Chapter 4: Beach Fun and New Collar
The next morning, just as Toshinori and Vito go their separate ways. The sun was just creeping over the trees and lighting up the campus. Toshinori left to do his morning jog and Vito was on his way to see Principal Nezu before going to the convenience store to grab what they needed for the beach. Toshinori decided to make his way down to the greenhouse on his last loop of the campus, just to see how things are moving along at the greenhouse and he was also hoping he would see Ari there. But unfortunately, no one was at the greenhouse.
As Vito walked into the school, the elevator doors opened. Taking the hint, Vito went into the elevator, bringing him down to the labs where Principal Nezu was waiting in shorts and a summer flower pattern blue shirt.
"Ah, good morning Vito." Principal Nezu said cheerfully like he always did. "I do apologize for making you come all the way here first thing in the morning."
"No worries, why do you need me down here?" Vito asked just as a collar was clipped around his neck. "Wh-what the!" Vito said in surprise as he grasped the collar and tried to pull it off.
"Sorry about that, I told them to ask you first before aggressively putting it on. So much for manners." Doctor Rosa said as he walked over to Vito. "These guys are from the government. I was told that the collar is required to be worn by you 24/7." Doctor Rosa explained just as the men in suits behind Vito turned to leave.
"If you try to remove it without permission or go outside the area, the collar will alert us and we will not hesitate to take you down. As long as you stay within the city and on the campus property, we won't cause you any trouble." One of the men in suits said just as they entered the elevator. After the elevator doors closed, Vito fell to the floor, his face turning red because the collar was too tight. Doctor Rosa quickly pressed his finger on the back of the collar and the collar readjusted itself.
"*Cough*Cough* Those bastards." Vito said as he gasped for air. "How am I supposed to explain this to All Might?" Vito looked at Principal Nezu.
"Hmm….Just say you found it at the store and you liked it." Principal Nezu suggested, shrugging.
"Ugh….Ok, but All Might knows where Ari is working. He came to check out the greenhouse yesterday and caught me off guard. What will happen if he notices I got the same stupid thing around my neck as Vito does?" Vito said, frustrated. "Can I even go to the beach today with this thing on?"
"Don't you worry, not only is the collar waterproof but it covers all the beaches in town and on U.A. property. If you do happen to go out of the area, the collar will beep 2 times to let you know that you are going out of the approved area. Also the collar changes to a bracelet when you transform into Ari, so no need to worry." Principal Nezu explained as Vito got back up on his feet. "Give it a try." He suggested.
"...Alright." Vito said, clearing his throat before transforming into Ari. The collar did indeed change to a bracelet on Ari's left wrist, it also changed from the color black to grayish white color. "Oh wow, that's crazy." Ari said, looking at the bracelet. "At least that will make things much easier to explain." She sighed in relief, placing her hand on her chest.
"I agree, it was indeed a smart move on their part." Doctor Rosa said.
"Sorry but do you still need me down here? I have some errands to run and be done by 8:30." Ari said as she transformed back into Vito.
"We did all of the tests I was planning to do on you this week already. And since it's your day off, you should enjoy it. I'll text you next week to schedule a time and date for the next set of tests." Doctor Rosa said as he walked away and waved goodbye.
"Vito, would you mind if I came along? I also need to do some shopping." Principal Nezu asked as they walked to the elevator.
"Sure, I don't see an issue with that. I'm just headed to the convenience store to grab a beach towel and maybe some snacks." Vito explained as he helped Principal Nezu up to his shoulder as they entered the elevator.
"Why don't we take your new car? It was a lot of fun last time." Principal Nezu said.
"Hmm….I don't see why not, I would make the trip a lot faster. Then I can also go to the swimsuit store a few blocks down. If you don't mind." Vito asked as he grabbed the keys from his pocket.
"Not at all. I'd be happy to join you while you shop." Principal Nezu said with a smile. Back at home, Toshinori just got back from his run and went into the shower.
"Man, I'm really out of shape. But it looks like I've gained a bit of muscle back and managed to gain some weight too by the looks." He commented as he cleaned his body. As he finished his shower, he changed into his red striped swimsuit and began to gather everything for the beach when he noticed it was 8:45am. "Hmm….Vito should have been back by now." He said. The front door suddenly opens, and Principal Nezu walks in first, greeting Toshinori.
