!” She looks so happy getting to share her interests, fingers tapping against the stone excitedly; just as Toya is about to probe for more information to see her joy continue, An calls out from where she and Akito are analysing a different pool.
“What, you’re telling me Akito has been a sea anemone this whole time?!”
“An, you little—!”
Toya rushes to grab his partner, murmuring a half-teasing “easy, boy,” watching Kohane do much the same with An.
“H-How about we look for a crab!” Kohane suggests suddenly, trying to placate the oncoming fight; Akito and An nod excitedly, entirely distracted, and break apart from their respective partners to start looking in the pools again. Kohane pulls Toya close as they follow; “Honestly,” she whispers, “it’s like looking after a pair of toddlers.”
Toya chuckles.
“Kohane! D’you know how to find a crab?”
“Ah, yes!” Excitement in her eyes once again, the girl rushes forward. “They’ll be hiding in small nooks under the rocks to ambush prey, so we need to flush them out. Hm…” She looks around for a moment, then points to something. “Akito-kun, can you pass me that stick?”
Akito obliges, picking up the stick and lightly bopping An on the head before handing it to Kohane; she hums for a moment, looking between the different rocks, before nodding to herself. “Some other animals might come out too, so keep your eyes open. Ready?”
The three of them nod. Kohane jabs the stick in the water and runs it along the edge of one of the rocks, then tosses it behind her. They watch. Toya gasps in awe when a few tiny fish emerge from the crevice; a moment later, their target of a crab scuttles out, and he barely has the chance to see it before Kohane dips her hand into the water and plucks it out with practised ease.
“Tadaa~!” Kohane smiles widely, holding the creature between her thumb and fingers as its legs and pincers flail about uselessly. “Kanikani-kun!”
“Amazing…” Toya leans forward, watching in awe as it moves, tiny body unlike anything he’s seen before. “It looks… mechanical.”
“Yes, it’s fascinating,” Kohane murmurs, voice almost fond as she places the crab flat on her palm; it scuttles about for a moment before realising (do crabs have brains? how does it process its surroundings? he’ll have to do research later) it has nowhere to go and settling, body tucked into itself. “They walk sideways because of their shape, they just flex the joint in their legs that are connected to a muscle in their abdomen. They hide in little spots or bury themselves under sand with their pincers out and grab small organisms when they swim by, but they also walk around to scavenge depending on what other predators are nearby. Also… ah.” Suddenly, she cuts off, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, I was rambling. Would… you like to hold it, Toya-kun?”
“Um… are you sure it's okay to hold it?” Toya’s gaze drifts to the crab’s pincers. It doesn’t look very… friendly.
“Yes, don’t worry, I hold them all the time! Just keep your palm flat like I have and you’ll be fine.”
“Okay…” Cautiously, he reaches forward, beginning to shape his hands like Kohane’s. “Are you sure I won’t hurt it?”
“No, no, it’s fine. They’re very sturdy.” She rests her fingertips on the edge of Toya’s. “You’re ready?”
He nods. Slowly, Kohane tilts her hands up, forming a ramp onto Toya’s hands that the crab skitters down; he gasps quietly as its spiked feet (are they called feet?) land on his hands, sensation almost ticklish as it scuttles about in the limited space; he giggles airily at the feeling. “H-Hello, Kanikani-san… thank you for letting me hold you.”
The other three giggle at him. He finds that he’s too focused on his wonderful little friend to care.
“Toya-kun, smile!”
He looks up; Kohane is holding up the camera around her neck. He finds that he doesn’t have to force the smile. He just raises the crab up beside his face, looking into the camera until he hears the quiet click. The little giggle from his photographer tells him that it was a good shot.
“Toya, can I?” Akito asks after a moment. Toya nods, turning to Kohane; she gently guides the crab back into her own hands, then hands it over to Akito. He looks at it indifferently.
Kanikani does not like his indifferent look and pinches in retaliation.
