It was two days before Saru called again. In that time, Yata had managed to get help in reprogramming his ringtone to announce the caller. He was glad that he'd done so, and glad that he was alone in his room when the call came through, because he felt the blush take over him right away, and he curled up to hug his legs as he used a voice command to answer it. He had to try twice, since the first time his voice broke so badly that it didn't register. But then the ringing sound stopped, and he was trying his hardest to keep his voice steady as he said "Hello?" He didn't quite manage it though.

"Misaki, do you have a yukata?" Saru asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because you're going to need it for the festival tomorrow night. I'll be at HOMRA at 7."

The line went dead as Saru hung up. Yata wondered if that guy ever actually said goodbye to anyone on the phone, or if the sudden hang-ups were something used only on him. It was nice to be special, but that was just plain rude. And so was his just ordering Yata about telling him when and where and deciding on his own what they would be doing. Like, sure it was working alright since Yata was still adjusting to being blind and learning what sorts of things he could and couldn't do, but he didn't like being treated this way. There could at least be some discussion. A request for his opinion on the matter.

Well, whatever. Yata had other things to worry about at the moment, like finding his yukata and asking Kusanagi to help him put it on tomorrow.

X

Misaki wearing a yukata was one of the most ridiculous sights Fushimi had ever seen. He wished he'd thought to bring a camera so he could treasure it forever. It was also a bit of a turn-on, despite how incongruous it seemed. And so Fushimi found himself telling Misaki that the yukata suited him, like he was in some cheesy romance story. In Fushimi's opinion, the people in romance stories who said such things were unlikely to actually get someone to fall for them in real life. Though part of that opinion stemmed from the fact that the characters who said those kinds of things also tended to be the same people who would go running after a bus yelling a person's name or publicly declaring their love for everyone to hear or just generally being such an embarrassment that it was no wonder they got left standing forlorn in the rain after getting rejected. What was a wonder was the fact that those characters in the stories were getting rejected because of circumstances that would be overcome through the sheer power of love at the end of chapter 19, or in episode 12, or an hour and a half into the movie. Regardless, in real life such people would get rejected because surely no one actually wanted someone like that. Fushimi certainly didn't. And he didn't want to be someone like that either. He may have been willing to stand in the rain for Misaki's sake, as evidenced by their first date, but he was not about to let himself get rejected, even if it would all work out in the end, and by saying that Misaki looked good in the yukata, he'd just taken the first step towards that ending. But he wasn't about to start chasing any busses, so perhaps all was still well.

And then Misaki told him that his yukata also looked good on him, and suddenly Fushimi didn't mind the idea of being in a cheesy romance story so much. Especially if Misaki was the one who was melodramatic about everything, since he certainly fit the role quite well.

They headed off to the festival, and Fushimi tried not to smirk at how well things were going. A festival was the perfect place for some hand-holding. There would be lots of people, and holding hands was the ideal way to keep from getting separated in the crowd. He supposed Misaki would want to try some of the games and that would require him to relinquish the other's hand, but when that happened he'd just make Misaki compensate him for it by winning him a prize. And maybe kissing at the end of the date again. Perhaps during the fireworks? No, that was too cliche, and definitely cheesy romance story material. Never ever would he allow any kissing to happen when there were fireworks going off.

But then they went about exploring the festival, and Misaki was not at all himself. Fushimi had expected that the first game they saw, Misaki would be tugging on his hand and pointing, saying he wanted to try it. But instead, Misaki stayed close to Fushimi, and ever so slightly behind him, like a shy child. Perhaps Misaki was embarrassed being seen on a date with another guy. Some people did look down on gay couples, after all. But he wouldn't have expected such opinions to bother Misaki. They never had before. Back in school, Misaki hadn't cared if people thought him an idiot, or a delinquent, or any of that stuff. The only slights that he couldn't shrug off were the ones against HOMRA. You told Misaki he was a waste of space, he'd laugh. You said the same thing about one of his clansmen, he'd still laugh, but the laughter would be followed by him beating the shit out of you.

After wandering the stalls for a while without Misaki showing interest in any of the games, Fushimi decided it was time to eat. He bought some takoyaki to share, since he knew Misaki liked it. Misaki liked most things with yaki in the name: takoyaki, taiyaki, teriyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, yakiniku. Probably because of the kanji for it.

And that was where Fushimi finally noticed. There was something hesitant in the way Misaki took the takoyaki. Almost like he didn't know what it was. And when he stabbed the takoyaki with the toothpick, it was off to the side, when any sensible person would stab in the middle. And there was something else… Something about his eyes. It was hard to see behind the sunglasses, which Misaki was still wearing even though they didn't match the yukata at all. And since it was night the fact that he was wearing them made him look like a total tool and Fushimi really wanted to snatch them off his face. And also without the sunglasses, Fushimi would be able to see Misaki's eyes better- whether for the theoretical cheesy gazing into each other's eyes that was not going to happen (because hadn't Fushimi already decided against any cheesy romance situations?) or for the sake of trying to figure out what seemed odd about Misaki's eyes tonight.

