Archive of Our Own ^beta

As always, Iku was waiting for him in the courtyard.

"Good afternoon, Rui!" Iku greeted cheerfully. "You ready?"

Rui nodded. "Yup."

The late afternoon sun stretched lazily across the sidewalk as the two stepped off the school grounds and began their trek towards the subway station.

"How was music club?" Iku asked. "I heard from Yuno-chan that you're working on a new song."

Rui shrugged. "Somewhat."

"Well, good luck." Iku smiled softly. "I know it'll be wonderful."

Rui couldn't help but smile as well. "Thanks." He paused. "How's practice?"

"The same: lots of work, but fun." Iku stretched his arms over his head. "Papa said he'd try to make it to the next meet."

"That's nice."

"Yeah," Iku agreed. "But still. I feel a lot more pressure when Papa's there. Probably because he can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be?"

Rui let out a breathy giggle at that. Having known Iku and his family for so long, he almost forgot how scary Hajime was to others.

"But it still makes me want to do better, you know?" Iku hummed. "Like, it's a good kind of pressure to have."

"I understand." Rui raised his hands. "But I will always do my best to cheer you on."

Iku laughed. "Thanks, Rui."

Sometimes, Rui found it hard to believe that days like this—days of walking home with his childhood friend at his side, chattering happily with one another and settling into a comfortable silence whenever they ran out of things to say—were but a recent phenomenon. After all, Iku and Rui did not attend the same elementary and middle school. But now—now they were high schoolers, finally able to look each other in the eyes and smile and laugh together everyday instead of gazing endlessly at a electronic screen, yearning for their next meeting. It was something different, some unfamiliar territory for their friendship, but Rui wouldn't trade it for the world.

(And neither would Iku.)

Now that he was able to be with his friend everyday, Rui was gradually learning more and more about Iku, things that he had never been able to notice before. Like for instance: Iku was fairly popular. Or, at least, he was very friendly with a lot of people.

It shouldn't have been a surprise to Rui. Iku was a rather amiable person. He had always known that. But it was somewhat strange to see Iku's personality shine with his classmates. They were all nice people though. Rui was rather soft-spoken and somewhat reserved, but his peers seemed to treat him well. He had reasons to suspect that some of it had to do with his friendship with Iku, but even so, he managed to befriend a good handful of his schoolmates on his own.

Like Terase Yuno, for instance.

"You play the piano beautifully," were the first words she said to him after spying him playing on the grand piano in the music room. "Have you thought about joining the music club?"

And just like that, they became friends.

Rui heard the clubroom door slide open, but chose to ignore it and continued scribbling on the music sheet.

"You're early as usual," Yuno said amusedly. "Good afternoon, Rui."

"Afternoon." He set his pencil down and rested his fingers on the piano keys to test a chord.

"Composing again?"

"Somewhat."

"Ooo." Yuno dropped her bag in a chair and reached for a guitar case. "You have a minute? I was out with Mizuki the other day and got this one idea…"

Rui stopped playing and turned so he could see the blonde. Yuno sat down on a stool and tested the strings.

"Flat," he said.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Perfect Pitch." Yuno was smiling regardless of her chiding tone. Her fingers nimbly tuned the strings. "How about this?"

"Better."

"Okay, here goes…"

The melody she played was soothing, like a gentle flowing river. It was a sound that was completely antithetical to the one she had produced two years ago, when Rui caught her jamming alone in the music room one rainy June afternoon. (Yuno vowed to never sing that song in front of him ever again, but sometimes, he could hear her humming "rainy, rainy" while hanging teru teru bozus in the clubroom window.)

"What do you think?" Yuno asked when she was finished.

"I like it," he said. "Do you have any lyrics yet?"

"Nope!" she chirped. "But I know they'll come to me someday!" She set her guitar down. "Alright, your turn!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the two of them playing melodies back and forth to one another.

Rui went to the courtyard to meet with Iku, as he usually did after club activities. And as always, Iku was waiting in the same spot under a tall tree.

Only he wasn't alone.

