#*gazes thoughtfully into the air* hm. hah. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pikashadow · 4 years

Text

Last Year’s Summer Sky a Diamond no Ace fanfiction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Rating: T

Pairing: Sawamura/Narumiya

Words: 12,664

Author Notes: Here’s chapter 3!

I hope y’all enjoy it!

Chapter 3: Summer Festival Date

Eijun adjusted his collar nervously, tempted to check the time again.

Narumiya was late. Again.

… And he was the one who demanded that he go out on a date with him.

He couldn’t help but look behind him, a little envious of all the obvious couples he could see.

The bustling summer festival was difficult to look at, as he could easily smell a lot of delicious festival food from where he stood in front of the shrine entrance, making him almost drool. He could even hear some faint music.

He looked around, heart speeding up as he noticed a familiar blond approaching him.

Finally.

He didn’t even know why Narumiya demanded that he go out on a date with him.

Sure, the summer festival was going on.

But did it have to be tonight?

The summer festival was lasting the whole summer.

It would still be going on after the summer tournament was over. Why not go then?

Come to think of it, Narumiya was acting strange when he called him earlier that day. But before he could ask what was wrong, he suddenly demanded that he go out on a date with him, mentioning how he wanted to attend the summer festival.

And while he couldn’t wear anything like a yukata, as that would only arouse his teammates’ suspicions, he did choose to wear one of his nicer shirts. He hoped his blue short sleeved polo shirt looked good with his brown pants and blue and white sneakers.

It wasn’t like Narumiya told him to dress up.

He chose to dress up for the occasion.

And as his boyfriend walked closer, he could see that he had put some effort into his wardrobe, too. His boyfriend wore a white t-shirt under an open green short sleeve casual button-up shirt with brown pants and green and white sneakers.

He looks so handsome.

He coughed, clearing his throat as Narumiya stopped before him. “There you are. I’ve been waiting.” His tone came out slightly exasperated despite himself.

“Looks like I’m right on time,” Narumiya quipped, grinning lazily.

He huffed, waving his phone around. “No, you’re about ten minutes late. What took you so long?”

Narumiya only shrugged. “Perfection takes time.”

He decided to drop it (just for tonight). He wanted to enjoy the summer festival with his boyfriend.

Although, if there was one thing bothering him (besides his odd behavior earlier), it had to be…

“Are you sure none of my teammates will see us?”

Narumiya rolled his eyes, holding out his hand. “Stop worrying. This shrine is closer to Inashiro than it is Seidou. I doubt any of your teammates will want to go this far away for a summer festival.” He frowned, placing his free hand on his hip. Eijun wanted to hate how he made even that action look cool. “I told you this earlier, too. Did you already forget?”

“No!” he protested, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, almost smiling when he received one back. “I was just making sure!”

But before they could take even a step into the festival, his ears picked up some familiar voices, causing him to look wide-eyed.

Was it just his imagination, or were those… Narumiya’s teammates?

He immediately looked at said ace only to see him looking somewhat… sheepish (if he wasn’t imagining things).

“I might have… bragged about going on a date with you to this summer festival. To the whole team.”

If it were any other situation, Eijun might have groaned. But considering the current situation…

He couldn’t help it.

He snorted, leaning in to rest his head on his shoulder to hide his growing smile. Narumiya protested, but he quickly wrapped an arm around him, causing his smile to widen.

Narumiya had looked so cool just moments before.

But now…

“So uncool,” he muttered into his shoulder.

“What was that?”

He pulled away, unable to keep the smile off his face. “It’s nothing. Let’s go?”

Narumiya didn’t look like he believed him, but he agreed, gesturing to the festival with a jerk of his head.

Hopefully Narumiya’s teammates wouldn’t bother them too much.

Famous last words.

ZZZ

“What about takoyaki? Do you want some?”

“How about yakisoba? I’ll treat you to some.”

Eijun resisted the urge to sigh, not wanting to be rude.

They had barely stepped inside the festival grounds when Narumiya’s teammates swarmed them, somehow separating them at the same time.

It had been a while since he last saw them, but clearly, they still thought he should break up with him.

He had turned his head, noticing Narumiya was now behind everyone. His boyfriend had huffed before starting to sulk.

When he had tried to gently point out that they were on a date and that he wanted to spend time with Narumiya, they pretended not to listen, already dragging him by his arm over to a festival stall.

Narumiya’s teammates had already bought him some festival food and even allowed him to show off his pitching at one of the festival games.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying himself, but…

He couldn’t help but look behind him, hoping to catch his boyfriend’s eye and send a silent message.

But to his surprise, he wasn’t there, causing him to frown.

He didn’t leave already… right?

When they weren’t looking, he turned around, slipping away as quietly as he could.

He didn’t make it far when a hand reached out, snagging his wrist and pulling him to a small open space between festival stalls, causing him to let out a surprised noise.

“Quiet! They’ll hear you!”

Eijun perked up, hearing the familiar voice. As they walked near a lantern, the light lit up the person pulling him (not that he didn’t already know who it was).

Narumiya pulled him over to a nearby bench, and when he forced him to sit, he looked over at him, confused when he sat beside him.

But instead of saying anything, Narumiya held up some plastic bags, causing him to blink a few times.

… Were those there the whole time?

“I know they already bought you some food, but I thought we could eat here.” He huffed, rolling his eyes. “Away from my teammates.”

“… Yeah,” Eijun said hoarsely. He cleared his throat before beaming. “Yeah, I would like that!”

Narumiya almost looked… (dare he say it) relieved.

Maybe he was overthinking their relationship.

It was clear his boyfriend somewhat cared about him and liked him enough to date him.

Maybe he was getting too hung up on liking him, and he should just enjoy his current relationship with him.

(He couldn’t help but want more, though. Miyuki Kazuya had told him countless times before that he could be selfish. But was it really that bad that he wanted his boyfriend to return his feelings? Maybe he was being selfish, but he wished (not for the first time) that Narumiya felt the same.)

To his delight, Narumiya pulled out two plastic containers. He knew what was inside even before he opened them.

And sure enough, inside the containers were some delicious looking takoyaki.

Eijun’s stomach grumbled, causing him to flush.

Narumiya looked over at him, amused. “You’re still hungry? Didn’t my teammates buy you some food?”

“Shut up.” He huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “They didn’t buy me enough. And they only bought little snacks.”

Narumiya furrowed his eyebrows, holding out the container, as if handing it to him. “Then this takoyaki…”

He eagerly reached for it, mouth watering. “Of course I’ll eat it! I haven’t had any yet!”

Only for him to whine as his hand grabbed nothing but air, pouting as he noticed Narumiya’s smirk.

Narumiya had quickly pulled the container back, eyeing them with interest. “Then that means I have to eat it before you do,” he declared, already grabbing one with the stick.

And to his dismay, his boyfriend ate the whole thing in one bite.

“My takoyaki!” he cried, reaching out once more.

Only for Narumiya to move the container out of reach, blocking any attempts to reach for them.

“Hm, I think I can finish this whole thing by myself,” Narumiya said, grinning cheekily as he picked up another one.

He tried reaching for it again, but Narumiya quickly moved it out of the way, easily eating the piece at the same time.

“Give it to me! That’s my takoyaki!”

… If his boyfriend wanted to share, he could’ve just told him.

Why did he feel the need to torture him like this?

Narumiya smirked, eyes gleaming mischievously. “Who said this takoyaki was yours? I bought it. It’s only right that I get to eat it.” He picked up another piece, halfheartedly blowing on it. “I’m glad they’re still warm. I thought I would have to eat these by myself.”

“But you said you wanted to eat together!” he protested.

Narumiya hummed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Did I say that?” He shrugged, placing the piece in his mouth and causing him to cry out once more.

How was this fair?

All he wanted was some takoyaki, and his boyfriend was eating them all.

(Although he couldn’t help but feel a little better at knowing that he was back to his normal self.)

An idea came to him, causing him to grin devilishly.

He saw his chance when Narumiya picked up another piece. He easily leaned closer, snatching the piece with his mouth.

His eyes lit up as he savored the flavor, not missing the way Narumiya looked at him, surprised. “You’re right! These are still warm! And they’re so good!”

Unfortunately, his surprise didn’t last long, that now all too familiar cheeky grin making its way back to his face.

“If you wanted to help me finish this, all you had to do was say something.”

… This guy was unbelievable!

But before he could yell at him, Narumiya picked up another piece, handing it out to him. He opened his mouth, leaning closer to him. “Here. You can feed me.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Hah? Why should I?” At Narumiya’s expectant (but also challenging) gaze, he let out a small, frustrated huff before moving the piece closer.

Just as his mouth was about to touch the piece, he quickly moved it away (much to his displeasure), eating it in front of him.

“It’s so good. Now we’re even,” he said, grinning devilishly.

“What do you mean by even? That was my takoyaki!”

Eijun only grinned, picking up another piece and holding it out to him. “Did you still want me to feed you? Here, say ahh.”

“… If you eat it again, I’m going to kill you,” Narumiya threatened.

But Eijun was unfazed by his threat, looking at him expectantly.

And before he could do anything else, Narumiya reached out, grabbing his wrist and pulling his arm closer.

Eijun frowned, about to protest. Or yell.

But before he could, Narumiya ate the takoyaki, keeping his eyes on him as he did so.

Eijun reddened, mouth opening slightly as he stared at him.

Narumiya grinned at his reaction, licking the top of his lips to get the remaining sauce before reluctantly letting go of his wrist. He licked his lips to make sure he got the rest of the sauce, his grin widening as he watched his eyes dart down to look at them.

His eyes widened, glancing between him and the stick.

“I’m so lucky to have a boyfriend that will feed me,” he said, winking cheekily.

Eijun was about to answer, but anything he could’ve said died in his throat as Narumiya leaned in closer, causing his heart to race.

He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up…

But was he about to do something?

Narumiya licked the top of his nose, snickering as he jumped at the contact. Much to his disappointment, he quickly pulled away, grinning at him. “You had some sauce on your nose.”

He doubted that, but he wouldn’t deny that the display of affection flustered him.

(What was he thinking? Of course he wouldn’t kiss him. And even if he did, he wouldn’t do it now of all times and places.)

They fed each other takoyaki, both enjoying each other’s company. And that they were alone.

And while Mei wouldn’t admit it out loud, he felt… happy that his boyfriend was enjoying himself with him.

A part of him had (quite stupidly) worried that he had enjoyed hanging out with his teammates more than him, especially after seeing how happy he looked.

(Although he wouldn’t deny that it was great to watch him in action when he participated in that festival game. His boyfriend even did a little windup motion. He did wish he could’ve got a closer look at it, though.)

But watching him tease him and eat his takoyaki with such an open happy face caused any such worries to disappear.

(As expected, Sawamura liked him the best. Not his teammates.)

After finishing the takoyaki and yakisoba (Mei had felt smug when he proudly presented the plastic container to his surprised boyfriend), they decided to explore the festival once more, feeling even more determined not to let anyone (namely Mei’s teammates) ruin their date.

It didn’t take long for Sawamura’s hand to find his, Sawamura giving him a small, embarrassed smile. But when he only grinned and squeezed his hand, Sawamura gave him a gentle squeeze back, smiling brightly at him, causing his breath to catch in his throat.

Thankfully, Sawamura was oblivious to it as he pointed out a few stalls he found interesting.

As they made their way around the festival, they could hear the chatter of other people and some music. On each side of the festival grounds, people called out to them from behind wooden stalls, encouraging them to try their food or their skills at a game.

They ended up backtracking to the game from earlier, Mei claiming that he needed to watch a real pitcher in action.

… As if he hadn’t already watched him pitch on Seidou grounds or the practice game on Inashiro grounds.

Nevertheless, Sawamura grinned, gently knocking his left shoulder into his right one. “How about we have a competition?” His grin widened as he looked at him, curious. “Whoever knocks the most bottles down wins.”

Mei snorted, shaking his head. “That won’t even be a fair fight.” He grinned at his confused look. “What with your pitiful attempt from before.”

Sawamura flushed, pointing at him. “I wasn’t being serious! This time, I’ll be serious! I’m going to win for sure!”

“… Alright. Let’s do it. But since you’re so confident, let’s make it a bet instead,” he said, smirking.

He didn’t know how he could be so confident, especially after what happened earlier. But knowing him as well as he did, he knew he would accept his bet.

Sawamura narrowed his eyes at the challenging gaze. “What kind of bet?”

“If you win, I’ll pay for everything during our next date.” Sawamura’s eyes lit up, no doubt liking that idea. “But if I win, you have to listen to me the rest of the night. And you can’t argue with me.”

“… How is that any different than what normally happens?” Sawamura scoffed, almost causing him to grin. He bit his bottom lip, clearly thinking about the bet.

Mei knew he would accept.

He just had to… prod him a little.

“What happened to all that confidence from earlier?” he taunted, smirking as Sawamura glared at him. “Afraid you’re going to lose?”

“No way! I’m not going to lose! Especially to you!”

Gotcha.

“Then you’ll accept?” Mei leaned in, liking how Sawamura’s eyes widened.

“Of course I’ll accept!” Not one to back down, Sawamura leaned in, causing their faces to be centimeters apart.

Mei grinned before blowing cool air into his face, causing him to flinch out of surprise. He pulled away, snickering as Sawamura narrowed his eyes. “You better keep your word if you lose.”

“That should be my line! Just wait and see! My pitching will amaze you!”

Mei gently knocked his right shoulder into his left. “You mean like how you amazed everyone earlier?”

“Shut up! I told you I wasn’t serious earlier!”