"Greetings All Might!" Principal Nezu waved as he entered. Vito followed behind him, full of grocery bags.
"You said you just had a little bit of shopping, Principal Nezu Sir!" Vito said as he placed all the bags on the kitchen counter. "I didn't realize you wanted to buy out an entire store!"
"Everything just looked so good! I couldn't help myself." Principal Nezu laughed.
"Ugh! Ok, I need to go get ready." Vito said as he walked into his room with one bag and closed the door. Toshinori noticed the collar around Vito's neck.
"Hey, what's with the collar?" Toshinori whispered into Principal Nezu's ear.
"He found it at the swimsuit store. It was the only one left and I thought it looked good on him." Principal Nezu added just as Vito opened his door, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
"All right, All Might, did you happen to bring the cooler up from storage?" Vito asked as he grabbed some bags off the counter.
"Yes, I actually found 2. Figured we could use both and each carry one." Toshinori said as he placed the coolers onto the coffee table.
"My, my! Look at all these boxes! Are these all from Vito's room?" Principal Nezu asked.
"Ah! Yeah, we were supposed to bring them down to storage today but it'll have to wait." Toshinori explained.
"I see. Good thing it's the weekend. You 2 will have your work cut out for you bringing all these boxes down, haha." Principal Nezu laughed.
"So much for a relaxing day off with this guy around." Vito thought to himself as he organized the coolers and dumped ice into them. "All right, somehow I got everything to fit into 2 coolers."
"Of course! My calculations are never wrong!" Principal Nezu said. "Now does everyone have what they need?"
"I just need to grab my backpack then I'll be set." Vito answered, running into his room and placing his backpack over his back.
"If you have a spare hand, why don't you carry my stuff? I'll take care of these heavy coolers." Toshinori said in his muscle form, carrying both coolers.
"Uh….. Are you sure you will be ok? I don't want you to push yourself, All Might. You can't exactly hold that form for long anymore, remember." Vito said as he picked up All Might's things.
"It's actually just around the corner from the new greenhouse. Proximity, a 20 minute walk from here." Principal Nezu explained as the 3 of them left the apartment.
"That's not too bad. Let me know if you need help, All Might." Vito said.
"My limit may be getting shorter but I can still make a 20 minute walk. AH HA HA" Toshinori laughed, assuring Vito's worries. As the elevator doors opened to the lobby, a group had gathered by the entrance. Vito could see almost all of the teachers in bathing suits with coolers, towels, water bottles, etc. "Looks like everyone is ready for some FUN!"
"Everyone…..You didn't tell me that there would be more than just us at the beach today…" Vito said, hesitating as they walked towards the group, hiding behind All Might a little.
"Awh you shy big guy?" Toshinori playfully taunted Vito.
"No! I just…Don't know anyone…." Vito said. "I'm socially awkward in large groups…"
"Well, this is your chance to properly introduce yourself. They are your new coworkers after all and they would love to get to know you, I'm sure." Toshinori said as he moved out of the way and placed the coolers down as everyone approached Vito, introducing themselves. After all the introductions, everyone made their way down the path, past the greenhous and going onto a hidden trail that led through the thick forest.
"I haven't been here in ages!" Midnight said, stretching as she walked.
"Yeah, I think it was about 5 years ago the last time I came down here." Present Mic said walking next to Midnight. "Remember the good times you, me, and Aizawa had when we were still kids?"
"Yeah! Ah~Youth, young bodies playing in the fresh ocean water." Midnight said, putting her hands onto either side of her face as she blushed slightly. "Such good memories." Toshinori was carrying the coolers down when he noticed that Aizawa wasn't with the group.
"Hey, Cementoss. Where's Aizawa?" Toshinori asked as he leaned over to Cementoss's height.
"Hmm? Oh, he said he'll come down later, he has some leftover paperwork that needs to finish today before he can join us." Cementoss answered just as they got to the end of the trail leading to the beach. A clean, white sandy beach with large cliffs on either side, one of the cliff sides had a bit of a groove dug into it from the water clashing against it and Cementoss decided that would be the best place to build the structure. Cementoss opened the bucket he was carrying and dumped it onto the sand, it was fresh concrete. And just like that, as Comentoss placed his hands in the concrete, a bar-like structure was built with seats and all. Everyone headed over to the bar to set up and Ectoplasm brought tiki torches, placing them around the bar and beach. After setting up, Toshinori sent a message to Aizawa.