"Oh, Rui!" A blonde girl flashed Rui a wide smile. "Good afternoon!"

Ichisaki Reina, Rui recognized. A former high jumper and current president of the anime club. She was fiercely friendly, which explained her constant insistence on holding lively conversations with anyone she even remotely got along with.

"Well, Ruirui's here, so that's my cue to go meet up with Tsubaki!" Reina pocketed her phone. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ikkun!"

Iku waved as the girl skipped across the school grounds in search of her friend. Rui waited until she had disappeared in the horizon to turn towards Iku.

"Kai wants me to stop by the store for something."

"Really? What a coincidence!" Iku laughed. "Papa asked me to do the same thing."

"Huh." Rui fiddled with his sleeves. "That's nice."

Iku frowned. "Is something wrong, Rui?"

Rui shook his head.

"Alright." Iku smiled and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Well, shall we?"

Rui let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his seat. The gentle rays of light drifting through the window was more than enough of a reason for him to close his eyes and begin to drift off.

"Hey, Rui."

His eyes snapped open when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Iku was standing beside him, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I know it's lunch time," he said, "but you can't spend the entire time sleeping, you know?"

Rui rubbed his eyes. "Sorry."

"Well, I can't blame you," Iku laughed. "Here." He pulled over a chair and plopped down. "Shun-san hid a present in my bag, it seems." He slid a pudding cup over towards Rui.

"Shun wouldn't like it if he knew you still call him that behind his back," Rui remarked as he took the cup, softly whispering his thanks.

Iku groaned. "Please don't tell him."

"But I think he should know…"

"Rui, please?"

"Okay." Rui smiled into his pudding. "I won't."

"Thank goodness." Iku laid his head on the desk. "For a second, I thought you were completely serious."

"On second thought…"

"Rui!"

Iku was leaning against the tree, staring at the soccer fields when Rui entered the courtyard. The green-haired teen felt his lip twitch into a small frown at the sight.

"Ikkun?"

"Ah, Rui. Good afternoon." Iku scratched the back of his head. "Reina-chan wanted to give me something, but it seems like she forgot it in the classroom. Do you mind waiting?"

Rui shook his head. "It's fine."

"You're the best." Iku's smile was as bright as the sun, as it usually was. But for some reason, it made Rui's heartbeat briefly elevate.

That's strange, Rui thought. Why do I feel..?

"IKKUN, I GOT IT! Ooo, and Rui-chi's here too!" Reina skidded to a stop before the two. "Hey, what's with the serious look? Come on, it's a beautiful day!" She reached out and gently pushed the corners of Rui's lips up. "See! Rui-chi is much cuter when he smiles, right Ikkun?"

Iku blinked. "Huh? Uh...yeah."

"Of course!" Reina withdrew her hands, allowing Rui's expression to fall back into a poker face. "Well, here's the manga I promised you!" She handed a book over to Iku. "I hope you enjoy the tear-jerking tale of the hardships of high school athletes as much as I did!"

"Thanks, Reina-chan." Iku tucked the book in his bag. "I'll try to get it back to you by the end of the month."

"You'd better take good care of it!" Reina suddenly jumped and pulled out her buzzing phone. "Yikes! Gotta scramble! See you guys!" She waved before scampering off towards the street.

"Manga?" Rui echoed.

Iku shrugged. "She's been praising it for the past month, so I thought I'd give it a try."

"Oh. Okay." Rui fiddled with his fingers.

"Is there something on your mind, Rui? You seem fidgety."

Rui shook his head, perhaps a little too quickly. "I'm fine."

Iku stared at his childhood friend for a moment. Then, without warning, he reached out and took Rui's hand in his.

"Ikkun..?"

"It's okay." Iku smiled. "I'm here. Now…ready to go home?"

Rui felt Iku gently squeeze his fingers, causing whatever words he had in mind to clog up his throat. So he silently nodded in response.

"Alright," Iku said. "Let's go."

As they strolled down the sidewalk towards the station, Rui placed his free hand on his chest, just to confirm that his heart was beating furiously.