Mei laughed, grinning at him. “Keep telling yourself that.”

They had to wait for some young kids to finish playing the game before they got their chance, Sawamura bouncing on the balls of his feet the whole time, making him laugh.

“Oh, aren’t you the kid from earlier?” the man running the booth said when they stepped up, looking at Sawamura. “Here to try and at least knock one bottle over this time?” he teased, causing Sawamura’s cheeks to redden.

Mei elbowed him, causing him to glare. “I’m not surprised he remembers you. After what happened earlier.”

“You did a windup, and you looked like you were going to be good,” the man said, rubbing his chin with one hand. “But the ball didn’t knock any of the bottles over. Much less even reach them.” He laughed softly.

“I’m here to prove that I can knock them all over this time,” Sawamura boasted, causing Mei to snicker.

“Is that so? Good luck, kid. I’m rooting for you,” the man said, grinning at him as he accepted the payment. He didn’t sound like he believed him (much to his amusement). He stepped aside, gesturing to the bottles set up behind him. “Depending on how many you knock over, you’ll get a prize. Not many people have knocked them all over, you know.”

Mei raised his eyebrows as Sawamura let go of his hand, already grabbing a ball and looking determined. “Wait… You’re going first? Shouldn’t you be letting me go first?”

Sawamura blinked a few times, looking over at him. “Eh? Why?”

“I’m your senpai. And your boyfriend,” Mei stressed, lips twitching when Sawamura glared at him.

Sawamura huffed, and just as he was starting to think he wouldn’t listen to him, he surprised him by stepping aside and handing him the ball. “… I can’t believe you made me pay for your turn.”

“What a nice boyfriend,” Mei said, rolling his eyes.

He ignored his dirty look, adjusting the ball in his left hand and looked at the target. After checking to make sure he wouldn’t bump into anyone or anything, he mimicked his boyfriend from earlier and did a little windup motion.

Much to his annoyance, the ball didn’t knock all the bottles over, one bottle on the right side still standing. He thought the force of his pitch would knock them all over, but maybe his aim was a little off.

(He supposed it couldn’t be helped, especially since they weren’t playing with a baseball. A normal ball didn’t feel right, and even though he tried to pitch it like a baseball, it still felt weird.)

The man whistled, looking impressed, causing him to smirk smugly. He could hear Sawamura clicking his tongue from beside him, causing him to feel even more smug.

“You know how I said not many people have knocked them all over?” the man said, walking over to them. “Well, not many people have knocked that many over either. Congratulations, kid!” He gestured to the variety of prizes displayed around the back of the booth. “Besides the grand prize, feel free to choose any other prize you’d like.”

Mei hummed, trying to give the impression that he was thinking about it. He almost grinned at catching an impatient looking Sawamura out of the corner of his eye.

He waited several moments more, causing Sawamura to start tapping his feet and muttering under his breath. “Actually, I think I’ll wait until he has his turn,” he said, stepping out of the way and grinning once he caught sight of an exasperated looking Sawamura. He looked at the man, tilting his head. “If that’s alright with you?”

“Of course! Take all the time you need!” the man beamed at him before looking at Sawamura. “After what he did, it’ll be a tough act to follow, huh? I’m still rooting for you, though, kid.” He winked at him, causing Mei to look away and snicker.

Sawamura huffed, eye twitching as he took out some more change. “It wasn’t that impressive,” he muttered, dropping it onto the table.

And once the man stepped out of the way, he adjusted the ball in his left hand before looking at the bottles. He took a deep breath before doing his windup motion from earlier.

To his surprise, the ball knocked a bottle over on the right side.

Ironically enough, it was the same bottle he couldn’t knock over.

The ball looked like it… moved before it reached the bottles, causing him to frown thoughtfully.

It looked as if Sawamura aimed for the center of the bottle structure, but instead of hitting where he wanted it to, the ball careened to the right.

But that was impossible… right?

It was probably just his imagination.

Sawamura twitched, his body shaking with what was probably anger as he laughed loudly.

“I-I can’t believe you!” Mei laughed, bending over and placing a hand on the booth to remain standing. “He asked if you were going to at least knock one over this time. And what did you do? You knocked exactly one over!”

He didn’t care that they were probably attracting attention or that people were probably looking at him as if he were crazy.

He couldn’t stop laughing.

The man tried to look sympathetic, but the small smile on his face ruined that for him. “You want to try again, kid? You can try as many times as you like. As long as you have enough money, that is.”

“… No, I’m alright. Thank you very much.” Sawamura’s voice was full of stiff politeness. He turned his head to look at him, glowering. “How long are you going to keep laughing! It wasn’t that funny!”

He chuckled some more, finally letting go of the booth to stand up properly. “Are you stupid? It was hilarious!” Sawamura shot him a dirty look, hands curling into fists by his sides. “But you wouldn’t understand even if I tried to tell you.”

To his amusement, Sawamura stormed off, even ignoring the man calling him to come back and choose his prize.

“Did we go too far? I hope I didn’t ruin you guys’ date,” the man said, frowning.

He shook his head, grinning at the man. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just angry he lost. He’ll get over it.”

“Is that so? Then I’m glad.”

If he were honest, he probably shouldn’t have laughed that much. Especially considering why they were here at the summer festival in the first place.

“He’s actually one of Seidou’s pitchers,” he said, almost smirking as an idea came to him.

The man’s eyes widened, looking between him and Sawamura. “Eh? That kid is? That’s amazing! Does he play in the games?”

“Yes, he does. He actually pitched in Seidou’s last game.”

The man frowned thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. “I read the newspaper. They won against some Yakushi High School if I’m remembering correctly.”

“Oji-san, you don’t pay attention to high school baseball?”

The man shook his head, looking sheepish. “I actually don’t know that much about baseball.”

“And yet you know Seidou’s name,” he said, tilting his head.

The man nodded, beaming. “My son is a student there.” Mei let out an understanding noise. “He’s on the soccer team. The soccer team is also in the middle of their summer tournament.” He gestured to the booth. “Lately, I’ve been busy cheering him and his team on. But I always run this game whenever the summer festival is going on.”

He frowned as the man sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Is there something wrong?”

“… That kid’s pride must have taken a beating.”

He shrugged, almost rolling his eyes. “He’ll be alright.” When the man only looked at him confused, he grinned cheekily. “Despite his pitiful pitching display tonight, he’s a guy who aims to become the ace.”

“The ace, huh? That’s pretty cool.” The man whistled, looking impressed.

He snickered, looking at the variety of prizes. “It might be a while before he actually becomes the ace, though.”

He felt tempted to point out how he was the ace of his team, but he managed to resist the urge.

(Sawamura better be grateful for this later, damn it.)

The man hummed, causing him to look at him. He grinned, causing him to blink a few times, confused. “I’ll tell you what, kid. I feel bad about what happened, so I’ll tell you something special.” He smiled apologetically. “… Not that telling you something special will help his pride. But hopefully, it will cheer him up a little.”

… Huh. Not what he expected, but he’ll take it.

Most of the prizes (such as the water guns and toy blasters) were aimed toward elementary school kids, but a few of them did catch his eye.

One prize stood out from them all, causing him to smirk.

He couldn’t wait to see the look on Sawamura’s face.

ZZZ

Somehow, he was surprised but also not too surprised to find Sawamura surrounded by his teammates.

Unfortunately for them, he had no patience for those who wanted to get in the way of their date.

(Instead of confronting his teammates after Sawamura left Inashiro, he told the coaching staff that his teammates weren’t focusing enough on baseball. And that they should run more if they wanted win at Koushien. So he knew they wanted to get back at him for making them run the whole time during their last practice.)

As he approached them, Sawamura saw him out of the corner of his eye, turning his head to look at him. And for a few moments, it was as if Sawamura had forgotten what happened earlier, face lighting up the moment he saw him, relief in his eyes. But then his eyes widened, as if remembering what happened, quick to shoot him a glare.

He already knew this would happen, but it still irritated him a little.

Once he was close enough, he reached for Sawamura’s hand, tugging him away from his teammates, quick to shoot them an icy glare when they protested.

And while Sawamura frowned, he allowed him to hold his hand, briefly squeezing his hand before looking at him expectantly.

Good. He wasn’t as angry as he thought. This would be easy.

“Mei, what do you think you’re doing? We want to hang out with Sawamura, too!” Yabe frowned.

“He’s a boy after all. He doesn’t like sharing,” Carlos jabbed.

Mei frowned, unconsciously tightening his grip. “Ah, that’s right! I don’t like sharing, especially with you guys!” He stuck his tongue out childishly before looking at Sawamura. “Let’s go.”

Not waiting for an answer, he walked off, keeping him close to his side and shooting his teammates glares whenever they were about to reach out and touch him.

Shirakawa, who was one of the last people they walked past, didn’t look impressed (as per usual). “He’s going to run away if you try to keep him on a leash.”

“I didn’t ask for your advice!” Mei spat, glaring at him.

Stupid Shirakawa. He didn’t know anything.

His teammates spent an afternoon getting to know Sawamura, but they didn’t know him as well as he did.

And the fact that they try to warn him or tell him not to do certain things regarding their relationship made him want to scoff.

Their relationship was none of their business.

… And it wasn’t as if Sawamura would leave him even if he did do something horrible.

Sawamura liked him.

Him.

Sawamura liked him.

Not any of his teammates. Or even one of his Seidou teammates.

But him.

He led him to another small open space between festival stalls, sitting down next to him on the bench.

Sawamura was still frowning, but he blinked a few times, looking confused as he let go of his hand to dig through his pockets.

“You ran off before you could get your prize,” he scolded. There was no heat in it, though.

Sawamura rolled his eyes. “I probably didn’t get anything good,” he muttered.

… Oh, was he starting to sulk?

And while a sulking Sawamura was cute, he much preferred a happy Sawamura instead.

He let out a triumphant noise as he found what he was looking for, grabbing Sawamura’s hands and placing the prize into them.

Sawamura’s eyes widened as he looked down at the prize in his hands, awe in his eyes. He looked up at him, mouth opening a little (much to his amusement). “This is…?”

“A voucher for any of the convenience stores in the city up to one thousand five hundred yen,” he said smugly.

“How did you get this?”

He felt amused as Sawamura kept glancing down at it, as if worried it might disappear. “It was one of the prizes. I knocked enough bottles down to get it.”

“And…” Sawamura narrowed his eyes. “And you’re giving it to… me?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I figured it would help the next time your team abandons you in the middle of the city.”

“I told you I was running an errand for my senpai!”

He gave him a skeptical look. “By yourself?”

Sawamura opened his mouth before closing it, pursing his lips. He huffed, cradling the yen voucher as if it were treasure. “I don’t know what my senpai was thinking, sending me with only a map! It’s no wonder I got lost!”

He snickered, tempted to point out that normally someone wouldn’t get lost even if they had a map.

(Not that it was entirely his fault. He couldn’t blame him for not knowing the streets of Tokyo as well as him. He just liked to tease him about it so that he could see the interesting expressions he would make.)

“Well, that will help the next time you need to buy pudding for your senpai.”

Sawamura’s eyes sparkled as he beamed at him. “Thank you! I’ll use it next time I go!”

Now that was the reaction he was waiting for.

He nodded smugly, watching as Sawamura carefully pocketed the voucher.

He swore he was brighter than the lantern, almost as if that smile would light his way if he ever got lost in the dark.

… Now that was an embarrassing thought. As if he needed Sawamura’s help with anything.

He knew the voucher was the perfect way to cheer him up. Once again, it proved how well he knew his boyfriend.

“But what about your prize?”

He grinned cheekily. “Those prizes paled in comparison to what I already won.” He almost laughed at his baffled look. “Or did you forget about our bet?”

Sawamura gasped, eyes widening. He groaned, grabbing the side of his head with both hands and shaking it. “Aargh! I can’t believe I lost! This is going to be horrible!”

“I promise not to make you do anything too embarrassing,” he said, laughing.

Sawamura gave him a suspicious look. “Knowing you as well as I do, I can’t believe that.”

Mei laughed again. “Don’t worry,” he said, patting him on the top of his head and snickering when Sawamura shoved his hand away. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

“So evil! You’re just like Miyuki Kazuya!”

Mei almost frowned at the familiar name, but he resisted the urge, refusing to let even the mere mention of his name bring down his mood.

(It was possible Sawamura brought him up on purpose, knowing how he tended to react whenever he brought him up.)

He hummed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose the first thing would be…”

“You’re already doing it? Someone, save me from this torture!”

“It’s got to be that!” he ignored his melodramatics, nodding to himself. “For the rest of the night, you can’t leave my side!” he demanded. “Not even if my teammates ask you to hang out with them.”

Sawamura gasped, eyes widening. “Are you talking about earlier? That was a coincidence! They ambushed me!”

“I don’t care about that now,” he said, huffing at the reminder. “And remember, you’re not allowed to argue with me.”

Sawamura looked genuinely confused. “Why would I argue with you when I want to stay by your side for the rest of our date?”

He was not blushing. It was just a trick of the light.

“Well… That’s good. I’m glad you remember the terms of our bet.” He grinned cheekily. “It must be nice, having all my attention.”

“Shut up! Hurry up and continue!” Sawamura flushed, causing his grin to widen.

And while he could tease him some more, he decided not to, as he could always tease him later.

He hummed once more, thinking over his options. He eyed Sawamura speculatively, causing him to give him a suspicious look. His eyes lit up a few moments later, almost laughing at the idea.

He didn’t know why he didn’t think of it before.