TO: Aizawa
FROM: All Might
All Might: Everyone is here at the beach. How much longer will you be? Don't want to miss out on the fun do you?
Aizawa: ….
Aizawa: Give me an hour.
All Might: Ok.
Just as Toshinori was about to apply some sunscreen onto his pale skin, some of the teachers that were already in the water, cheering as they looked up.
"Jump, Jump, Jump!" Toshinori looked up and there was Present Mic at the top of the cliff.
"All right everybody! Ready to see a wicked jump?" Present Mic said, hyping up the crowd.
"Yeaaaahh!" The crowd responded.
"All right, get ready for my signature move!" Present Mic said just before he jumped. As he was doing some tricks in the air, his timing was off and ended up doing a belly flop.
"OOOOOOOooooooo." The crowd watched as they cringed at the sight before they went to see if he was ok.
"I'm good." Present Mic said, giving a thumbs up as he sank into the water.
"That looked painful…" Vito said as he took a seat next to Toshinori on his own towel.
"Hope he's alright…." Toshinori said as he looked away from the scene towards Vito. Toshinori poofed back into his weaker form and started to cough up blood.
"Guess you forgot you were in your muscle form hey." Vito patted Toshinori's back and handed him a napkin to use to wipe the blood from his mouth. Toshinori thanked Vito as he accepted the napkin. "I'll be right back." Vito said as he got up and walked over to the bar and brought back a water bottle. "Here, that form sure takes a toll on you doesn't it?"
"Yeah." Toshinori took the water bottle from Vito after wiping the blood off of his mouth. "I can't hold that form for long periods of time anymore, not like I used to be able to." Toshinori took a sip of water. "Why don't you go into the water?" Toshinori asked Vito, noticing he was laying down on his towel.
"Maybe later, I'm not used to salt water and." Vito looked up at Toshinori. "I haven't thanked you for inviting me yet. It's been a long time since I've socialized like this…I forgot how nice it is." Vito smiled as a warm breeze blew between them. Toshinori looked at Vito, blushing a little as he coughed into his hand.
"*Cough* Oh uh…No problem….It was Principal Nezu's idea actually. You should be thanking him, not me." Toshinori said, looking away just as Principal Nezu sat down in between Vito and Toshinori.
"You mentioned to me the other day that you haven't been to any of the beaches here in Japan since you arrived here. So I thought this would be a nice experience for you and a nice break for all the teachers." Principal Nezu said as he took a sip of his yellow beverage.
"Well." Vito said, looking at the sky. "This indeed has made me feel...A bit more accepted here. So thank you." As Vito shut his eyes for a moment, Ectoplasm brought over some freshly cut watermelon and a little table for the plate to go on.
"I managed to pick up some really nice watermelon from the farmers market this morning. I'll bring some napkins." Ectoplasm said as he placed the tiny table in front of Principal Nezu, putting the plate of watermelon onto it. Vito's eye sparkles with glee from the sight of the perfect watermelon slices beforth him, drooling a little. Principal Nezu handed a slice to Vito.
"Here." Principal Nezu said, knocking Vito out of his daze.
"OH! Thank you." Vito said as he grabbed the slice from Principal Nezu. Ectoplasm leaned over and handed everyone a couple napkins. "Thank you."
"No problem." Ectoplasm said just as he noticed Vito didn't have a beverage. "Vito, why don't you follow me to the bar. Cementoss is making some mango smoothies and I wouldn't suggest missing out on them." Ectoplasm offered.
"Oh! Sure." Vito got up and walked with Ectoplasm to the bar, chatting about something as they went.
"Looks like he's fitting in quite nicely, don't you think, All Might?." Principal Nezu commented. Toshinori smirked and agreed with Principal Nezu. "You seem to be enjoying his company too. I wonder if I should take Vito off the waiting list." Toshinori spat out the watermelon he had in his mouth. "Is something wrong?"
"Don't get me wrong, Principal Nezu Sir. Having him at home has been nice and all but he's just a young kid, he needs to learn to survive on his own and not take care of an old man." Toshinori said as he took a sip of water.
