Atsushi sat on the park bench with Kenken and Mario; the trio was enjoying the warm breeze and participating in your usual summer activities- eating ice cream and blowing bubbles.
It was the beginning of summer vacation, and although Atsushi was enjoying the time off from school, he hadn't seen Sakamoto in what felt like eons. Kenken and Mario did their best to distract him, taking him on bike rides around the city and inviting him out for lunch daily, but it just didn't seem to keep Atsushi's mind off of Sakamoto.
Nearly every time he saw a tall, thin man with black hair walk by, he would get excited, hoping it was Sakamoto. Unfortunately, in Japan, there were many tall, thin men with black hair, which resulted in lots of disappointment for Atsushi. Kenken and Mario began to notice this pattern, and although at first they teased Atsushi incessantly about his crush, they began to feel a little bad for him as the days passed.
"Acchan, please. I've never seen someone look so sad when blowing bubbles. You're bumming me out," said Mario.
"Yeah," Kenken sighed, "I'm trying to have a good time and you're totally killing my buzz."
Acchan blew a few more bubbles and stood up from the bench. "You're right, guys. I guess I just miss hanging out with Sakamoto. I might go home early today and visit with my ma. You guys have fun without me." Atsushi turned on his heel and strode away from the bench without another word, sticking his hands in the pockets of his shorts.
As they watched his form retreat, Kenken and Mario looked at each other and shrugged.
—-
His feet felt like stones as they slapped the pavement. He didn't really want to go home and see his ma, but he also didn't want to sit around with his friends and listen to them give him a hard time. I guess I'll stop in and get some yakitori at the local stall, Atsushi thought. Eating mystery meat off of a stick was definitely a way to pass some time.
As he padded underneath the awning at the stall, he took a quick inventory of the people in line to assess his wait time. Family of 4, some teenager in socks and sandals, an old lady, a little girl, Atsushi sighed. It looked like a bit of a wait. As his eyes briefly passed back over the ragtag group, his jaw dropped.
"Sakamoto-kun, is that you!?" Atsushi asked, mouth still agape. A head turned sharply, then a stern gaze fixed itself upon Atsushi. As Sakamoto's eyes focused, his look softened.
"Maeda-kun. Good to see you," Sakamoto said coolly.
"Since when do you wear…. that?!" Atsushi asked, gesturing wildly at Sakamoto. He donned a pair of cargo shorts, a white long sleeve tee-shirt, and socks and sandals. "I thought you only wore your uniform."
Sakamoto's lips curved upwards, hinting at a smile. "Well it is summer vacation, after all. And Kubota-kun insisted that I get 'normal summer clothes'. Do you not like my outfit, Maeda-kun?"
Atsushi stammered, "N-no, that's not it, you look great! Well, nice, you look nice, just different, and I'm not used to it, that's all. You look nice!" His cheeks suddenly felt hot, and his blush deepened as he noticed that Sakamoto left his place in line to stand next to him. "You didn't have to lose your spot just to talk to me, Sakamoto."
"I am in no hurry," replied Sakamoto, "Speaking of clothing choices- I could say the same to you, Maeda-kun. Do you always wear that hat? It's quite warm to be wearing that." Sakamoto brushed his hand over Atsushi's hat, briefly resting his fingers on the top of his head. Atsushi reached up to feel his trademark red beanie, and shrugged sheepishly.
"At this point, I think I put it on out of habit," he said. The top of his head nearly tingled where Sakamoto had rested his hand.
As the line shortened and they approached the front, Sakamoto continued to make casual, pleasant conversation with Atsushi, asking him what he had been up to during the break, and recounting stories of his own vacation thus far. Atsushi felt a small pang of jealousy when Sakamoto relayed that he had been hanging out with Kubota and Hayabusa. Eventually, they reached the counter.
"4 yakitori, please," Sakamoto requested, glancing up at the cashier through his glasses. The older woman's face reddened, the same way all women reacted to Sakamoto, and as he held out his yen, Atsushi looked surprised while also barely concealing his annoyance at the old woman's reaction.
