#koga oogam

[resurrection-of-soul]

Flashback | PSYCHOBREAK 16

Writer: Akira (日日日)

Characters: Koga, Adonis

Rei: Indeed. He is a Tenshouin-kun who has neither ambition, nor passion, nor talent, nor skill. Kaoru: There’s like, nothing left at that point? Rei: Nay, even without all that, Tenshouin-kun would still have his cute face.

[ For the best viewing experience, please read directly on my blog! ♪ ]

Rei: However, unlike Ryuseitai or Knights, we never opened up to recruit new members. But even if there was some legitimate means for new members to join UNDEAD, it still would have been impossible for Dracula-kun.

His application would have been rejected. After all, he lacked the necessary skills. He didn’t want to be rejected by me, the person whom he admired. He didn’t want to hear me say, "Thy skills are lacking, we have no need of thee.” 'Twas too unpleasant a thought for him. Thus, he resorted to cheating. Hoping to make things as painless for himself as possible, he shamelessly chose the easiest path.

Kaoru: To add some context: you know how a lot of the students at Yumenosaki are, like, local rich young masters from influential families, right? Well, the culprit this time was totally one of those types. I think his parents own like, a pharmaceutical company or whatever?

Rei: Aye. If he had simply gone on to inherit the family business, he could have led a relatively comfortable life. But perhaps he hated the idea of working a normal job because it would be too exhausting. Or perhaps he was too incompetent and lacking in resourcefulness to successfully take over the family business. Thus, he paid his way into Yumenosaki in hopes of enjoying a decadent, aristocratic lifestyle...or so I assume. The details are somewhat unclear — and frankly, they don't matter much. The point is, he made use of his excessive wealth and power to ensnare us in his trap.

Kaoru: Like a knockoff Tenshouin-kun.

Rei: Indeed. He is a Tenshouin-kun who has neither ambition, nor passion, nor talent, nor skill.

Kaoru: There’s like, nothing left at that point?

Rei: Nay, even without all that, Tenshouin-kun would still have his cute face. That said, the culprit truly did lack anything of worth. Despite that lack, he still could not give up on his dreams, and thus turned to crime. That is the truth behind this incident.

Koga: Wait, so what did he actually do? I have no idea what the hell you’ve been going on about?

Adonis: …I see. Given the current situation, the culprit’s intentions are clear. First, that person tried to frame me as the culprit. Inside that dream — that recollection of ours — I was portrayed as the leader of the “vampires.” In truth, the culprit was the one who acted as the leader of the delinquents causing trouble in town, and was eventually defeated as a result. The culprit tried to impose his position onto me, perhaps hoping to take my position as a member of UNDEAD in turn. In other words, he was trying to replace me. Even if it wasn’t real, even if it was only inside the world of a distorted dream…he still wanted it. Given that, it’s obvious that the culprit wished to become part of UNDEAD. That is how our senpai managed to deduce the culprit’s identity.

Koga: Cut it out, Adonis… Seriously, it’s a~always like this. Coz you’re so smart n’ perceptive, I’m the only one who ends up lookin’ like an idiot.

Adonis: Is that so. Sorry. Don’t worry, Oogami, your intuition is second to none.

Koga: Man, feels like everyone’s tellin’ me, “You’re an idiot, but your intuition’s sharp!” this time around.

Rei: Fufu. Adonis’s deduction is correct. So clever. So commendable. So cute.

Adonis: Thank you.

Rei: However, as you know, even within a dream, the culprit’s wish could never be fulfilled. It was simply too far-fetched. Perhaps he thought that Adonis would be the easiest member of UNDEAD to replace.

Adonis: That is probably true. If you look at it objectively, I am the most replaceable member of UNDEAD. It goes without saying that the leader, Sakuma-senpai, cannot be replaced. Oogami is practically the pillar holding the unit up, while Hakaze-senpai is an exceptionally talented powerhouse who cannot be replaced by just anyone. Out of all UNDEAD’s members, I am the most unnecessary.

Koga: Unnecessary, my ass! I’m gonna fucking kill that guy…!