“Wh– ow! You little motherf*cker, f*ck, f*ck—!”
Toya frowns. “Kanikani-san, please don’t pinch my partner, that’s rude.” The little creature is still clinging on, feet tapping.
A moment passes. It stills. Toya wonders if it’s thinking about its actions.
Kanikani releases Akito and walks off of his hand, falling down and plopping into the shadowed pool.
“…I think Kanikani-san killed itself out of guilt.”
A beat.
“Toya?!”
An cackles while Akito and Kohane look on in bewilderment. Toya just tilts his head; he doesn’t know the level of consciousness crabs have, it isn’t an entirely unreasonable assumption.
…It probably is, actually. Oh well.
“Sorry. Are you alright, Akito?” Toya steps to his partner, who’s rubbing at his finger with a scowl; frowning, Toya takes the injured hand, pressing a soft kiss to the little red mark. Akito smiles with a short sigh.
They turn back to the pools after a moment of fussing; it’s rather mesmerising. The water and sand twinkles in the sunlight, occasional critters skittering and swimming about under the surface. The reflections are pretty and the shells and plants are nice and colourful.
He sits on a rock, knees pulled to his chest, staring down at the ripples. It’s peaceful. He’s happy here.
(Toya won’t be made aware of Kohane’s many photos of this moment until a few days later— they’re beautiful pictures, though, Akito printing a copy to keep for himself.)
A few minutes pass before any of them make another discovery.
“Hey, guys, come look at this!” An is crouching over the sand, holding something in her hand; curious, Toya stands up, walking over. “Yes, An-san? What is it?”
“Here!” She hands him some sand. Weird. It’s just sand. “Look at the grains closely,” she says, nudging at the pile.
He does. They’re…
They’re tiny little stars!
Toya marvels, sifting through the grains to see the stars against his skin. “That’s… that’s amazing. How…?”
Kohane chirps beside him. “They’re fossils!” She smiles, taking a handful of sand and gently pushing away the normal grains until she has a collection of stars. “They’re, um… c-central column pieces of stems of feather stars. It’s so interesting how they form, we can probably find some columns with the stars stacked on top of each other!”
Toya gets to work instantly, curling the stars he’s already collected into his fist; he needs lots. He knows exactly what he wants to do.
“Oi, An, this is star-shaped sand, yeah?”
“…Yes?”
“So I should put sand in your hair? For your stars, obviously.”
A squawk at a volume rivalling that of Tsukasa follows; Toya feels a little bad leaving Kohane to deal with this one on her own, given the grunts and squeaks he can hear behind him, but he has an important mission. A little stack of stars lies in the sand, like Kohane mentioned, and Toya takes it, crumbling the stars apart into individuals. He smiles.
Once he has a substantial handful, he waves to his teammates and runs off; they’re probably wondering what he’s doing, but he’s far too excited to explain right now.
“Tsukasa-nii!”
His brother looks up as he comes closer, breaking out into a wide grin. “Toya! Are you finished with your rockpool adventures?”
“Mhm!” He crashes down onto a towel, keeping the stars cradled in his hands. “I found these, I wanted to give them to you.”
“Oh? What could that be?”
“Here,” Toya says. Gently, he unfolds his hands, revealing the stars; Saki leans over Tsukasa’s shoulder to see as well, and they both gasp quietly.
“Toya-kun! That’s so cool, you just found them?!”
“Well, An-san did,” he explains, “but I wanted to give you some, Tsukasa-nii. Kohane-san said they’re fossils, though I don’t quite understand how they form…”
Tsukasa hums loudly, then raises an arm. “Aha! Fossils, you say?! My arrival was foretold even in ancient times! My essence has walked this earth for thousands, no, millions of years!”
Toya and Saki both giggle at the dramatics; Toya knows that this is a display of gratitude, if unorthodox. He smiles and lays the stars down on the towel. “I thought of you as soon as I saw them. You’re our star, after all.”