"4 yakitori?! You must be hungry, Sakamoto-kun!" Atsushi exclaimed. The older woman handed Sakamoto his change and 4 skewers as they spoke. Sakamoto gave the woman a curt nod of thanks, and beckoned Atsushi to follow him out of the line.
"2 for you, and 2 for me," Sakamoto turned his head to Atsushi and handed him two sticks of chicken. "Would you like me to accompany you on your walk?"
Atsushi blushed and muttered, "You didn't have to do that, man. I could've paid for my own. And I don't need you to come with me if you're busy- I'm just headed home."
"What kind of man would I be if I allowed my date to purchase their own food? And it's no bother to walk you to your house, I have nowhere to be. Besides, I've missed you during the break."
Atsushi's face contorted into a mixture of shock and embarrassment as he nearly choked on a piece of chicken. "Y-you missed me? And did you say date?!" he asked, incredulously.
"Yes, I like to think of us as friends, and I hadn't seen you in quite a few days, Atsushi-kun. May I call you that? Atsushi, I mean?"
"All my friends call me Acchan," Atsushi whispered. He missed me. HE missed ME. Sakamoto, the coolest guy I've ever known, missed ME, a delinquent. And he totally avoided the date question! Atsushi's mind was going a thousand miles a minute.
"Acchan it is, then." Atsushi stuffed a piece of chicken in his mouth to hide his grin.
Their walk continued in a comfortable silence, nothing but the sound of them eating their food and their shoes slapping the pavement. The sun was beginning to set and they could hear the sounds of cicadas.
"We're almost to my house," Atsushi said.
"Would you like to keep walking? I know a local place where the view of the sky is incredible. I like to watch the sun go down most evenings. It's in this direction. I had no idea I passed your house on my way there everyday." Sakamoto's voice never wavered, and he made direct eye contact with Atsushi as he said this. His confidence was unnerving.
"Uh, I mean, I guess," Atsushi tried to hide the tremble in his voice and glanced away, "that's not really my kind of thing, but if you want to."
Sakamoto locked eyes with Atsushi, and for the first time since WcDonald's, smiled at him, "Thank you, Acchan."
Atsushi quickly turned away from Sakamoto and started walking ahead, trying to keep him from seeing the redness in his cheeks. He had never seen anything like the smile Sakamoto just gave him. As a matter of fact, he had never seen Sakamoto express any emotion, much less the real, genuine look of endearment he had just been given. It had taken his breath away. Sakamoto's eyes had crinkled up at the corners, and it wasn't just his mouth smiling, but his whole face. Even his eyes had been shining.
Sakamoto walked briskly, and easily caught up with Atsushi, maintaining a comfortable stride next to him. With every step, his arms would swing and his fingers would lightly brush Atsushi's hands. If Atsushi didn't know better, he would think Sakamoto was doing this on purpose.
They continued walking until they reached a bridge that crossed over a small body of water. "Here we are," Sakamoto said.
The sun was setting and the sky was deep shades of purple and orange and red. The light shone from behind the clouds, casting beautiful golden linings onto the edges. The water mirrored the colors and rippled softly. As the cool breeze blew from off the water, Sakamoto's dark hair rustled gently, and the sunset reflected off of his glasses. He took Atsushi's breath away. Atsushi glanced out onto the water and enjoyed the view, and his company. Even if he couldn't have Sakamoto as his own, he was happy to be able to enjoy a moment like this with him.
"Very beautiful, Sakamoto," Atsushi smiled, gesturing at the view.
"Yes," Sakamoto paused, "you are."
Atsushi's eyes widened and he sputtered, sure he had heard Sakamoto incorrectly. "The view. I was talking about the view."
"I wasn't," Sakamoto smiled for the second time that day, this time softer, and much more gently, "I was talking about you. You look beautiful." Atsushi suddenly noticed that Sakamoto had barely even taken a second glance at the view, as his eyes had been squarely focused on Atsushi.
Although Sakamoto-kun was not the type to joke, Atsushi felt as though the universe was playing some kind of prank on him. "Um, Sakamoto… are you messing with me?"