Kaoru: Yeah. I’m kinda angry too, but don’t worry. I’m going to make sure that criminal gets brought to justice. Sometimes it’s, like, seriously handy being able to throw my family’s weight around.

Rei: Please do. As we are neither police officers nor judges, we have no authority by which to deliver judgement. However, it goes without saying that we thwarted the culprit’s shallow and foolish plans. In fact, it was impossible for him to succeed from the start. The scheme to impersonate Adonis-kun collapsed on its own, without us having to do much. It is true that we provided some psychological guidance, but even the versions of us within the dream accepted Adonis as a friend. They never dismissed him as a mere delinquent.

Adonis: I did not see that part of the dream, but, is that so? That is reassuring. Thank you for believing in me.

Koga: I've always believed in ya! Damn it, I'm still pissed off!

Rei: Fufu.  But for the culprit, that act was nothing more than an amusing little diversion; their main goal lay elsewhere. I speak, of course, of HELLSING.

Koga: Ohh…

Rei: We needed only to accept these artificial idols as comrades, even if only temporarily, and begin working together. The rest is simple. At the moment, they are autonomously operated by their own artificial intelligence programs, but in the future, the culprit planned to control them directly. As like characters in a game. To make matters plain, the culprit intended to become part of our group by wearing the HELLSING members’ identities like costumes.

Rei: Everything was prepared for that purpose. The AIIE project, the robots resembling us and Ra*bits – even that makeshift, gilded research facility. Making full use of his money and power, the culprit gathered all these things in an attempt to deceive us. He coerced us into participating in a dubious experiment through false communications, then put us to sleep while activating "HELLSING" to create a fait accompli¹. Ultimately, that part of his plan was a success.

Kaoru: I never would have imagined someone would go to such lengths just to become one of us. I mean, even one robot costs a fortune, so they must have spent an insane amount of money.

Koga: But why…? Did he really wanna be part of UNDEAD that badly? Then just say that! Say ya wanna be our friend! Even if ya get rejected, just try again! If you’d just expressed your feelings properly, we would’ve accepted ya! Why jump through all these unnecessary hoops instead a’ just actin’ like a normal person…?

Rei: By attempting to cut corners and taking what he thought was a shortcut, he instead wound up on a long, circuitous route. I suppose one might consider that the moral of this particular story. Seeing as we, too, participated in dubious experiments in search of easy solutions to our current problems, we have no right to judge. God always sets difficult trials before us, while the Devil seduces away those fools who wish to avoid them. One must always remain vigilant. In any case, as I was saying earlier, once we’ve deduced the culprit's identity, the rest is simple. The culprit intended to take Adonis-kun’s place. To that end, he needed to swap identities with him. In other words, the culprit was…

Koga: The leader of the “vampires,” huh?

Rei: Aye – and even if not the leader, then certainly still one among their number. With that in mind, Kaoru-kun and I re-entered that dream of the past in search of the culprit.

[ ☆ ]

← Prev | All | Next →

A French phrase which translates literally to “an accomplished fact,” meaning something which has already been done and is (presumably) irreversible.

[aidokoga]

navillera

they were each other’s first everything. first love, first kiss, first date.

(read under the cut)

The first “I like you” and “I love you” uttered between the both of them were after a practice session, when Koga and Adonis stayed behind to clean up the practice room. 

Adonis had sought out advice from Arashi on how exactly he should go about confessing his romantic feelings. The blonde stared at Adonis before gushing about all sorts of things, even trying to guess who was the one that had stolen the boy’s heart. 

“Is it Koga-chan? From your unit? Oh my god, it is, right?” Arashi exclaimed, and Adonis couldn’t fight the flush that settled on his cheeks. He felt a little lightheaded, a dizzying feeling rising from the pit of his stomach at the mere mention of Koga’s name. Adonis opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t really make out any words to say.