What am I feeling? He frowned to himself. Whatever it is...I don't like it.

The door to the classroom quietly slid open, allow Rui to peer into the room. Iku was sitting at his desk, rummaging through his bag, likely trying to find his lunch.

"Did you forget it?" Rui asked as he took a seat.

"If I did," Iku grunted, "Shun-san would have magicked himself into the school to deliver it to me."

"Well, it won't be the first time..?"

"I didn't even forget it! He just...delivered a second one for no reason! Oh, I found it!" Iku leaned back in his chair and sighed in relief. "Moving on, you have a test later, yeah?"

Rui nodded. "It's English. I'll be okay."

"I wish I could say that for myself," Iku laughed anxiously.

"Ah ha! I knew I would find you two together!" The two boys jumped in surprise when Reina plopped down in the desk in front of them. "Sorry for the interruption! It's just that my friend made too many cookies, so I thought I'd drop some off with you guys!" She handed each a bag of cookies. "They may be kind of hard, but they're good, I swear!"

"Thank you," Iku said, "but why are you giving us so many? How many extras did your friend make?!"

"Details, details!" Reina waved her hand. "Alright, I'll leave you guys alone to eat! See you!" She hopped out of her chair and seemingly flew out of the classroom.

"So fast," Rui murmured.

"That's Reina-chan for you," Iku laughed anxiously. "Well, she's a good friend, so it's alright."

"Good friend…" Rui echoed. For some reason, he felt something itching in his chest, as though a small creature was crawling across his heart.

"Hm? Did you say something, Rui?"

Rui shook his head, quickly dispelling the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. "No." He fumbled to open his bag of cookies.

"Rui, you should finish your bento first, you know…"

Rui whined softly in protest. Iku sighed in defeat.

"Okay, fine." He helped open Rui's bag. "There."

Rui silently watched Iku eat as he nibbled on a cookie.

"Ikkun."

"Hm?"

"Am I a good friend?"

Iku grinned. "No. You're the best."

"Oh." Rui felt his ears flush. "I think Ikkun is the best though…"

Iku chuckled softly. "Then let's be the best together, okay?"

Rui felt something happy tickle the inside of his chest. "Okay," he whispered.

"Minaduki-kun, you're close to Kannaduki-kun, right? Can you give this to him for me?"

His classmate's words were still ringing in his ears as he clutched the folder in his hand and opened the door to Iku's classroom. As he expected, Iku was busy washing the chalkboard.

Only he wasn't alone.

"Hey, Iku." A boy nudged Iku's side. "You have a visitor."

"Hm? Oh, Rui." Iku waved in greeting. "Something happen?"

Rui held up the folder. "Delivery."

"Ah." Iku set his towel down and brushed his hands off on his pants before accepting the folder. "Thanks, Rui."

"Mmm." Rui glanced around Iku to look at their classmates, who were pretending that they weren't listening. "Did I...interrupt something?"

"No, not at all." Iku waved his hand dismissively. "You and Yuno-chan are working on something again today, right? I saw her with a melodica earlier."

"She's trying to write something for her friend," Rui confirmed.

"Mizuki-chan, right? Makes sense." Iku pointed towards the chalkboard. "Well, I better finish up so I can get to practice. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Mmm." Rui nodded. "See you." He gave Iku's classmates one last look, then slowly walked out of the room, trying to figure out why his stomach seemed to be churning ferociously. Iku waited until Rui closed the door to turn away.

"Was your darling okay?" one boy teased.

"Stop it," Iku laughed wryly. "He's not my darling."

"Well, you two are close is all," another said.

"Shouldn't you be cleaning?" Iku asked.

His classmates laughed as they resumed working. Iku turned back towards the chalkboard. The moment his back was to the others, the smile on his face folded into a frown.

"I wish he was, though," he murmured.

Rui lifted his head when the door to the apartment opened, half-expecting Haru to walk inside. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Kai stumbling through the doorway while balancing a bucket in one hand and a tool box in the other.