His eyes gleamed mischievously. “What about if I told you to show me respect for the rest of the night?”

Sawamura scowled, but to his credit, he immediately nodded. “If that’s what you want. I’ll even bow to you. Like I do to my senpai.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, most of my senpai anyway.”

“You don’t bow to Kazuya? That’s hilarious! I wish I could see his face whenever that happens!” he laughed, bending over and placing his hands on his ribs. “My sides hurt!”

Sawamura huffed, kicking the ground in front of him. “That guy deserves it! He’s supposed to be one of my catchers, but he doesn’t act like one at all!”

To his surprise, Sawamura looked really… bitter for some reason.

But before he could dwell on it, Sawamura tugged him up from the bench, wanting to explore the summer festival some more.

Since they still had some time before the fireworks started, he agreed, his lips twitching from his cuteness.

It didn’t take long for his eyes to light up, already looking at Sawamura.

“What is it?” Sawamura asked warily.

He pointed at the lottery. “Go win me something!”

“Eh? But that’s the one where you pull the strings!” Sawamura protested.

“So?”

“Even if I somehow win, it probably won’t be anything good!”

Mei chuckled, patting him on the back. “Where’s that positive attitude of yours?” When Sawamura only grumbled, he grinned cheekily. “You’re not allowed to argue. Remember?”

Sawamura grumbled some more, stomping up to the lottery (much to his amusement).

They had to wait several moments before they could play, some older looking kids finishing up their turn as they walked up to it.

The older looking kids walked off, one of the guys complaining about his bad luck, causing the rest of the kids to laugh.

After paying the man running the booth, Sawamura bent close to the strings, inspecting each one. He moved from one string to the next, frowning thoughtfully. It almost amused him that Sawamura was so serious about this.

“You haven’t decided yet?”

Sawamura clicked his tongue, not looking up. “Shut up. Let me do this properly.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “Like there’s a proper way of playing this game.”

“Alright! I’ve decided!” Sawamura beamed, selecting a string near the middle of the lottery. “It’s this one for sure!”

“Eeehh? Are you sure?” He poked him in the shoulder, frowning. “Isn’t one of the strings on the sides better?” He let out a huff as Sawamura started pulling on the string. “Oi! Are you even listening to me?”

Sawamura let out a triumphant noise as his string told him that he won something, looking smug. He looked so smug that he was starting to feel irritated.

Surely he didn’t win anything that good, right?

The man running the booth grinned. “Congratulations, kid! Here’s your prize!” He handed Sawamura something.

He couldn’t help but laugh as he saw a small, red lollipop.

“I told you! Like I said, you should’ve chosen one of the strings on the sides!”

On second thought, maybe Sawamura had a good reason not to like this game.

He chuckled some more as a pouting Sawamura handed him the lollipop.

He almost felt sorry for him.

He took off the plastic wrapper, giving it a small lick. He let out an approving sound as he threw away the wrapper in a nearby garbage can.

“What? What flavor is it?” Sawamura asked, curious.

He gave him a cheeky grin, licking it again. “Strawberry.” He walked away from the lottery, ignoring his groan. “If you don’t hurry up, I’ll leave you behind.” But despite his words, he held out his free hand, almost smiling as Sawamura’s hand touched his own.

Feeling eyes on him, he looked at him, grinning as he noticed his attention was on the lollipop. He licked it exaggeratedly, pleased when he narrowed his eyes.

Only for his mouth to open as Sawamura leaned over, giving the lollipop a long lick before pulling away.

Sawamura looked pleased, licking his lips. “You’re right. It’s good.”

He stared at him for a few moments before bursting into laughter, surprising him.

“What? What’s so funny?”

Sawamura didn’t understand.

At all.

And he was the one who liked to read shoujo manga.

… Oh well.

It wasn’t as if he disliked it.

(And it seemed Sawamura didn’t notice that he caught him off guard, which counted as a victory in his book.)

They stopped by the shooting game booth next, Mei grinning as Sawamura’s eyes sparkled, his boyfriend already tugging him over.

He pretended to put up with it and placed his hands on his hips when he let go to pick up the rifle. “Hmm, I wonder what would be good? I like those chocolate chip cookies.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Oh but look! They have lemon cookies, too!”

Sawamura tapped his foot impatiently. “Will you hurry up and choose something?”

“Be patient. I have to consider all the choices,” he said, amused. He hummed some more before letting out a triumphant noise. “I know! Get those weird glasses!” He pointed at the glasses near the center of the prize display.

“Finally!” Sawamura huffed, looking at where he pointed. He frowned, looking back at him. “But are you sure you want that? I could get you something else.”

He grinned at his confusion. “Nope! I want those glasses! You better win them for me!”

“I know! I’ll get them for sure!” Sawamura huffed again, looking at the glasses again. He held the rifle, aiming at the prize carefully before shooting.

To his surprise, the cork hit the glasses perfectly, easily knocking it off the table.

“Huh, not bad.”

Sawamura grinned, looking pleased. “Right? I happen to be great at this game!” he bragged.

“I know why. Because this game isn’t baseball or luck related,” he said, causing him to glare at him. “Maybe we should’ve gone here first.” He smirked. “To protect your pride.”

“Shut up! Maybe I’m not as good as you yet, but I will catch up to you someday!” Sawamura pointed at him. “Just you wait!”

He laughed, giving him a condescending smirk. “As if I would let you catch up to me. By the time you get to where I’m at right now, I’ll already be much further ahead.”

“I won’t give up!” Sawamura’s hands curled into fists by his sides. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes. Or how much practice I have to do.” He gave him a determined look, his normal brown eyes turning golden in the lighting, causing his mouth to dry up. “I will catch up to you.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t dislike the idea of Sawamura catching up to him.

It was probably because he was a southpaw pitcher like him.

And although he couldn’t see it happening anytime soon, he pictured Sawamura as the ace of his team having a pitching duel with him.

Now that would be interesting.

He couldn’t say that he disliked the idea of facing off against his boyfriend.

It might even be fun.

But unfortunately, he couldn’t say he believed that Sawamura would become the ace. Especially at his current skill level.

Maybe he’ll give them a hard time during the summer tournament of his third year, but he couldn’t see him standing in their way anytime soon.

“Interesting. I don’t dislike the thought of having a pitching duel with another southpaw pitcher.” When Sawamura’s eyes widened, as if he didn’t expect him to say that, he gave him another smirk, shrugging. “It’s too bad that won’t happen anytime soon.”

Sawamura glowered. “Oi, did you forget about the finals game with us already?”

“Eh? But that has nothing to do with you,” he said, genuinely confused. When Sawamura’s eye twitched, hands curling into fists, he shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not like you’ll be pitching against us.”

It would probably be Furuya. Or Tanba-san.

Maybe it would be both? Especially considering Tanba-san had only recently recovered from his injury.

“If I get to pitch…” Sawamura said, causing him to blink. He looked at the ground for a few moments before looking at him, those intense golden eyes not wavering from his own. “If Boss lets me pitch during the final, I won’t hold back, especially against you.”

He smirked, stepping closer and invading his personal space. Sawamura briefly looked surprised, but he didn’t move, watching him with narrowed eyes. “That’s my line. I won’t go easy on you. Or the rest of Seidou.”

Sawamura’s eyes briefly lit up before looking determined. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. We’ll beat you at your best and go to Koushien.”

“Impossible. Inashiro is going to win. This summer belongs to us,” he said, enjoying the way he gave him a dirty look. “Well, but I’m expecting… maybe even hoping that you guys will give us a run for our money.” He grinned at his surprised look. “Because it’ll be more interesting that way.”

Sawamura glowered, but before he could say anything, a polite cough interrupted their conversation.

He watched, amused as Sawamura flushed, immediately turning away to look at the man running the booth.

The man laughed, holding out the weird glasses. “Sorry for interrupting, but I thought you’d like your prize.” Sawamura accepted them with a sheepish smile, even bowing his head a little. “It’s none of my business, but are you two together? Or rivals?”

Sawamura’s cheeks flushed pinker, but he answered without hesitation. “Both!”

Mei scoffed, causing them to look at him. “Hah? Him? My rival? That’s impossible.” When Sawamura gave him a glare, he smirked, shaking his head. “Especially at your skill level.”

Sawamura growled, but to his surprise, he turned back to the game, gesturing with a jerk of his head. “Did you want anything else? I can get you anything you want.”

… Did he just… change the subject?

Why?

His eyes widened, remembering what happened earlier.

Maybe it was still bothering him (even though he was trying not to let it show).

His comments probably made things worse, causing him to feel a little bad.

Which surprised him because normally, he wouldn’t care if he hurt someone with his words.

… Tonight was supposed to be special.

A night just for Sawamura.

He shook his head, reaching out and grabbing his wrist. “It’s alright. I don’t want anything else.”

“Are you sure? You were talking about the… chocolate chip cookies earlier, right? And the… lemon cookies if I’m remembering correctly,” Sawamura said, looking at him and frowning.

He tugged him closer, letting their fingers briefly interlock and causing Sawamura to look down at them, surprised. “I said it’s alright. Let’s go.”

And although he gave him a confused look, Sawamura stayed by his side as he walked away from the booth.

“Oh, right,” Sawamura said, looking at him and causing him to furrow his eyebrows. “Here’s those glasses you wanted.” He handed them to him, looking confused. “I still don’t know why you wanted them in the first place. There were better prizes I could’ve won for you.”

He grinned, inspecting the weird glasses.

From up close, they weren’t that bad.

They looked like one of those cheap kinds sold in department or convenience stores. The golden color had caught his eye.

Admittedly, they probably wouldn’t suit him that well.

His boyfriend, on the other hand, though…

He stopped, turning to face a surprised Sawamura. He carefully reached out, putting them on his face.

They looked crooked at first, but before he could fix them, Sawamura did it for him. He let his hand drop to take in the sight of his boyfriend wearing glasses.

His mouth went dry.

It was if no one else was around (which was ridiculous since they were currently at a bustling summer festival).

Sawamura still looked confused, but he smiled when he met his eyes.

… Wow.

The golden frames suited him perfectly. They complimented his features and brought out the gold in his eyes. Not only that, but that smile was his smile.

He had noticed a while ago that Sawamura had a different, more private smile for him.

He usually only did it when he thought he wasn’t looking (probably because it was a really soft smile that clearly conveyed how much he liked him), but lately, it was if he didn’t care if he got caught anymore.

That smile made his heart race. It made him want (more than ever) to keep him by his side and not let anyone else see the precious sight before him.

But was that because he liked him?

He still didn’t know.

And he would never admit it out loud, but he was… grateful for his boyfriend’s patience.

Ever since he had confessed, Sawamura hadn’t brought it up again, probably worrying that if he brought it up too much, he would break up with him or something like that.

Which was ridiculous.

He would actually love it if Sawamura told him he liked him more often.

(Especially around his teammates.)

He stepped closer, reaching out to grab his chin. As he tilted his head to look at him from different angles, Sawamura flushed, biting his lower lip under his intense gaze.

He suddenly had an urge to kiss him.

(… Which if he were honest, it wasn’t the first time. And if he did it, he knew Sawamura wouldn’t object.)

“Not bad,” he murmured, causing him to blink and let out a confused noise. “The glasses. They look good on you.” He grinned cheekily, letting go of his chin and pulling away, Sawamura looking disappointed as he did so. “I knew they would look good on you.”

Sawamura flushed pinker, but to his disappointment, his smile disappeared, leaving a frown in its place. “Don’t tease me, you jerk.”

“I’m not teasing you. I really think they look good on you.” He watched, amused as Sawamura’s whole face turned pink. He looked really cute like that. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t last long as Sawamura took off the glasses, frowning at them contemplatively. “Oi, why did you take them off? Put them back on!”

Before he could reach out and grab the glasses from him, Sawamura surprised him by reaching out and reciprocating the favor.

He frowned, fixing them as Sawamura stepped away, getting a good look at him. “What did you that for? These don’t suit me at all.” He would’ve protested some more and maybe even taken them off, but Sawamura shaking his head stopped him from doing so. “You must think so, too, right?”

“… I don’t.”

He let out a surprised noise, staring at him almost incredulously. “Eh? What did you just…?”

“They look good on you,” Sawamura said, smiling his smile. He was not blushing. Stupid lantern light. “They go really well with your eye color.”

He huffed, turning away and taking off the glasses, causing Sawamura to let out a distressed cry. After shoving them into his pocket, uncaring if they broke, he walked off.

Sawamura easily kept up with him, looking over at him.

He clicked his tongue, avoiding his gaze. “So impertinent.”

“Eh? Why? I was complimenting you!”

Stupid Sawamura.

Why… How could he be so… honest all the time?

(Was everyone in Nagano like that?)

He felt irritated that his plan to fluster him (and cheer him up) backfired.

How dare he one-up him!

And not only that, but Sawamura didn’t even seem to notice. He wasn’t sure why, but that was what irritated him the most.

Surprisingly, they walked in silence for a little bit, Sawamura tentatively reaching out and holding his hand a few moments later.

He refused to look at him, still irritated. But when Sawamura gave his hand a gentle squeeze, he found himself giving him a gentle squeeze back.

It didn’t take long for Sawamura to start talking again, exclaiming over different things or pointing at booths that interested him.

Mei allowed him to do what he wanted, surprised to find himself smiling when they walked by a booth that sold mirrors (of all things).

“Aah! Look, Narumiya! They’ve got dancing!”

He chuckled at his enthusiasm, finding it endearing. “Of course they’ve got dancing. Don’t most summer festivals have it?” He looked at the pitcher beside him, unsurprised to see his expectant (but also excited) look. His lips twitched. “I suppose we could dance for a little bit.”