"I think you are overthinking things, All Might." Principal Nezu placed his hands in the sand behind him. "I'll let you in on a little secret regarding Vito. While reading his file, I noticed one thing that kept popping up over and over again, it's that he cares about the people. In a way he's just like you, willing to do anything to protect them if he knows them or not." Principal Nezu said, looking over at Vito and the teachers at the bar, laughing and having a good time. "He's a kind hearted soul and I can already see that if a place does come up for him to move into, he'll become sad and lonely."
"What do you mean?" Toshinori listened carefully to Principal Nezu as he crossed his legs.
"I'm saying he's someone who's the happiest when he has a purpose. He enjoys taking care of people, helping whomever is near him." Principal Nezu explained. "He enjoys having you come home too. It's something he never really had growing up." Principal Nezu took a sip of his drink before taking a bite of watermelon. "Be gentle with him, Toshinori." Toshinori noticed Vito was smiling and laughing over at the bar. He got up and walked over to Vito, looking nervous.
"Hey, Vito….Um do you have a moment?" Toshinori asked awkwardly, Vito looked surprised as he sipped his drink.
"S-sure…..." Vito said as he got up from his seat and followed Toshinori around the cliff, going out of sight of the group. "Is….Everything ok, All Might?"
"I have some questions I need to ask you." Toshinori avoided eye contact with Vito. "It was brought to attention by 2 separate individuals now that…..I haven't exactly been….The best host. I hope you can forgive me." Toshinori said, slightly bowing in apology. Vito swung his hands up and shook his head.
"No, don't apologize All Might, you have been nothing but kind to me." Vito said as he put his hand onto Toshinori's shoulder. "My life has been nothing but sorrow and pain…But living with you has been a joy. You are the kindest person that has crossed my path this far in my life and I cherish our time together even if it might end one day." Toshinori looked up at Vito with a surprised look. "Ah! Hahah umm…..I mean, if you want me to leave you can just say so too…..I wouldn't hold it against you or anything." Vito said, awkwardly, taking a step back from Toshinori just as he grabbed his hand.
"I…..I think I don't want you to leave…Just yet." Toshinori looked directly into Vito's eyes. "I'm a bit confused right now to be honest but it's been really nice having someone to come home too. I…Gotten used to how things are...It would be weird if you weren't there anymore." Toshinori's smile awkwardly.
"I…I don't know what to say." Vito blushed at this adorable man in front of him. Vito began to tear up. "I-I-I…"
"Ah! Sorry I didn't mean to make you cry." Toshinori said frantically, trying to figure out what to do. "I just wanted you to know that you're welcome to stay!" Just as Toshinori finished his words, Vito hugged this 7'3 tall man. "..." He couldn't figure out what to say, instead, Toshinori hugged Vito back. "I don't know what kind of past you had, Vito. But no one here will ever let you go….Including me." Vito looked up at Toshinori with red eyes. "You wanted to build yourself a new home right? Well, you've managed to do that here at U.A." Toshinori smiled down at Vito.
"Yeah….Your right. Even with me only being here for a short time…A home formed right under my nose." Vito took a step back from Toshinori. "Ah! Sorry!" Vito said as he wiped his tears away. "Sorry, so…You had some questions for me?"
"Right…I think…Uh…They can wait." Toshinori said. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the day and have some fun. Plus it smells like Vlad is cooking up something to eat."
"I'll be there in a moment, I need to use the washroom." Vito waved Toshinori off before walking along the beach. He grabbed a sky blue tank top out of his swim trunks pocket and put it on before turning back into Ari. She took a seat on a large rock near the ocean. "Man, it's getting real difficult to keep that form up, especially when someone plays with my emotions like that." Ari faced the water and put her elbow on her knee. "I should let Principal Nezu know about my limit." Ari sighed as she laid back on the rock and looked up at the sky. "I should take this chance to try and get used to the water, just in case they force me to go swimming or something." Ari thought to herself before getting up and walking over to the water, dipping her feet in. "The ocean feels so different from freshwater." She commented just as she took another step into the water.
"Hey, Vito, sorry to bother you but Vlad what's to know if you want a burger." Toshinori said as he walked around the corner. Accidentally stumbling upon Ari ankle high in the water. "Ari? I didn't know you were down here." Ari's face turned bright red and quickly turned to walk out of the water, but as she did that, her foot slipped on a rock causing her to fall down just as a wave came in, hitting her and covering her in sea water.
"Ow…." Ari said as she tried to lift herself up. She scratched her arms on some rocks and the bottom of her foot that slipped was cut by one.