Sakamoto's eyes shifted suddenly and looked directly into Atsushi's eyes. "Absolutely not, Acchan." He then calmly looked out onto the water, and after a few moments, he placed his hand on top of Atsushi's, intertwining their fingers coolly. As Sakamoto enjoyed the view, he brushed his thumb gently over Atsushi's knuckles.
They stayed like this in silence, until it was dark and the street lights above their head turned on. Like the lights were his cue, Sakamoto released Atsushi's hand. "I believe it is about time for me to return you to your home." Atsushi felt dazed, but stood and nodded, walking along beside Sakamoto as they went back the way they came.
As they walked, Sakamoto did not attempt to touch Atsushi or even make conversation. Atsushi reran the events over and over in his mind, trying to assess whether he was having a strange dream, or if he had made the whole thing up. Only the residual sensation of where Sakamoto's hand had been gave him any indication that it was real. As they reached Atsushi's house, Sakamoto stopped. "This is your house, correct?" Sakamoto asked.
"Yeah, it is," Atsushi mumbled, fumbling for his house keys. What the hell was that? Was that a date? He called it a date earlier. Why did he call me beautiful? Why did he hold my hand? Why did he not talk to me on the way back? Did I do something wrong? Did Hayabusa put him up to this? Atsushi couldn't stop thinking long enough to find his keys.
With a near-imperceptible speed, Sakamoto snatched Atsushi's keys and phone out of his pocket, and snapped open the phone, swiftly typing something on the buttons.
"HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Atsushi snatched in the air, futilely attempting to retrieve his flip phone.
"I am giving you my phone number," Sakamoto replied, "I would not like to go another day without seeing you again." With a flick of his wrist, Sakamoto closed the phone, slid it back into Atsushi's pocket, and used his other hand to gently grab Atsushi's chin. After a brief delay, like he was uncertain, Sakamoto leaned forward and brushed his lips against Atsushi's, waiting for him to close the gap. After a brief moment of shock and hesitation, Atsushi leaned into the kiss, aggressively pressing his lips to Sakamoto's.
Their styles couldn't have been more different- Sakamoto gently kissed the other man, softly moving his own lips and simply following Atsushi's lead, while Atsushi kissed him like it was the last time it would ever happen, hungrily and fervently, hands curled into Sakamoto's t-shirt and hair, pulling him closer. When their lips parted, Sakamoto's face was flushed and his normally perfect hair was mussed. Atsushi gasped for air, eyes wide, and quickly yanked Sakamoto back in for another kiss, like he was scared he was dreaming. As their lips touched, Sakamoto began to smile gently, and wrapped his arms around Atsushi and pulled him into his chest, breaking the kiss.
Atsushi's voice shook, as he asked breathlessly, "This is real, right?" Sakamoto pulled him in tighter.
"I hope so."
After what felt like hours, Sakamoto's arms unwrapped from the other man. He took a step back and bowed deeply. "May I stop by tomorrow afternoon? We can go for another walk, Acchan. If you would like."
Atsushi nodded, grinning widely. "That would be great. Can't wait."
Sakamoto dipped his head curtly, appearing to be back to his usual self, and turned briskly, readying himself to walk home. The night was cooling off, and it appeared to be a nice evening for another short stroll.
"Wait up, Sakamoto!"
Sakamoto turned around, eyebrow quirked. Atsushi walked up to him and pulled his red beanie over the top of Sakamoto's head. "I figured I should let you have this. Boyfriends are supposed to give their girl their clothes… like their jacket, and stuff, so this is pretty much the same thing."
Sakamoto's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Boyfriend?"
"Yeah. Boyfriend. I'll see you tomorrow, Sakamoto-kun," Atsushi smiled as he placed a rough kiss against Sakamoto's cheek.
Sakamoto felt a warmth deep inside his cool, cooler, coolest chest. Something that he had never felt before. He placed his hand onto the beanie and his heart swelled. Boyfriend, hm?
—-
Atsushi picked up his phone and called Kenken, knowing his best friends would still be together.
"Hello," a gruff voice answered the phone.
"Is that Acchan?" Mario asked loudly in the background.
"Guys… you're never going to believe what happened today."