"I'm home," he chimed. "Oh, Rui! Have you been waiting long?" Rui shook his head. "Good. Haru might be a little late tonight, so I'm going to start dinner a little later, okay?"

Rui nodded. "Okay."

"Alright." Kai set his bucket and tool box on the ground, then beelined for the sink to wash the grime his hands.

"Kai."

"Yeah?"

Rui watched as his father dried his hands. Then, "Can I ask you something?"

"Hm? Of course." Kai glanced over at his son. Rui averted his gaze in an instant, choosing to instead focus on his fingers. "Something wrong? You seem distracted."

"It's just…Ikkun…"

"Iku? Did he do something?"

Rui shook his head. "No." He paused. "You know? Ikkun is amazing. He's nice…and he has lots of friends."

"Yeah?" Kai plopped down in the chair beside Rui. "Well, so do you."

"Yeah but…" Rui frowned. "I don't know. Ikkun looks really happy when he's with his friends, like how I am with mine, but…it feels strange."

"Feels strange?" Kai echoed. "In what way?"

"I don't know." Rui paused. "You know Reina?"

"I remember hearing about her."

"She's nice. I like her. She's a good friend. But...whenever I see her with Ikkun…" Rui shifted. "It feels weird. I don't know. Ikkun looks happy and she does too, so I should be happy right? But…I'm not." He pursed his lips. "And it's the same with his classmates—people I don't really know, but Iku does. They're nice, and Ikkun's happy when he's with them, but…" He trailed off.

Kai blinked slowly. "So…you're not happy when Iku's with other people?"

Rui nodded. "I think Ikkun is fine the way he is. But sometimes…I wish he wasn't with his friends so much. But they're his friends! And I know that I'm not the only person he spends time with. So why do I think like that?"

"...Oh my god." Kai covered his mouth with his hand. "Rui…"

"Kai..?"

Kai leaned forward. "Rui...I think you're jealous."

Rui blinked. "Jealous..?" He frowned. "Is...is that a bad thing?"

"No, no! Not really. I mean, it can be, but…" Kai sighed. "It depends on how you act on it."

"I'm jealous of Ikkun's friends…" Rui slumped in his chair. "But why..?"

Kai's eyes glimmered. "I can't answer that for you Rui." He squeezed his son's shoulder. "But...I wouldn't think about it too much. Who knows? The answer may be right in front of you."

Rui furrowed his eyebrows. "Right in front of me…"

"I'll be here for you if you need me, okay?" Kai smiled warmly. "Don't hesitate to talk to me or Haru, alright?"

Rui nodded. "Okay."

"Good boy." Kai patted Rui's head. A buzzing sound then resonated from the kitchen. "Oh, that's probably the husband…" He stood. "Don't forget to finish your homework, okay?"

Rui hummed in response, then reached for a pencil. Kai smiled at the sight, then answered the call.

"You coming home now?" he asked.

"I should be able to leave as soon as I forward this report," Haru responded.

"Good, because I need to talk to you about something."

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, not wrong, per say." Kai leaned against the counter and lowered his voice. "I do need to give Hajime a call later, though."

"Kai, don't tell me that…"

"Get home faster, alright?" Kai laughed. "See you soon."

"Rui!" Yuno chimed as she opened the door to the music room. "I was talking to one of my classmates earlier and—UWA!" She took a step back. "Rui?!"

Rui grunted and rubbed his eyes. He lifted his head and blinked blearily at what he presumed was Yuno's figure in the doorway. "Yuno..?"

"What happened? Did you fall?" Yuno anxiously eyed the layer of music sheets splayed all over the ground and across Rui's body.

"It's fine. I just took a nap." Rui yawned. "The sun is warm…"

"Oh thank goodness." Yuno visibly relaxed. "So you used the sheets as a blanket then?" she asked as she walked into the room.

"I was writing."

"Oh." Yuno held up a paper. "Well, that explains this," she said, eyes anxiously analyzing the black scribbles. "This looks new. Trying something out?"

"Maybe."

"Okay. Well…"

A loud thud interrupted Yuno. The two musicians turned towards the doorway and found Reina slumped against the door frame, rubbing her side and hissing like a cat.

