September 12th; it's a day that shows that summer is approaching its end and the warm ocean breeze is a welcoming sensation in the daytime, followed by a chilly breeze at night and a slightly salty taste in the air. It's a peaceful time of the year, especially for a lot of people since it's the part that is transitioning from the warmth to the nippy weather but still at the warm side. Everything is going well, unless you happen to be Yamazaki Sousuke. Two days from now, he will be turning 18 and that honestly scares him a bit. He is currently 18, but at times feels like he's 30, mostly from the stress of daily life that he mostly keeps bottled up. He is currently sitting on his bed and his mind is lost in thought, mostly over academic matters and whatnot, but all of the sudden, he randomly thinks of something a bit unusual: the captain of the rival high school swim team. It is kinda odd, but still, how can anyone not think of him?
Sousuke puts in his music and begins to doze off, but a voice interrupts him.
"Oi, Sousuke, I'm going out for a job. Are you gonna stay here?" says Rin as he looks up at the large boy.
"No, I'll just stay here for now," remarks Sousuke as he takes out his earphones. "I might get out after while."
"Alright, suit yourself," says Rin as he closes the door behind him. He's actually kinda glad that Sousuke said no because Rin has something else in mind. He leaves the dormitory building and looks to make sure that Sousuke isn't around and he pulls out his phone and begins to dial a number. He has something set in mind, but he can't continue until the person that he calls goes through with it.
"Hey, Makoto?" says Rin as soon as he hears a voice on the other line.
"Ah, Rin! What a nice surprise to hear you!" says the gentle orca as he responds to his friend's voice.
"Yeah, always good to talk to you, Makoto!" answers back Rin. "I'm doing fine, but I was wondering if...you are busy on the 14th?"
"Hmm," thinks Makoto for a second. "No. I'm free. What's up?"
"Well...in two days, it's Sousuke's birthday. You know, our butterfly swimmer who looks kinda pissed all the time?" says Rin.
"Yamazaki-kun? I've seen him a few times," mentions Makoto. "I hope he has a good birthday." What Rin doesn't know is that Makoto himself has taken a few extra looks at Sousuke when no one was looking and honestly wants to talk to him and get to know him more.
"Yeah. I've noticed that...he kinda like you but he would probably deny it," says Rin. "In fact, I'm pretty sure he likes you and I was wondering if you could come Friday to my dorm and we could throw him a surprise party. He's not expecting anything, to be honest, since I haven't mentioned anything."
"And you want me to come?" replies Makoto out of curiosity and a bit rhetorically since Rin just asked that. He isn't going to object, but he wants to make sure that he and Rin are on the same page.
"Yes. But if you say no, I understand-"
"Oh, I would like to a lot!" Chimes in Makoto. "Gives me a reason to get out of the house. Uh, what should I bring?"
"I was thinking of discussing that when we met tomorrow, if you are okay with that."
"Sure, after practice?"
"Instead of practice," corrects Rin. "I don't think one day without practice will mess up our training. Meet me in town by that new café and we will talk about the plan."
"Sounds good," says Makoto as he looks at his watch. "I'll see you then."
"Okay, good-bye," responds Rin as he hangs up the phone and sighs. He looks around and sees Nitori walking by and gets his attention. "Oi, Ai. Come here a second."
Nitori does not hesitate at all and approaches his senpai. "Yes, Rin-senpai?"
"The day after tomorrow is Sousuke's birthday and he doesn't know anything. Neither of us has mentioned anything at all and it's gonna stay that way. I'm going in town tomorrow with Makoto from the Iwatobi team and we're gonna plan a surprise for Sousuke. Do you want to come with me?"
"Yeah, definitely!" chirps Nitori excitedly with clenched fists. "Is it okay if Momo-kun comes?"
"If he promises to keep his mouth shut, sure, why not?" answers Rin as he ruffles the other's hair. He tells Nitori about where he plans on meeting tomorrow and they then head their separate ways.
The next day arrives and Rin heads back to the dorms and is greeted by Sousuke who is sitting on the lower bunk. He's in a fairly good mood and smiles gently at the other.
"Got any plans for tomorrow?" asks Sousuke as he looks at his best friend.
