Summary: "There are worse ways to die." — Eiji finds Ankh, eating a popsicle on the roof. — [Kamen Rider OOO] One Shot.
Was listening to Miura Ryōsuke's "Natsu Dayo Honey!" and the idea popped into my head, but it took the song "Feels Like Summer" (by Tim Wheeler) to really get the writing going, hence the title. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Ankh is amazing. I wish I owned OOO. Clearly I don't. (I also don't own the song excerpts... The excerpts at the beginning and end are from the song Feels Like Summer, hence the title of this piece.)
FEELS LIKE SUMMER
Time of our lives, such a sweet surprise,
together mystified, ever starry-eyed
beyond any price, purest paradise,
comin' into view...
"Can't sleep?" It was one or two in the morning, at the very least.
"I got hungry." Ankh motioned to the half-eaten ice in his right hand as he shifted over, making room for Eiji on the narrow landing outside their window. The bird was sitting on the roof of Cous Coussier with his legs hanging over the edge, taking his time enjoying an ice pop, and as Eiji joined him, he blinked as he realised there was already a small pile of sad-looking popsicle sticks beside the Greeed. And also that in his left hand, Ankh was clutching a box of the treats.
"I can tell," he said, reaching into the box to get one for himself - it was the last one, but for some reason Ankh didn't even stop him. Didn't even notice, it seemed, until he started unwrapping it, and not once did Ankh move to take it away from Eiji. He seemed sad, Eiji noticed, otherwise he wouldn't be acting this way.
The Greeed turned so his back was almost to Eiji, motioning to the still, empty air in front of them. "What are you out here for?" Eiji never joined Ankh on the roof, after all. Ever. Ankh never needed to ask him; he was relieved to get away from OOO from time to time, and Eiji seemed to be fine with it. It's not like they needed to be with each other twenty-four seven.
"It's hot in there." Eiji's answer was straight and direct, almost like he'd rehearsed it. Or at least thought of a reason before he came out here.
"It's hot out here too, idiot." Ankh wasn't stupid; the unspoken reason Eiji had also just given was something along the lines of You need company.
"Yeah, but...at least there's a breeze out here," Eiji countered, and Ankh couldn't help but admit he was right. The attic sometimes got stuffy, and Ankh liked the wind. Glancing over his shoulder at Eiji, who was taking a moment to look up at the stars, Ankh could guess that he liked the wind too.
"That's the stupidest reason I've ever heard," he said anyway, and he supposed he thought there was some truth to it. Ankh wasn't one to be indirect, so if it came out of his mouth, he supposed he must have thought it was true. At least to an extent.
"Well...do you have a better one?"
"No." Ankh took a lick of his popsicle to keep it from melting, savoring it thoughtfully as the wind brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"I see." Eiji nodded, and after a long pause, he took a bite of his ice too. "It's a nice night," he said, as if attempting to make conversation. Not that Ankh wanted to talk, but Eiji was one to want to fill an uncomfortable silence.
"Feels like summer," Ankh replied, rather out of the blue. The thought just popped into his head, and another hot gust of wind whisked its way across the roof. He swore silently, because as he thought about it, he realised how unlike himself the statement was. But at least it was stating the facts. A hot night with a faint breeze; that was summer to him. It always had been.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eiji still had the optimistic tone to his voice as he asked, and Ankh cursed again. "Tch."
The playful look in Eiji's eyes told him he was taking it as some deep and philosophical statement, and it wasn't. Ankh wanted to punch him for it. He just knew it was summer, even if it had been eight hundred years since he'd experienced it. This was the first time he'd felt it like this, though, in a body with the five full, clear senses. He finished off his popsicle, tossing the stick onto the pile next to him, and tried to think of an answer.
"It means it feels like summer," he finally repeated, slowly emphasizing each word as if to beat it into Eiji's skull so he wouldn't have to say it again. Because he wasn't ever going to say it the way Eiji thought he meant. "It's summer and it's hot, and I want more ice."
Eiji handed over his barely touched popsicle, which Ankh grabbed immediately. At least the idiot was good for something, he thought: giving him ice pops when he wanted them.
"You're gonna die if you eat too much ice, you know." He heard Eiji scold him gently, and he scowled.
"I can't die. I'm a pile of Medals; I fade."
Eiji fell silent a moment before saying anything else. "The detective's gonna die if you eat too much ice."
Ankh stopped, leaning back to gaze at the half-eaten popsicle, watching it start to melt in the heat once more. "There are worse ways to die."
'Cause everyday feels like summer with you,
everything feels like starting anew
everyday feels like summer with you
Aah…