"Ow," she grunted. "That was an effective body slam if I do say so myself!"

"Reina?" Yuno blinked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm in tip top shape, thanks!" Reina sprung up like a springboard. "But enough about me. Rui! I've been looking for you!"

"Me?" Rui asked.

"Yeah! Ikkun's been looking for you! He thought you might be here, but he got sidetracked by a teammate, so I came instead!" Reina proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Mission accomplished! Rui is indeed safe and sound under...wait, why is there paper everywhere?"

"No reason." Rui pushed himself up, his lips curled into a slight frown. So she was with Ikkun earlier…

"A-anyways! We should get organized before we go." Yuno scooped up some more papers. "Wait. I just remembered that we ran out of paperclips. Hold on, I'll be right back." She left the room.

Reina knelt down beside Rui and examined some of the stray music sheets. "Are you having a slump, Rui?"

Rui stared at his hands, unable to bring himself to look the girl in the eye. "I don't know."

"That's okay if you are, you know! People go through ups and downs all the times, after all." Reina winked. "It'll do you some good to take a break now and then too! Don't want your mind to get bogged down all the time. Besides, Ikkun already agreed that you look much better when you smile!"

Rui curled his fingers in the sleeve of his sweater. "Is that so…"

"Reina-chan, sorry about that! I was—so you were here after all."

The two raised their heads in time to see Iku raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"I found your kitten!" Reina chirped.

"I can see that." Iku eyed the music sheets. "Did you fall asleep?"

"The sun is warm," Rui defended.

"I know, I know." Iku walked into the room with a laugh. "But Kai-san is going to get worried if you come home late, and I really, really don't want Shun-san to do something strange just to find you."

"I'm back." Yuno entered the room with a box of paper clips in hand. "Good afternoon, Iku. Here to pick up Rui?"

"Yeah."

"Alright!" Yuno chirped. "Go on ahead, Rui."

"But clean up," Rui said.

"Don't worry about it! I'll take care of it." Yuno waved her hand. "It's just paper, after all."

"I'll help out!" Reina volunteered.

Rui wanted to protest, but then Yuno placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled warmly.

"It's fine," she insisted. "You can pay me back the favor some other time, okay?"

"...Okay." Rui pushed himself onto his feet. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Yuno laughed.

"Well, there you have it." Iku grinned. "Thanks, you two." He held out his hand, which Rui took. The moment their fingers touched, Rui felt something flutter in his chest. "See you tomorrow!"

Yuno and Reina waved farewell as the two boys rounded the corner. Neither dared to speak until the two were out of sight.

"You think Rui was writing about that?" Reina asked.

Yuno looked at the floor. "Only one way to find out."

The beginning of the walk home was spent in silence. Rui kept his eyes on the ground, only daring to look up when there was a curve in the path or he felt Iku's hand move against his own.

Then, finally, Iku spoke.

"How was your nap?"

Rui hummed in thought. "I don't remember falling asleep…"

"Was the sun that blissfully warm?" Iku laughed.

"Somewhat."

"That was interesting, what you were laying in, though," Iku mused. "It's like you made a bed of music for yourself."

"…I don't remember doing that either."

"What do you remember then?"

Rui scrunched his nose. "Writing, playing the piano, the sun…so warm…"

"Woah!" Iku moved to catch Rui before he could fall forward. "Hey, don't fall asleep as we're walking!" he laughed. "But that takes some serious skill to do, you know?"

"Ikkun, I'm tired," Rui mumbled.

"I know, I know." Iku gently brushed Rui's hair from his face. "Just a little longer, okay? You'll be home soon, I promise."

Rui whined softly in response, but relented. He gently pushed off of Iku, never once letting go of the other's hand as they continued walking down the street.

"Ikkun?"

"Yes?"

Rui closed his eyes for a moment. "Nothing."

"Okay." Iku squeezed Rui's fingers. "I'll be here if you need me." He paused. "I'll always be here."

"I know." But Rui still felt his heart skip a beat.