"None at all," says Rin quickly, which is a lie.
"Good, because I was hoping that we could do something," says Sousuke. "You do know what tomorrow is, right?"
"Yeah, the start of the last week of summer," Rin immediately answers. He hates doing this, but he doesn't want Sousuke to try and pry him of any information.
Sousuke's light smile immediately turns into a frown when he hears that. "Yeah, that's exactly right," he says a bit coldly as he looks at the other. He turns his eyes away and sighs with frustration. How can Rin, his best friend, forget that it's Sousuke's birthday? This is really upsetting.
"Sousuke, I know what would cheer you up," adds Rin as he gets something from out of his pocket. It's a Coca-Cola and he puts it in Sousuke's hand. "Thought you could use this."
Sousuke looks at it and just shrugs lightly. "Thanks." He takes the soda and pops it open and looks at the other through the corner of his eye. Sousuke knows Rin better than this; surely the other is just planning something?
"Gou, mom, and I are going shopping," lies Rin as he looks at the other. "Do you want to go?"
"I'd like to be by myself," says Sousuke. "Go have fun."
"Thanks, and I'll see you later, Sousuke," says Rin as he put his hand on Sousuke's left shoulder and exits the room. He sighs and begins to head towards the destination that they agreed upon. He is really hoping that Sousuke will forgive him for what he said, but as big of a surprise it would be to see Makoto up close more than likely will have earned his forgiveness.
"Rin!" exclaims Makoto as he sees his friend. Makoto was idly talking to both Nitori and Momo to pass the time and the three boys approached the Samezuka captain. "It's good to see you again."
"Same to you, Makoto," replies Rin and the two exchange a fist bump.
"So, what were you thinking of getting Yamazaki-senpai, Rin-senpai?" asks Nitori politely as he turns towards his former roommate.
"Well, one of the surprises is Makoto's presence," explains Rin as he looks at Makoto. "Sousuke has taken an interest in Makoto, but I know he will never fully admit it. I was thinking that we could get him a few inexpensive gifts, a vanilla cake, which is his favorite kind, and balloons. The only thing I regret is making him mad before I left, but I'm sure this will cheer him up."
"I hope so, too," said Momo. "Yamazaki-senpai is scary when he's mad!"
"He's got a good heart, although his facial expression doesn't show it," reassures Rin as he messes up Momo's hair. "Don't worry; he won't hurt you and if he does, I'll make sure to kick his ass later." He is of course joking about the last part, but if push comes to shove, he would, but he knows he won't have to.
"What does Yamazaki-kun like that would make a good present?" asks Makoto as he begins looking around to find a shop worth going in.
"Sousuke really likes cola, tonkatsu, whale sharks, the color teal, video games, and music," says Rin. "I think we should get him something of each kind."
"I can get the food and drink!" exclaims Momo happily.
"I can get balloons and a gift card for iTunes," says Nitori calmly. "I'm sure he'd like that."
"I'll get a video game for him since I know what he likes," says Rin. The three boys then look at Makoto.
"I guess I'll find something regarding a whale shark," Makoto speaks softly and then has a pleasant smile on his face. He really isn't sure how he is going to manage this, but he doesn't want to disappoint Sousuke.
The four boys had a really good time and Rin told them how the party was going to happen. It would be right after class when Makoto finished and Makoto would hold onto the cake in his refrigerator at home and bring it with him. Makoto has gone home and is wrapping his present for Sousuke in a special type of paper that he managed to find in one of the shops. In fact, he is still quite surprised that he found said wrapping paper. He hopes that the other likes it a lot.
Rin heads back to the dorm and sees Sousuke is lying on his bed and taking a nap. Since his shoulder has been screwed up (well, at least more so than before, really), he's been increasingly lazier, which is rather understandable. Why can't he just get the surgery and heal?
"Hey," says Sousuke as he looks at Rin who just shut the door. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah, we got Gou an outfit for autumn," Rin immediately answers. "It was just a nice dress and some shoes."
"Oh, is that so?" replies Sousuke as he looks at the other. "Well, then, I'm glad to know that you had fun. I'm going for a jog, I'll see you later." Sousuke immediately goes out of the dorm and closes the door behind him. He's so upset about today and wants to forget about it. Maybe his parents will make tomorrow not a total lost.