“Toya…” Tsukasa stares at him for a moment, eyes twinkling, before breaking out into a wide grin; he loops an arm around Toya, pulling him close and knuckling his hair. “Toya, you little rascal! Are you trying to flatter me to death?!”
“No! No, noooo–” He giggles, weakly trying to push his brother away to no avail. Luckily, Saki comes to his rescue; she sits on his other side and pulls him out of Tsukasa’s grip, wearing an exaggerated angry pout.
“Onii-chan, don’t be mean to dear Toya-kun on his birthday!” She presses an exaggerated kiss to his messed-up hair. “How could you!”
Toya giggles in her arms, feeling a little ridiculous around their dramatics but grateful nonetheless; he’s almost entirely sure that what expression he did hold as a child was wholly a byproduct of spending time with the Tenmas. Without them, he might still be locked up like that. An expressionless puppet.
But Tsukasa encouraged him to take ownership of himself. Saki said they’d explore the world together when they finally found their freedoms.
And now the three of them are on a beach together, listening to the waves and watching the ocean shimmer. So different from a hospital room or mindless piano or a lonely house.
So perfect.
“You know,” Tsukasa sighs, interrupting Toya’s thoughts, “I’m so lucky to have my two little stars by my side again.” He reaches out, smoothing down the hair he’d messed up, an uncharacteristically soft expression on his face. “It’s only because of you two that I wanted to become a star at all, just to see those smiles. And look at you both now.”
“Tsukasa-nii…”
“Onii-chan…?”
“Saki, you’re all happy and healthy, doing so much you couldn’t do before.” He reaches further to gently twist an ombre curl around his finger. “I’m so glad that you refused to give up. Finally living out your dreams with you is so wonderful.”
He leans back.
“And Toya.”
Amber eyes land on him; warm, calm, so full of love.
“You say you admire me, yes?”
Toya nods; he’d like to elaborate, explain why, but this moment seems special. He’d rather just let Tsukasa talk.
“Well, my little star… I think I admire you far more than the inverse.”
“W-What…?”
Tsukasa chuckles, hand falling to circle his thumb on Toya’s knee. “You always say that I saved you from your old life, but all I did was offer some words of encouragement. Ultimately, you chose to fight back, and to keep fighting. That was all you, and yet you never seem to give yourself credit for that strength.” He smiles. “My wish for you was always that you have a life of your own, that you be allowed to be a child. And now you have Shiraishi and Azusawa and Akito and your music, not to mention all your other friends and everything you’ve experienced… I am so, so proud of you.”
“Tsukasa-nii…”
Toya blinks away tears.
Tsukasa. Bright, shining, unwavering Tsukasa, the best big brother he could ask for even if not in blood… Tsukasa admires him?
A quiet chuckle. “Don’t look so surprised, little star. You really are amazing.”
“Yeah!” Saki leans into his side, hand coming up to finish fixing his hair. “I’m so glad that I get to experience life with you, Toya-kun. My favourite little brother.”
“And mine too!”
At that, Toya laughs, wiping at his eyes with the heels of his palms. “I’m your only little brother…”
“Yes, and we couldn’t ask for one better!” Tsukasa breaks back into his signature smile, leaning across to kiss Toya’s hair; Saki does the same, and they hug him from both sides. He remembers doing something similar as a child.
He’s so glad it hasn’t changed. He hopes it doesn’t ever change.
“I apologise for making you cry on your birthday, Toya. That was terribly rude of me!”
“Hehe… even though they’re happy tears?”
“Well,” Tsukasa smiles, “I suppose that’s okay.”
They both squeeze for a moment longer before pulling away. Tsukasa’s gaze drifts back to the star fossils, almost fond. “You know, it feels unfair that only I get to keep these. You’re both stars in your own rights, and it is Toya’s birthday…” A moment passes, the eldest humming exaggeratedly in thought. “Do you think we could find more?” he asks eventually.