"Are you ok?" Toshinori rushed over to help her up. "Here, let me help you." Toshinori picked up Ari and brought her to a large rock, Ari was beet red in the face. "Here, let me have a look at your injuries." Toshinori said as he grabbed her injured foot. "Looks like most of your injuries are just scratches, but you got a pretty decent size gash on the bottom of your foot." Toshinori looked up at Ari who was covering her mouth and looking down at him. "Wait here, I have a first aid kit." He said as he got up and jogged around the corner.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! What should I do?!" Ari thought to herself. "I can't change back into Vito now that Toshinori knows I'm here." Ari heard footsteps coming towards her from around the corner, it was Toshinori, Principal Nezu and Aizawa. Toshinori kneeled down to look at Ari's foot again and opened his first aid kit.
"This will hurt a bit." Toshinori said as he put some alcohol onto a rag and started to clean the wound. Ari covered her mouth again, preventing herself from screaming. "Aizawa will be bringing you to see Recovery Girl after I'm done." Toshinori said as he wrapped the bandage around Ari's foot. "I can only do so much here but Recovery Girl will take care of you." Toshinori smiled.
"I'm glad you're ok but please be more careful next time, Ari." Principal Nezu said.
Aizawa huffed. "Alright, let's get you to the nurses office." Aizawa said as he let Ari climb onto his back. "I'll take care of Ari, so don't worry." Aizawa said, trying to reassure Toshinori as they left.
"We should head back." Principal Nezu said as he followed Aizawa.
"Ah! Where did Vito go?" Toshinori looked from side to side frantically.
"You said he needed to use the washroom right? So I wouldn't worry." Principal Nezu said.
"Ah…..I should go…Look for him, I don't want him to get lost." Toshinori said just as he was going to start walking the opposite way.
"All Might, he'll be fine." Principal Nezu said as he waved Toshinori to follow him. He sighed and agreed with Principal Nezu. When they got back to the rest of the group, everyone was checking up on Ari just as they were about to leave. As they disappeared into the forest, Toshinori messaged Vito.
TO: Vito
FROM: All Might
All Might: Hey, hope you didn't wander too far. Don't want to get lost.
Vito: Sorry, I'll be back later, something was buggin me about the gym I'm currently working on. I've just gone to go check it out and I'll be right back down.
All Might: Ok, no worries, Aizawa is just on his way back up with Ari, she cut herself while in the ocean.
Vito: Oh no! I hope she's ok.
All Might: She's fine, just a couple scratches and a cut on her foot. They are heading to the nurses office as we speak.
Vito: Good, I'll be back in about 30 minutes or so. Don't wait up.
All Might: Vlad is cooking burgers so you better hurry before they're all gone.
Vito: Noted! See you soon!
Toshinori sat on his towel, looking towards the ocean when Vlad walked over with a burger done up and handed it to Toshinori.
"You were gone for quite some time so I made you one while you were gone." Vlad said as he handed over the plate with a napkin.
"Oh, thanks. Looks delicious." Toshinori smiled.
"Where's Vito?" Vlad asked as he looked around.
"He quickly ran up to one of the gyms he's working on, doing some repairs. I told him what he's missing out on. He said he should be back in 30 minutes or so." Toshinori answered just as he took a bite of the burger Vlad handed him.
"Good to see he's really into his new job. I'll make him one and put it to the side. Hopefully Present Mic doesn't eat it before he gets back." Vlad said as he walked back to the bar. As time went by, Vito came down the trail, carrying beer and wine.
"Sorry, I'm late. I didn't want to show up empty handed." Everyone cheered and helped Vito bring the booze over to the bar. Vito walked over to Toshinori and handed him a bubble tea. "Here, I got you this since you can't drink. It's taro flavored." Vito patted the back of his head. "I kinda guested on the flavor you would like, sorry if you don't like it." Toshinori takes the bubble tea from Vito.
"Thanks, I don't think I've had this flavor before." Toshinori smiled before taking a sip. "Wha! How does a potato taste this good!" Toshinori's mind was blown, the flavor in his mouth wasn't what he was expecting at all.
Vito laughed at Toshinori's reaction. "I'm surprised you like it that much. I hope you don't mind but I had them remove the tapioca balls they usually put in it with rainbow jelly." Just as Vito finished, Toshinori got one of the jellies. His face lightened up and he seemed super happy with the drink Vito got him.