“To be honest, it was obvious from how much you stare at him during class~” Arashi mused. She then proceeded to ask question after question, saying things like, “When did you realise you liked him?”, “What exactly do you like about him?”, or “The both of you look so cute together as is!” and Adonis, ever the patient one, earnestly answered each and every one of her questions with honest answers. Once Arashi felt as though she had gotten enough juicy information from Adonis, she gave the boy advice on how to confess. Adonis listened attentively, making sure he wouldn’t miss out on any important information. “Ultimately, as long as you’re honest about your feelings, it will go well.” Arashi smiled. “Just be yourself! That is better than any other advice I can give you.” Adonis nodded before thanking his clubmate for her time. 

“I can just hope that it goes well.” Adonis remarked. 

“Mmh, I’m sure it will be fine! Good luck, Adonis-chan~” 

The setting sun that day casted the sky in a brilliant orange colour. It made Adonis feel warm, a fuzzy feeling blossoming in his chest, giving him the confidence he needed to take the first step in confessing his feelings towards his unitmate, his best friend. 

It was Adonis who first said it, his voice shaking ever so slightly despite him mentally giving himself a pep talk beforehand. He grabbed Koga’s arm, causing the other boy to turn back to look at him. Koga tilted his head, opening his mouth to start questioning Adonis when the taller boy blurted out, “I like you, Oogami.”

Koga blinked, before giving Adonis a smile. “I like ya’ too, we’re best buddies aren't we?” Koga exclaimed at Adonis, and Adonis didn't know whether to just forget it or to just burst into tears.

His lips moved faster than his brain worked. “I mean, in a more-than-friends way.” Adonis stated in a matter-of-fact manner. “I’m in love with you…” His face felt hot, and his voice trailed off but he made sure his expression remained firm. He could at least look confident, even if he did not feel like it. 

Koga silently stared at Adonis, his face getting redder as the seconds ticked by. He seemed to be slowly absorbing the sentence, and the more he lets it sink in, the more flustered he starts to get. Koga averted his eyes, because he felt as though if he continued to look into Adonis’ eyes he would just spontaneously combust.

Adonis let go of Koga’s arm. He was the first one to speak up, breaking the silence between them. “I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, you can just forget-” 

“Shut up!” Koga blurted out. “You…you just confessed to me, didn’t ya!” He continued, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I wasn’t uncomfortable or whatever with what you said, so don’t just go decidin’ what I’m feelin’ for me!” 

Adonis blinked. Koga took a step forward, getting closer to the other boy. He made eye contact with Adonis, opening his mouth to say, “I like you too. In the same way you do.” Adonis’ heart pounded against his chest, almost as if it was going to jump out of his chest. But he was happy. He wasn’t anxious or nervous like he was just moments ago, he was relieved and elated.

“Oogami…” Adonis started, moving closer to Koga, to the point where there wasn’t any space between their bodies. “Are…are you serious? Do you really…“ 

“Yes! Do I look like the type to, I dunno, lie about my feelings or somethin’ stupid like that…” Koga cut Adonis off, making eye contact with him after what felt like an eternity. Adonis could tell that Koga was blushing and flustered, his rosy cheeks told Adonis as much. 

“I love you.” Adonis smiled, he was beaming, Koga could practically see the rays of sun around his face. “Can I hug you?” He asked politely, watching as Koga mumbled a soft “Yea” and nodding. Love bloomed in Adonis’ chest and threatened to spill out of his body. He wanted to give Koga every praise under the sun, kiss every blemish on his skin, and give him all the love the world has to offer, but for now, he just wrapped his arms around Koga’s frame. Koga nuzzled into Adonis’ neck, moving his arms to wrap around Adonis’ body and closing his eyes as he felt Adonis gently rest his chest on top of his head. 

The shorter boy mumbled something into Adonis’ neck, and though Adonis didn’t properly hear what it was, he could make out words like “love” and “too”. It was easy to piece together what Koga was saying. (He was reciprocating Adonis’ words, saying a quiet “I love you too.”) 

Adonis thought he couldn’t love Koga more than he already did, but at that moment, his heart swelled with boundless love for the boy he was embracing, so much love that it is unable to be contained within his body so he spills it all out by squeezing Koga tighter. 