The last thing Rui expected to see when he walked into his apartment was Haru squatting on the balcony, cheerfully tending to his small garden.

"You're early," Rui remarked.

"Hm?" Haru lifted his head. "Oh! Welcome home, Rui. How was your day?"

Rui puffed his cheeks in response.

"That doesn't look promising," Haru mused. "Is something wrong?"

Rui shook his head, hesitated, then nodded. Haru frowned, set his shovel down, and took off his gloves.

"A moment for your thoughts?"

Rui took a seat in one of the chairs on the balcony. "...I don't know."

"Oh?" Haru dropped into the second chair. "How about I try and come up with a deduction?" He smiled when Rui nodded. "Well, does it have to do with...school?" Rui shook his head. "Music club?" Another shake. "Iku?"

Rui's fingers curled in his pants as he nodded.

"Iku, huh?" Haru pursed his lips. "Does this happen to, uh, relate to his friends?"

"I…" Rui shook his head. "I don't know. I just...feel funny."

"Feel funny? What kind of funny?" Haru asked. "Is it...something painful?" Head shake. "Numbing?" Another shake. "Tingly?"

"No." Rui rested his hand on his chest. "It's…something different. It's…warm and fluttery, like a butterfly. But it also makes my heart ache…" His fingers curled in his shirt. "Haru, is there something wrong with me?"

"I wouldn't say wrong, no." Haru brushed Rui's bangs from his face. "Hey, Rui, when do you feel like that? When you're with Iku?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm not surprised." A smile spread across Haru's face. "You know? I've felt that same strange feeling before."

Rui blinked in surprise. "You have?"

"Yes." Haru nodded. "And I still feel it today, sometimes."

"When?"

Haru's eyes sparkled. "When I'm with Kai."

The gears slowly began to click into place in Rui's head. His eyes widened slowly in realization.

"I think," Haru whispered, "you should talk to Iku sometime. This is something between the two of you, after all." He leaned over and kissed Rui's forehead. "Kai and I will be here if you need anything, okay?"

"Mmm." Rui nodded. "Thank you, Haru."

Haru chuckled. "Of course."

Although Rui had finally come to a reasonable conclusion on his feelings, he still had no idea what to do with his verdict. Even though Haru had recommended talking with Iku, every time Rui even thought about the subject, his mind would freeze and words would fail to come out of his mouth.

So he began spending more and more of his time in the music clubroom, staring down music sheets, trying to find a reasonable outlet for his pent up frustration. Needless to say, it became more and more common for Yuno to find the green-haired teen napping on or beside the piano, surrounded by scrapped music sheets.

"You've been acting off lately," Yuno said when she woke Rui up one afternoon. "Are you okay?"

Rui bowed his head. "Mmm. I'm fine."

Yuno did not appear to be convinced, but she thankfully did not pry further.

One cloudy afternoon, Rui walked into the clubroom and was surprised to find Yuno already inside. She was perched on the piano bench, strumming her guitar. Behind her, the windows had been opened to allow a cool breeze to waft through the room.

"It looks like it's going to rain," she greeted.

"Because you're here?" Rui asked, half-jokingly.

"Don't call me a rain woman," Yuno chided with a grin. She held out a melodica. "You seem stressed. Blow off some steam with me."

Rui took the instrument. "I don't know how…"

"You can play piano, yeah?" Yuno strummed a chord. "Try something new."

Rui sighed as he sat down in a nearby chair and put the mouthpiece in his mouth. After testing out several melodies together, he set the instrument down and leaned back in his seat.

"Yuno?"

Yuno set her guitar on a stand. "Yeah?"

Rui's smile was soft and gentle. "Thank you."

Yuno grinned in return. "Anytime."

"Ikkun!"

Iku yelped when Reina grabbed his shoulders and leaned against his back. "Reina-chan! Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, sorry!" she laughed. "But I have something you might want to see!"

"Really? What is it?"

Reina swayed back and forth on the balls of her feet. Her periwinkle eyes glimmered with a mischievous look. "You told me the other day you thought Rui was acting kinda off lately, right?"