“Probably… I only picked up a handful, but I’m sure there were more in the sand. Why?”
“Well! I was thinking of finding a little jar for these… so, how about we collect enough for three?” He grins, eyes sparkling. “A memento of your first beach day!”
“Oh! That’s a good idea!”
Saki giggles. “We can put glitter in them to make the stars all sparkly!”
“Ah, my little sister, ever the genius!” Tsukasa stands, reaching out a hand for each of his siblings to pull them up. “Well, Toya, lead the way!”
Smiling, Toya obliges, the trio of Tenmas all wandering along to the rockpools; they spend a while exploring, Toya happily sharing the information he’d learned from Kohane. He points out an anemone, to which Saki responds with an excited “like the band!”, drawing out laughs from her brothers. Collecting the stars is simple. Objectively, it’s a dull task, but with Saki and Tsukasa it feels anything but; excited commentary and improvised back-and-forths are entertainment enough as they sift through the sands. Their task is declared complete when each of them are holding a handful of stars, Saki’s almost spilling out of her fist.
“Now we are fit to create our galaxies,” Tsukasa says, smiling widely. He turns to his siblings. “With our mission complete, I would say it’s time for some late lunch!”
Only when Tsukasa says that does Toya realise just how hungry he is; rushing about on the beach for two hours has certainly sucked up some energy. Saki nods eagerly as well.
Tsukasa looks across the beach, to where Akito, Kohane, and An are splashing in the shallows. He opens his mouth.
Saki and Toya cover their ears.
A deep inhale, and then…
“AKITOOO! SHIRAISHIII! AZUSAWAAA!”
It certainly catches their attention.
The three of them turn, and distantly, Toya can see An cupping her hands around her mouth.
“This is why hall monitors don’t like you!”
“Behold, our feast!”
The number of bags begins to make a lot more sense as Saki and Tsukasa pull through them; sandwiches, onigiri, some flasks of miso soup, a variety of drinks… logically, far too much for six people, but the Tenmas have always been generous when it comes to food.
“I hope you all enjoy the food,” Tsukasa smiles, handing around the sandwiches. A chorus of thanks comes in response.
A few moments pass as they all begin to eat, then Saki speaks. “You know, why don’t we do your gifts while we’re all here? Might as well!”
“Ah… yes, that’s a good idea.” Truthfully, he’d almost forgotten between all the excitement. Now, though, curiosity grips him; he hadn’t had gifts until these last few years, so it’s always far more exciting than it is for most people.
“Alright!” His sister turns, rummaging through one of the bags. “First, your cards!”
“Cards?”
“Yup!” Two envelopes are laid out in front of him. “There were a few people who wanted to come, but it would’ve been too many, so we got cards from them! Take your pick!”
Toya spends a moment looking at the envelopes, feeling the group’s eyes on him– the first one he chooses is a plain white envelope with a shiny star sticker as a seal. He pulls it open.
The amount of glitter that falls from the card could honestly replace the sand on the beach. A chaotic mash of colours and sparkles meets his eyes; well-designed, but a little overwhelming to look at. Happy Birthday reads in bold, each letter a different design. He can already guess who the card is from.
The guess is confirmed when he opens the card and confetti springs into his face.
“Ah… Tsukasa-nii?”
“Agh, I told him not to do anything dramatic!” Tsukasa huffs. “No matter, no matter. Read your card, Toya!”
“Alright…” Akito’s head falls onto his shoulder, and Toya clears his throat to begin reading. “Dear Toya-kun, happy birthday. I hope you have the most wonderhoy day on the beach and make lots of fishy friends! Thank you for being one of our most loyal fans. Lots and lots of love, Emu.” The handwriting changes. “Happy birthday, Aoyagi-kun. I hope our star is taking good care of you. And don’t worry, the confetti is all made of petals, so it isn’t littering to leave it on the beach.” Toya smiles. The handwriting switches again. “S-Sigh…? Hehe, she really wrote that… I wanted a card to myself but Emu insisted that we all do it together. Happy birthday, Aoyagi. Thanks for making class more fun. We should go to the arcade after school some day, I’d like another competition.” Toya laughs– “Sorry about the glitter.”