Koga made a wheezing sound. “Ya squeezing the life out of me! Loosen up a bit!” He yelled. Adonis quickly let Koga go, worried that he may have unintentionally hurt Koga. “I’m sorry, I got carried away…Are you okay?” Adonis spoke, his voice tinged with worry, his face full of worry. He looked like a sad puppy almost, Koga thought to himself. Endearing and cute, but it’s also a heartbreaking expression. Koga didn’t like that. “ ‘m fine! Just don’t squeeze so tight next time, or else you’re gonna like, suffocate me!” Koga said. “ ’S not like I’m gonna fly or slip away or somethin’ like that..” His voice trailed off, realising how embarrassing the words coming out of his mouth were. His cheeks heat up for the nth time that day. “We still have to clean up the practice room! Let’s get this done with so we can get the fuck out of here.” 

Koga turned around to carry on the task he was previously doing. “And we can, uhm, grab dinner together, y’know, before heading home.” 

Adonis blinked, before smiling and picking up a broom, the promise of a dinner with Koga seeming to motivate him to get his task done as soon as possible. 

(Arashi demanded to find out the results of Adonis’ confession the next time they met. Adonis tried his best to keep details vague.) 

——

Their first kiss happened after a particularly passionate performance, shortly after the confession. It was an extremely hyper performance, all of UNDEAD went all out. The presence on stage was at an all time high, the four of them singing their hearts out, singing, performing like the world was going to end. Passion seeped through every pore of their bodies that night, and adrenaline was pumped in their veins. 

When the live had reached its end, Koga and Adonis were ushered into their shared dressing room. The high from the adrenaline rush on stage had yet to dissipate, Koga felt like a firework that hadn’t finished showing off its colours to everyone, like a big blazing flame that was yet to be put out. 

Maybe that was what pushed Koga to push against Adonis, his arms pressed against Adonis’ chest, pressing his lips against Adonis’, tasting the flavour of the other boy’s chapstick. Adonis froze up, he wasn’t sure what to do, but he wrapped his arms around Koga’s body and kissed Koga back, not quite matching Koga’s roughness and haste, but no less passionate in his own regard. The kiss started out messy, their teeth clacking together, but it eventually settled into something gentler, something more intimate. 

Koga’s lips were chapped, dry, a far cry from Adonis’ soft ones but it was perfect. Adonis thought everything about him, even his flaws, was perfect. They made Koga the person he is, the person he loved. They parted after a while, both of them panting, gasping for some relief amidst the passionate, heated moment. 

Koga was the first one to move, he got off of Adonis, his cheeks rosy, though Adonis couldn’t tell if it was because they had just had their first kiss or if it was because of the temperature in the dressing room. Koga cleared his throat. “Sorry for just kissin’ you like that without askin’ first.” He spoke softly, his tone apologetic. “It just kinda…felt right. Y’know, heat of the moment kinda thing.” 

Adonis gave a small smile. For some reason, it was heartwarming to him that Koga kissing him felt right. It felt like a natural inclination for the other boy when he was high from the adrenaline pumping in his veins. “It’s okay. You don’t have to ask to kiss me, Oogami.” Adonis spoke softly. “Because you are my boyf-” Koga quickly jumped, swiftly bringing his mouth to Adonis’ mouth, muffling his voice. If Koga’s cheeks were rosy after they had kissed, then this time his face was bright red. His golden eyes were wide and he looked incredibly flustered. The words ‘endearing’ and ‘cute’ bounced around in his head to describe how Koga looked at that very moment. 

“Not so loud! What if..other people walked past and heard you?” He exclaimed. “I can’t even begin to imagine what that damn vampire would say. Or, worse,” Koga visibly shivered. “Hakaze…senpai.” The last name was said through gritted teeth. Koga backed away from Adonis, bringing his hands up to ruffle his own hair. 

“Ugh!! It’s terrifying just thinkin’ ‘bout it…!” He yelled in frustration. Adonis moved closer to Koga, gently rubbing the small of Koga’s back. Koga relaxed into Adonis’ touch, though he was still grumbling under his breath. 