The next day arrived and it's 2:20, not long before class ends. Makoto knows the plan: go back to his house and get the cake and then meet Rin at his dorm when he gives the signal via text. In about thirty minutes, Rin tells him it's time. and Makoto texts his mother that he is going out. He gets the cake and begins to walk to the train station with his gift for Sousuke in the other hand.
Rin texts Makoto and said, "I'll meet you at the gate. Momo and Ai are distracting Sousuke." Makoto reaches the outer perimeter and waits for Rin to arrive so that he could allow Makoto to enter. It was an easy procedure to let guests in, and Rin already has told the guy at the gate that he is expecting a friend to come for a party for his best friend. When Rin gets there Makoto immediately goes up to his friend and exchanges a smile.
"So how is Yamazaki-kun?" asks the orca politely as he looks at his good friend. Makoto has heard that Sousuke has been struggling a lot and that makes Makoto a bit uneasy. Nobody, even if he doesn't know them, should be going through a hard time, but sometimes it was out of capabilities for Makoto.
"Still kinda ignoring me," says Rin, "after I told him that joke that today was the last week of summer. I don't blame him. Momo and Ai are talking about training and distracting him and then I said I'd text Momo to come because Ai is better at distracting Sousuke. We need to get in their room and get this prepared because we don't have long before he thinks something is up."
"Right, lead the way," answers Makoto.
Meanwhile...
"You really were amazing as a swimmer, Sousuke-senpai!" says Nitori with admiration as he looks at the other. "And you still will be! I know that it's not too late for you to pursue your dream."
Sousuke has actually enjoyed talking to Nitori, although he hasn't really shown it that well. A small smile appears on his face and he says, "You truly believe that I can?"
"Of course, Yamazaki-senpai!" chirps Momo happily at the other. "I'm so glad that you're my senpai because you have been really helpful in my training. Your tips you have given me have helped a lot!"
Sousuke smiles at the other and ruffles Momo's hair. "You two are really nice to have as kohai. I appreciate the respect you give me and I respect your skills, too. You've come a long way, Nitori. Same to you, Momo."
All the sudden, Momo's phone vibrates. It's Rin, of course, but he can't mention that.
"Mom was reminding me to do homework," lies Momo. "So I gotta get going."
"Okay, thanks for stopping by, Momo," says Sousuke with a small smile to the redhead boy. As soon as Momo left and closed the door, Nitori immediately turns back to his senpai and smiles at him. Nitori immediately begins a conversation and Sousuke participates in it casually. Sousuke hasn't realized until now how great his teammates were and hopes to remain friends even after he leaves.
Momo walks to his dorm and tells Rin that Nitori has Sousuke distracted and tells Rin and Makoto to make their way to Momo's dorm. Momo opens the door for them and Rin says,
"You remember how the plan is, right, Makoto?"
"Yes, of course," Makoto responds gently with a humble smile. "I know exactly how this will happen."
"Good," says Rin. "Momo, go get Ai so we can get started."
"Yes, Rin-senpai!" says the eager redhead as he leaves the room. He enters the dorm again and says to Nitori, "I'm having trouble with this history lesson. Do you think you could help me, please Nitori-senpai?"
Nitori looks at Sousuke and says, "Sorry, Yamazaki-senpai, but I gotta go. Maybe we can talk later."
Sousuke nods and says, "Yeah, I would definitely like that." He waves goodbye to them both and the two of them return back to Nitori and Momo's dorm.
"Alright, let's get started," says Rin with a toothy smile. Nitori grabs his balloons and the envelope that contains a gift card and a card that he made for Sousuke to keep. All of them made a card for the birthday boy, including Makoto, but he is the last one to go to the party. Thankfully the cake is wrapped up and it isn't that large, anyways, so it isn't like it would spoil soon.
Momo knocks on Sousuke's door. He has two six packs of Coca-Cola's he bought an his mother's famous tonkatsu recipe made with a family recipe. Thankfully, it is still quite warm and will be good to eat very soon. Sousuke finally gets up and opens the door and is greeted by Momo and Ai who is holding the balloons. Sousuke gasps loudly at this.