A smile crosses Toya’s lips; he wishes the three of them were here right now, just so he could thank them properly. They’ll all be getting some cookies, definitely.
Tsukasa laughs, interrupting his thoughts, “Aha! My troupe, as lovely as ever!”
“Onii-chan, we all know you think they’re lovely…”
“Saki! When did you get so mischievous?!”
Toya laughs, placing the card down and picking up another, trying not to jostle his partner on his shoulder too much. This one is in a brown envelope with a little white bow stuck to the seal. He pulls up the flap as his partner holds the sandwich to his lips and he takes a bite.
This card is beautifully decorated, too; a few layers of card in muted pinks and browns, with lace and ribbons stuck to the corners. He opens it. “Toya-kun, happy birthday. Thank you for putting up with–” a few words are crossed out, an argument clearly displayed on the page, “our little brother. I have a gift for you at home, so make sure you come by again soon.” The handwriting changes. “Also, we need to go out together some time. I’d love to play Toya dress up.” Toya giggles, eyes drifting down to a final message at the bottom of the card. “P.S. Akito, stop reading this over Toya-kun’s shoulder, it’s rude.”
“Wh– oi, the hell does she know?!”
Akito’s instant offence causes the whole group to laugh– he grumbles, and Toya presses a kiss to his forehead in apology. A gift from Ena… he wonders what it’ll be.
“Now we can do the gifts!” An shuffles excitedly, reaching towards one of the bags she and Kohane had bought. “I call dibs on going first!”
Akito huffs. “You know the gifts aren’t for you, right?”
“Well, I’m sorry that I’m excited to give my friend his presents!” She pulls back after a moment, holding two wrapped packages. A grin crosses her face as she passes them over. “Here ya’ go!”
“They’re both from both of us,” Kohane adds, “so I hope you like them.”
He takes the two gifts– one seems to be a box, while the other feels like bags under the wrapping. “Do I need to open a specific one first?”
“Hmm… I think this one, but it doesn’t matter much.” Kohane taps the box.
Thankfully, it’s wrapped neat enough that Toya doesn’t have to tear the paper much; he never likes to. He slips the box out of the wrapping and sees a logo he recognises but can’t quite place. The lid is pulled off.
A pair of headphones are nestled into the box.
“Ah–” he looks up, “An-san?”
“Yup!” She smiles widely. “I noticed you always seem to like mine when you borrow them, so we put our money together to buy you a pair! It’s the next model up ‘cause mine are really old, but should be more or less the same.”
“Th-Thank you…” Delicately, he pulls the headphones from the box; they’re coloured black and blue, with an almost identical design to An’s. He smiles at the thought of matching with her. “This must have been expensive, are you sure it’s not too much?”
At that, Kohane giggles, “Toya-kun, you try to spend extra money on us all the time. I think us spending more than usual on a gift is fine.”
“I suppose so…” He sighs, smiling. “Thank you.”
“Now the other one!”
He gently repacks the headphones before picking up the second package. It’s wrapped more messily, the items inside loose; he picks at the tape until the paper unravels. It reveals two bags of coffee beans.
“They’re the ones we use at the Garage,” An explains. “We get them from a supplier that doesn’t sell individual packs, so I got Dad to give me some for you!”
“That’s lovely. Thank you.” He makes a mental note to thank Ken as well– he’d been promised a celebration at Weekend Garage, a good opportunity to do so. That thought makes him smile too.
“Oh, here–” Kohane leans forward, pulling something from underneath the bags; she hands a few plastic sheets to him. “Stickers. I thought you might want to decorate your headphones, and, um, I noticed you looking at my notebook the other day… I thought maybe you liked them?”