"Hey, Vito! You better eat this burger I made you, I can't hold of Present Mic forever you know!" Vlad yelled as he was holding Present Mic away from Vito's plate. "You already had yours!"
"Oh! I should go grab that. I'll be right back." Vito ran to the bar, Present Mic was drooling for his burger while everyone else was laughing and enjoying a drink. After taking the plate and a beer, Vlad knocked Present Mic into the sand because he was done dealing with him. Vito walked back to Toshinori and sat down.
"You have an amazing group of friends, All Might. Thank you for introducing them to me." Vito smiled before taking a bite out of his burger.
"You're welcome, I'm glad you're getting along with them so well." Toshinori smiled before noticing Vito had a beer in his hand. "I didn't know you drank." Toshinori commented on the beer.
"Oh….Yeah. I only drink socially now…I was an alcoholic years ago." Vito said, finishing his burger.
"Aren't you worried you'll end up as one again?" Toshinori asked, concerned.
"Nope, not at all. I'm more than aware there is a possibility but I'm not worried." Vito smiled. "I can thank someone for showing me how bad it is to be an alcoholic and what It can do to one's body over time." Vito took a deep sigh and looked at the ground. "Ah! But that's a story for another time. I bumped into Aizawa and Ari as I was leaving to go to the store. Recovery Girl healed her right up." Vito smiled. "I think I'm going to go sit in the water and cool off. Want to join me? I brought some extra chairs." Vito added.
"Oh, uh….sure why not." Vito and Toshinori walked over to the bar where a couple lawn chairs were leaning up against the bar. Just as they set up their spot in the water, the rest of the group decided to join them. Bringing a ball and some brought their floaties. Vito joined the group in a game or 2 while Toshinori just sipped on his drink and watched. Principal Nezu floated over to Toshinori with a fancy drink in hand.
"Why don't you go join them All Might?" Principal Nezu asked.
"Nah, not right now. I'm just enjoying the water and the sun. This is probably the only time I'll get to relax like thi-" Toshinori was stopped mid sentence by a beach ball hitting him in the face and knocking him backwards into the water. Everyone was snickering as Toshinori grabbed the ball and got up from the water. Drenched, he looked very unimpressed, before he suddenly transformed to his muscle form and ran towards the group. "Don't run! You want to play?! Let's play!" The group ran away from All Might before he jumped into the air and tossed the ball into the water, causing a massive wave. The group played in the water for hours, enjoying eachothers company, relaxing together, sharing stories, etc. Before they knew it, the sun started to set and Ectoplasm lit the tiki torches that were placed around the beach earlier. During their time in the water, Vito and Vlad caught a couple fish for dinner.
"Wow! Look at all the fresh fish!" Midnight said, drooling over the fish.
"Yeah, we ended up catching a lot more than I was expecting." Vito smiled at Midnight who was too busy thinking about fish dishes. "Vlad and I are going to do a competition to see who has the best fish dish."
"Another competition?" Cementoss said, cleaning a glass.
"Why not? Isn't it better to have more choices then just one?" Vito said as he and Vlad placed the fish down on the counter and began to clean them. "We managed to get the same fish so that the competition would be fair." Vito added.
"The sea bass we caught will do the job nicely." Vlad tossed some fish guts into a bowl. "We got 2 each so everyone will get to try each dish." Vito and Vlad cleaned their fish, cooked them, and presented them to the group just as the sun was setting. After everyone had full bellies, they worked together to clean up.
"Oh man, this was fun. It's too bad Aizawa didn't join us after taking Ari to see Recovery Girl." Midnight said as she wiped some sweat off her forehead.
"Maybe he will join us next time." Cementoss said, putting the dirty paper plates into a trash bag.
"He's never been the sociable type and I was surprised to even see him show up at all." Present Mic said, folding some beach towels.
"Well, next time we will have to tie him up and forcefully bring him along." Vito suggested.
"Haha yeah, he's a funny drunk when he drinks." Present Mic said. As everyone grabbed what they could and made their way back up to the campus. A few people went to take the trash to the dumpsters and the rest went their separate ways after saying goodnight to each other. Toshinori and Vito waved everyone goodbye as they started to make their way home.
"I've never seen that big of a smile on you before." Toshinori commented on Vito's smile.