The two boys began singing the Japanese birthday song and when they are finished, Sousuke talks.
"You-you knew today was my birthday?" He smiles at the balloons and the two other boys. A feeling of happiness fills Sousuke's heart as he sees the other. At least two people remember.
"Of course they did," says Rin as he walked in with his card and video game that is wrapped up for his best friend. "I was just messing with you yesterday, man. We went out to plan this for you because, well, it wouldn't be a surprise!"
Sousuke merely smirks at the other. "I sorta had a feeling that you were just putting me on. I knew you knew today was my birthday, and I faked getting mad at you."
Rin scoffs at his friend and says, "Well, I was fooled. I really thought you were mad at me."
"Here, Yamazaki-Senpai!" says Momo as he hands the other the pack of drinks and the card. "I bought you some tonkatsu my mom made! A Mikoshiba family recipe!"
Sousuke graciously accepts the drinks and the card and sniffs the air. "It smells wonderful, Momo, and please. Just Sousuke and no senpai." This earns a pleased grin from Momo and Sousuke smiles and opens the card. Sure enough, there is an otter on it and a pun in Japanese and Sousuke just chuckles at it. "You're too sweet, Momo."
"So are you, Yamaza-I mean...Sousuke," says Momo. "You're a really nice person, too!"
Sousuke opens the container of tonkatsu and a pair of chopsticks that Momo has given him. It looks way more appetizing than what they serve in the cafeteria and he puts it in his mouth. He closes his eyes as he eats it and opens his eyes with bulging eyes. It's beyond indescribable how amazing the flavor is. It's definitely worthy of belonging in one of the most elegant restaurants in Tokyo, at that. He immediately finishes the rust of the cutlet he's eating and decides to save the rest.
"Wow. That's even better than my mom's," admits Sousuke with a chuckle, hoping his mother doesn't take offense. "What do you use to make it?"
"Ah, ah, that would be giving away the Mikoshiba family secret!" teases Momo, earning a pout from Sousuke. "Oh, Sousuke I got you one more present!" chimes in Momo as he got out a small bag. Sousuke gets it and puts his hand in it and feels fabric. It feels very small and he grabs it. Sure enough, it's a pair of swim briefs, a Speedo, but it has exactly the same design of Sousuke's original swimsuit with the teal stripe. It's even in Sousuke's size. The three boys begin to snicker and Sousuke frowns and immediately looks at Rin.
"You thought of this, didn't you?" he asks the redhead.
"Yeah, but we split the cost of it to pay for it," laughs Rin as Sousuke's expression is priceless. Makoto, who is standing outside of the door, can hear this and laughs a bit.
"I...really have nothing to say," he says with a bit of a scoff. But he is inwardly chuckling at their joke. He sets it down and Nitori approaches him.
"Sousuke-senpai, here's my present!" chirps Nitori as he hands the larger boy an envelope. It has a nice card in it and Sousuke begins to read it.
"'Dear Yamazaki-senpai, thank you for all the hard training you showed me and your softer side. I really look up to you and respect you dearly and I hope you have a really great birthday!'"
"That's so cute of you," comments Sousuke gently with a nice smile. His heart is so at ease at the moment and he looks inside the envelope and sees that there is a gift card in it! "¥2500 for iTunes! Wow!" He is quite shocked to see that Nitori spent that much money for him and they exchange a fist bump.
"Oi, Sousuke, my turn," says Rin as he approaches the other. He hands him a small package and Sousuke opens it. His eyes grow large upon seeing it.
"Pokemon Sun? This hasn't even been released yet!" He is beyond shocked to see it. He's been talking about waiting so long for it. And he is internally screaming like an eight-year-old boy now that he has it. "How did you get it?"
"I have a lot of connections and one of them involves someone from Nintendo," chuckles Rin. "I had to pull a lot of strings, but I got it for you."
Sousuke gathers the three other boys and they have a group hug. "Thank you so much, all of you. This made my day perfect."
"You know what would be good right about now?" asks Nitori.