"I may have mentioned it, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Reina rummaged through her bag. "Well, I was talking to Yuno a second ago, and lookie here!" She pulled out a music sheet and held it out.

Iku stared at the sheet, examining the various music notes and lyrics scattered across the page in slanted manuscript. "I know this is Rui's handwriting," he said, "but what about it?"

"Yuno said he's been scrapping a lot of sheets lately," Reina explained as she turned the paper over. "And, well, after reading what he's written...I think I know why."

Iku stared at the page for a moment, eyes slowly growing wider.

"Well, Ikkun?" Reina's eyes examined his expression expectantly. "What do you think?"

"...Don't steal things from the music room." Iku tightened his grip on the paper. "But thank you."

"Of course!" Reina giggled.

"You look tired," Rui said.

"Ah, well, there's a meet coming up." Iku scratched his head. "I'm not fast enough yet."

"You're doing your best though, right?" Rui asked.

"Of course." Iku yawned. "I didn't expect to be this tired, though."

"Don't overdo it, Ikkun."

"I'll try not to." Iku let out a long sigh. "Ah…I wonder if Shun-san is home yet..?"

"Isn't he usually home?"

"Mmm. But he texted saying he was going somewhere, so maybe…"

A honking sound caught the two's attention in an instant. They turned and watched as a black car drove up to the side of the street. Iku unconsciously stepped in front of Rui and braced his feet. He only relaxed when the window rolled down to reveal a familiar face.

"Are you serious..?" Iku murmured.

"Shun." Rui blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up my lovely children, of course!" Shun chuckled.

Iku shook his head. "I never said anything about—"

"Ikkun is tired, right?" Shun said. "I could feel it from across town!"

"How?! No, wait, don't answer that please…" Iku sighed. "Papa is not going to be happy, you know?"

"What Hajime doesn't know won't hurt him." Shun pointed at the backseat. "Come inside, you two. You've worked hard today. How about some ice cream?"

Rui's eyes lit up in an instant. Shun laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes. Alright. Come on." He turned away to exchange a few words with his driver.

Iku sighed, but opened the car door and ushered Rui inside anyways.

"Thanks Shun," Rui said.

"Of course!" The car began moving. "By the way, Ikkun?"

"Hm?"

Shun's eyes glimmered mysteriously. "I told you long ago to call me Mama, you know?"

Iku stared in disbelief at the white-haired man while Rui giggled into his sleeve.

The moment they got back in the car, Iku leaned over and rested his head on Rui's shoulder. Rui jumped in surprise and looked over to find that Iku was fast asleep.

"Ikkun has worn himself out, it seems," Shun mused, eyes carefully examining the teens in the rearview mirror. "Well, he's been practicing everyday for that meet…"

Rui nodded. "He's working hard."

"Hey, Rui?" Shun's voice was soft, like powdery snow. "Can I ask you something?"

Rui blinked slowly. "What is it, Shun?"

"Take care of Ikkun, okay?" There was something different about Shun's normally playful tone. Something knowing.

Rui pursed his lips and nodded slowly. "I will."

"Good." Shun smiled and looked out the window. "I'm counting on you~"

Time gradually passed, and before Rui knew it, he was standing in a stadium with Iku, adjusting the number attached to the runner's jersey.

"Done." Rui lowered his hands.

"Thanks Rui." Iku shook his hands. "Aw man. Even though I've been here before, I'm still nervous for some reason."

"You'll be okay. Ikkun always does his best."

"I do try."

Rui folded his hands. "I saw Hajime earlier," he said.

"Papa said he would come. But I'm still glad he's here."

"I saw Reina and Yuno too." Rui anxiously look up at the top row, where the two girls were sitting, seemingly preoccupied with Reina's cellphone.

"Really? That's a surprise." Iku looked up at the stands. "Oh, there they are."

Reina jumped up in her seat, grabbed Yuno's arm, and then waved rapidly at the two. Iku laughed anxiously and waved in return.

"They seem excited," Rui noted.

