Challenge 002 - Story Entry
The Love Battle Fic Challenge!
Participants:
2 - crazy_otaku911 Kei X Takaki
1 - dreamweavernyx Kei X Yabu
Your Central Character is: Inoo Kei
Topic: The Love Battle Of course! Kei must make a decision between the two!
Pairing: Inoo Kei X ______.
***************Challenge Notes ******************
Readers will vote for their favorite date and decide who Kei should end up with! The JUMP member who receives the most votes will be paired up and the corresponding author can write a fitting ending to the fic!
So! Begin voting!
Inoo had changed once to get ready for the evening and even though Takaki was running a full thirty-five minutes late, that was all he was going to do about it. Having settled down with a book in hand, Inoo was mostly contented to wait. Takaki being late was nothing new, in any case.
It was thirty-eight minutes before the long expected knock came at the door. Pulling himself out of the words on the page, Inoo belatedly realized that his little sister was already opening the door, An and Jam at her heels. “Hey!”
“Hello~!” Keiri chirped, stepping back to allow Takaki's lanky figure in, giggling and finger-waving. “Nice to see you again, Takaki-kuuuu~n!”
“Shoo, you,” He scolded gently, nudging her and the dogs away from Takaki. Inoo was pretty sure Keiri harbored an idol crush on Takaki and while it was probably just a silly girl thing, Inoo didn't know how to handle that sort of thing.
Takaki laughed, a familiar, albeit sheepish, smile appearing on his face. “Sorry about being so late. Borrowed my sister's car but she was running late and all...” A faint blush spread over Takaki's cheeks. “You ready to go?”
Giving his outfit of capris, t-shirt, and a light jacket one more glance, Inoo poked at Takaki's arm. “Ready for the past half-hour.”
Takaki just gave him another apologetic grin and stepped back outside, heading back to the car.
Inoo wasn't even sure if Takaki would have tried, but he walked fast enough to open the passenger door himself.
“Where are we going, anyway,” He asked, buckling himself in and eyeing the seatbelt with a mixture of resignation and hope. He had never driven with Takaki before...and he wasn't sure what was scarier, knowing that Takaki knew how or that someone actually had let him behind the wheel at all.
Takaki was concentrating on pulling back into traffic, tongue between his teeth as he focused. It had been a whole minute and Inoo was still alive. That shouldn't have felt like such a miracle, but Inoo kept such thoughts to himself.
“The beach,” Takaki finally answered with a soft smile, looking much more relaxed behind the wheel. “It's a nice day and I wanted to go before it got too cold.”
“...So why are you taking me?” Inoo raised an eyebrow in question. “It's not like I surf, you weirdo.”
“Hey!” Takaki shot him a quick look, almost pouting. “I didn't mean that. We're not surfing. We're just going to the beach.”
They settled into silence for the rest of the drive, Inoo lost in his own thoughts, not really wanting to distract Takaki from the task at hand. It was simple enough, to enjoy the scenery change outside of the car's window.
The sun was already setting when they finally parked, streaking the sky with golden yellow and deeper orange. The water glinted with small flecks of color, as if it was made up of a million mirrors, all reflecting a different part of the sky.
“Want some ice cream?” Takaki asked, nearly startling Inoo as he broke the silence.
“Huh? Oh...Sure?” Inoo bit his lip for a moment, watching Takaki twist into the back of the car, pulling out a small cooler.
“I figured it'd be something nice after the drive...” The other boy explained, extracting two wrapped ice creamsicles, carefully unwrapping one before handing it over to Inoo. Vanilla flavour. Inoo felt secretly pleased. “Let's take a walk, ne?”
It was cool outside, the hints of warmth from the day slowly ebbing away as the sun sank. Takaki just laughed between bites, tugging Inoo along, kicking his sandals off once they reached the sand. “It's okay~” He assured Inoo, waiting for him to do the same. “It's pretty empty around here and they're just shoes.”
“You'll be buying me a new pair if they get stolen,” Inoo grumbled, but toed his shoes off, all the same. It was too nice a day to be grumpy.
The sand was warm and cool, all at the same time, just like Inoo was, warm in his jacket with the ice cream sliding down his fingers as it melted.
“I love the beach,” Takaki laughed softly, walking just close enough to the water that the waves lapped over his toes. “It's just relaxing, you know? I had a friend tell me once that the sea drains you of all your energy if you're swimming in it...but just walking next to it, I always feel like all the problems slowly wash away with the waves.”
“Really?” Glancing out at the waters, Inoo thought about it for a moment. “I guess I don't come out here often enough. It's pretty though~.”
“I like it best right now~” Sighing softly, Takaki nodded to the sunset. “I'm usually here during daylight because I'm surfing, but I always try and stay to see this.”
“Mm...” Making a soft noise, Inoo nodded, unsure of what else to say. He knew how to handle hyper Takaki and tired Takaki, maybe even upset Takaki. This was a Takaki he hadn't ever seen before and he wasn't sure what to think about it. He wouldn't have pegged Takaki as the type to notice things like the sun setting.
“So what's in there?” Inoo nodded to the bag Takaki had grabbed right before locking the car.
Takaki glanced down with it, blinking in surprise, as if he'd forgotten it. “Oh! Right...” He grinned sheepishly at Inoo as he came to a stop. “Come on... Let's sit down~”
Out of the bag came two beach towels, Inoo happily accepting the blue one while Takaki parked himself on the orange one. They sat there for a moment, sitting there and staring at the water.
“You know,” Inoo finally said, laughing awkwardly. The silences made him nervous, as if the quiet didn't belong. Or maybe Inoo just felt out of place. “This makes me think of how Keiri wanted to go to the beach for vacation... We ended up going to Minato Mirai though.” He peeked at Takaki and found him listening and found himself still talking. “But you know, I think she preferred that, because my parents bought her so much stuff while we were in Yokohama, it was insane. You know those cute little sundresses that girls wear all the time? I swear, Mom and Dad bought her ten of them-”
Inoo wasn't sure where all the words were coming from, but they just came tumbling out. Maybe it was because he felt like he was supposed to, since Takaki was showing him all of this just because he wanted to. Maybe it was just because Inoo appreciated the fact that Takaki was listening, actually listening, to him. It felt good, having an audience who was pay attention, nodding in all the right places, smiling when Inoo wanted him to smile. Inoo even realized that he liked how Takaki laughed. It was sincere, bright, and warm.