"Cake!" they all say but Sousuke, and as soon as they finish that word, the door opens and Makoto walks in with a cake with 18 candles on it that are lit. Sousuke is beyond...he doesn't even know what to think, so he merely offers a sweet smile to the other.
"Happy birthday, Yamazaki-kun!" says Makoto as he approaches the other with a gentle smile on his face and shows the other the cake. "I hope you don't mind that I'm here."
Sousuke looks at the cake and smiles. It's vanilla, his favorite and says, "Not at all. In fact, you just made it even better."
"Blow out the candles, Yamazaki-kun!" requests Makoto with a gentle tone in his voice.
"Just Sousuke." He blows out the candles and smoke fills the room.
"What did you wish for, Sousuke?!" asks Momo really loudly.
"Secret," Sousuke says curtly. "This cake looks delicious."
"It is. I hope you don't mind if we get to share it, all five of us."
"Not at all; I couldn't eat this all, anyways," says Sousuke. Makoto got out some dental floss and cut the cake with four even slices and one slightly larger for Sousuke. They start eating it and they all comment on how good it is; not bland, but not teeth-rotting sweet.
"That was really good," says Sousuke as he gets a bite of the tonkatsu to get the sweetness out. His heart is beating very fast around Makoto and he feels really nervous that he may something weird and upset the gentle orca.
"By the way, Sousuke-kun, I got you a present," mentions Makoto as he hands him something wrapped in orca wrapping paper.
"Killer whale wrapping paper," says Sousuke. "That's cute. Nothing I've seen before." He opens it and gasps with surprise and cannot believe with the other has given him. "This...this is so cute..." It's a whale shark stuffed animal and it is perhaps the most precious thing that Sousuke has ever seen. He rubs it and it is extremely soft and it even has a cute little smile on it.
"Rin told me you really like whale sharks, and I stumbled across that in one of the shops," says Makoto as he smiles sweetly at the other as he watches Sousuke pet it.
"I love it," answers Sousuke as he looks up at Makoto. "Just how I love you being here." He blushes and turns away. Okay, perhaps that was a little bit too awkward to say...
"Awwww," say Momo and Makoto.
"Hey, Momo, Ai, let's go training and let these two talk," instructs Rin as he goes and gets his swimsuit, googles, cap, and towel and puts them in his bag. "C'mon." The three boys left and Makoto sits on the bed about two feet from Sousuke.
"Sousuke-kun...I...I've always..." Makoto's face is beet red and he looks away in awkwardness. Sousuke chuckles and says,
"Tell me, you've always what?"
"Well, not always, but since this school year," begins Makoto, "I've always...had a crush on you. I was too scared to say anything because you didn't seem like the kind who liked men."
"That's exactly how I felt," admits Sousuke. "I didn't want to feel rejection, even though nobody would know that because I usually keep that to myself." He is so excited that the other is here and gives the other a goofy smile.
"I admire your swimming skills, Sousuke," Makoto adds. "I'm sorry about your shoulder. I hope they can fix it."
"Surgery would, but no promise I can swim competitively later in life," Sousuke comments with a shrug. "I think I might go with it. I want to try to swim again."
"I will keep my hopes up for you!" says Makoto with enthusiasm as he looks at the other's beautiful teal eyes. "Did you enjoy your birthday party?"
"Honestly, yes, it's definitely the best one in a while," says Sousuke with a smile. "Except I have no idea what to do with this." He holds out the Speedo and then puts it down.
"I wouldn't mind seeing you in it," Makoto whispered, but immediately looks away with embarrassment. "Sorry."
"You would, huh?" teases Sousuke as he blushes at the other then chuckles. "You'd look cute in one yourself."
Makoto blushes at the compliment. "You do? Well, maybe one day we can see each other wearing one." He immediately thinks of something to change the subject and says, "Sousuke, I have heard a lot nice things about you from Rin yesterday when we went shopping and you seem like a sweet person. I would like to get to know you better if you don't mind."
Sousuke likes that suggestion a lot. He wants to hear a lot more about Makoto and inwardly promises himself to not say anything weird. "Oh, yeah? I don't think so. The part of being sweet, that is." He was being a bit doubtful about himself, but he wants to see how the other reacts.