“I did.” He does, he really does– Kohane is so colourful, outfits always pretty and pastel, everything she owns cute and decorated. Toya loves it about her. He looks at the sticker sheets; animals and music notes and hearts, some shiny and holographic. He can’t wait to cover his world in them. “Thank you.”
“Hehe, no problem. I’m glad you like them.”
Toya spends a moment more looking at the gifts, heart warming. These girls who had once been strangers, rivals, faces that would come and go like so many others– he loves them. He loves them so wholly. He loves An’s bright smiles and Kohane’s quiet grins, the way they always welcome and accommodate him. He loves the silent jokes when their partners argue and he loves it when they style his hair. He loves colours that he’d previously been blind to.
A place in his heart has been carved for them, and he welcomes it fully.
So, he opens his arms and invites them in.
Both of their eyes widen, and they dive into the hug; An presses a kiss to his cheek, and Kohane nuzzles against him, giggles contagious. “Thank you,” he repeats, just for the sake of it– they both scold him lightly.
As soon as they pull away, Tsukasa pushes a gift towards him. The shape and feeling tell him what it is– a book. “Here you go, my little star!”
“Thank you,” Toya murmurs, beginning to pull at the paper– he only needs to see the last character of the author’s name to recognise it. “Ah, this is—!”
“Yes!” Tsukasa laughs. “We noticed that all of your recent books have been by this author, so decided to assist you on your conquest!”
“Yes, I’m trying to read through her complete works.” He smiles, turning the book and gently flicking through the pages– it had been the next one he was planning to buy. “It’s a lot of books, and I’m only three in, so I appreciate the help.”
“It is a lot of books!” Saki chirps, mischievous smile creeping onto her face. “Which is why there is a very big box under the stairs at home.”
“Wh–” He looks up from the book. “You couldn’t have.”
“We could.”
“What– no, that’s… that’s almost twenty books.” His gaze flickers between his siblings. “You didn’t buy me sixteen books for my birthday.”
Their matching innocent grins tell all.
“You– honestly…” Toya’s legs fold up to his chest as he hides his face in his hands, equal parts exasperated and fond. “You two are ridiculous. Thank you.”
Tsukasa’s warm hug comes first, then Saki on his other side. “I’m glad you appreciate the gifts, Toya! However, please understand that your bedtimes will be supervised for the foreseeable future. Staying up all night to read is not healthy!”
Toya chuckles. “You… you get me this much of a gift, and you won’t even let me enjoy it? That’s rude,” he jokes, bringing his head back up.
“Well, I’m terribly sorry, but this is the way it has to be lest you die of exhaustion.”
Toya laughs, and Saki giggles before untangling from the hug– Toya watches as she reaches into the bag again. “I made us these as well! Consider it a collective birthday gift.” She holds out a hand, showing three bracelets; they’re made of clay beads. Two are yellow, one a slightly more orange tone, while the third is blue. They each have the other colours scattered through them and a charm attached; piano keys on the lighter yellow, a star on the more orange one, and a little coffee cup on the blue. “Sibling bracelets!”
It’s easy enough to figure out whose is whose; Tsukasa and Toya both take their respecting bracelets and slip them on with smiles of varying intensities. “Thank you, Saki-nee. They’re lovely.”
“Yes, nothing but the best from our sister! I’ll cherish this for the rest of my life!”
Saki giggles; the three place their wrists together in a perfect jumble of colour. Toya smiles. It feels like family.
Akito taps his shoulder after a moment; he turns. “I’ll give you your gift in a bit, ‘kay? When it’s just us.”
“Ohhh, it has to be romantic~!” An drawls, earning a middle finger from Akito.
Toya nods and tries not to dwell on it.