He didn’t want them to miss the fireworks after all.

(And, he thought smugly, there was no way Sawamura could one-up him with what he had planned.)

“Alright! Let’s go!” Sawamura beamed at him before eagerly tugging him after him, making his way toward the scaffolding situated in the middle of the festival grounds.

An older man wearing an all-white outfit stood near the top of the scaffolding, playing the taiko drum. Another older man wearing an all-white outfit stood on the same level as him, playing a flute. Some young women wearing pretty yukata danced along to the music a floor below. On the same floor, a couple of older men wearing the white outfit from earlier played some traditional Japanese instruments.

The music they could hear as they explored the festival grew louder as they approached the scaffolding, but thankfully, it never got too unbearably loud.

Dozens of people attending the festival danced around the scaffolding, some of them laughing joyfully with their partners. A lot of the people dancing wore yukata, the pretty design and colors easily catching nearby passerby’s eyes.

Just as many people stood away from the scaffolding, not participating in the dancing. Rather, it seemed as if they were watching everyone have fun. Or they were listening to the music.

He looked around as they got closer, observing how everyone was dancing.

They all looked very informal.

Maybe simple was the right word?

Some people moved back and forth, swaying to the music. Others danced intimately with their partners, disgustingly soft smiles on their faces. A group of girls danced together (or at least as much as their yukata would let them), laughing whenever one of them almost face planted. A group of guys danced quite awkwardly, looking around them as if they didn’t know what actual dancing looked like. Another group of guys not too far away from them danced exaggeratedly, probably trying to look suave and impress the girls watching them.

(Not that it worked (much to his amusement). It almost looked as though the girls watching were… laughing at their dancing.)

Sawamura led them over to an unoccupied spot on the dancing floor. Some people nearby danced around them, but none of them were close enough to touch them.

He turned his attention back to Sawamura, curious what he had planned.

Sawamura turned to face him, smiling at his confused look. He reached out with his other hand, holding onto his other hand. For a few moments, he wondered if Sawamura was going to pull him in close.

Sawamura squeezed his hands gently before stepping away, still holding onto his hands. And at first, all they did was sway back and forth from side to side.

He raised an eyebrow at him.

When Sawamura asked to dance with him, he had been expecting something a little more… energetic.

Almost as soon as he thought that, Sawamura let go of his hands, grinning devilishly. He didn’t move, only holding up one hand and looking at him expectantly.

He grinned cheekily, stepping closer and making their hands touch.

If Sawamura wanted to give him a challenge, bring it on.

Sawamura gave him a bright smile, their feet moving in sync as they slowly moved in a circle.

First, it was a normal circle. Then they moved backward to form a counterclockwise circle.

They let go at the same time, and as if they planned out the dance beforehand, both took large steps, this time circling each other, making it look like they were having a silent faceoff.

They reached out at the same time, Mei surprising him as he grabbed his hand and pulled him close.

Sawamura’s eyes widened at how close they were, but he quickly regained his composure (much to his disappointment), raising his eyebrows challengingly.

Mei shoved him back gently, causing him to let out a surprised noise.

Sawamura’s eyes narrowed, but as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, his eyes widening as he began sidestepping.

First to the left. Then to the right.

After doing this a couple of times, he stopped where he started, kicking the ground in front of him. His foot patted the ground then smoothed it out, as if he were smoothing out the dirt on the mound.

He pretended to put on an imaginary hat, giving him a cheeky grin, eyes gleaming mischievously.

And then he went through his windup motion. This time, though, he did his actual windup motion.

The imaginary ball shot off his fingertips toward his boyfriend.

But unlike a lot of batters (or imaginary batters) he had faced before, Sawamura didn’t look afraid. His eyes narrowed, as if watching the ball before he reached out… and caught it with his right hand.

To his amusement, Sawamura looked smug as he held up his right hand, as if proud he managed to catch his imaginary pitch.

Sawamura quickly copied him, executing the sidesteps so gracefully that it caused him to look at him in surprise.

Sawamura grinned as he executed each dance step, even pretending to put on an imaginary hat.

Instead of going through his actual windup motion, he did the small windup motion from earlier, causing him to give him an irritated look.

Not that Sawamura seemed to notice, his golden eyes narrowing at him, the intense gaze almost making his mouth dry up.

The imaginary ball shot out of his left hand toward him.

He looked nonchalant as he easily reached out, but right before the ball reached him, he quickly positioned his body in his batter stance, hitting the ball and making it fly over Sawamura’s head.

Sawamura’s jaw dropped. He looked behind him, as if watching where it landed before glowering at him.

He laughed silently, shaking a finger at him.

Surely Sawamura didn’t actually think he would just play along and catch his pitch… right?

(That was what he got for not showing him his actual windup motion. Impertinent brat.)

Sawamura huffed, looking so upset that it almost made him laugh again.

As a peace gesture, he stepped closer, cupping his hands, as if he were holding something.

But to his surprise, Sawamura grabbed his hands, swinging them around vigorously with a grin on his face.

He shook his head, lips twitching.

He pulled him close once more, giving him a contemplative look. Before he could pull away completely, Sawamura pulled him close, tilting his head and giving him a contemplative look of his own.

He let out a startled gasp as Sawamura dipped him, looking so smug that it irritated him. Sawamura let go of his hands, twirling in place once before bowing mockingly, either trying to apologize or let him know that it was his turn.

His eyes narrowed as his hands easily reached out and grabbed Sawamura’s once more.

This time, Sawamura was the one who let out a startled gasp as he dipped him even lower than he did him, causing him to smirk.

Instead of letting go like Sawamura did, he held onto his hands, leaning in and kissing his cheek.

His boyfriend gaped at him, face turning red (much to his amusement).

They took turns showing off some dance moves, both laughing at different times as the other would do something silly.

Sometimes, they would copy each other, as if continuing their dance from before. Other times, they would try to one-up each other, as if they were competing.

To his delight, Sawamura eagerly participated in their silent competition, even throwing in some flirty moves of his own.

If he were honest, he lost count a while ago on who was winning.

At some point into their competition, he could’ve sworn he saw some of his teammates looking at them.

Maybe even watching them.

(Not that he cared if they saw how he was acting.)

He laughed as Sawamura marched in place, pretending as if he were a soldier. Sawamura sped up, hopping a few times.

As he tried to move forward while marching and hopping at the same time, he ended up tripping over his own foot, letting out a loud yelp.

Mei quickly crossed the distance that separated them, easily catching him, almost breathing a sigh of relief as he looked him over for injuries.

Sawamura, who had closed his eyes when he tripped, opened his eyes, eyes widening at finding himself in his arms. At his slight reprimanding look, he grinned sheepishly, patting his arms, as if letting him know that he could let go.

But instead of letting go, he pulled him close, swaying back and forth.

Sawamura’s eyes widened before lighting up, his arms wrapping around him as he followed along.

It was reminiscent of how they started their dance, but if Mei were honest, he actually preferred this over what they did earlier for some reason.

Several minutes later, he pulled away, lips twitching at the other boy’s disappointed look.

He held up his hand, giving him an expectant look.

Sawamura didn’t disappoint, eagerly stepping closer and making their hands touch.

And after circling each other a few times, they let go, nodding at each other, as if letting them know they finished.

Sawamura looked smug even as he breathed heavily, placing his hands on his hips.

He couldn’t help it.

He burst out laughing, unsurprised when Sawamura joined him a few moments later.

Their laughter stopped, both grinning at each other. But before they could say or do anything else, their ears picked up applause.

They quickly turned, surprised to find a crowd of people looking at them and clapping.

Some people were even complimenting them, others asking for an encore (of all things). Much to his amusement, some people looked baffled, looking between the dancers on top of the scaffolding and them, as if wondering if it was some sort of show.

And while he would normally enjoy the attention (and praise), he was distracted as he noticed the time.

It was almost time for the fireworks to start.

He laughed, waving at the enthusiastic crowd before turning to look at Sawamura.

But the sight that greeted his eyes made him furrow his eyebrows.

He rarely complimented Sawamura, and if he did, he mainly did it to tease him.

A few times during a date, a stranger had complimented them, so he knew what Sawamura looked like when he received praise.

Instead of blushing and laughing loudly, he rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. His cheeks were flushed, but he couldn’t tell if that was from the praise or from the dancing. And instead of getting carried away and being annoying, he gave the crowd an embarrassed (but still bright) smile.

It honestly caught him off guard, making him wonder if this was really Sawamura for several moments.

But then Sawamura bowed to the crowd, thanking them loudly.

When he straightened up, Mei blinked as he turned to face him, giving him his normal bright grin.

At his concerned look, he shook his head, grabbing his hand and walking away from the crowd.

As they walked deeper into the festival and shrine grounds, they didn’t come across as many people. And the people they did see were sitting down, eating some festival food.

“Where are we going? The festival is behind us,” Sawamura said, confused.

It almost amazed him that Sawamura managed to stay quiet for this long.

“Shh. We’re almost there.”

“But what about the fireworks? We’re going to miss them!” Sawamura whined loudly.

He ignored him, leading him down a stone path almost covered in darkness. Thankfully, the moon was out, its light shining through some of the gaps in the trees, lighting up the path before them.

The trees seemed to stretch all around them, leaves rustling whenever the wind blew.

Several moments later, they arrived at an almost deserted riverfront.

Mei nodded, pleased as he noticed they were some of the only people there.

He led Sawamura over to some stone steps, sitting down on the top step and giving Sawamura’s hand a sharp tug when he didn’t immediately sit next to him.

A few people sat below them on top of a hill overlooking the river, speaking in low voices.

He looked at the boy sitting beside him, unsurprised to see his confused look.

He nudged him gently, causing him to look at him. “Stop worrying. We didn’t miss the fireworks.” He smirked smugly at his surprised look. “In fact, we have some of the best seats in the house.”

Sawamura frowned, tilting his head. “What do you mean by that?”

“Remember when you stormed off after knocking one bottle down?” His lips twitched as Sawamura gave him a glare. “The Oji-san running the booth felt bad for laughing at you and wanted to make it up to you.”

“… And he told you about this spot?” Sawamura asked slowly.

He nodded smugly. “He knew right away that we were on a date.” He nudged him, grinning cheekily once Sawamura rolled his eyes. “He told me about this great spot that hardly anyone goes to.”

“How does he know about it?”

He frowned, trying to remember what the man said. “He liked to come here when he was in high school. He said it was the best spot to watch the fireworks.” He winked at him, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Especially with someone special.”

Sawamura flushed, lightly pushing him away and making him laugh. To his delight, he didn’t move the arm around his waist, even going so far as to relax and lean into the touch.

“Well, we’ll need to go back and thank him after the fireworks.”

He hummed, trying to resist the urge to pull him closer and kiss him. “Of course. We can drop by on the way back to the entrance.”

Sawamura let out an approving sound, almost causing him to choke as he suddenly imagined him making that sound under different circumstances.

He quickly looked away, hating how his cheeks flushed at that thought.

(Now wasn’t exactly the best time to be thinking thoughts like that.)

Sawamura poked his shoulder. “Is there something wrong?” His voice was soft and confused, almost sounding concerned.

He rolled his eyes at himself, shoving those thoughts away. He looked back at him, shaking his head. “It’s nothing.”

But instead of dropping it, Sawamura frowned at him. “Are you sure?” When he only nodded, Sawamura bit his lower lip before nodding. “I wanted to ask you about earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

Sawamura tilted his head. “During our phone call, you were acting strange.”

“Was I?” Mei frowned, trying to remember if that was the case.

Sawamura nodded a few times. “You were. I mean, it’s normal for you to demand that we go out on a date. But it was odd how adamant you were about us going out tonight.”

He let out an understanding noise, giving him a cheeky grin. “I wasn’t aware you knew that word. Did you just learn it recently?”

“Shut up. Answer me.”

He tapped his chin, pretending to think for a few moments. “I don’t recall you asking me anything.” His grin widened as Sawamura glowered at him.

“You know what I mean, jerk.”

… Yeah. Of course he did.

Guess it was time to tell him the truth.

He reached out, poking his nose, almost smiling as Sawamura blinked cutely. “It was for you, idiot.”

“Not an idiot,” Sawamura said automatically before blinking a few times, confused. “Eh? For me? What…?”

He rolled his eyes. “You said I was acting strange? You were the one all down about what happened during your game.”

“Y-You could tell?” Sawamura flushed, probably thinking something stupid like he thought he hid it better.

“Of course I could tell. It was obvious by the sound of your voice.”

Sawamura’s eyes widened, as if just realizing what he said. “This… Tonight was for me?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

Only for him to have trouble breathing as Sawamura gave him that smile, golden eyes sparkling with happiness and wonder.

And before he could say anything else, Sawamura tackled him enthusiastically, almost knocking him back onto the ground.

He barely registered feeling arms wrapping around him as he stared at the side of his head, dumbfounded.

Sawamura pulled away, keeping his arms around him and still giving him that smile.

What…?

What kind of reaction was this?

This had never happened before.

Okay, so maybe he enjoyed teasing him a little too much.

And he was aware he wasn’t the nicest boyfriend, not needing his teammates to point that out to him.

(Even though they still did much to his irritation.)

But he had never reacted like this around him. And he had never seen him this happy.

And while it, of course, made him feel smug and happy he managed to make him that happy, something about that made his heart clench.

Sawamura looked so amazed that he did this for him.

Was he really that mean?

It wasn’t as if he never showed him any kindness.

(In fact, he would go as far as to say that he showed him the most kindness out of anyone he had ever met.)

But when he tried to think back on all the times he was nice to him, he almost winced, not able to come up with many.

Sawamura liked him. He had said it himself that he didn’t want him to change.

But then why was he feeling uncomfortable?

Was he feeling… guilty about how he had treated him so far?

… That was impossible.

(Besides, feeling guilty meant he did something wrong. And normally, if someone did something wrong, they would need to apologize for it. But he didn’t apologize to people. And he didn’t do anything wrong. So there was no reason to feel guilty.)

He nodded to himself, Sawamura giving him a confused look. The confused look disappeared, his bright smile returning to his face as he wrapped his arms around him, finally hugging him back.

(… Right?)

Sawamura opened his mouth, about to say something.

But nothing escaped his mouth as their ears picked up a whistling sound.

Both looked at the sky, surprised to see a firework shooting up before it tumbled, resembling a scarlet waterfall.

Sawamura pulled away, sitting back and watching the sky eagerly. His hand still found his, though, squeezing it gently as he waited for more fireworks.

He gave his hand a gentle squeeze back, but instead of turning to watch the sky, he decided to watch his face.

Sawamura’s eyes lit up as he watched another firework shoot up, letting out an excited sound as it exploded into a white circle, lighting up their faces and the area around them.

He laughed delightfully as several fireworks shot up consecutively, wonder in his eyes.

After making their way back to the festival, they made a brief stop so that Sawamura could thank the man running the booth.

He stayed silent, amused as Sawamura talked enthusiastically about the fireworks display and how they had one of the best views.

The man laughed, relief in his eyes as he watched Sawamura wave his hands around.

And as they were leaving, the man nodded at him when Sawamura wasn’t looking.

While he felt confused as to why, he found himself nodding back, feeling even more confused when the man gave him a relieved smile.

What the hell was that about?

They stopped at the entrance to the shrine, Mei narrowing his eyes at him.

“You’re not allowed to feel down about what happened during the game anymore.” Sawamura looked as if he were about to protest, but before he could, he stepped closer, reaching out and pushing his cheeks together. “No more. You reflected on what happened, right?” When Sawamura nodded, he let go with a huff, watching him massage his cheeks with a pout on his face. “Then that should be the end of it. And if you still feel really bad about it, practice hard. Hard enough so that all those doubts and worries disappear.”

Sawamura frowned at him at first but then he grinned devilishly at him, causing him to give him a confused look. “Are you actually trying to cheer me up right now? You’re even giving me advice!”

He scoffed, chin tilted condescendingly. “Are you stupid? I’m not giving you advice! I’m scolding you!”

“So you are interested in my pitching!” Sawamura beamed at him before looking smug. “I can see why. With my skills, I’ll have no problem in the semifinal game.”

His eyebrows raised despite himself. “Oh? You’re pitching in the semifinal game?”

“Yeah! So you better watch me! And my amazing pitching!”

His lips twitched. “Well, I’ll be there with my team since our semifinal game is after Seidou’s. We’ll probably watch it since there’s nothing else to do. And to gather information, of course.”

Sawamura gasped, pointing at him. “I have to be careful not to give you guys all my information then!” He looked horrified (much to his amusement).

“Relax. We’re not interested in your information,” he said, causing him to glower at him. “We’re more interested in Furuya’s pitching.” He took delight in how Sawamura huffed, displeasure on his face. “Oh, and I guess Tanba-san’s. We have to keep tabs on the ace, right?”

Sawamura grumbled, kicking the ground in front of him. “I understand your interest in Tanba-san. He’s amazing, even if he hadn’t a chance to pitch a lot because of his injury.” He huffed again, looking away and frowning deeply. “But Furuya, too?”

“Aww, your jealousy is adorable.” He grinned as Sawamura looked back at him, still glaring. His cheeks flushed pink as he stepped closer. “Let me admire it up close.”

But Sawamura only growled, trying to shove him away. “No! And I’m not jealous!” He snorted at that. “You’ll see! I will beat him!”

Mei stepped back, still grinning. “Yeah, I get it. You have my support.”

Sawamura squinted at him, looking suspicious before gasping and shooting him another glare. “Stop making fun of me! I know you don’t believe that I will!”

“Was it that obvious?”

He laughed as Sawamura turned around, storming off. He waited a few moments before calling out to him. “What, no good night kiss?”

Sawamura almost tripped, his ears (and most likely his whole face) turning red and making him laugh again.

He turned around, hands in his pockets as he walked away. But he didn’t even make it a few steps before a familiar voice called out to him.

“Narumiya!”

He found himself stopping in his tracks, turning to look at him questioningly.

Only to feel shocked as Sawamura ran up to him, and once he was close enough, he grabbed his shoulder, leaning in and… kissing his cheek.

He almost gasped, eyes widening and mouth dropping of its own accord. Sawamura’s lips brushed against his cheek once more, causing his cheeks to flush. He barely registered Sawamura letting go of his shoulder as he pulled away from him.

For some reason, his tongue refused to work. All he could do was stare dumbly, mouth drying up.

Sawamura beamed at him, his cheeks a dark red. “Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun. Good night.” He ran off, waving to him. “I’ll call you tomorrow after practice!”

“You better not forget this time, you impertinent brat!” he called back, his tongue finally working.

Sawamura only laughed, looking so ridiculously happy it looked like he was about to start skipping.

He shook his head, lips twitching despite himself at the cute sight.

He knew he should feel annoyed that Sawamura managed to one-up him, but all he could feel was happiness, especially when he remembered that Sawamura kissed him on the cheek.

He walked away, hands in his pockets, feeling smug.

Once he got back to Inashiro, he made his way to the larger common room, where he knew some (if not most) of his teammates would be.

Sure enough, as he turned the corner, he saw most of his first string teammates sitting down, presumably waiting for him.

Most of them looked pleased with themselves (maybe even smug) for getting in the way of his date.

An idea for some revenge came to him, almost causing him to smirk.

He stopped in front of the room, and before anyone else could speak, he pointed at himself cockily. “Guess who got a good night kiss?”

And then he sauntered out of the room, hands in his pockets, smirking as the room exploded into action.

Several of them glared at him while others gave him envious looks, causing him to feel amused.

One comment in particular almost made him giggle.

“Why does he get all the luck? First a boyfriend, now a kiss on the lips?”

His eyes darkened, not noticing as a first year (who was walking down the hall) flinched, jumping out of the way and wishing him a good night.

That was what they got for getting in the way.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Author Notes:I hope y’all enjoyed the third chapter.

What did y’all think? Did you expect Mei to cheer Eijun up by demanding they go out on a date?

Really hope y'all enjoyed all the fluff because it's going to be the last super fluffy chapter y'all will receive for a while.

This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I liked adding in the descriptions and writing about the different games. Hopefully none of the descriptions interrupted the flow of the story. I struggled with the dancing scene, but even though it came out awkwardly, I’m pleased with the final result.

And I really liked writing from mostly Mei’s point of view. We got to see more of what he’s thinking, and I managed to add in a few things that will come up later. Also, I think I’m finally getting the hang of writing him.

There weren’t any time skips this chapter, but they’ll return in the next chapter.

Brace yourselves because next chapter we’re getting… Miyuki. And his initial reaction to the Meisawa relationship.

Next chapter will be from mostly Miyuki’s point of view. We’re even getting the Seidou vs. Inashiro game from Miyuki’s point of view.

See y’all next Saturday!

#diamond no ace #daiya no ace #sawamura eijun #narumiya mei #meisawa #sawamei #daiya no a #fanfictions #pikashadows writing

2 notes · View notes

faecaptainofdreams · 4 years

Photo

For context, see here: www.deviantart.com/foxdragonlo… ---------------------------------------------------------- Peter's bare footsteps were nearly undetectable in the late hour. The facility slept for the most part, but the youngest Avenger was restless, and somehow sensed he wasn't the only one. Peeking around the corner, he spied the master of the mystic arts cape-less, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the living room. His eyes were closed, his fingers in a peculiar position. Peter gazed at him for some time, still silent, caught in the crossfire of his mind's demands. Disturb Dr. Strange, or leave him be? He hated to burden others, but he had questions that needed answered. Also, was it unwise to sneak up on someone so powerful? What if-- "Peter Parker," he ushered calmly, eyes still closed. Peter leaped up and away from Stephen, his whole body wracking violently in his startling. "UH! Oh -- GEEZE, whoa, okay...!" Stephen finally looked at Peter, watching him catch his breath and try to calm his nerves. His expression remained unchanging, and his demeanor as calm and somewhat dry as ever. "Sorry, sorry I -- I didn't mean to disturb you..." "If you hadn't meant to disturb me, you wouldn't have been staring at me for so long." "Well -- I mean, I guess I wasn't sure if I wanted to disturb you yet, is...what I'm trying to say..." He only got more shy, appearing to shrink with guilt. "Hm. It's fine. I was wrapping up was it was." As Stephen rose to his feet, Peter stammered in place. "O-oh, do -- do you want me to go? I can leave you alone, I was just--" "No, it's okay." The older man crossed past Peter casually. Even with his attempt to reassure him, the boy was still riddled with guilt. He looked around, uncertain what to do with himself, absentminded to Stephen gingerly taking a pre-made cup of tea from one of the further-off tables and walking back to the softer sitting area with it. He lowered himself onto the couch, taking a quiet sip from the cup. Peter merely watched him. "To be honest, that was a session not much-needed. My tea was too hot; I was passing the time." Warm brown eyes simply looked the spiritual master over in a long, contemplative silence. Stephen was patient, but still a tad dry. "...At the risk of sounding callous, I'm starting to wonder if I should have meditated someplace else." Peter snapped out of it and shook his head, raising a hand towards him in defeat. "NO no, no! I'm -- I -- I'm still...trying to make up my mind, I'm sorry..." Stephen pretended to ignore him and took another sip from his little cup, partly in an effort to give him time. "Mm... Camomile. Basic, but aligning." Icy blue eyes drifted up to meet Peter's uneven gaze. "I understand spiders are nocturnal. Trouble sleeping?" "Oh, a-actually, jumping spiders are diurnal, and I'm mostly influenced by jumping spider DNA. But there's some wolf in there too, and those are nocturnal, which is why I can see in the dark, but it doesn't make sleeping hard. Well, sometimes I don't sleep well, but not because of the wolf spider. It's...uh..." "..." Peter swallowed, and then hissed to himself under his breath as he looked away submissively. "Shut up, Peter..." While the younger man rubbed his face tiredly, Stephen finished his tea and set the cup down gently on the coffee table. "You came all this way, and have wasted time debating whether or not to do something. I feel I made the choice easy for you by allowing your presence to disturb me, and yet here you stand, still unable to make a decision." "..." "... Come sit down," he ordered lowly, annunciating each word to show his patience beginning to peel away. "OH! Right, okay..." Peter nervously stepped over and sat beside Stephen on the couch, legs tight together and arms rigid to the sides of his torso. His discomfort was understandable, but on an unspoken level, Stephen was caught between amusement and slight concern. Peter may have been more sensitive to the spiritual than he realized, but that was a topic for another day, Strange felt. "Why did you consider disturbing me?" Peter rubbed his hands over his thighs for a few moments, then finally surrendered. Sighing, he appeared to relax, though his nerves still held a small grudge. "Okay, look... I was just wondering -- if it's not too much trouble, if you could...tell me something about death." At this, Stephen's brow fell a little heavier, but he wasn't upset. "I-I know, kind of a...silly, and...complicated topic, but..." "I will be happy to answer any questions you have any way I can." Peter nodded stiffly. "Thanks. Um... The thing is, is I don't...entirely know how to ask this question. Maybe you'll know what I mean when I say it; I have this bad habit of thinking things make sense in my head, but then when I say it out loud it sounds really stupid or people look at me funny, and...uh..." "You also have a bad habit of rambling." "YES, I do! I'm sorry!" "And a bad habit of apologizing." "...Yeah..." Stephen watched Peter carefully for some time. He admired this young man, and was no stranger to people being uneasy around him. Regardless, he hoped he could satiate him by simply being patient. "Your question?" "Uh yeah, okay, here it goes. So...what is it? Death, I mean," he asked softly while looking up at his company. At this, Stephen tilted his head just a tad. His brow didn't furrow, but there was something unreadable in his studious stare. "I know what it is, physically. I know that...your heart stops beating, and...your body shuts down, and it decays, but... That's just the science stuff. That's just...the physical thing." "I find it interesting that you died and returned from the dead, as so many people across the universe did just a few years ago, but are just now asking this question." Peter nodded, slouching. "Yeah. Weird, I know. But..." "But now, you're mourning." This statement struck a nerve, and Peter recoiled in an effort to stifle the despair that crept in him. Stephen softened. "Marcus's passing is indeed, very sad. I know this isn't the first time you've experienced death of loved ones, and for the record, it's not unusual to not have questions until the "final straw," if you will." Peter's voice broke as he held back his emotions. He was visibly weaker now. "That's the th-ing, is I barely knew him at a-ll... I spent one day with him, and...I'm...SO torn up about it." He swallowed something dry. "It's been two days, and I still j-ust can't get this question out of my head." Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. "I guess the whole 'what is death' thing is really just...a broad spectrum. You're right, this was the final straw," Peter said hoarsely. "I want to understand why death exists, I want to understand why we have to go, where we go, and all that insane crap with Thanos. I mean -- how we died, how I died, and I can't remember anything between before then and when I woke up again. If I couldn't remember anything, does that mean when we die we are literally gone? Is that it? I mean is there really nothing else after all of this...?" Stephen took in a deep breath through his mouth, and exhaled it through his nose as he sat forward, clasping his scarred hands together thoughtfully. "Well," he uttered softly, "I see there were multiple reasons I was meant to be here at this time." He looked at Peter from the side. "I sense you are prepared to sit here for a long time to get your answers." Peter nodded, now appearing a little stronger. "I am. I can't... I can't keep wondering, and...I figure...you were the best person to ask..." "Perhaps. Either way, I will do my best. And, if I am successful, you won't have to endure for long." Peter sat stern and patient while Stephen adjusted himself in place once more, turning to face Peter as much as possible. "To understand death, you must first understand life." There was a long silence between them. Peter's eyebrows raised, but he said nothing. "...I'm waiting for a smart remark or a bracing sigh." "Oh, I -- I don't...have either of those, hah..." Stephen smiled briefly. "Good. So, Peter, what do you know about life?" "..." "Why do you think we're here? What's man's purpose on Earth...?" Peter's eyes became more alert, voice raising in register. "Oh, um... Well the thing I hear the most is that we're here to do good, that we're here to be good people, and... Okay, actually I guess that's about it, heh. Other than that, everyone always, just...says "I don't know," so..." "Ah, the old 'to do good' answer. A favorite among Western society in particular, though universally you can see it in every culture and major religion. One of the most famous and simple examples is the Hindu concept that bad actions in one life will result in reincarnation of a lower animal. In modern Christian teachings, it's taught that not following a path of Christ will leave one in eternal damnation. There's always an afterlife price to pay for not "being good," you see." Peter nodded, eyes wide and somewhat uneasy. Strange observed him, slowly allowing one of the corners of his mouth to curl into a small, clever smile. "But you don't believe in those teachings, do you." Peter shook his head in a tiny motion. He looked very tired. "Not...really... They just...don't make sense to me." "That's because they don't make sense at all," he retorted in an overly-factual manner. He had Peter's full attention. "All religion is flawed, because one living person cannot possibly understand all of the spiritual universe. More to the point, the books were written by people who wanted control over others, but I digress. My order knows about as much as there is possible to learn, and even then, most of everything around us remains mysterious by design. Now then, to recap, your answer to why we're here on Earth is "to do good," correct?" Peter nodded. "It's an inspiring and popular sentiment, but for the most part... It's crap." Peter hunched forward, air flushing through his nostrils suddenly in an effort to laugh without opening his mouth. His shoulders shook a couple of times; he truly didn't see that one coming. "O-oh, hah hah...!" "Yes, we should try to be good people, and do good things, but to say that's all we're here for is a gross undermining of physical creation. For one thing, people have varying opinions of what "doing good" is or what it looks like. Those opinions vary too much, and you have war, not unlike the one we faced three years ago." Peter's smile dissipated, and he became more focused yet again. "I'll bet you live under the impression that life is complicated. In practice, yes, but in theory? No. The real reason we are alive and on Earth -- and listen closely..." Peter leaned in a little, holding his arms tensely. "... Is to experience." They sat in a bit of silence. Stephen observed Peter's quiet contemplation. Surprisingly, he didn't look overly confused, but it was clear the gears were turning in his head. "...Okay..." "There is existence beyond the physical, Peter, you know this deep down. You watch me utilize it. In order to live, you must have a soul and its functioning systems in your body. When that soul leaves, the body cannot animate, and we die. When your heart stops beating, your heart chakra cannot pump through it. When you're organs shut down, your other gates cannot flow through them, and piece by piece your spirit cleaves from your body until it is cold, and you are returned to the universe you can't see in this flesh." "Okay, this got really twisted..." Stephen couldn't help but to chuckle, unsurprised by the reaction. "Here's the thing. There is a god, a BIG god, but they're not some bearded white man in the sky punishing people they created and casting them into some pit of eternal despair -- which doesn't exist, by the way. Actual God conforms to no gender, or sex, or race or creed or recognizable being. They are nothing more than an amalgamation of light and guidance, and they do, yes, command the universe and are all-knowing." Peter began to calm, visibly interested in this little revelation. Stephen gave him a moment to absorb it, and then promptly continued. "Don't believe in God or anything spiritual?" He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You worship lesser deities? Fine. You claim to follow God, but through Christianity or Islam or other religion? Well...that's a nice try, but you're doing it wrong. And ultimately, it still doesn't matter. For disassociation purposes, spiritualists like myself prefer to call God "All" or "Spirit," or just "Creator." I am partial to "Spirit."" Peter nodded again, still taking in the information. "Okay..." "You with me so far?" "I think so. But...what does this have to do with my questions?" "I'm...a little alarmed that you haven't put that together yet, but we're getting there." Peter had no comment. "The Spirit creates life, physical bodies, and while it's very real and mystifying to us, what most people don't realize is this is just about the absolute lowest vibrational plane of existence. The highest is indeed, Heaven, but Heaven isn't some pearly building with a bouncer at the front gate, deciding whether or not you get in. When you die, you either choose to go in or you don't, and if you want to leave, you can leave." Peter continued to listen, wordless and a little unreadable. "Heaven is all around us, just like the other limitless planes of existence. When we die, we are free to explore any and every plane. So that answers your one question." "..." "Is there life after death." "Oh! Right, yeah. Yeah, that -- that is an answer, yeah..." "You don't seem terribly convinced -- which isn't of concern to me, by the way, but I am interested in what you're thinking." "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful, it's just...a lot." "It is." "But it just...kinda leads me to part of that question; why don't I remember anything from the time I died?" "Ahh, yes, that was...a special case for everyone. I mentioned that life is propelled by the soul and unseen spiritual forces. We are all originally just souls, and we choose what form to come into life as. When we die, we return to the spiritual realms, and then if we wish, we can come back. So Hindus are right in that yes, you can reincarnate, but it's not based around your actions in life. You live, you die, the Spirit reviews your life with you, and the choice over what to do next is yours. You may come back a cockroach, or an ant, or a person, or tree or fish or whatever floats your boat, all in an effort to achieve a certain sect of goals." Peter raised a finger meekly. "Dr. Strange?" "Hm?" "I'm -- you're kinda losing me." Stephen raised a hand. "Be patient. I'm watering down a lot of information for you, here." "How do you remember all this stuff?" "The same way you remember vast amounts of details regarding your own work and interests." "... Oh... Yeah, that makes sense. It's just so weird...!" "It is, because hardly anyone really understands it. Let's slow down, and recap. So far, in short, I have told you that there is life after death, that Biblical God is a man-made construct, that hell doesn't exist, and that reincarnation is real, but doesn't adhere to Hindu standards. Are you back on track now?" Peter nodded big. "Yes, I think so. So you're saying that this could be, like...my third or fourth life or something?" "Or your fiftieth, or your seven-hundred and thirty-second, or your two-thousand, eight-hundred and ninety-ninth life." "...That's...awfully specific," he responded quietly. Stephen had no comment. "So why can't I remember them? Why can't I remember being dead, or being other people? Or animals?" "Because being mortal means giving up infinite knowledge. I said we are here to experience, and one cannot have nor appreciate raw experience without a raw form. Being alive is about learning, changing, and again, experiencing. We like to believe that people who do terrible things face a terrible afterlife, but this simply isn't so. Everyone pays for their actions in living, and their memory to the flesh is tainted forever by their actions. But their soul moves on, and they start over again." "Huh... That is a little disappointing, not gonna lie." "I felt the same way at first, trust me. We learn how to judge, and differ right from wrong, and how to learn at all. And it's not just like this here on Earth, it's every planet with life." "So... Huh, okay, so is it possible that I could've like, been a Titan once? Or some other alien?" "The truth? ...I have no idea." Peter looked surprised, tilting his head back with a very understandable expression. "Yes, I know, hard to believe, but I also said earlier that I don't know everything; no one does. However, I don't see any real reason why that wouldn't be possible." "Yeah, 'cos you said we can go anywhere when we die, so--" Stephen nodded more enthusiastically, smiling with a hint of pride to know that Peter was really listening and learning. "Receiving knowledge, trial and error, injury, healing, never having the promise of tomorrow, and coping with the unknown is the real legitimate reason we're here. The physical plane is a place for souls to go when they want to experience this level of hardship. To put frankly, this is the hardest thing you will ever endure; living, and much of the time, it is hard because of those around you, and because of your own actions. There is no Satanic entity to blame for your misgivings; you must own up to everything you do wrong, and hold those around you accountable." "That makes sense to me. ... So... When we die after having lived some lives before, is all the stuff in the universe new to us again, or...?" "When we die, all of our universal knowledge, and the memory of all our past lives are returned to us. And once we come back into the living plane, that information is removed again, and so on and so forth, forever." Peter turned away, leaning his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face and eyes somewhat tiredly. "That's...way too much to process, okay..." "Like I said, this is just the watered-down version." "So like..." Peter looked up again, but kept his eyes squinted. "...So dying..." "Mhm?" "... OKAY so what is death? Ahh hah hah," Peter wheezed slightly in sheepish laughter. "This is what I've been leading up to. What you choose to do with everything I've told you is up to you, as is whether or not you feel it's important. Death is nothing more than a passageway into the afterlife. It's a line you cross at the end of your life. Now, when we refer to people who have died, we say they're "dead." Being dead is a lasting state only to the physical, decaying body, and to the Earthly presence. Or, the presence of life on other planets, of course. When our spirit returns to the universe, it's not dead in that state; we're simply spirits." "Okay... So what about, like...ghosts...?" "Do you mean, the ghosts that haunt places?" "Yeah, are those real?" "Most stories about them aren't, but yes, there are ghosts of the dead that do become trapped and linger around the physical plane. When they're close by, you know because it may feel cold, or you may feel ill or frightened for no apparent reason. This is because those spirits are trapped by the circumstances of their death, or there is something they feel they need to complete. This can be undone by praying and encouraging them into the light, freeing them from death all together, as it should be." "Oh, okay so some of the stereotypes I've heard about are true. Cool." Stephen nodded. "Death is only scary for the living, Peter. Anything is only scary for the living." "And...that's the point...?" "Yes. What have you to fear after death, when all of creation lies before you? The various planes of existence are harsh and terrifying in their own right, but souls are equipped to deal with them. And if they're not? They return to the light, too. There is no permanent destruction of the soul." As Peter looked off in deep thought, it was clear a sort of peace had overtaken him. He needed a minute to process it, and eventually, a sad smile traversed its way across his cheeks. "That's nice... I don't know if I totally understand all of this, but I literally have no reason not to trust you, so... I will... Actually, you know what? I have one more question." Stephen motioned for him to continue. "What about...people -- and animals, I guess -- that don't get to really experience life? What about...miscarriages, abortions, or babies?" "... And Marcus?" Peter looked down some, hurting. Stephen was sympathetic, and softer spoken as he had been earlier on. "Those lives, however short, aren't always about themselves. If I recall, you said you only knew Marcus for one day, but here you are, days later, torn up over his death, and grieving him. That's why he lived." "...I don't...understand," he replied softly. "Babies, and small creatures with small life spans exist, yes, for their own sake, but like the rest of us, they also exist to influence the rest of life around them. Death is not particular about who or what it takes, or when, and a large point of it in regards to living is that death affects the living far greater, for far longer, than it affects those whom it takes over the threshold and back to the other planes. You can't live if you can't die, and you can't die if you don't live. That's what flesh is for. The fickle thing about death is it can inspire us, touch us, and wound us in unexpected ways. Marcus had a family, friends, and he touched quite a few lives in just four years. And now you, one of those people he touched, are sitting here trying to unravel the most frequently asked yet ironically easy to answer questions about life and death. He was a grand part of the experience for other people, including you. Do you understand this?" It required somber deliberation, but Peter finally came to the conclusion that he did." "I think I do... It's still really sad..." "It is. And you're still "really sad," but knowledge truly is power. My advice is to take the information I've given you, and apply it. Don't be sad for Marcus; he's free, and he will most likely be back in another form. Mourn him how you need to, and don't stifle it. Just because you only knew him for a day doesn't make any of your grief less important. In our line of work, especially yours, learning to cope with death and be open to it is critical." "I know... Thank you," he replied with a bittersweet smile. "Before you ask, no, he didn't deserve to suffer, or to die young. We don't die because we deserve to; we die because we're designed to." Peter nodded. "I like that, heh..." "I hope this was helpful." "It was, really. I appreciate it, thank you, Mr. -- Dr. -- Strange. Geeze, I just--" Slapping a hand to his face tiredly, Peter chuckled to himself, feeling the weight of his exhaustion now. And again, Stephen couldn't resist a smile. "'Stephen' works just fine, Peter. Just like before." "Ahhhh!" he sighed out in exasperation, but looked again at his company and smiled more. "Okay, Stephen." The older of them offered his hand to shake, and Peter accepted humbly. "Hey, would it be like, blasphemous if I went and took notes about all this? Like, actually wrote it on paper?" "Blasphemy is for religion, and I don't have one of those. Take all the notes you want." "Hah hah! Gotcha," he stated with a single thumb-up. At last, he released Stephen's hand. The sorcerer chose not to say anything about Peter's absentminded, extended handshake while they had that brief back and forth. Still, he noted to himself that Peter sure had one hell of a grip when he wanted. "...So is Karma a thing?" "Yes, it is a 'thing,'" he responded rather flatly. "Huh." "For every action, there is a reaction." "Like science!" "It's as I told Tony; the supernatural is scientific and applies to science, but you must surrender yourself to it in order to practice and understand it." "Yeah, I don't think I have the...the...I don't know, whatever it is you need to be able to do that." Stephen smiled, looking back on his life before the accident, which he had long understood was no accident at all. "You'd be surprised." "Hm. Well, I should probably go now, you're probably tired." Stephen shrugged while Peter sat up, stretching his arms above his head. The former eyed his empty tea glass, contemplating making another cup, but ultimately deciding it was best not to. Peter rose to his feet and began to step off, waving behind himself nicely to what had been his temporary mentor. "Night, Stephen." "Goodnight, Peter." Once Peter was out of sight, Stephen remained firmly planted in his position on the couch, as if waiting for something. Sure enough, not too much later, Peter came back into the room and up to the mystic master, an inquisitive but happy look about him. "...You like butterflies... Why?" "Well that's a rather odd question," he answered cheekily. "We've not spent extensive amounts of time together, I know and have used many spells, and many animals appeal to me." Peter pulled back in submission, feeling silly. "Oh -- pfft, you're right, I don't...really know where that came from." Stephen allowed him to stammer, and then smiled softly. "I like their metaphor." "...Oh," he replied shortly, thinking. "...Um... Which metaphor would that be...?" "Can you think of none?" "I can think of a couple, probably, but..." "Then you're probably right." Before Peter's very eyes, Stephen cupped his hands, and a soft, bright light filled his palms. They trembled slightly, but steadied as a tiny golden sphere glittered in the midst of the glow. Enamored by the display, Peter sat beside Stephen again without thinking, leaning in close to look at the beautiful magic. The tiny sphere became a small caterpillar, which grew and fattened, and then became a chrysalis. The arachnid-named superhero felt his heart fill with warmth as the light brightened, illuminating the room, and from the chrysalis sprouted a gorgeous golden butterfly. It fluttered around in the sorcerer's hands, enticing Peter to reach out and gently touch it with his finger. No sooner than he did did the whimsical energy-based creation finally wither. Its body disappeared, and its wings fell weightless into Stephen's palms. The golden light, the wings, and the sensation of warmth faded all together, and again Peter found himself touched by a hint of sorrow. Stephen observed him. "There are many metaphors the butterfly speaks to. In this case, you can guess which ones are most appropriate." Peter nodded stiffly, sad but accepting before allowing himself to smile. "Yeah... That was really cool, by the way." "Hm. Don't despair." Again, Stephen raised his hands, and a new orb appeared. Peter watched with tears in his eyes as again the orb became the caterpillar, and then the chrysalis, and then the butterfly. This time, when the butterfly withered, he noticed a tiny sparkle zip away into the air, a little further from the display, before evaporating. Wiping his eyes, Peter no longer felt so terrible after having watched the little sparkle fizzle away. Rather, he felt peaceful, and knew everything would be okay. Stephen smiled to him. "You're more perceptive than you give yourself credit for, Peter. You have great instincts. Use them." The urge to hug Stephen was overwhelming, but he decided it was best not to. Again, he nodded, and wiped the last of the tears from his eyes. "I'll try..." "It's all we can do." "Okay, I'm gonna go to bed now, ahah." This time when Peter stood and parted ways with him, Stephen sensed that he was no longer needed, and he too, left the living room, bedding in his temporary quarters. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#Marvel #MCU #Peter Parker #Dr. Strange #Stephen Strange #Tom Holland

11 notes · View notes

ishgard · 4 years

Text

► Name ➔ “Mana... of the Dotharl,” she give a short, bitter laugh, shrugging. “But... it’s not like any of them would actually recognize me.”

► Are you single ➔ “Nope!” Beaming, she rocks on her heels a little.

► Are you happy ➔ “In spite of everything? And believe me, there’s a lot - very much so.”

► Are you angry? ➔ “Uhh...” She arches a brow, a bit perplexed with this question on the heels of the last one. “Well... actually, yeah.” Despite that, she smiles, laughs, and shrugs. “Quite a lot, to be honest.”

► Are your parents still married ➔ “Hah, well... I’ve never really known my parents very well. Or... at all, really. I don’t know if they were ever technically married by standard terms, even. But... I do know that they love each other. Or did at some point in time... And very, very much. I guess that’s something...”

NINE FACTS

► Birth Place ➔ “The Azim Steppes, if you’d take Hydaelyn’s word for it.” She snorts and shakes her head. “But in truth, a place very far from here.”

► Hair Color ➔ “Blond,” she says, giving her hair a light tousle.

► Eye Color ➔ “Warm, like amber dripping with honey~” she gesticulates dramatically like some romantic pleading to the heavens, then gives a boisterous laugh and shrugs. “Brown.”

► Birthday ➔ “July 17th- er... ohhh uhh... the... seventeenth sun of the...” She winks one eye shut in thought as she folds her fingers in counting. “Fourth? Umbral- no, Astral Moon? Yeah.”

► Mood ➔ “What, like... right now? Uhh... Hm... Curious enthusiasm? Or maybe enthusiastic curiosity...?” She shrugs. “Good though, feeling pretty good.”

► Gender ➔ “Oh, hm... well,” her face scrunches up a little. "I guess the easy answer is ‘female’, isn’t it?”

► Summer or winter ➔ “Hmm... and I can’t say both, huh? That sucks... I guess summer, if I had to choose.” Mulling over it a moment longer she quickly adds; “But like, if I had to live somewhere that was perpetually one or the other, I’d probably choose a winter place.”

► Morning or afternoon ➔ “Heheh... mornings, I think.” She nods to herself, caught up in some seemingly pleasant reverie. “Nice, lazy mornings.”

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love ➔ Laughing, the mirthful glow she keeps seems to burn even brighter as she shoots a toothy grin. “Death-defyingly so.”

► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ “Hah! Hmmm, I believe in... attraction? At first sight. Which could be love, I guess, or anything else, huh?”

► Who ended your last relationship ➔ “There wasn’t anyone else before Bel.”

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ “Huh...? Not that I’m... particularly aware of. I sure hope not...” Pensive for a moment, she then breaks into a mischief little cackle. “But I sure did break my poor brothers heart when I told him I was dating Bel. You should have seen him.”

► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ “Hmm, no? I guess... I might have, kind of been, before I fell in love with Bel. But it was more like... I didn’t want to get too close to anybody, on any level. Felt safer that way.” There’s an air of gravitas around her words, but then she shrugs and it dissipates nigh-instantly. “But that’s in the past now, so. No.”

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ “Oh, for sure.” Her grin is absolutely shark-like. “Within the past hour. And then some.”

► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ “Hmmmmmmm~” With an exaggerated hum she taps her chin. “I guess if I have, they’ve done a good job keeping it secret!”

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ "Hah! ...Yeah. That whole, keeping a distance for everyone’s own good B.S.? Good way to fuck yourself up.”

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust ➔ “As far as I’m concerned, the perfect love is a perfect union of both.”

► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ “Both! Lil’ bit of lemonade, lil’ bit of tea, an absolute monstrosity of honey. Vwa-lah! Refreshing summer drink. If I have to choose though, uh... Lemonade.”

► Cats or Dogs ➔ Her whole scrunches up as she deliberates this most important of questions, rubbing her chin. “Ca-... hmmm... But dogs? ...Mrrr...” Slowly her attention slips over towards Belial. “Snakes.”

► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ “Listen, I know I’m supposed to choose one or another - and that I’ve been doing a really bad job of that so far - but this is silly. I have a ton of regular friends, and among them I have a few who I’m much closer with than others, and I love all of them so very much.”

► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ Pursing her lips in a cheek-puffed pout, she lets out a very low murmur that sounds almost like a growl in the back of her throat. She knows what her track record is looking like and at this point there’s just no going against it. “B o t h.”

► Day or night ➔ Exhausted, she hangs her head. “Listen... we both know how this is gonna go.”

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out ➔ “Hah! Oh yeah, definitely. Many times. Used to sneak out to run in the woods, and Soma would catch me, but I mean... He’d do the same thing!” Swaying side to side a little she thinks about it further. “And we’re pretty good at sneaking around, but there have been a few times Bel and I have gotten caught.”

► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ “Not uh, without assistance, yanno? I mean... fighting in the streets during like, coup’s and calamities and shit comes with a lot of perils.”

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ “Whew, boy. Yeah. Funny thing is, even when you get it sometimes it still hurts? It’s not... bad...? It... I think that’s what ‘love hurts’ is supposed to mean. A feeling so strong, so good, it’s like your heart could burst.” Her cheeks redden a little and she gives an awkward laugh, waving her hand dismissively. “Ah, but I’m running off track.”

► Wanted to disappear ➔ “...Very much so. And... desperately, not at all. S’a funny thing about having death looming over your head. Wanting to defy it. Wanting it to just... be over.”

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes ➔ “Smiles that show in the eyes?”

► Shorter or Taller ➔ “Taller. Hah!” She beams way too proudly, cheering quietly beneath her breath. “Chose one.”

► Intelligence or Attraction ➔ And then she blanches. “Aughhh... both. I mean, intelligence is plenty attractive.” And Bel has it in spades, she thinks to herself. “Anyway, I’m back in my indecisive hole.”

► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ “Relationship,” again, she beams proudly, again because she could pick one rather than the answer itself. “I mean, hook-up’s are plenty hot, but like, if they lead into a relationship?” her head bobs slowly. “Yeah, that’s some good shit right there.”

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along ➔ “Weeeell~ My brother, Soma, and I get along fairly well. Though... we do butt heads on occasion. I consider a lot of the crew my family, and some of the Scions, too... and we all get along pretty well or else... why would I? As for my parents... meh.” She shrugs, and in lieu of continuing, leaves it at that.

► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ “Pffp! I guess to most that’d be ‘putting it lightly’. And there’ve been times I’ve kinda looked back on it all and been like... really? Yanno? But... most of the time? It’s not so bad, not really. Yeah it’s ‘messed up’, but it’s been pretty damn good, too. All the messed up stuff, I’d go through it again in a heartbeat.”

► Have you ever ran away from home ➔ “Mmmmmmm, mmhm? I... hm. I guess not really, but we were kind of ‘on the run’ when we left?”

► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ (Insert the math face lady meme here) “....Probably? I... I dunno, a lot happens!”

FRIENDS

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ She slowly arches a brow. “I mean, we have a big crew, there are definitely some I don’t vibe with quite as well, but definitely not anyone I hate. And among the Scions...? No, no one like that.”

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ “Some more than others. Which isn’t anything against those I’m not as close with, again, there’s just... a lot of them, and I do cherish them all. It’s just not always possible to get good and close with that many people, sadly.”

► Who is your best friend ➔ “Bel,” she looks practically tickled when she says this, but then her eyes widen with realization. “Oh shoot, Caglio would kill me if she heard that. Both of them, okay? Obviously Bel is my world, but Caglio is... I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. I owe her so much, and I hope she’ll always be a part of my life.” For a moment her gaze lingers far off on the skies, before she continues thoughtfully. “Oh, here, though... Alisaie, Lyse and I are pretty close. It’s fun going out and finding new treats to try with them. Kind of feels like being back home.”

► Who knows everything about you ➔ “Hah, those two. Caglio and Bel. I think she’d have to defer to Bel in this case though,” she chuckles, grinning mischievously, “since there’s a lot that goes on in the bedroom and she’d kill me if I regaled her with the tales.”

#mana dotharl #about: mana

10 notes · View notes

montesquedemeadowshire · 6 years

Text

Titan Academy, Pt 1

“Are you sure you remembered your toothbrush?”

Cameron looked up from his book towards his mom’s seat. “Yes, I am. I also was the last five times, but I appreciate you checking.” He stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed.

“All right, all right. I know I’m being repetitive, but can you blame me?”

“I suppose not. Though of all the things to be worried about, I think most people would put that pretty low on the list.” Cameron leaned back in his seat and looked out the window, hoping there would finally be something out there worth looking at. The west Texas scenery, unfortunately, continued to be barren and dry. The most interesting features seemed to be fenceposts and telephone polls. There had been a row of cadillacs stuck face-first into the ground some ways back, but very little since.

After some time, his father responded from the driver seat, “Yes, well, we wouldn’t have agreed to let you attend if we thought there was a real danger there for you.”

“He probably would have snuck off anyway.” His sister commented from beside him. Only a year younger than him, she probably knew him better than just about anyone. In this case, she was right, too.

Cameron pulled the pamphlet he had printed off from the back of his book, studying it once again. Titan Academy: A Wholesome, Friendly Learning Environment for All Students, it read, above a small group of smiling students. It looked like a perfectly run of the mill pamphlet for a reasonably well-off private school…except for a few small details which set his heart racing.

For his entire life, Cameron had had peculiar interests. In the beginning, he had carefully and systematically exhausted the spooky story collection at his library, beginning with the school’s before moving on to the public collection. Then, when he had finished there, he had moved on to the adult collections, both the research journals and the more frightening collections of folk tales. And then, just as he had just about finished those, The People exposed themselves, opening up a whole new range of possibilities, not to mention more tales and research than a young boy could possibly get through in one lifetime.

As the boy once again inspected the worn pamphlet, his eyes were drawn around the page to the small, telltale details which proclaimed the unique nature of the school he was to be attending. On one girl, around his own age, her canine teeth protruded slightly from between her closed lips. Another girl, of a similar age, had golden eyes with a vertical pupil, if one looked very closely. A young man with a small hint of scaling around his eyes, and another with slightly pointed ears. Each could have passed without comment in any crowd, but all together, they proclaimed the nature of Titan Academy: The nation’s premier school for other-natural students.

“There it is!” Cameron’s father called into the back seat cheerfully. Cameron snapped his eyes from the piece of paper to get his first glimpse of the school in person. “Looks solid enough. Pretty standard, really. I like it.”

Cameron, overall, had to agree with his father. He obviously hadn’t been expecting gothic architecture and gargoyles (unless perhaps as part of the student body), but even so it was an almost remarkably unremarkable campus. The buildings were well-built, nice without being gaudy, and the campus itself was fairly large, being as it appeared to have no neighbors within some distance with which to compete for space.

Mr. Verres pulled to a stop in front of a building with a sign proclaiming it to be the Academic Building. As his father got out to stretch his legs, Cameron climbed out of the back, wincing as the hot, desert air hit his face. From the front doors of the building, a woman peeked out. Her eyes widened, and she darted back inside, only to emerge again shortly bearing a large recording device, which was itself focused upon a hefty, well dressed gentleman and a tall, pretty woman in a dark blouse and long, red skirt, as they made their way up the sidewalk towards the family.

The large gentleman pulled ahead of the women, camera trailing like a dinghy, and flashed a glowing smile at Cameron’s father. “Well, I’ll be darned! We were just about to send out a search party for y’all. Glad you made it. This place can be a bit tough to find, after all.” He extended a ringed hand, which Mr. Verres shook with a small smile. He had a good head of height over the other gentleman, but seemed to be in danger of being overwhelmed by sheer force of personality from the shorter man. As Cameron’s mother rounded the front of the car to join them, the stocky gentleman’s attention immediately shifted to her, and she was soon having her hand pumped as well. “And you brought the whole family! Good to see, good to see. They’re a lovely bunch, Mr. Verrez.”

“Thank you, sir. And you’re almost right, but it’s Verres. One syllable, Mr…?”

“What? Oh, hah! Mr. Arnold Haven at your service. Honored to be a Senator for this great state.”

Mr. Verres blinked confusedly. “Oh, I’m sorry Senator. I have seen you before, of course. Not sure why I didn’t recognize you.”

“Not at all, not at all. Don’t you be sorry. They say the camera adds ten pounds, but I’d say the right hair, makeup, and lighting folks’ll take 30 back off! I wouldn’t recognize myself in half those pictures and interviews if I hadn’t been there myself.” The Senator guffawed merrily, clapping Cameron’s father on the shoulder.

“And this’d be the boy himself, then?” The Senator bustled over towards Cameron, accompanied by the camerawoman. “Smart looking boy, he is. Sure he’ll do grand here, just grand!” Senator Haven put a meaty hand around the young man’s shoulders, grinning widely as the camera darted back and forth in front of them, snapping pictures from various different angles.

The woman who had come out of the building alongside the Senator had never sped up beyond a sedate walk, and only now reached the Verres family. She extended a hand to Mr. Verres, who shook it uncertainly, then brightened at her pleasant smile as she introduced herself. “Isabella Carmine-Amador. I’m sure he’ll do marvelously, Arnold. Now why don’t you release the boy and let him have a few moments with his family before we’re about business, hm? Plenty of time for pictures later, if need be.” She cast a cold eye towards the camera woman, who hastily snapped the lens cap back onto her camera.

“Quite right, quite right. Getting a bit ahead of myself. Miss Carmine and myself will be waiting over there,” the Senator waved vaguely towards the brown grass alongside the sidewalk. “Just let us know when y’all are ready to go inside.”

As they drew aside, a second vehicle, a very expensive looking one, drove up to disgorge a small family. The apparently sole child was dark haired and pretty, though she seemed quite nervous. The Senator and the women with him strolled over to greet them, though they were too far for Cameron to hear what they were saying.

Cameron joined his family again, who were watching the Senator and the others have their hushed discussion as they made their way down the sidewalk. Cameron watched as well for a moment before speaking, and noticed that while the Senator seemed to be doing most of the talking, he listened intently whenever the pale, dark haired woman spoke. “I’m sure that they’d give you a tour if you’d like.”

Mr. Verres looked at Cameron thoughtfully, then back at the school. “Y’know, I’m sure they would. And if you’d like us to we will. But you’re the one who made this happen, Cam, and if you want this to be your thing, entirely, I’ll understand that too.”

Cameron smiled at his dad. “I thought you’d understand, dad. Love you.”

“You too, kid. Now don’t forget to give your mom a hug or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Love you, mom. See you soon.”

“That’s right, you will, and don’t forget if you change your mind or something happens, we’ll be just a phone call away, alright?” His mom, already a couple of inches shorter than him, was obviously holding back tears.

“I know, mom. And I promise I’ll call when I can. Ok?”

“You better.” She wrapped him in a tight hug, then sighed softly and reached up to pat him on the shoulders.

Cameron smiled down at her and turned to his sister. “Y’know, you’re not completely terrible. And I promise I’m coming back, sorry.”

She rolled her eyes, and barked a laugh, though he could still see worry in her eyes. “Yeah, of course you will. How could you continue to torment me otherwise? See ya round, try not to get eaten. I’d hate for anyone to get indigestion.”

Cameron stuck his tongue out at her, and she replied in kind. “Well, I think I’m off. Love y’all.”

His father cleared his throat. “Mm. Hey Cam?”

“Yeah dad?”

“You might want to grab your bags from the car.”

Cameron flushed, and laughed, then darted towards the trunk to retrieve the two bags of personal possessions he had brought along with him. “Alright, now I’m off. Have a safe drive home. I’ll call once I’m settled in a bit.”

“You sure are,” his sister retorted, “and if you must.”

Mr. Verres tousled her hair and put his arm around his wife. “Alright then, back in the car, guys. Cameron’s obviously in a hurry to get on with things, and we’ll not keep him any longer than we need to.” He shot a wink at his son to show he understood, and herded the girls back into the car, waving over his shoulder as he got in. Cameron watched him get settled, give the school buildings another once over, and rest his gaze upon him once again, before nodding in general satisfaction and starting the car.

Cameron took a deep breath and turned towards the others. Well, he thought, here we go. The girl’s family appeared to have already departed, and she was standing with Senator Haven and the women.

They appeared oblivious as he approached, the Senator speaking even faster than previously. Cameron could make out a few words as he drew closer. “-know that we’ve had threats, and it’s just gotten worse since…” he cut off as the woman raised a hand. He looked rather upset at being cut off until he noticed Cameron coming nearer. Then he put on his gleaming smile and came to meet him. “Fine family you’ve got there, boy, fine family. Didn’t they want to take a tour of the school? Get acquainted with the place?”

“No sir, I don’t think so. They’d rather I get acquainted with it first, I think.”

Senator Arnold looked rather perplexed by this, but the woman beside him nodded and smiled softly. “Quite practical, Cameron. Your father struck me as a wise man. Are you both ready to begin that process then?”

Cameron smiled back, “Well, ma’am, he’d say that’s because you don’t know him very well yet. And yes, I am!” The nervous looking girl merely nodded, but eyed the school as if she were afraid it might bite.

“Very good,” she nodded, and turned back towards the school building, Cameron and the rest trailing behind. “My name is Julia Carmine, and it is my pleasure to be the head of Titan Academy. You might call me the principal, I suppose, though my duties are rather more…expansive, all things considered. Senator Arnold and I are the ones who have put together the plan which has brought you here, as well as selecting you both from the pool of volunteers.”

Cameron looked at the other teenager, and smiled (he hoped) pleasantly. “Oh, right. Cameron Verres. Nice to meet you…?”

“Tracy Culver, sophomore.” The nervous looking girl introduced herself.

The young man looked between her, Miss Carmine and the Senator. “Well then, thank you very much. I didn’t really think I had a chance, really, but I wanted to attend more than almost anything.”

Carmine stepped inside the building, holding the door for Cameron to enter, followed by Senator Arnold. She proceeded to a nearby door with her name inscribed into it, and held it for them as well.

On the other side was an office, though a rather nicer one than any administrator’s office that Cameron had ever seen. The furniture was all rich, black wood, the cushions the same color leather. The headmistress glided towards the chairs arranged in front of the massive desk, and reset them into a small circle, each facing the others. She motioned for Cameron and Arnold to each take a seat, then looked at the camera woman, who had bustled in behind them, and motioned towards a couch in the corner. “Would any of you care for some refreshment?”

“A water would be fine, Julie, and one for the kids, too. They look parched.” Cameron shut his mouth as the Senator answered for him, but nodded in agreement, as did Tracy. Miss Carmine’s eyes never moved towards the Senator, staying firmly fixed on Cameron.

“Very good.” She tapped on the corner of her desk, and a small hatch popped open in the side, from which she drew three bottles of water. She handed both to Arnold, who handed one to Cameron and Tracy, before taking her own seat.

After she had settled her long, red skirt to her satisfaction, she glanced up again and spoke. “Now then, I thought it best that we both be here to answer any initial questions you might have. To address the one you implied earlier, the circumstances of your selection were unique.” She leaned back in her chair, back straight as she captured his gaze with her own. “As you know, we have no academic requirements for entry, merely that the student be otherly-natural. When it was decided that, in the interests of relations between the species, a pair of human children should be admitted to the Academy, rather more strict requirements had to be devised.”

“Yes, ma’am, that does make sense. That’s actually what I didn’t really understand. I’d figure those requirements would be based on grades and things, and as I’m sure you noticed, mine have never been what you might call amazing.” Cameron replied, breaking her gaze to look at the patterned black and white carpet of the office, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

“True, but never terrible, either. Almost strictly average, in fact,” she continued, “but what interested us most was the obvious passion and knowledge of the Other-natural community which you presented in your essay. You were alone, after all, in quoting passages from The Compact in yours.”

“I…didn’t really expect that, ma’am. I mean, it’s so important to any understanding of the last six years….”

“Indeed it is. The fact that you recognize that is one of the things that made us take a second look at your application. It has been a…delicate process, and the human children who would attend this academy will need to have an accurate understanding of that.”

Cameron frowned down at the carpet, then nodded. That made sense. The Compact Between Other-natural Nations, as it had been called, was the document which had forged the various other-natural nations of the world into a political force. Their first order of business had been to reveal themselves, and the existence of the other-natural, to an entirely unprepared world.

The reaction had been…mixed. For every supernaturalist who felt a sense of vindication, there were at least three people, of all races and nationalities, who thought only of the dangers of the other-natural races living among them. Riots had swept through the nations of the world, carrying both humans and nonhumans away in fits of violence and hate. Cameron shivered slightly as he remembered the shouting of a mob overheard in his neighborhood. His parents had locked the doors tight, but he could still remember the voices, bestial and mad, outside.

Things settled, of course, as they always did. In the six years since the Emergence a tense peace had developed between the human community and those of the other races. Distrust was still great between the two, and it was a rare month in which an incident of some sort didn’t flare up somewhere in the world.

In order to ease relations between the races, the Compact had purchased grounds for schools around the world for their members to use. Titan Academy was one of two in the United States, and the first to be established. In addition, after two years of peace and successful education at the academy, it was decided that it should be the site of a bold and highly controversial experiment. Two human children would attend Titan Academy from their Sophomore year of highschool onward. If they succeeded, and no incidents took place, then the academy might entirely integrate. If that should happen, it would provide a great example of peaceful, productive relations between the communities, and from there, it was hoped, further integration between the human world and that of the other-naturals could proceed more easily.

Cameron mulled all this over in his mind as he considered what the headmistress had said. He had never been much of a student of politics or history, but he had devoured all news and information about the other-naturals ever since they came out of the dark just as he had books on paranormal studies before. It made sense that that would hold more weight in the minds of the selection committee than simply his GPA.

“And besides,” added Senator Haven after a moment of contemplation, “your classmate, Ms. Culver, holds up the other end of the spectrum, so we’ve covered our bases, I think. Very smart cookie, from everything we could tell.”

Tracy’s eyes flashed slightly, and she held her head up as she nodded. “Yes Sir. Top percentile for my grade, nationwide. I intend to make you proud, sir.”

Senator Arnold smiled broadly and looked at her approvingly from across the circle. “Got a bit of fire in her, too, it seems. Good, good. I imagine you’ll both need that.”

Cameron nodded. “Alright, makes sense. I guess I’ll probably get my class schedule and living situation sorted out shortly, so…just out of curiousity, what species are represented here at Titan?”

Ms. Carmine closed her eyes for a moment, lips moving slightly as she recalled the information. “Let me think…yes. Thus far, we primarily have a number of Animal-folk, vampires, merfolk, thaumists, and trolls. Most of the other currently enlightened races have at least a single representative. It’s become something of a mark of prestige for a group to have at least one student in Titan, though most tend to send two or more, so as to prevent the child from feeling too isolated. Obviously the climate makes it difficult for some to attend. The Academy in Montana, for example, has far more snow-people than we do. The poor dears just don’t do well in the heat, I’m afraid.

Cameron smiled slightly. “Well, ma’am, I don’t know that even humans do too well when it’s this hot.” He had been watching Tracy as Ms. Carmine had listed off the school’s attendees, and she seemed to shrink down in her chair a bit with each race mentioned.

Senator Haven laughed heartily, and began to stand. “That’s more than a little true, boy, more than a little. Speaking of the heat, I’m afraid I’ve got to head back into it. Too much to do, too many appointments to keep. Besides, from here on out you’re in Ms. Carmine’s hands. I was just here to make speeches in case something went wrong.” He winked at Cameron, then clapped him on the shoulder, shook his hand, and strode out the door, the camera-woman again trailing behind him.

#titan academy #golden masquerade

9 notes · View notes