Draken hadn't forgotten about Valentine's Day. No. He would never forget a day like that. However, he couldn't buy a gift for Mikey, his boyfriend, in time due to their schedule, which was so packed with interviews that they could barely breathe properly. The new racing season would start in March, and Mikey, besides training intensively and testing every single piece of equipment on his bike, also had to give countless interviews in a single day.

After almost ten years of being a professional motorcycle racer, it was more than normal to have many commitments at the same time, he still looked exhausted though and was often unsure how to respond to interviewers' questions. Ken, on the other hand, was busy fixing the bike that Mikey was going to use. He had to finalize everything before March 6th, and, even with help from the other members of their team, it was still a bit of work, but nothing that made him want to give up.

They were used to it. It was a routine they knew too well, but they were both humans, and occasionally, they just wanted to relax a bit with each other. That's why they took that day off to rest a little and be together. Although Ken didn't buy a gift, he would still try to make Valentine's Day fun and different from what normal couples do.

Starting with the fact that he hadn't told Mikey where they were going.

"You seem so focused today… are you trying to kidnap me?" Mikey's comment made Draken laugh. His boyfriend was well accommodated in the passenger seat, paying attention to the smallest details and attempting to find clues along the road. "I know! We're going to visit an aquarium!"

Draken wanted to say "almost there", but that would be too obvious and Mikey would notice. "Why don't you just admire the scenery? Soon you will find out." Draken commented, paying more attention to the road. He hadn't memorized the path, but if everything was correct on his app's map, he would see a purple sign showing the rest of the way.

"There's not much to admire around here besides you. I only see bushes on this side, but if I turn my head like this," Mikey said, leaning back in the car seat and looking more closely at the tattooed man. "Oh, I can see a hot, handsome guy... it makes me want to take off these stupid seatbelts and jump in his lap..."

"Look there! Looks like we've arrived!" Draken cut him off before things got out of hand. He wasn't so good at controlling himself when Mikey started saying these things. Just in time, he could see the purple sign with a drawing of a dolphin, identical to the one on the map. "Yeah, it's right here."

"A dolphin?" Mikey questioned. "Is it an aquarium?"

"Read carefully," Draken answered, nodding at the other large sign ahead of them. The new sign was pink and contained an arrow pointing to a barred gate that was wide open. Still, inside the car, both could see several people, especially children, running around the place.

"The zoo?" Mikey stared at the zoo sign in disbelief. "Ken-chin! I cannot believe it."

"What? Didn't like the surprise?" Draken drove the car toward the local parking lot, glancing briefly at his boyfriend, only to take in the excited expression on his face. He looks happier than Draken imagined.

"Of course I liked it. I would never think of it, though. Like, it's been years since I've been to a zoo... the last time I came with Emma and Shin, I was still a kid... I think it was in 1999."

"Are you telling me that the last time you visited a zoo was about 24 years ago? Damn, that's crazy. We're probably too old for that."

"Oh, I still have the spirit of a child!" Draken barely parked the car and Mikey was already rushing out of the automobile. "Let's go. I want to see everything."

Ken smiled, proudly. Apparently, not having a gift but instead taking his boyfriend to the zoo was the ideal plan for that special day.

Mikey was right, he still carried the child spirit within him and Draken knew more than anyone about that. He looked like a kid who wanted to see everything at once without stopping, and every time he tried to get too close to the animals or touch them, Ken would lecture him. It reminded him of the good old days when it was just him and Mikey walking on the streets of Shibuya and skipping classes. It also made him realize that Mikey never lost that playful, childlike essence of him. It was a side of him that Draken liked a lot. He always did. By the time he met Mikey, Ken had noticed this behavior in him, that he knew the right time to joke and the right time to be a rational and serious leader. During the races, it was the same story. He was committed, always leading the way seriously, but out of there, he was the same guy who once told Ken he didn't know how to tie the laces of his sneakers.

But it was this same guy who made Ken fall in love.

They were walking quietly to the last area of the zoo when Mikey suddenly pulled the taller one by the arm to the hippopotamus section. They had already passed through there, but something seemed to catch Mikey's attention.

"Are you fixated on hippos?" Draken asked curiously. "It's the third time."

"You want to know something funny? Something I just remembered." Ken nodded. "When I was a kid and visited the zoo for the first time, I spent hours in the hippo section waiting for them to show up. I know they don't stay underwater that long, but they were taking a long time to get out of there. As a child, it disappointed me. I would wait hours for them, but my grandfather had serious glucose problems and needed to eat something with protein, so that day I had no option but to leave the hippos behind. I went to sleep so frustrated that day because I hadn't seen them. Now, there they are." Mikey pointed at the giant animals. "Finally, out of the water. They're cool, but I wouldn't go too close. They could kill me with one bite."

"Said the guy who teased a chimpanzee with a banana and even tried to touch a lioness." Draken laughed.

"The chimpanzee was cool. He stole a lady's glasses. And I would have touched the lioness if it hadn't been for the security guard threatening to arrest me."

After a few more minutes there, Ken was sure that would be the last session they would visit. They didn't intend to stay there until the sky darkened, and since they'd already seen most of the animals, it wouldn't make much difference. Especially seeing how much Mikey was entertained by the hippos. There was an expression of amusement on his face and his eyes sparkled each time one of the hippos made their typical loud noise.

And he couldn't stop staring at him for being so adorable.

"Ken-chin, I'm getting embarrassed."

Ken blinked, coming out of his trance and realizing that Mikey was looking at him with a pout on his lips. "Why?"

"I felt your gaze."

Draken chuckled, pulling his boyfriend into a hug and placing a kiss on the top of his head. "I was staring at you because you were so cute. Makes me want to pinch your cheeks too."

"Don't you dare!" Mikey squeezed him, laying his chin on his chest. "You made my day. I am really happy. Like, really, really happy."

"I got it. And what will I get for making you so happy, my love?" Ken lowered his face, rubbing his nose against Mikey's.

"You're going to take me to McDonald's and buy me a big milkshake, and when we get home, I'm going to pay you back by sucking your dick in the shower because I think you deserve it. What do you think, darling?"

Ken didn't need to answer him. He just grabbed his hands, walking quickly to the parking lot as he heard Mikey's laughter behind him.