They all get dragged back to the sands by Kohane as soon as their food is gone; she seems devoted to making an entire album out of the trip, pulling each of them for individual shots with the backdrop of the ocean, group photos, attempting to turn invisible to get candid shots and complaining when they look stiff under her gaze. Tsukasa relishes in the attention and zealously thanks their now-blushing photographer. An takes the camera eventually, saying that Kohane shouldn’t be left out and ensuring that they get plenty of her, too. Toya looks forward to seeing the photos. A while longer is spent exploring and playing some very intense games of bowls, and before they know it, the sun is starting to set.
Eventually, Akito pulls him to the side.
“Toya,” he murmurs, glowing in the evening light, hand loosely wrapping around Toya’s, “c’mon.”
“Hm?” Toya allows his partner to lead him, walking towards where the water has started to lap further up the beach. “Where are we going?”
Akito grins. “Still gotta give you your gift.”
Right… Toya can’t say he forgot, Akito’s gift has been on his mind since earlier; he’d let other activities distract him, but now the anticipation grips him. So he follows, trusting Akito to lead.
Eventually, they settle onto a patch of mostly dry sand; Akito sits behind him to hug his middle, a reversal of their usual positions. It’s a little difficult with their height difference, but Toya finds that he likes being held like this every now and again.
“Hi,” Akito murmurs in his ear, a slight giggle lacing his voice. Toya smiles and presses back into him, glancing back to his partner. “Hey.”
“You ready for your gift?”
“If I can have it now, yes.”
Akito chuckles, leaning back a little. “‘Course you can, it’s your damn birthday. Close your eyes a sec.”
Toya follows the instruction, waiting, excitement rushing through him; after a moment, he hears a quiet jingling. “You know,” Akito says, close enough that his breath tickles Toya’s ear, “when I first asked you to sing with me, I thought it’d be a one-time thing.”
“Mm?”
“Yup. Thought I’d observe, steal some of your techniques, then move onto the next.” Something cold softly touches Toya’s chest and neck. “Simple enough. I didn’t need anyone to sing with.”
Gentle touches at the back of his neck betray the surprise. Akito huffs. “I was wrong, though, wasn’t I? Thought it’d be a one-off practice, and then it was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Lips press warm to Toya’s skin. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Akito…”
A gentle tap to his arm prompts him to open his eyes, looking down at the necklace his partner had oh so softly clasped around him. It’s simple, just a small sliver of silver; Akito reaches forward, turning it to display a sun and moon engraved on the inside. “You’re perfect, y’know. The moon to my sun.” His lips brush against Toya’s neck as he speaks; the grin is evident. “My one and only partner.”
His heart skips along as he takes in the affection. The gift is so simple and yet so sweet; so perfectly Akito, he almost can’t bear it. A shaky exhale leaves his lips. “…Thank you, Akito. I-I love you.”
“Mm, I love you too. Love you so much.” Lips press to his neck again, a few kisses being stamped onto the skin before Akito speaks again. “Got some more gifts for you at home, but for now I hope this is enough.”
“Of course it is,” Toya murmurs, entirely sincere, “any gift from you is plenty.”
“I dunno, it’s pretty small…” Akito’s lips curl up into a grin against his neck. “Would some kisses make up for it, ya’ think?”
Oh. Oh.
He doesn’t even get the chance to answer before the onslaught begins; warm kisses are pressed all along the back of his neck, Akito nosing at his hair and nuzzling into it to place kisses on his scalp. He recognises a kiss to the familiar target of the mole on the back of his neck; Akito tugs his shirt to the side to kiss the one on his shoulder, and then down to trail his upper spine. Toya giggles at the sensation, skin warm all over. “Ah– Akito…”
“Shh,” his teeth graze the side of Toya’s neck, he shivers, “let me spoil you.”
The attack resumes before Toya can protest, intensity increasing; soft, loving nips are delivered to his skin, leaving tiny traces of wetness. He laughs, feeling Akito giggle against him as he presses kiss after kiss up Toya’s neck, his smile wonderfully obvious.