"They do." Iku nodded. "Well, I better go warm up. See you afterwards, okay?"

"Mmm." Rui nodded. "Good luck, Ikkun."

Iku grinned. "Thanks Rui."

Rui waited until Iku had run off towards the field before turning and heading back into the stands. Hajime was scowling at his phone when Rui walked up to him.

"Hajime."

"Hm?" Hajime lifted his head. His gaze softened in an instant. "Rui. Did you come alone?" Rui nodded. "I see." He gestured to the seat beside him.

"Did you take off from work?" Rui asked as he took a seat.

"Just the morning. Enough to watch Iku's race."

Rui smiled softly. "Ikkun's happy you're here."

"Oh?" Hajime grinned. "Well, I hope he does well then."

Rui gazed down at the field. "I know he will."

"Good job, Iku." Hajime gently ruffled Iku's hair.

"I didn't get first," Iku said.

"But you gave it your best effort. That's all that matters." Hajime smiled. "Alright, I need to go now. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Yes, Papa." Iku smiled. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course." Hajime patted Iku's head one last time, nodded at Rui, then left the stadium. Rui turned his attention away from the dark-haired man to look up at Iku.

"Congratulations," Rui said. "Third is really good."

"Thanks, Rui." Iku anxiously fiddled with the straps on his bag.

"Is something wrong?"

Iku shook his head. "Um, Rui? Can I talk to you?"

Rui nodded. "Is something wrong? Ikkun worked hard today, so—"

"It's not about the meet." Iku suddenly grabbed Rui's hands. "I, uh…"

"Ikkun..?"

"I like you, Rui."

The world seemed to stop in a standstill. Rui stared at Iku in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"W-what..?"

"I've, uh…" Iku swallowed. "I've liked you for a while now, Rui. But I wasn't sure how I should tell you. We've known each other for so long, and we're so close. So…I didn't want to ruin our friendship. But I'm now confident enough to say it." Iku's eyes rose to meet with Rui's. "I love you, Rui."

Rui's breath stopped in his throat. Love..?

"I know I'm not perfect. I'm not the smartest, or the fastest, and I don't always place first in races and competitions, but…I will do everything in my power to make you happy, Rui." Iku squeezed Rui's fingers. "I'll do anything to see you smile."

"Ikkun…" Rui gently pulled his hands from Iku's grasp. "I…"

Iku stared at his hands for a moment, then looked away. "Ahh…I went too fast. I'm sorry. I kind of moved without thinking…" His gaze darkened. "It's okay if you don't feel the same, Rui. I—"

"It's not like that." Rui pursed his lips. "I just...I don't like seeing Iku be so negative."

Iku blinked. "Negative..?"

"Ikkun doesn't have to be the best or brightest. He doesn't need to do anything extraordinary or special." Rui hesitantly reached out and placed his hand on Iku's chest. "Ikkun just need to be Ikkun."

"Rui…"

"Ikkun has always been good enough for me," Rui murmured. "He's nice, cool, caring…especially to me." The corners of his lips curled upward. "That's why…you don't need to work to make me happy. You already do just by being here with me." He lifted his head to gaze into umber irises. "Ikkun's always there for me. That's why…that's why I love him too."

Iku's eyes sparkled.

"I love you, Ikkun," Rui whispered. "That's why…please just be yourself. That's more than enough for me."

Iku gently cupped Rui's cheek and smiled. "It's a promise."

Rui's eyes fluttered shut when their lips met.

Reina ducked back around the corner and covered her mouth to hide her squeal. "Finally!" She grinned cheerfully. "They're together! High five, Yuno!"

Yuno raised her hand and clapped it against Reina's. "Do you think Rui knows that we told Iku about the music sheets?"

"Dunno. But if he ever finds out…" Reina watched contently as Rui buried his face in Iku's chest. "I highly doubt he'll get angry."

Yuno giggled. "Yeah. You're right."

"Well!" Reina stretched her hands over her head. "I think we have a happy couple to go congratulate, don't you?"

A wide smile stretched across Yuno's face. "I couldn't agree more."