Not surprisingly, Misaki caught Fushimi staring.

"Aren't you going to eat any?" he asked, offering the takoyaki and looking away as his cheeks colored with a blush.

Perhaps it had just been Fushimi's imagination that something was wrong with Misaki's eyes. When Misaki skewered the next takoyaki, Fushimi leaned forward and ate it before Misaki could. The fact that it was stolen from his boyfriend made it all the more delicious.

And then it was time. Fushimi led the way to the riverside, where people were already clustering for the fireworks show. They sat while they waited, and then when the announcement came that the show was starting, they stood up as people got ever closer. Once again, Fushimi found himself hugging Misaki from behind, and he realized he rather liked it like this: holding Misaki close to him and having Misaki lean back on him rather than return the hug. The fireworks started, and suddenly that urge for acting like someone in a cheesy romance story was back because did he ever want to just kiss Misaki right now. To let the figurative fireworks between just the two of them explode into fiery flowers like the literal fireworks in the sky.

There were so many people around them, but Fushimi managed to maneuver himself back to Misaki's side. He looked over to see the other boy's face. And suddenly, there was no room for thoughts of kissing or making out or anything that had been on his mind, because Misaki- his Misaki- was crying.

X

It hadn't been the most fun he'd ever had at a festival, but Yata had still been enjoying it when the fireworks started. They'd been sitting there, and Yata had thought maybe they were just going to rest a bit before heading home or something, when there'd been the announcement that the fireworks would be starting and he'd realized that there was no point in staying to watch fireworks he couldn't see. But Saru had helped him up and once again positioned himself behind Yata, and how could Yata point that out? But then he'd heard the first one go off, and he could remember, so vividly, how when he was little he'd been afraid of the noises the fireworks made, and only his love for the colorful patterns in the sky had helped him to get over it. He felt like that small child again. He could remember every fireworks show he'd ever watched, and how the bursts of light had felt like strength bursting in his heart and flowing through his blood. For a while, he'd even believed that fireworks went off because someone, somewhere, just had their hopes and dreams come true. He remembered how that sight had made him feel. But now, there was nothing. He could not see the fireworks, could not see the hopes and dreams coming true. Maybe they weren't coming true at all. Maybe his hopes and dreams were useless.

Reality set in like a ton of bricks. He might never see again. There might never be anything else for him to see. From now on, things that had been so beautiful to him when he could see would just be dull sounds, angry booms in the distance.

He barely felt when Saru shifted from behind him, though he did notice Saru moving along his side since, as Saru was the one thing Yata could actually see, he tended to be pretty noticeable. He tried to look forward, toward where the fireworks must be going off, tried to feign interest, but he still saw concern on Saru's face from the corner of his eye, and then Saru was tugging on his arm and dragging him through the crowd, away from the display.

He could no longer feel the press of people around him when they stopped, and Saru spun around to face him and grab his arms just below the shoulders. The worry on Saru's face was palpable.

"Misaki, are you okay?" Saru asked.

"I'm fine," Yata replied, but his voice came out all wrong. It was shaky, and bleak. No, this was not how he was supposed to sound. He opened his mouth to try again, to sound energetic as he told Saru that really, he was fine, but Saru was already pressing on.

"No you're not. What's wrong, Misaki?"

"Sometimes, Saru, you can be so cruel." The words came out of Yata's mouth on their own, completely unbidden and outside of his control. His tone sounded dead, and listening to himself, he realized that while he hadn't meant to say it, in a way he had. Because who the fuck took a blind man to a fucking fireworks show?

"Was it the fireworks? Did they remind you of- of before?" Saru hesitated, and Yata knew he must mean the days of the kings, perhaps even the days when they'd been in HOMRA together. Ah, so Saru thought he had been reminded of the happy times when everyone had still been alive.

"That's not it. I just- I guess I'm a little tired."

"I'll- I'll walk you home." Saru sounded so broken there, that Yata felt like crying. Oh. He already was crying. When had that happened? Still, he had to reassure Saru. Even if he had taken Yata on a rather shitty choice of a date for a blind guy…

Wait a second. Saru seemed genuinely upset that Yata was unhappy. And he'd thought that the fireworks bugged Yata because they reminded him of old times. What if…

No. No way.

But if Saru didn't know he was blind…

Should he ask and make sure, and if Saru didn't know, he could come clean about it? But Saru was the one thing he could see. The one person who didn't treat him like he'd become a porcelain doll, the one person who acted normal around him and who he, in turn, could be normal with. If he told Saru now, it might change all that.

Saru was the one person he had a chance of hiding it from. Maybe it was wrong, but he wanted to hide it. Just for a while anyway. He could tell Saru later. But for now…

"Let's come again next year," he said. "We could make it a tradition."

He was rewarded with Saru's smile. It was still taut with worry, but it was there. Saru didn't kiss him that night, which was kind of disappointing. But he was probably the one who had ruined things, so he could hardly complain. So he wished Saru a good night and went inside. Their next date would be better. He'd make sure it was.