After a few stories were swapped, Takaki reached into the bag again pulling out two small bottles of... was Inoo looking at bubbles?
“I know it's really kiddish~,” Laughing softly, Takaki pulled out a wand, blowing a stream of bubbles into the air. “But...”
“It's pretty,” Inoo breathed out, finishing his sentence for him. And it was. The iridescent bubbles caught the light from the setting sun, becoming their own little balls of solarized beauty. He soon joined in, blowing bubbles into the sky and watching them sink down to the sands around them, popping as they touched down. He briefly wondered if this was terrible for the environment, but such thoughts felt out of place. It was better just to blow bubbles and laugh and talk and watch the sun as it set over the horizon, leaving the air purple and blue.
“I guess it's late...We should head back, shouldn't we~?” It was Inoo who finally suggested it, not Takaki, though he laughed and blushed, agreeing.
“I guess I lost track of time. It was fun, right?”
Inoo couldn't help but smile and nod. It had been fun, more fun than he'd expected. They packed up the towels and the bubbles, setting back to retrieve their shoes and get into the car. Inoo pointedly ignored Takaki's laughter as he sat there for five minutes getting sand out from between his toes. He didn't want to wait the whole drive back to deal with such problems.
The drive back wasn't nearly as quiet as the previous one, Inoo and Takaki ended up singing to anything they recognized on the radio (Takaki actually sang even when he didn't), and Inoo found himself rather surprised when Takaki put the car in park, realizing that they were already home.
Sliding out of the passenger seat, Inoo realized that he was suddenly nervous and he wasn't sure why. The walk to his front door, though short, felt like an eternity, Inoo's thoughts racing. It wasn't like he'd never said goodbye to Takaki before... but it was a first date and to be honest, Inoo wasn't sure what he was expecting Takaki to do.
Hand resting awkwardly on the doorknob, Inoo gave Takaki a small, almost timid smile. “Thanks...I really had fu--”
The last thing he'd expected was a tiny peck on the lips, soft, shy, and suddenly his heart wasn't beating. Takaki took a step back, looking abashed, head ducked as he stared at his feet. “Sorry...” He so closely resembled an errant child that Inoo would have laughed if he could.
“It's okay,” He said finally, sounding rather dazed, even to himself. “Just...” He tilted his head, biting his lower lip as he considered the question he wanted to ask. “Why did you ask me out, anyways? Like...after all this time. You just felt like it?” The date, the kiss, it had all come as a surprise to Inoo and it wasn't helping settle his thoughts.
There was another long silence as Takaki examined his shoes before meeting Inoo's eyes, his gaze clear and calm.
“I got tired of waiting,” Takaki told him, almost smiling. “It was always Hikaru, always Kouta, always someone else. I got tired of waiting to see if you'd ever notice me,” His eyes dropped down again, examining his fingers as he flexed them. “You were once my leader too, Kei... I got tired of feeling like you never noticed.”
Inoo felt all words leave him as Takaki spoke. He wasn't a talker, but he was used to knowing what to say when he needed to say something.
But now he was left with nothing but a small kiss lingering on his lips.
“Sorry...” Takaki's voice made him look up again. There was an actual smile now, though it was rather apologetic. “It's selfish of me, shoving this all on you. I'm glad you had fun tonight. I wanted you to have a good time...I'll see you later, okay?” And with that he was gone, leaving Inoo to stare at the air he'd just vacated.
With nothing but a kiss left.
Moving slowly, sluggishly, Inoo unlocked the front door, greeting his parents and absentmindedly ruffling Keiri's hair as he passed. Announcing that he was tired and turning in early, Inoo shut the door to his room and flopped onto the bed.
He didn't even bother changing before curling up into a ball, his thoughts still in a whirl as he hugged a pillow to his chest.
He'd never before fallen asleep so confused.
---The Next Day---
“Kei.”
He spun around, expecting to see the face of Takaki, expecting to hear something about that date the night before.
His eyes instead met the dark ones of Yabu, and he unconsciously let out a breath that he hadn’t known he was holding.
It’s just Yabu.
Yabu blinked at him.
“Eh?”
Inoo realized that he had spoken that aloud, and grinned embarrassedly at Yabu.
“It’s nothing, Kou-chan. Did you want something?”
Yabu bit his lip, and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, looking extremely nervous.
“Are you free tonight?” he asked finally, and Inoo nodded.
A tiny smile of relief crossed the taller boy’s face.
“Want to go out for dinner after the photoshoot finishes?”
“Just the two of us?”
Yabu fidgeted.
“…Yeah.”
“That sounds like a date,” Inoo said, “but yeah, sure, anything’s fine.”
He failed to notice the brief wince that flashed across Yabu’s face.
~
Yabu was nice enough to help him close the passenger door of his car before walking to the driver’s side.
“So, where are you taking me?” he asked, as Yabu began to drive out onto the main road.
Trees flashed by the window in green blurs, and the occasional beige blur of a person whipped by, bright against the endless strip of blurry green foliage.
“It’s a secret,” replied Yabu, a hint of humor in his voice.
Inoo hummed in mock irritation, and pretended to scowl crossly at Yabu, folding his arms and pouting in an attempt to persuade Yabu to reveal their destination.
The attempt failed, and Inoo resorted to staring at the sun peeking out from behind the trees as it sank into the horizon, amidst a coloured sea that changed from brilliant gold to fiery orange to watermelon pink, before fading away into a purple-blue twilight sky.
“You know,” he said, in an attempt to start conversation, “this almost feels like you’re taking me out on a date or something. With a mystery destination, you know?”
Yabu said nothing, but this time Inoo caught the slight furrowing of his brow, the brief look of pain, and the biting of his lip.
Five minutes of awkward silence later, Yabu pulled into a small car park.
“We’re here,” he said, his voice cheerful.
Inoo climbed out of the car, and looked around.
“This is the park,” he said dryly, “We’re having dinner in the park?”
Yabu made a noise that Inoo interpreted as yes, as he opened the car boot and began looking through it.