“I apologise. I’ll mind my volume in the future.” Adonis spoke softly, and Koga turned around to face him. He stared at Adonis for a few seconds before averting his gaze again. 

“So how was it?” He asked, his voice small and quiet. The blush from just now never dissipated but rather than from embarrassment, this time it was because he was flustered. “The kiss…I meant.” He added, just in case he was not being clear in his initial question. 

“I thought it was nice…You tasted like mint.” Adonis answered, a gentle smile gracing his features. “I liked the kiss. It did feel right.” 

Koga grumbled something under his breath, looking away, because if he kept on staring at him, he might just spontaneously combust on the spot, especially after everything Adonis just said. 

A knock on the door was heard, shocking the pair, Koga jumped out of Adonis’ arms and he turned to the door. A soft female voice spoke. “Adonis, Koga, are you both okay? There was a lot of noise and you have been in there for a long time…” Anzu asked, probably worried that the both of them may have fallen down or something to that effect. 

“We’re fine!” Koga answered loudly. “We…just knocked some stuff over! We’re still a lil’ hyperactive from the performance.” 

Anzu was silent for a moment. “Okay. Just be careful, you shouldn’t be getting hurt.” She spoke. 

“Mhmm, yep we will be careful! You go do ya own thing, we’ll get dressed and be out in a bit!” Koga responded. Anzu stayed silent for a bit, seemingly hesitant. She made a small sound of acknowledgement. Adonis and Koga watched under the door as her shadow slowly disappeared from the door. 

Koga visibly and audibly heaved a huge sigh of relief. “We should…probably actually get dressed.” Adonis spoke, after Koga calmed himself down. The other boy looked at him, his cheeks still slightly pink, before he nodded and straightened himself up. 

When they had gotten dressed and met up with the rest, Koga could’ve sworn Kaoru gave a sort of look to Rei, who only smirked in response. Koga knew Rei catches onto things really quickly, it’s almost scary how observant he can be sometimes, but there was no way they already knew! Koga was just overthinking. 

(They already knew.)

——

The first time Adonis had to leave for another country due to his solo activities was right around Christmas. Koga had been the one to send Adonis off at the airport. Koga was never one for public displays of affection, even if they hugged or held hands in public, it would end as soon as it had started. “I just don’t want people to…say things.” was what Koga would always say. And he was right, the both of them were idols with an image to uphold and project, and a fanbase to cater to. What would the media say if they were caught in an intimate embrace? How will their fans react? What will Anzu need to do to clean up the mess they created?

But when they hugged in the airport, Koga hugged a little tighter, stayed in Adonis’ arms a little longer. Almost as if he was afraid that once he lets go, Adonis will disappear, like a fleeting touch, a touch that lasts for a split second, or like dust in the wind. Adonis liked it, he felt like that was Koga’s way to tell him to stay. “Just a little while longer.” and “I wished you didn’t have to go.” were sentiments that were not expressed verbally, but conveyed through Koga’s actions. 

Koga had begrudgingly let go, and he nuzzled his face into his own scarf, one that Adonis had lovingly got for him. They both stayed silent, watching each other’s breaths in the winter air. Adonis was the first one to break the silence.

“I’ll be back in two weeks.” He spoke and Koga scoffed, mumbling a quiet “I know that, stupid.” 

“Take care of yourself, okay! I don't want you to return to me injured or somethin’, get it! If you do, I’ll beat ya ass.” Koga grumbled. Though his words were harsh, Adonis knew they held no real weight. ‘Return to me’, Koga had said, Adonis realised. Not ‘return here’ or even ‘return to us’. ‘To me.’ Adonis felt a warm fuzzy feeling erupt from his chest.

“I know, I will be sure to take good care of myself, you won’t have to worry.”

“Tch, who said I was worried?” Koga scoffed, insistent on keeping his tough guy act up. “The plane’s leavin’ soon. You should go before you really miss your flight.” 

“Oh, you’re right. Goodbye then, Oogami. See you in two weeks.” Adonis smiled, before turning around and rushing away to catch his flight. Koga fidgeted a little, watching as Adonis’ figure got smaller and smaller as he departed. He let out one last huff, before turning around and leaving the airport. 