"Don't doubt your potential, Sousuke," encourages Makoto as he sets a hand on Sousuke's left shoulder. He chuckles softly and looks at the others in the eyes. "You have the most beautiful eyes that I've ever seen. And I mean that, not just because it's your birthday."
Sousuke turns to the other and says, "Thank you. You have the sweetest expressions whenever I looked at you."
Makoto's face lights up with happiness at the sweet compliment and hugs Sousuke. Sousuke's heart has never been beating this fast in his entire life and gasps at the feeling of...awesomeness. "That makes me happy to hear something like that."
Sousuke wraps his arm around the other and smiles at him. "I admire you a lot, Makoto," he confesses. "I'd like us to become closer, if you don't mind."
Makoto nods and says, "Absolutely!"
The two of them talked for a total of two and half hours and it was without any doubt the best conversation that Sousuke's ever had, even more so than Rin. Sousuke learned that Makoto can be a real dork, but it's not saying much considering Sousuke. They talked about future aspirations, job possibilities, various topics that were interested in and whatnot, family. It was a very pleasant experience, but it's getting a bit late.
"I hate leaving, but I need to get back home," explains Makoto as he gets up, sad that he has to leave Sousuke.
"Thank you so much for coming by," says Sousuke as he gets up as well and opens the door for Makoto. "I love the stuffed whale shark. I'll hold him in my arms as I sleep."
Makoto turns to Sousuke and hands him a piece of paper with his phone number. "I want to talk to you again, and hopefully very soon."
"I'll definitely text you soon," reassures Sousuke. And that's a promise.
"Sousuke?"
"Hmm?"
"Please walk with me to the station," asks Makoto calmly. "It'll be dark soon and I'd feel a lot safer with a nice strong man as yourself." He smiles after saying this and Sousuke cannot refuse. He just hopes he doesn't get lost along the way.
The two talk more as they walk and they finally arrive at the station. "Thank you so much for the birthday party. It means a great deal to me."
"You're welcome, Sousuke-kun," replies Makoto with a gentle expression on his face. "But I have another present for you."
"Oh, yeah? Wh-" But Sousuke gets interrupted when the other crashes his lips with Sousuke's. Sousuke gasps in surprise and returns the kiss. It lasted for about three seconds and it was three seconds of pure bliss.
"Happy birthday, Sousuke." He hugs the other and watches the train come, sad to leave Sousuke behind.
"I'll see you soon, Makoto," says Sousuke as he lets go of the other.
"Same, Sousuke-kun," says Makoto as he boards the train.
"Just Sousuke."
"Good-bye, Sousuke. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will." He waves good-bye and returns back to the dorm with a mixture of sadness and happiness. He sees that Rin has already returned from his swimming and he smiles at him.
"Did you have a good birthday?"
"The best in many years," answers Sousuke as he sits on the bed and hugs Rin. Rin finds this a bit odd and says, "What happened?"
"Makoto happened. He's really interesting to talk to and he made me feel a lot better about myself," answers Sousuke as he smiles at Rin. "Plus, he...kissed me before getting on the train."
Rin smiles and playfully punches Sousuke on the arm. "Aren't you lucky? I bet you're still full of butterflies, huh?"
"Absolutely. He made me feel so calm, and I like him even more now."
"Good, good," says Rin. "I'm gonna watch a movie with Ai and Momo because they've been asking me to. Wanna watch?"
"Mmmm, nah," says Sousuke. "I'd like to play my game, if that's fine with you guys. And trust me, I'm feeling great."
"Absolutely. Have fun, Sousuke!" Rin gets a few snacks and goes to the room next door. Sousuke gets his teal-colored Nintendo 3ds and pops in the game. While it is loading, he gets out his phone and puts in Makoto's number.
(Text): This is Sousuke. I have made a decision. I'm gonna get the surgery. I'll discuss it with my folks first, but I'm not giving up."
In a few minutes, a reply returns. (Text): I am so proud of you, Sousuke-kun. I hope you can be happy in the future.
(Text): When you walked in my door, I found happiness. I really hope that we can become good friends and see how things go from there.
(Text): I couldn't agree any more. I'd like to be your boyfriend in the future. Happy Birthday, Sousuke! 3