“But there’s no place to eat here,” Inoo continued, confused.
Yabu’s head emerged from the recesses of the car boot, a black bag clutched in his hand.
“There is,” he said, “follow me.”
He reached down to take Inoo’s pale hand in his own, and began to walk into the park. Inoo yelped in surprise, and followed after Yabu, tripping in an attempt to keep up.
His fingers tingled for a slight instant the moment Yabu had grabbed hold of his hand, but he ignored it.
Yabu had plunged ahead with a happy laugh, stopping in front of the empty swing set.
“Kei, are you really hungry, right now?”
Inoo shook his head.
“I had some snacks in the dressing room,” he explained, “so I can probably hold out a little more before my stomach starts complaining.”
A grin crossed Yabu’s face.
“Great!”
And before Inoo could say anything else, he found himself being dragged towards one of the swings.
“Hey-wait-what-”
“Let’s play!” interrupted Yabu.
Inoo stared at Yabu incredulously, as if the boy had just sprouted antlers and begun dancing the Caramelldansen.
“Play?” he repeated, for confirmation.
Yabu’s head bobbed like a bobblehead.
“Ending work early is rare,” he said, “so I try to have some fun whenever we’re free. But the swings are only fun when two people play, so when I come here alone I don’t swing on them. You’re here today though, so let’s have some fun together before dinner!”
Sighing, Inoo gave in, and Yabu happily gestured for him to sit on the swing. Gingerly, he wrapped his long fingers around the steel chain holding the swing up.
“Don’t push me too high,” he warned, “I’ll freak out and cry like there’s no tomorrow. And that’s a promise.”
Yabu laughed.
“Sure.”
And he kept good on his promise, pushing extremely gently. Inoo’s eyelids fluttered closed, and he concentrated as his other senses were momentarily heightened, and he could feel the small breeze blowing into his face as he swung forward, the light smell of the grass, the warmth of Yabu’s hands as he pushed the younger boy forward once more.
“Kou-chan, I think you can push me just a little harder,” he said, gaining a little bravado after swinging for what felt like a long while.
There was no answer, and he felt the swing slowing to a stop on its own.
“…Kou-chan?”
The chirping of crickets was heard, and Inoo cracked open his eyes, slightly afraid that Yabu had left him alone.
“Boo.”
Inoo shrieked as Yabu’s face suddenly appeared in his field of vision, and would have toppled off the swing right there and then if Yabu’s arm had not shot out and grabbed his hand.
“You scared me!” he accused, pointing his finger at Yabu’s nose.
“Sorry,” apologized Yabu, “but it seemed fun!”
Inoo scowled, and began to chase Yabu in a mock fit of rage, fingers out and ready to tickle should Yabu be unfortunate enough to get caught by him.
They ended up collapsing in a giggling heap next to the see-saw, after running ten rounds or so around the entire park, arms sprawled out onto each other as they lay on the cool grass, trying to regain their breath.
“I have to admit,” panted Inoo, “that was fun.”
“Yeah.”
Yabu fell silent, and they said nothing for a few minutes.
In a single anticlimactic stroke, Inoo’s stomach grumbled loud and clear, startling the silent pair.
Inoo laughed to cover his embarrassment.
“Looks like I’m hungry now,” he said, between laughs.
Yabu smiled.
“Then come. I’ll bring you to where we’re having dinner tonight.”
Taking Inoo by the hand again, he led the younger boy past the enclosures of the green park, and up a sloping pebble path. Gravel crunched under their sneakers as they made their way up the winding path to the top of a small grassy hill.
Inoo glanced around, confused.
“There’s like, nothing here at all, Kou-chan.”
Yabu laughed again, a deep pleasant sound bubbling from his throat.
“Oh, but there will be.”
He held up the black bag he had taken from the car, and Inoo realized he had completely forgotten about it. Yabu unzipped it now, and the silver lining within told Inoo that it was a cooler bag.
From the bag, Yabu dug out a plastic sheet that looked like a picnic mat. He spread it on the ground, and Inoo saw that it was indeed a picnic mat, one emblazoned with footballs on a pastel blue background.
“Footballs?” he asked, laughing, and Yabu rolled his eyes, turning back to the cooler bag to take out more things.
A container of home-made onigiri soon made their appearance, followed by a container of potato salad and a bag of chocolate chip cookies.
“There we go,” he said happily as he put the cooler bag to one side, “a dinner picnic under the stars.”
Inoo’s stomach let out an impatient rumble, and Yabu snorted in suppressed laughter, handing Inoo an onigiri before taking his own. Inoo bit into the onigiri, chewing slowly as a sudden thought resurfaced.
Eating together, just the two of us…this feels just like a date.
Looking up, he saw Yabu’s cheeks burn scarlet for a brief moment, and he realized that for the second time that day, he had unconsciously spoken his thoughts out aloud. But persistent curiosity was eating away at him by now, and with every bite of onigiri he took as Yabu stayed silent and pink-cheeked, curiosity ate and ate away at him, until he could stand it no more.
“…Kou-chan?”
Yabu still was not looking at him, but he mumbled something softly. Straining his ears, Inoo caught a faint whisper.
“It is.”
“Sorry?”
Yabu’s head snapped up, and pinned down Inoo with a look that spoke of desperation and longing.
“This…it’s all meant to be a date, Kei,” he said, still rather softly, and yet Inoo heard him clearly.
“But why? Why not just tell me outright? You know I wouldn’t have protested,” asked Inoo, confused.
Yabu looked away for a brief moment, before meeting Inoo’s eyes again.
“Takaki…he took you out on a date last night. I was afraid that if I told you this was a date, you’d compare it to the other one. But I wanted you to see this date as a separate affair, so I thought the best way was not to tell you anything until the end,” Yabu finished, looking down again, fists clenching the picnic mat.
“I guess I kind of lied to you in a way, and I apologise for that.”
And all Inoo could do was look in shock with a bite of rice still in his mouth as Yabu looked away and apologized for what Inoo had seen as giving him an enjoyable time.
Putting aside the half-eaten onigiri in his hand, Inoo shuffled forward on his knees, and reached out to cup Yabu’s face with his hands, and lift it up to eye level.