"I just can't get over how I've only been here for a week and feel so lucky." Vito said, looking back at Toshinori.
"I'm glad." Toshinori said as they continued down the path home. "We should work on those boxes in the living room tomorrow before we forget again…"
"Ha ha yeah, I'll go grab the dolly on our way upstairs. Then we will have it ready for tomorrow morning." Vito suggested.
"Won't the building maintenance guy need it?" Toshinori asked.
"I have the code to the maintenance closet so it isn't an issue." Vito explained with a smirk.
"Oh right, you're the campus maintenance worker now." Toshinori laughed, not looking where he was going and tripped. Vito caught him by holding Toshinori's swimsuit collar causing it to accidentally rip a bit. Toshinori got back on his feet. "Well…I guess I was overdue for a new suit…."
"I'm sorry!" Vito backed away with his hands up. "I didn't mean to."
"It's alright, it's just a swimsuit. I can just go buy another one." Toshinori reassured Vito it wasn't a big deal. "It was ready to retire anyways." The rip on Toshinori's suit caused it to become baggy and expose his shoulder. Vito placed his towel around Toshinori's neck and explained that he wouldn't want him to catch a cold since his suit was still wet. "Right." As they approached their building, Vito went to the maintenance closet to grab the dolly while Toshinori made his way back up to the apartment. Toshinori, placed everything he brought up on the dining room table and made a pile of dirty towels by the washer, just before he jumped into the shower. Vito entered the apartment hearing the shower running and brought the dolly into the living room as he noticed the mess on the dining room table. After Vito finished cleaning everything and putting everything away, he made some tea as Toshinori came out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist.
"You should have a shower too. Seawater can dry out your skin." He explained as he walked into his room.
"Ah….Right." Vito said, still not used to seeing Toshinori in just a towel, exposing his massive scar. Vito went and grabbed his robe and bath towel before heading to the shower. When Vito was done in the shower, he came out to Toshinori in a t-shirt and his boxers sitting on the couch. "Hey, what's the number for your storage unit downstairs and to code for the lock?" Vito suddenly asked.
"Hm? Oh, it's the room number and I'll have to find the code, it's somewhere around here. Why do you ask?" Toshinori asked, sipping some tea he served himself.
"I might start while you're on your morning run tomorrow. You know, to get a head start." Vito suggested.
"Good idea." Toshinori got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen, digging in a junk drawer and pulling out a piece of paper. "Here, this is the code for my storage locker downstairs." Toshinori handed the piece of paper to Vito. "I don't plan on doing a long run tomorrow, maybe just a few laps around campus. Should only take about 45 minutes or so." He estimated as he went back to the couch.
"No worries, I'm sure I'll be taking my time to get up tomorrow anyways. Feel like I haven't slept in decades." Vito jokes as he serves himself some tea just as he yawns. "Man, what an eventful day." He commented.
"No kidding, it was a lot of fun." Toshinori leaned back into the couch just as Vito took a seat.
"Thanks again by the way." Vito said, looking down at his cup. "Today was…Well…It'll be a special memory I'll be sure to keep." Toshinori just looked over at Vito.
"Is something on your mind?" Toshinori asked, leaning forward and turning towards Vito. Vito didn't answer, just continued to look into his cup, completely zoned out. "Hey, are you alright?" Toshinori placed his hand on Vito's leg which scared him, causing him to tense up and spill a bit of his tea.
"Sorry! I was lost in thought." Vito finally answered as he used his towel to clean up the spilt tea. Toshinori grunted and sighed as Vito cleaned up, leaning back into the couch.
"What's on your mind, Vito?" Toshinori bluntly asked.
"..." Vito got up to go through the dirty towel in the pile near the wash. "Nothing, I was just lost in old memories." Vito answered as he walked down the hall, tossing his towel into the dirty pile. Toshinori knew Vito was lying but didn't want to push on it. Just as Toshinori got up and brought his cup to the kitchen sink, Vito walked past and closed his bedroom door behind him.
"Ah….Goodnight." Toshinori said. "I wonder what's up with him…" Toshinori thought to himself as he went into his bedroom. "Maybe I should take him out for lunch after we move those boxes tomorrow." He thought just as he remembered what happened to Ari. "I'll go check up on her tomorrow morning." Toshinori's eyes began to get heavy, the cool air coming in from his open window and the sound of rustling leaves quickly put his mind at ease.
- End