In the days to come, he diligently counted the days until Adonis would return, but like hell, would he let anyone find out, not Rei, not Kaoru, and especially not Adonis. He would just straight up die if anyone were to ever find out just how much Koga, the lone wolf of UNDEAD, actually misses his boyfriend. And he didn’t just miss Adonis, Koga thought about Adonis at every waking hour. From the moment he opened his eyes to the moment his head hit the pillows, not a minute passes where Koga didn’t think about Adonis, even if it was just a fleeting thought. Even after long calls with Adonis, sometimes video calls where Koga could clearly see Adonis’ hotel room, Koga would still find himself longing to hear more of Adonis’ voice, wishing to see more of Adonis’ face, wanting to be as close to Adonis as physically possible. 

As the fateful day drew closer, Koga found himself unable to sleep, constantly tossing and turning in his bed at night, to the point where Leon had to move from sleeping with Koga on his bed, to sleeping on the floor. Tatsumi even had to ask if Koga was alright, in the middle of the night. 

He felt helpless, and was more moody than usual. If this was what it would be like every time Adonis was not around, he would rather Adonis just never leave his side. But he couldn’t be so selfish. Koga was not the only person who needed Adonis. UNDEAD needed Adonis, his family needed Adonis, the track club needed Adonis. There was an entire world that needed Adonis, Koga could not just keep Adonis forever to himself, no matter how hard he tried or wished. What he could do, however, was channel all these negative feelings into the only form of art he knew — music. So that’s exactly what he did, fingers strumming his electric guitar, alone in the practice room where Adonis and Koga would practice together after school. 

When Adonis landed, Koga was the first person he saw at the airport. Koga held out his arms when he spotted Adonis, inviting him into a warm, inviting embrace. Adonis had nearly dropped everything right then and there just to rush into Koga’s arms. Adonis squeezed Koga tightly, just like he had when they first confessed, except this time Koga did not protest. He simply returned Adonis’ squeeze, he was just happy to be back in Adonis’ arms once again. 

Maybe Koga could allow himself to be selfish, even just for a short while, before the world calls for Adonis once again. “...Do you want to sleep with me in my dorm tonight? Kazehaya-senpai won’t be back until sunrise…” He asked in a quiet voice, as they walked back to ES, hand in hand.

Adonis could feel his heart flutter as his chest filled with love threatening to combust. “Yes…Also I have a question, if you don’t mind me asking.” 

“Shoot.”

“Did you miss me? At all?” 

Koga’s cheeks flared red, and he averted his eyes away from Adonis’. “No. Why would I miss you? We called almost every day.” He scoffed, holding his head up high. He had an image to project, and if Koga didn’t tell him the truth, Adonis would be none the wiser. 

“Sakuma-senpai was texting me…” Adonis spoke, and Koga whipped his head around to just stare straight at Adonis, his eyes wide. “He told me a lot of things.”

“About what?” Koga asked, his voice unusually higher pitched. “What did he tell you about?” 

“About UNDEAD’s activities for the past two weeks.” Adonis said. “And about you.” 

Koga could feel the temperature rise, despite it still being winter. “W-What? ‘M gonna kill that fucking vampire!” Koga chided, beginning to list out ways he would make sure Rei suffers for the rest of his living life. 

Adonis smiled, and he just held up Koga’s hand, pressing a soft kiss to it. “If it makes you feel better, I miss you a lot too.” Adonis softly spoke. Koga looked away, feeling as though if he were to look at Adonis he would just explode on the spot. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He huffed, and continued walking towards their intended destination, hands still interlocked with Adonis’. 

Deep down, Koga knew it wasn’t just whatever, but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what he was feeling. Maybe it was relief that Adonis had missed him just as Koga had, maybe it was the thought that whenever Koga thought about Adonis, the other boy was thinking the same about him. That made Koga’s stomach do flips, his heart beating with love, and he expressed that love by holding Adonis’ hand tighter. He hoped Adonis knew that he didn’t regard Adonis’ feelings as just ‘whatever’, he just could never find it in himself to express his feelings with his words. He hoped his actions were enough to tell Adonis that Koga did miss him a lot, as much as, if not more than Adonis did. 