“Kou-chan, I’m not with Takaki. Not yet. I’m still confused after the date ended, and if you’re going to tell me that you love me too I won’t be able to give you a straight answer. I’ll need a while to think about it though.”
“…So this isn’t a rejection?”
Inoo shook his head.
“It’s neither a confirmation nor a rejection. I’ll need to consider though.”
Yabu smiled a small smile.
“As long as you’re happy,” he said, “I don’t really mind who you choose. I once heard that if you really love someone, you’ll want to be happy as long as they’re happy, no matter what.”
“Thanks,” Inoo said, heart fluttering at Yabu’s words, “for understanding.”
“No problem,” replied Yabu, his eyes narrowing in a smile, “Now, let’s eat up before it all gets warm! The salad will go bad.”
Twenty minutes later, they had finished all the food, and sat back-to-back on the plastic mat, looking at the stars that were appearing in the sky.
“You know,” murmured Inoo, “this feels like Ninomiya-senpai’s drama, somehow.”
Yabu hummed assent, his eyes fixed on the twinkling specks.
“The stars are beautiful,” he said, “and it’s relaxing to just sit back and gaze at them, don’t you think? Sometimes, I can just feel all my stress melt away.”
Inoo tilted his head up, and stayed silent for a while, gazing at the sky like Yabu.
“Yeah,” he said at last, “Somehow, I feel less confused now.”
~
Yabu walked him back to his home, all the way up to the door.
“Well,” he said, “I hope you enjoyed tonight.”
“I did,” replied Inoo, beaming at him, “Thank you so much.”
“It’s no problem.”
Inoo reached out to open his doorknob, when in a sudden movement, Yabu enveloped him in a warm, gentle hug.
“No matter who you choose,” he murmured, “we’ll still be best friends.”
“Yeah.”
Yabu drew back, and stepped away.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
And with that, he had gone, and Inoo could hear the car’s engine start up again and drive away.
In a daze, Inoo pushed open the door and headed straight for his room, sitting down on his bed and staring out the window blankly.
I have to choose, he thought to himself.
But who would he choose? His confused heart was still undecided, tangled in the web of indecision.
He cared for them both, that he knew.
But who will I truly be happy with?
---
Another day of practice was over.
Yabu finished packing his things into his sports bag, and turned to leave.
It had been two days ever since the dinner with Inoo, and the slender boy had shown no sign of coming to a decision yet.
It doesn’t matter, he told himself firmly yet again, as long as he’s happy.
As he walked out of the dressing room, he noticed the aforementioned boy standing in the corridor, talking to Takaki.
Yabu was too far away to hear the exchange of words, but he could see Inoo smile softly at Takaki, before hugging him gently.
Inoo seemed to have made his choice.
He’s happy, Yabu told himself, I should be happy for him.
Yet somehow, his heart still felt as if it were shattering into a million tiny shards.
Without another glance back, Yabu turned and walked away in the opposite direction.
~
With an air of finality, Inoo finished packing his bag. He still felt slightly nervous about the decision he had finally come to, but he knew that it had to be made eventually.
As he left, he reached out and dragged Takaki with him into the corridor.
“Um,” he began, extremely aware of Takaki’s puzzled stare, “I think I’ve made my decision.”
He looked into Takaki’s eyes, and can almost feel them searching his own for the answer he himself is too nervous to say.
“I know,” Takaki said softly after a long pause, “be happy, okay? If he makes you hurt I swear I’ll beat him up.”
“W-what-How-”
Takaki smiled a small, sad smile.
“I can see it in your eyes. You truly love him, don’t you? Yabu-kun.”
Quietly, Inoo bit his lip and looked away.
“I’m sorry…”
He was aware of a soft warm hand patting his hair gently.
“Don’t be. In the end, what matters most is that you’re happy with your choice.”
“We…we’ll still be friends, right?” Inoo asked uncertainly, and Takaki smiled again, this time slightly warmer.
“Definitely. And if things between you don’t work out, just remember that I’m always here, hm?”
Inoo’s smile was wobbly, and full of relief as he launched himself at Takaki in a hug.
“Thanks for understanding,” he murmured softly.
~
The stars blinked down at him again tonight. Yabu sighed softly as he walked down the path under the trees, his footsteps making soft crunching noises as he plowed through the sea of fallen leaves.
Faintly, he could hear another set of footsteps, quicker than his own, as if the person behind him were running.
“Kou-chan!” he could hear a familiar voice yell, “Wait up!”
His own feet slowed to a stop, and he turned to see Inoo running up to him, hair disheveled and panting lightly.
“I need to tell you something-” Inoo began, but Yabu cut him off.
“Be happy,” he said, smiling despite the fact that his heart was cracking anew, “with Takaki, okay?”
And suddenly, the world was crashing down on Inoo as he stared at Yabu in confusion.
“…Eh?”
Yabu laughed a little at Inoo’s confused goldfish-face.
“You picked Takaki, didn’t you? You guys were hugging in the corridor.”
“Hey-wait-no-”
“As long as you’re happy,” Yabu interrupted, “I don’t mind who you choose, remember?”
Inoo groaned frustratedly.
“But you don’t even know who I’ve chosen!”
“I think I can guess,” replied Yabu gently.
Right there and then, Inoo wished that he knew how to conjure up a wall, so that he could walk to it at begin smashing his head into it. Unfortunately, there was no wall available for that purpose, and thus Inoo did the only thing that he figured would make Yabu shut up.
He leaned forward, tiptoeing a little, and briefly touched his lips to Yabu’s warm ones.
“There,” he said after he pulled away, “now you know who I chose.”
Yabu blinked at him, stunned.
“You-you chose me?!”
Inoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“Yes I did, you blockhead. Next time, listen to what people have to say before jumping to conclusions, hm?”
Yabu smiled, eyes crinkling into slits.
“Yes, yes.”
He leaned forward, and the two shared another short, tentative kiss.
They pulled away, and Yabu’s hand reached down to slip into Inoo’s fingers interlocking naturally as if they were meant to from the beginning.
“Let’s go home.”
“Yeah.”
They walked down the path hand in hand, their shadows lengthening and mingling together in the silver moonlight.
And above their heads, a single shooting star flew across the dark sky.
Participants:
2 - crazy_otaku911 Kei X Takaki
1 - dreamweavernyx Kei X Yabu
Your Central Character is: Inoo Kei
Topic: The Love Battle Of course! Kei must make a decision between the two!
Pairing: Inoo Kei X ______.
***************Challenge Notes ******************
Readers will vote for their favorite date and decide who Kei should end up with! The JUMP member who receives the most votes will be paired up and the corresponding author can write a fitting ending to the fic!
So! Begin voting!
Inoo had changed once to get ready for the evening and even though Takaki was running a full thirty-five minutes late, that was all he was going to do about it. Having settled down with a book in hand, Inoo was mostly contented to wait. Takaki being late was nothing new, in any case.
It was thirty-eight minutes before the long expected knock came at the door. Pulling himself out of the words on the page, Inoo belatedly realized that his little sister was already opening the door, An and Jam at her heels. “Hey!”
“Hello~!” Keiri chirped, stepping back to allow Takaki's lanky figure in, giggling and finger-waving. “Nice to see you again, Takaki-kuuuu~n!”
“Shoo, you,” He scolded gently, nudging her and the dogs away from Takaki. Inoo was pretty sure Keiri harbored an idol crush on Takaki and while it was probably just a silly girl thing, Inoo didn't know how to handle that sort of thing.
Takaki laughed, a familiar, albeit sheepish, smile appearing on his face. “Sorry about being so late. Borrowed my sister's car but she was running late and all...” A faint blush spread over Takaki's cheeks. “You ready to go?”
Giving his outfit of capris, t-shirt, and a light jacket one more glance, Inoo poked at Takaki's arm. “Ready for the past half-hour.”
Takaki just gave him another apologetic grin and stepped back outside, heading back to the car.
Inoo wasn't even sure if Takaki would have tried, but he walked fast enough to open the passenger door himself.
“Where are we going, anyway,” He asked, buckling himself in and eyeing the seatbelt with a mixture of resignation and hope. He had never driven with Takaki before...and he wasn't sure what was scarier, knowing that Takaki knew how or that someone actually had let him behind the wheel at all.
Takaki was concentrating on pulling back into traffic, tongue between his teeth as he focused. It had been a whole minute and Inoo was still alive. That shouldn't have felt like such a miracle, but Inoo kept such thoughts to himself.
“The beach,” Takaki finally answered with a soft smile, looking much more relaxed behind the wheel. “It's a nice day and I wanted to go before it got too cold.”
“...So why are you taking me?” Inoo raised an eyebrow in question. “It's not like I surf, you weirdo.”
“Hey!” Takaki shot him a quick look, almost pouting. “I didn't mean that. We're not surfing. We're just going to the beach.”
They settled into silence for the rest of the drive, Inoo lost in his own thoughts, not really wanting to distract Takaki from the task at hand. It was simple enough, to enjoy the scenery change outside of the car's window.
The sun was already setting when they finally parked, streaking the sky with golden yellow and deeper orange. The water glinted with small flecks of color, as if it was made up of a million mirrors, all reflecting a different part of the sky.
“Want some ice cream?” Takaki asked, nearly startling Inoo as he broke the silence.
“Huh? Oh...Sure?” Inoo bit his lip for a moment, watching Takaki twist into the back of the car, pulling out a small cooler.
“I figured it'd be something nice after the drive...” The other boy explained, extracting two wrapped ice creamsicles, carefully unwrapping one before handing it over to Inoo. Vanilla flavour. Inoo felt secretly pleased. “Let's take a walk, ne?”
It was cool outside, the hints of warmth from the day slowly ebbing away as the sun sank. Takaki just laughed between bites, tugging Inoo along, kicking his sandals off once they reached the sand. “It's okay~” He assured Inoo, waiting for him to do the same. “It's pretty empty around here and they're just shoes.”
“You'll be buying me a new pair if they get stolen,” Inoo grumbled, but toed his shoes off, all the same. It was too nice a day to be grumpy.
The sand was warm and cool, all at the same time, just like Inoo was, warm in his jacket with the ice cream sliding down his fingers as it melted.
“I love the beach,” Takaki laughed softly, walking just close enough to the water that the waves lapped over his toes. “It's just relaxing, you know? I had a friend tell me once that the sea drains you of all your energy if you're swimming in it...but just walking next to it, I always feel like all the problems slowly wash away with the waves.”
“Really?” Glancing out at the waters, Inoo thought about it for a moment. “I guess I don't come out here often enough. It's pretty though~.”
“I like it best right now~” Sighing softly, Takaki nodded to the sunset. “I'm usually here during daylight because I'm surfing, but I always try and stay to see this.”
“Mm...” Making a soft noise, Inoo nodded, unsure of what else to say. He knew how to handle hyper Takaki and tired Takaki, maybe even upset Takaki. This was a Takaki he hadn't ever seen before and he wasn't sure what to think about it. He wouldn't have pegged Takaki as the type to notice things like the sun setting.
“So what's in there?” Inoo nodded to the bag Takaki had grabbed right before locking the car.
Takaki glanced down with it, blinking in surprise, as if he'd forgotten it. “Oh! Right...” He grinned sheepishly at Inoo as he came to a stop. “Come on... Let's sit down~”
Out of the bag came two beach towels, Inoo happily accepting the blue one while Takaki parked himself on the orange one. They sat there for a moment, sitting there and staring at the water.
“You know,” Inoo finally said, laughing awkwardly. The silences made him nervous, as if the quiet didn't belong. Or maybe Inoo just felt out of place. “This makes me think of how Keiri wanted to go to the beach for vacation... We ended up going to Minato Mirai though.” He peeked at Takaki and found him listening and found himself still talking. “But you know, I think she preferred that, because my parents bought her so much stuff while we were in Yokohama, it was insane. You know those cute little sundresses that girls wear all the time? I swear, Mom and Dad bought her ten of them-”
Inoo wasn't sure where all the words were coming from, but they just came tumbling out. Maybe it was because he felt like he was supposed to, since Takaki was showing him all of this just because he wanted to. Maybe it was just because Inoo appreciated the fact that Takaki was listening, actually listening, to him. It felt good, having an audience who was pay attention, nodding in all the right places, smiling when Inoo wanted him to smile. Inoo even realized that he liked how Takaki laughed. It was sincere, bright, and warm.
After a few stories were swapped, Takaki reached into the bag again pulling out two small bottles of... was Inoo looking at bubbles?
“I know it's really kiddish~,” Laughing softly, Takaki pulled out a wand, blowing a stream of bubbles into the air. “But...”
“It's pretty,” Inoo breathed out, finishing his sentence for him. And it was. The iridescent bubbles caught the light from the setting sun, becoming their own little balls of solarized beauty. He soon joined in, blowing bubbles into the sky and watching them sink down to the sands around them, popping as they touched down. He briefly wondered if this was terrible for the environment, but such thoughts felt out of place. It was better just to blow bubbles and laugh and talk and watch the sun as it set over the horizon, leaving the air purple and blue.
“I guess it's late...We should head back, shouldn't we~?” It was Inoo who finally suggested it, not Takaki, though he laughed and blushed, agreeing.
“I guess I lost track of time. It was fun, right?”
Inoo couldn't help but smile and nod. It had been fun, more fun than he'd expected. They packed up the towels and the bubbles, setting back to retrieve their shoes and get into the car. Inoo pointedly ignored Takaki's laughter as he sat there for five minutes getting sand out from between his toes. He didn't want to wait the whole drive back to deal with such problems.
The drive back wasn't nearly as quiet as the previous one, Inoo and Takaki ended up singing to anything they recognized on the radio (Takaki actually sang even when he didn't), and Inoo found himself rather surprised when Takaki put the car in park, realizing that they were already home.
Sliding out of the passenger seat, Inoo realized that he was suddenly nervous and he wasn't sure why. The walk to his front door, though short, felt like an eternity, Inoo's thoughts racing. It wasn't like he'd never said goodbye to Takaki before... but it was a first date and to be honest, Inoo wasn't sure what he was expecting Takaki to do.
Hand resting awkwardly on the doorknob, Inoo gave Takaki a small, almost timid smile. “Thanks...I really had fu--”
The last thing he'd expected was a tiny peck on the lips, soft, shy, and suddenly his heart wasn't beating. Takaki took a step back, looking abashed, head ducked as he stared at his feet. “Sorry...” He so closely resembled an errant child that Inoo would have laughed if he could.
“It's okay,” He said finally, sounding rather dazed, even to himself. “Just...” He tilted his head, biting his lower lip as he considered the question he wanted to ask. “Why did you ask me out, anyways? Like...after all this time. You just felt like it?” The date, the kiss, it had all come as a surprise to Inoo and it wasn't helping settle his thoughts.
There was another long silence as Takaki examined his shoes before meeting Inoo's eyes, his gaze clear and calm.
“I got tired of waiting,” Takaki told him, almost smiling. “It was always Hikaru, always Kouta, always someone else. I got tired of waiting to see if you'd ever notice me,” His eyes dropped down again, examining his fingers as he flexed them. “You were once my leader too, Kei... I got tired of feeling like you never noticed.”
Inoo felt all words leave him as Takaki spoke. He wasn't a talker, but he was used to knowing what to say when he needed to say something.
But now he was left with nothing but a small kiss lingering on his lips.
“Sorry...” Takaki's voice made him look up again. There was an actual smile now, though it was rather apologetic. “It's selfish of me, shoving this all on you. I'm glad you had fun tonight. I wanted you to have a good time...I'll see you later, okay?” And with that he was gone, leaving Inoo to stare at the air he'd just vacated.
With nothing but a kiss left.
Moving slowly, sluggishly, Inoo unlocked the front door, greeting his parents and absentmindedly ruffling Keiri's hair as he passed. Announcing that he was tired and turning in early, Inoo shut the door to his room and flopped onto the bed.
He didn't even bother changing before curling up into a ball, his thoughts still in a whirl as he hugged a pillow to his chest.
He'd never before fallen asleep so confused.
---The Next Day---
“Kei.”
He spun around, expecting to see the face of Takaki, expecting to hear something about that date the night before.
His eyes instead met the dark ones of Yabu, and he unconsciously let out a breath that he hadn’t known he was holding.
It’s just Yabu.
Yabu blinked at him.
“Eh?”
Inoo realized that he had spoken that aloud, and grinned embarrassedly at Yabu.
“It’s nothing, Kou-chan. Did you want something?”
Yabu bit his lip, and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, looking extremely nervous.
“Are you free tonight?” he asked finally, and Inoo nodded.
A tiny smile of relief crossed the taller boy’s face.
“Want to go out for dinner after the photoshoot finishes?”
“Just the two of us?”
Yabu fidgeted.
“…Yeah.”
“That sounds like a date,” Inoo said, “but yeah, sure, anything’s fine.”
He failed to notice the brief wince that flashed across Yabu’s face.
~
Yabu was nice enough to help him close the passenger door of his car before walking to the driver’s side.
“So, where are you taking me?” he asked, as Yabu began to drive out onto the main road.
Trees flashed by the window in green blurs, and the occasional beige blur of a person whipped by, bright against the endless strip of blurry green foliage.
“It’s a secret,” replied Yabu, a hint of humor in his voice.
Inoo hummed in mock irritation, and pretended to scowl crossly at Yabu, folding his arms and pouting in an attempt to persuade Yabu to reveal their destination.
The attempt failed, and Inoo resorted to staring at the sun peeking out from behind the trees as it sank into the horizon, amidst a coloured sea that changed from brilliant gold to fiery orange to watermelon pink, before fading away into a purple-blue twilight sky.
“You know,” he said, in an attempt to start conversation, “this almost feels like you’re taking me out on a date or something. With a mystery destination, you know?”
Yabu said nothing, but this time Inoo caught the slight furrowing of his brow, the brief look of pain, and the biting of his lip.
Five minutes of awkward silence later, Yabu pulled into a small car park.
“We’re here,” he said, his voice cheerful.
Inoo climbed out of the car, and looked around.
“This is the park,” he said dryly, “We’re having dinner in the park?”
Yabu made a noise that Inoo interpreted as yes, as he opened the car boot and began looking through it.
“But there’s no place to eat here,” Inoo continued, confused.
Yabu’s head emerged from the recesses of the car boot, a black bag clutched in his hand.
“There is,” he said, “follow me.”
He reached down to take Inoo’s pale hand in his own, and began to walk into the park. Inoo yelped in surprise, and followed after Yabu, tripping in an attempt to keep up.
His fingers tingled for a slight instant the moment Yabu had grabbed hold of his hand, but he ignored it.
Yabu had plunged ahead with a happy laugh, stopping in front of the empty swing set.
“Kei, are you really hungry, right now?”
Inoo shook his head.
“I had some snacks in the dressing room,” he explained, “so I can probably hold out a little more before my stomach starts complaining.”
A grin crossed Yabu’s face.
“Great!”
And before Inoo could say anything else, he found himself being dragged towards one of the swings.
“Hey-wait-what-”
“Let’s play!” interrupted Yabu.
Inoo stared at Yabu incredulously, as if the boy had just sprouted antlers and begun dancing the Caramelldansen.
“Play?” he repeated, for confirmation.
Yabu’s head bobbed like a bobblehead.
“Ending work early is rare,” he said, “so I try to have some fun whenever we’re free. But the swings are only fun when two people play, so when I come here alone I don’t swing on them. You’re here today though, so let’s have some fun together before dinner!”
Sighing, Inoo gave in, and Yabu happily gestured for him to sit on the swing. Gingerly, he wrapped his long fingers around the steel chain holding the swing up.
“Don’t push me too high,” he warned, “I’ll freak out and cry like there’s no tomorrow. And that’s a promise.”
Yabu laughed.
“Sure.”
And he kept good on his promise, pushing extremely gently. Inoo’s eyelids fluttered closed, and he concentrated as his other senses were momentarily heightened, and he could feel the small breeze blowing into his face as he swung forward, the light smell of the grass, the warmth of Yabu’s hands as he pushed the younger boy forward once more.
“Kou-chan, I think you can push me just a little harder,” he said, gaining a little bravado after swinging for what felt like a long while.
There was no answer, and he felt the swing slowing to a stop on its own.
“…Kou-chan?”
The chirping of crickets was heard, and Inoo cracked open his eyes, slightly afraid that Yabu had left him alone.
“Boo.”
Inoo shrieked as Yabu’s face suddenly appeared in his field of vision, and would have toppled off the swing right there and then if Yabu’s arm had not shot out and grabbed his hand.
“You scared me!” he accused, pointing his finger at Yabu’s nose.
“Sorry,” apologized Yabu, “but it seemed fun!”
Inoo scowled, and began to chase Yabu in a mock fit of rage, fingers out and ready to tickle should Yabu be unfortunate enough to get caught by him.
They ended up collapsing in a giggling heap next to the see-saw, after running ten rounds or so around the entire park, arms sprawled out onto each other as they lay on the cool grass, trying to regain their breath.
“I have to admit,” panted Inoo, “that was fun.”
“Yeah.”
Yabu fell silent, and they said nothing for a few minutes.
In a single anticlimactic stroke, Inoo’s stomach grumbled loud and clear, startling the silent pair.
Inoo laughed to cover his embarrassment.
“Looks like I’m hungry now,” he said, between laughs.
Yabu smiled.
“Then come. I’ll bring you to where we’re having dinner tonight.”
Taking Inoo by the hand again, he led the younger boy past the enclosures of the green park, and up a sloping pebble path. Gravel crunched under their sneakers as they made their way up the winding path to the top of a small grassy hill.
Inoo glanced around, confused.
“There’s like, nothing here at all, Kou-chan.”
Yabu laughed again, a deep pleasant sound bubbling from his throat.
“Oh, but there will be.”
He held up the black bag he had taken from the car, and Inoo realized he had completely forgotten about it. Yabu unzipped it now, and the silver lining within told Inoo that it was a cooler bag.
From the bag, Yabu dug out a plastic sheet that looked like a picnic mat. He spread it on the ground, and Inoo saw that it was indeed a picnic mat, one emblazoned with footballs on a pastel blue background.
“Footballs?” he asked, laughing, and Yabu rolled his eyes, turning back to the cooler bag to take out more things.
A container of home-made onigiri soon made their appearance, followed by a container of potato salad and a bag of chocolate chip cookies.
“There we go,” he said happily as he put the cooler bag to one side, “a dinner picnic under the stars.”
Inoo’s stomach let out an impatient rumble, and Yabu snorted in suppressed laughter, handing Inoo an onigiri before taking his own. Inoo bit into the onigiri, chewing slowly as a sudden thought resurfaced.
Eating together, just the two of us…this feels just like a date.
Looking up, he saw Yabu’s cheeks burn scarlet for a brief moment, and he realized that for the second time that day, he had unconsciously spoken his thoughts out aloud. But persistent curiosity was eating away at him by now, and with every bite of onigiri he took as Yabu stayed silent and pink-cheeked, curiosity ate and ate away at him, until he could stand it no more.
“…Kou-chan?”
Yabu still was not looking at him, but he mumbled something softly. Straining his ears, Inoo caught a faint whisper.
“It is.”
“Sorry?”
Yabu’s head snapped up, and pinned down Inoo with a look that spoke of desperation and longing.
“This…it’s all meant to be a date, Kei,” he said, still rather softly, and yet Inoo heard him clearly.
“But why? Why not just tell me outright? You know I wouldn’t have protested,” asked Inoo, confused.
Yabu looked away for a brief moment, before meeting Inoo’s eyes again.
“Takaki…he took you out on a date last night. I was afraid that if I told you this was a date, you’d compare it to the other one. But I wanted you to see this date as a separate affair, so I thought the best way was not to tell you anything until the end,” Yabu finished, looking down again, fists clenching the picnic mat.
“I guess I kind of lied to you in a way, and I apologise for that.”
And all Inoo could do was look in shock with a bite of rice still in his mouth as Yabu looked away and apologized for what Inoo had seen as giving him an enjoyable time.
Putting aside the half-eaten onigiri in his hand, Inoo shuffled forward on his knees, and reached out to cup Yabu’s face with his hands, and lift it up to eye level.
“Kou-chan, I’m not with Takaki. Not yet. I’m still confused after the date ended, and if you’re going to tell me that you love me too I won’t be able to give you a straight answer. I’ll need a while to think about it though.”
“…So this isn’t a rejection?”
Inoo shook his head.
“It’s neither a confirmation nor a rejection. I’ll need to consider though.”
Yabu smiled a small smile.
“As long as you’re happy,” he said, “I don’t really mind who you choose. I once heard that if you really love someone, you’ll want to be happy as long as they’re happy, no matter what.”
“Thanks,” Inoo said, heart fluttering at Yabu’s words, “for understanding.”
“No problem,” replied Yabu, his eyes narrowing in a smile, “Now, let’s eat up before it all gets warm! The salad will go bad.”
Twenty minutes later, they had finished all the food, and sat back-to-back on the plastic mat, looking at the stars that were appearing in the sky.
“You know,” murmured Inoo, “this feels like Ninomiya-senpai’s drama, somehow.”
Yabu hummed assent, his eyes fixed on the twinkling specks.
“The stars are beautiful,” he said, “and it’s relaxing to just sit back and gaze at them, don’t you think? Sometimes, I can just feel all my stress melt away.”
Inoo tilted his head up, and stayed silent for a while, gazing at the sky like Yabu.
“Yeah,” he said at last, “Somehow, I feel less confused now.”
~
Yabu walked him back to his home, all the way up to the door.
“Well,” he said, “I hope you enjoyed tonight.”
“I did,” replied Inoo, beaming at him, “Thank you so much.”
“It’s no problem.”
Inoo reached out to open his doorknob, when in a sudden movement, Yabu enveloped him in a warm, gentle hug.
“No matter who you choose,” he murmured, “we’ll still be best friends.”
“Yeah.”
Yabu drew back, and stepped away.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
And with that, he had gone, and Inoo could hear the car’s engine start up again and drive away.
In a daze, Inoo pushed open the door and headed straight for his room, sitting down on his bed and staring out the window blankly.
I have to choose, he thought to himself.
But who would he choose? His confused heart was still undecided, tangled in the web of indecision.
He cared for them both, that he knew.
But who will I truly be happy with?
---
Another day of practice was over.
Yabu finished packing his things into his sports bag, and turned to leave.
It had been two days ever since the dinner with Inoo, and the slender boy had shown no sign of coming to a decision yet.
It doesn’t matter, he told himself firmly yet again, as long as he’s happy.
As he walked out of the dressing room, he noticed the aforementioned boy standing in the corridor, talking to Takaki.
Yabu was too far away to hear the exchange of words, but he could see Inoo smile softly at Takaki, before hugging him gently.
Inoo seemed to have made his choice.
He’s happy, Yabu told himself, I should be happy for him.
Yet somehow, his heart still felt as if it were shattering into a million tiny shards.
Without another glance back, Yabu turned and walked away in the opposite direction.
~
With an air of finality, Inoo finished packing his bag. He still felt slightly nervous about the decision he had finally come to, but he knew that it had to be made eventually.
As he left, he reached out and dragged Takaki with him into the corridor.
“Um,” he began, extremely aware of Takaki’s puzzled stare, “I think I’ve made my decision.”
He looked into Takaki’s eyes, and can almost feel them searching his own for the answer he himself is too nervous to say.
“I know,” Takaki said softly after a long pause, “be happy, okay? If he makes you hurt I swear I’ll beat him up.”
“W-what-How-”
Takaki smiled a small, sad smile.
“I can see it in your eyes. You truly love him, don’t you? Yabu-kun.”
Quietly, Inoo bit his lip and looked away.
“I’m sorry…”
He was aware of a soft warm hand patting his hair gently.
“Don’t be. In the end, what matters most is that you’re happy with your choice.”
“We…we’ll still be friends, right?” Inoo asked uncertainly, and Takaki smiled again, this time slightly warmer.
“Definitely. And if things between you don’t work out, just remember that I’m always here, hm?”
Inoo’s smile was wobbly, and full of relief as he launched himself at Takaki in a hug.
“Thanks for understanding,” he murmured softly.
~
The stars blinked down at him again tonight. Yabu sighed softly as he walked down the path under the trees, his footsteps making soft crunching noises as he plowed through the sea of fallen leaves.
Faintly, he could hear another set of footsteps, quicker than his own, as if the person behind him were running.
“Kou-chan!” he could hear a familiar voice yell, “Wait up!”
His own feet slowed to a stop, and he turned to see Inoo running up to him, hair disheveled and panting lightly.
“I need to tell you something-” Inoo began, but Yabu cut him off.
“Be happy,” he said, smiling despite the fact that his heart was cracking anew, “with Takaki, okay?”
And suddenly, the world was crashing down on Inoo as he stared at Yabu in confusion.
“…Eh?”
Yabu laughed a little at Inoo’s confused goldfish-face.
“You picked Takaki, didn’t you? You guys were hugging in the corridor.”
“Hey-wait-no-”
“As long as you’re happy,” Yabu interrupted, “I don’t mind who you choose, remember?”
Inoo groaned frustratedly.
“But you don’t even know who I’ve chosen!”
“I think I can guess,” replied Yabu gently.
Right there and then, Inoo wished that he knew how to conjure up a wall, so that he could walk to it at begin smashing his head into it. Unfortunately, there was no wall available for that purpose, and thus Inoo did the only thing that he figured would make Yabu shut up.
He leaned forward, tiptoeing a little, and briefly touched his lips to Yabu’s warm ones.
“There,” he said after he pulled away, “now you know who I chose.”
Yabu blinked at him, stunned.
“You-you chose me?!”
Inoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“Yes I did, you blockhead. Next time, listen to what people have to say before jumping to conclusions, hm?”
Yabu smiled, eyes crinkling into slits.
“Yes, yes.”
He leaned forward, and the two shared another short, tentative kiss.
They pulled away, and Yabu’s hand reached down to slip into Inoo’s fingers interlocking naturally as if they were meant to from the beginning.
“Let’s go home.”
“Yeah.”
They walked down the path hand in hand, their shadows lengthening and mingling together in the silver moonlight.
And above their heads, a single shooting star flew across the dark sky.