“Akito, you– hahaha!– careful, we’re in public-“
“And?” Akito’s grin widens as he guides Toya’s head to the side, now kissing along his jaw, “Haven't you ever seen a teen movie, huh? This is what beaches are for–“
“Akito!” Blushing at the implication, Toya turns to the side to lightly hit his partner’s shoulder, earning a bright laugh, “I know, I know, kidding kidding kidding—!”
Toya huffs, but it quickly morphs into a laugh when he sees Akito’s expression; face pink, smiling widely and unabashedly, his sound clear and beautiful. Toya has always been entranced by Akito’s laugh, his smile– he’s recently found himself matching the expression, and he couldn’t be happier.
The laughter dies down, and they make eye contact–
Toya has never felt more loved.
“Hey,” Akito murmurs, hand gliding to the base of Toya’s neck; he hums, pleased, as deft fingers comb through the hair there. He twists a little to hook his arms over Akito’s shoulders, intentions plainly obvious.
“Toya. Thank you for being my partner.”
He smiles. “And thank you for being mine.”
Their lips meet. Warm, gentle, loving– just like Akito himself. The movements are slow and easy. It comes on instinct at this point.
“Also,” Akito whispers against his lips, “happy kiss a split-dyed bluenette day.”
Suddenly, he’s tackled onto his back, and Akito is attacking again; kisses pressed all over his face, lips exceedingly warm, his beauty mark in particular becoming a victim. He can barely breathe– one moment he’s kissing Akito, and the next he’s laughing so hard his stomach hurts.
“Akito! You–” another kiss– “that was almost–” he breaks into a fit of giggles– “almost half a year ago, how did–” his lips are stolen– “how did you remember?!”
“‘Cause I’ve been looking forward to it!” Akito leans over him, arms caging him in.
“Well…” Toya takes a moment to catch his breath, “I’m not sure if I’ve had enough.”
That’s all it takes, and then they’re kissing again.
Time passes in a pleasant blur, soft sweetness filling Toya’s senses. His scalp is being massaged through their kiss when they’re interrupted.
“In case you two have forgotten,” An’s voice says, and the two boys break apart so fast that Toya gets whiplash, “this is a group celebration.”
“Ah, we, um…” Toya looks at the sand, rubbing his arm sheepishly; he doesn’t usually get this embarrassed about being affectionate with his partner, but it feels extremely humiliating right now. “We got… distracted?”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Amber eyes trail down to the reddened marks on his neck, and she breaks out into a grin, turning to Akito. “Oh, is that why the gift had to be private?”
He’s on his feet instantly, face burning red, “Oh my god shut up–”
An squawks out a laugh, stepping back from his attempted tackle. “Just hurry up and get back to camp, we have the fireworks ready!”
“Eh– fireworks?”
“Oh, yeah,” Akito says, reaching a hand out to pull Toya up, “we got some.”
“Is it–”
“Yes, it’s legal, we checked.”
He breathes a sigh of relief, following as they head back towards the little camp. The rest of the group is gathered a little away from the towels; Saki seems to be trying to wrestle a box of matches away from Tsukasa while Kohane attempts to mediate. An runs up to them, promptly deciding that the Tenmas cannot be trusted with fire and Kohane is too precious to risk, taking the matches for herself. Toya smiles as an arm slips around his waist.
A quiet hissing noise begins; they all step back.
“Hm?” Kohane steps up to the box the fireworks had been stored in. “Tsukasa-san, there’s a note here signed by Rui-san. Did you read it?”
He looks back. “Um. No.”
The first firework screeches up into the sky before anyone can explain. Toya feels Akito tighten his grip, and he laughs; the colours illuminate his friends, his family, so beautifully.
He feels truly, wholly happy.
(Toya falls asleep almost as soon as they get on the train, weight leaning onto Akito. An comes to sit on his other side to hold his hand; Kohane, never one to allow herself to be left out, settles herself on her partner’s lap, legs kicked over Toya just to have some claim over him.
They all smile as they hold him; their perfect, wonderful teammate.
They’ll do anything to keep loving him like this.)