The both of them woke up the next morning to Koga’s alarm, their limbs tangled with one another. Leon was also bouncing on the bed and licking their faces. Koga was the first one to get up from the bed, moving to prepare Leon’s food while Adonis continued to slumber. He looked so peaceful, sleeping so soundly, Koga thought. Koga wondered what Adonis was dreaming about. Maybe he was dreaming about having a barbeque, or maybe he was dreaming about performing with UNDEAD. Koga liked to think Adonis was dreaming about the both of them, living together with Leon, an idyllic existence away from idol life. Adonis seemed like the type to want to live a normal life once he settled down, Koga thought. 

Koga wasn’t quite sure what he wanted after he were to settle down with Adonis, but for now, he’s just focused on his career, on his music, and as long as Adonis is there with him every step of the way, he would be okay with anything. 

—— 

They celebrated their first anniversary by going to a summer festival. Adonis was invited by Arashi. “You can totally bring Koga-chan along!” Arashi had excitedly suggested. “We’re all most likely going to split up anyways, you can go on a lovely date with him~” Adonis’ cheeks flushed pink at the mention of “Koga” and “date”, but he just answered with, “I’ll ask him.” 

Arashi giggled, “Alright~ Just give me an answer by the end of the week!” 

Koga scoffed at Adonis’ question, but he agreed, saying that he was only going just because he had nothing to do that day and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Adonis had casually mentioned Arashi’s remarks and his mind was promptly going into overdrive just thinking about a summer festival date with Adonis. 

“Do I look fine?” Adonis asked Arashi for the nth time in that hour, dressed in a yukata that Souma had kindly helped him wear. He was anxious, constantly fiddling with his sleeves. 

The girl gave a heavy sigh. “You look just fine. Don’t worry, once Koga-chan comes he will be so enamoured with you that he won’t even be able to speak.” 

“Nngh, I think you look good, Otogari-kun.” Mika piped up. “All of us can agree on that, ain’t that right, Ayase-kun?” 

“H-Huh?” Mayoi gasped, shocked at the mention of his name. He took a short look at Adonis. “Uuu, Otogari-san looks great…” He shied away from Adonis’ gaze, opting instead to meekly peek from behind Mika. 

“See, we all agree that you look fine. So you don’t have to keep asking every minute!” Arashi exasperatedly remarked. 

“Adonis!” Koga’s voice called out, and Adonis promptly turned around towards the source of his voice. His eyes landed on Koga, who was also wearing a yukata, just as Adonis was. The both of them stared at each other in stunned silence, probably mentally gushing about how good the other person looked in a yukata. 

Arashi giggled. “Well now that Koga-chan is here, we’ll take our leave! Have fun~” She waved goodbye before walking off to the festival with Mika and Mayoi trailing behind her. Now it was only Koga and Adonis standing outside the festival, both of them silent as they tried to find the words to say to each other. You look amazing, Adonis wanted to say. Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning.

“You look amazing, Oogami.” Adonis complimented, and Koga just cleared his throat, running his hand through his hair. 

“You look amazin’ too.” Koga mumbled, realising that he has never really seen Adonis in a yukata before, and he wondered if he got any help with wearing it. Koga himself had to bite down on his pride, and asked Kaoru for help. And that blonde bastard had the balls to tease Koga! “Uwah, our little Koga-kun wants to look good for his boyfriend! How adorable~” Kaoru gushedHe did eventually help Koga with his yukata though. But just thinking about all that Kaoru said was enough to give him shivers. He’ll make sure Kaoru regrets ever teasing Koga later, but for now, he had a summer festival date with Adonis to look forward to. “Uh, we should get going! ‘M sure you wouldn’t wanna miss the fireworks later.” Adonis nodded, and held out his hand for Koga to hold. Koga blinked at his gesture, but before he could speak, Adonis piped up, “There’s a lot of people here, I don’t want to lose you.” Koga’s cheeks flared red. 

“Wha-! How can you just say things like that with a straight face?” Koga spluttered, flustered. Regardless, he still took Adonis’ hand and they walked together, hand in hand into the festival. 

The festival went by fast for both of them. Between blurs of buying snacks from the stalls and playing various games, all that really mattered was that both of them were having fun and enjoying themselves. They had found a quiet spot away from the festival, atop a hill where the fireworks could be seen in their full glory. Adonis had placed all the soft toys that they (mostly Koga) won from the games on the ground beside them. They even managed to snag a goldfish that Adonis said he was going to 

“Did you have fun today?” Adonis asked as Koga put a takoyaki into his mouth. 

“Yea, I had lots of fun.” Koga said, smiling as he picked up another takoyaki and bringing it towards Adonis’ mouth. Adonis opened his mouth to eat the takoyaki that the other boy had so lovingly offered. “What ‘bout you?” 

Adonis smiled. “I had fun too, thanks to you.”

“Tch.” Koga turned away from Adonis. Adonis fiddled with something, before pulling out two small keychains, one of a wolf and the other, a bear. 

“Why’d ya get those for?” Koga asked, watching as Adonis handed him the wolf keychain. 

“It just reminded me of us. You know, you’re the wolf and I’m the bear.” He answered. “I also…” He reached into his sleeve, before pulling out two plastic rings. “Today’s our first anniversary. And…I’m aware these rings are just toys, but I would love to get you an actual one someday, so stay with me at least until I can get you the actual ring.” He spoke, slipping the ring onto Koga’s left ring finger. Just then, the fireworks started, exploding in a beautiful array of colours in the sky.

Koga’s eyes stayed glued onto Adonis’ form, watching as the ring was put on his finger. The fireworks in the sky seemed to be exactly what he was feeling at that moment. The sounds of the fireworks in the background matched the sound of the pounding in his chest. 

“A-are you proposin’ to me right now?” Koga blurted out, his face flushing red. 

Adonis gave a small sound. “Did it..Did it seem that way?” he asked. 

“What kinda question is that? Yes, it did seem like you were proposing t’ me, otherwise I wouldn’t be askin’ you.” Koga chided. 

Adonis stayed silent for a while, still holding onto Koga’s hand. “Yes, I am proposing to you.” He spoke. “Would you like to spend the rest of your life with me, Oogami?” 

Koga could feel steam coming out of his ears at this point. How could Adonis look so calm when saying those words? Here Koga is, feeling as though he was just about to combust on the spot but Adonis just stared at him, an earnest look, awaiting Koga’s answer. 

“I want to have more anniversaries with you, go to sleep with you beside me and wake up with you beside me. I want to perform with you for the rest of my life, make more music with you. Even if you say no now, I’ll wait and stay by your side.” Adonis continued, still holding Koga’s hand. The sounds of the exploding fireworks were drowned out entirely by Adonis’ voice and Koga just takes in all of Adonis’ words. There was sincerity in his words that Koga wholeheartedly believed in. But more than that, he wanted the same things that Adonis did, he didn’t want this anniversary to be the last one they spend together. 

“I-”

“Stop.” Koga spoke. “Gosh, how can you say such…mushy things with a straight face like that…” He pulled back his hand from Adonis, holding it up to show him the ring that Adonis just put on him. “I let you put the ring on my finger, didn’t I? I think you already know the answer.” 

Adonis smiled, the kind of smile that would warm anyone’s heart. Koga’s heart made a leap. “I’m glad, Oogami.” He said. “I love you.” Koga took the other ring from Adonis, and now it was his turn to put the ring onto Adonis’ finger.

“I love you too.” Koga responded once he was done slipping the ring on, and they leaned closer into each other, pressing their lips together in a tender kiss, a seal to the agreement that they made that day, atop that hill. The fireworks painted a colourful backdrop behind them. They were each other’s firsts, first love, first date, first kiss, and now they will be each other’s forever and always, just as the rings that sit on their fingers signifies.

[valkyurie]

koga and mikaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa