If Haruki thought Yumiko Nomura wasn't that affectionate before, then man, was he in for a wild ride.
After Kentaro came clean, the woman had started treating Haru as the son-in-law her son had brought home. Which, fair, she wasn't all that wrong... But it didn't stop the Fukuda kid from feeling a little overwhelmed!
The good kind of overwhelmed, naturally.
He wasn't used to being fussed over constantly. The kind of fussing his own mother had over Kentaro, which... oh, it made sense now. At least Maki didn't know that her son and her precious Ken-chan were dating yet. Haruki could only imagine the level of fussiness that'd be unleashed whenever that truth came to light. That is, if she took the whole ordeal well at all. Then there was his dad...
How worrying.
"You're thinking too hard again."
Haruki flinched, eyes sneakily darting over to where a certain bespectacled teenager lay face-up, reading a Mathematics textbook, because it was so like Ginger to read Math and not a novel like a decent human being.
Geez. "How do you even know that?" Haruki honest-to-god did not pout.
"Because we were talking about something, before you decided you'd rather have the conversation in your head," Kentaro deadpanned, though he did finally lift into a sitting position to better focus on the person lounging in front of his computer and lazily pushing himself on the plush rotating chair. He went straight to the point, "So, what's got you all mopey?"
"I don't do mopey."
Kentaro didn't even try sounding sarcastic, tone coming out as flat as possible. "Mm-hm, so what's got you all happy-like?"
His comment did prompt a tiny smile out of the other, though it was short-lived, overshadowed by that pensive look again as it grew a little sadder. It seemed to be a constant these days, and sometimes Haruki didn't even realize when he was doing it.
"You know," he gave a little shrug, making it seem like his words weren't really a big deal when they in fact were. "Just feeling like the coward that I am, what else is knew?"
"Haru..."
"It's just," the older teen's gaze shifted to the door in the general direction of the kitchen, "Auntie's taking this so well and she's so sweet about it, that most times I feel like it'd just be easy to confess to Mom and Dad too. But then I go home and try doing so only to freeze. How even the fuck...?"
"Hey, no one said it was going to easy."
Haruki snorted with a mutter, "Oh, trust me, those forums scared me plenty."
Well this wouldn't do. Once this guy started spiraling, it'd go south fast. With this in mind, Ginger set his textbook aside and stood from the bed, stretching his arms. "Come on, let's head out."
Haruki looked like he wanted to fuse with the chair, but Ken wasn't having it, resolutely grabbing a hold of the other's wrists and pulling him to his feet.
"Just for a little walk. Get some fresh air."
"Racing could be fresh air."
Kentaro chuckled at the suggestion of video games and shook his head. "No."
"Wow. It must be bad if you're even refusing me," Haruki dramatically sighed, finally relenting.
They padded down the halls and past the lounge, where Yumiko currently sat with a mug of... something in hand and engrossed in a conversation with the woman Haruki had come to learn as Aunt Izumi. They'd been at it since before Haruki arrived about an hour ago, and naturally he'd been formally introduced and teased until his face looked like it'd catch fire.
These people didn't waste time at all.
"We're heading out for a while, just around the area," Ginger let her know, only moving to join Haruki at the front door once he'd received a vaguely suspiciously-sounding, "Have fun you two," accompanied by a few chuckles from both women that didn't have the older teen questioning whatever that meant. Nope.
"You ever get the feeling that she constantly suspects that we're up to no good?" Haru couldn't help himself after all.
Kentaro snickered with a shrug. "I'm sure she doesn't. Probably," at the other's look of pure mortification he quickly amended. "We're fine."
"Right," Haruki gave up, hands easily finding their perch in the pockets of his grey shorts as they turned to the sidewalk. "And where exactly are we going?"
"The park."
That brought mild surprise to the older teen's face. "Our park?"
Kentaro smiled, nodding with a hum.
They hadn't been to that place for so long. Not since... when was it? Probably since their second year in middle school. And even then, they'd stopped occasionally visiting it since they had more than enough distractions at home.
A walk to the park did currently sound nice though.
Kentaro brought up random topics on the way there, anything to take Haruki's mind off of whatever had been bothering him earlier. He mentioned school and how their club director was organizing a trip for them, which the photography club members would be involved in as well. He teased Haruki's questionable taste in choosing his frames, claiming that they made his face look longer, and earning a few indignant quips from the perpetrator. Ginger talked about always wanting a pet, preferably a dog, claiming that his knowledge of taking care of them was better than Haruki's. Which just, no.
"You do realized that I was raised surrounded by dogs, don't you? There's no way you know more than me," Haruki smirked in open challenge.
"That was a long time ago," Ken rebutted.
"Says you, who only knew Peach and Spot for a week when you were like... five. The hell?"
Kentaro suppressed the urge to look playfully condescending, "You forget my memory is far superior to yours, Rue-chan."
"Don't even start with that," Haruki cringed with a shudder, cursing out his mother for letting that embarrassing name slip in the past.
"I don't think the person who decided 'Ginger' would be a fitting name for anyone should have complaining rights," Kentaro stated matter-of-factly.
A hand flew to Haru's chest, over his heart, as he feigned hurt. "You said you loved that name."
Kentaro snorted, "No, I did not. I just got used to it."
"Is this something we should seriously talk about? Will it affect our relationship, dear?"
"You're impossible," the redhead shook his head with a fond smile. They reached their destination soon after, strolling purposefully into the park's entrance.
Haruki recognized the spot they were headed to and let his gaze wander. "It's as if as soon as they realized we wouldn't be coming much, they decided to upgrade the place," he remarked, whistling.
"Despite what you might think, not everyone has a personal vendetta against you, Haru." Ginger was beginning to feel like shaking his head would be his default setting when it came to the guy beside him.
On this uneventful Sunday afternoon, more people were hanging around the park, having picnics, family outings, or just relaxing. The park looked bigger and greener, with a few new props here and there. Haruki was pretty sure that set of red swings in the far left corner wasn't there the last time he visited.
He almost didn't expect the area around their legendary tree to be unoccupied at this time of day, but he was pleasantly surprised to find it empty, giving him a strange sense of deja vu.
"Looks like they got rid of the swing," Haru commented the closer they approached their tree. "Too bad."
"Is it?" Ginger found nothing wrong with it.
"Mm, had too much sentimental value, y'know?" Haruki huffed 'defeatedly'.
Kentaro could never take this drama king seriously, so he just indulged him. "How tragic. Is there at least a story to it?"
"Well, you see. It's where I met this strange ghost kid," his words earned a surprised chuckle from the redhead, prompting a huge grin on his own face. Rounding the thick tree, Haruki searched for a particular spot before raising both hands to form a make-shift camera with his fingers, "Right about... way up there."
Kentaro stood next to him, eyes also landing on the thick branch Haruki apparently meant. He squinted a little, genuine confusion washing over his face as he mumbled, "Huh. It actually looks pretty high up now that I think about it."
And of course Haruki had to hear that. "Oh, so now you're scared of heights. Could've used that kind of mentality three years ago."
"I never said I was afraid," Kentaro gave the other boy a self-satisfied grin. "You've gotta admit, a jump from that height was kind of badass. Especially considering how shrimpy I was."
Haruki gave him an incredulous stare. "Are we remembering the same event differently?"
"Now that I think about it," Ginger's eyes moved from Haruki to the tree, then back to Haruki again, and somehow the older teen already knew no good would come out of that mouth. "Did you grow at all?"
"Oh, fuck off," Haruki shoved him away, though his words and actions lacked any real heat behind them as he grin in fond exasperation. "Will you ever let that go?"
"The height thing? Never."
"Whatever man," the older teen moved to find himself where to perch under the tree with both knees raised, leaning against the thick trunk as he dusted of his hands. His eyes wandered above himself as Ginger walked over to join him. "This thing looks even bigger now. Or is it just that we haven't been here in a while."
A sound had barely escaped the redhead's lips when Haruki interrupted him instantly.
"This just might be your final resting place if you mention a thing about my height again."
Kentaro intelligently kept his lips sealed.
And so the boys sat there, shoulder to shoulder, enjoying the comfortable silence that came with years of friendship and a whole load of complications in between. Honestly, some of the events that had transpired felt like a fever dream to Haruki. The idea that Kentaro might not have been there at all seemed like a remote possibility. If it hadn't been for...
"So," he started, his dark eyes wandering over to the swaying leaves at his upper right before settling on a passing multi-colored butterfly. "Mom mentioned that we'll be heading to Kyoto for summer vacation. Apparently, Grandma isn't up for another year of nonsense, as Mom finally threw in the towel, whatever that means."
Kentaro nodded in understanding, his gaze also drawn to the nature surrounding them.
The older boy snorted, "Well, that's an unexpectedly tame response."
"Huh?" Ginger snapped over to face him, looking a little confused.
"We'll be in Kyoto during summer vacation," Haruki reiterated, still not meeting his gaze.
Kentaro, already puzzled, didn't quite grasp the response the other boy was looking for. "Oh, um... Have a good time?"
This time, Haruki turned to him, looking utterly perplexed. Then, after composing himself, he raised a finger and pointed it at Ginger. "We'll," he shifted the finger, pointing at himself as he repeated for the third time, "be in Kyoto during summer vacation." With that, Haru regarded Kentaro as if he were particularly slow.
"Oh," comprehension slowly dawned on Ginger before, in the next moment, his eyes became saucers. "Huh???"
"You didn't know that? I thought your mom told you."
"No, she didn't—" he trailed off, pondered for a moment, and then looked even more bemused. "Wait, I think she did."
Yumiko had mentioned something along those lines in passing a few days ago, but he suspected his brain had automatically tuned out the rest as soon as he'd learned that Haruki wouldn't be spending the holiday in Ichihara.
"What happened to that good memory of yours?" Haruki seized the opportunity.
"It's different," Ginger grumbled, avoiding that amused dark gaze.
Haruki didn't tease him too harshly, as his mind was preoccupied with something else. So, instead, he shifted his focus back to nature. Although he appeared composed, the way his hands started fidgeting on his raised knees betrayed his nervous energy.
Not sounding as assured, he asked, "You ready for that?"
Kentaro, without needing clarification, kept his on the greenery ahead. "Are you?"
"Nope," the older teen shook his head with a forced chuckle. "Not only to I have to face my parents on this, I suddenly have to get ready to face my entire ancestry. Summer vacation is still a little over a month away, yet I already feel like I have a headache. I don't even think I know how I'll broach the subject."
Kentaro simply hummed, realizing that his advice would either be futile or would only add to the other boy's anxiety.
"I'll get over it, I'm sure."
"Mm, I know you will."
This time, Haruki looked at him, a more genuine smile on his lips. "Are you now an expert on 'Haruki'?"
"Haven't I always been?" Kentaro's own smirk was a little smug.
**
They ended up spending a good two hours at that spot, effortlessly bouncing between topics. They even delved into how they thought their lives might have turned out if they hadn't met there, or if Haruki had genuinely believed Ginger was a ghost and had bolted without looking back.
"I probably would've come back, though," the older teen argued from his place on Ginger's lap, earning a skeptical look from above, indicating just how unconvinced the younger boy was of that supposed 'truth'. "No, seriously. I'd have come back, maybe after a few days, to confirm if I was hallucinating or not."
"Your survival instincts were at an all time high. I could tell you wanted nothing to do with this place anymore," the redhead scoffed. "Would've never seen you again if I didn't have those pebbles on me."
Haruki puffed a snicker. "Did people ever investigate the mysterious flying objects pelting them in the end? You were such a brat, Ginger."
"The things I'd seen," Kentaro lamented, shaking his head with a grimace, as if recalling an especially unpleasant memory. "People have no sense of privacy, I swear," he grumbled.
Haruki pondered for a moment before a mischievous grin spread across his face. "What could have traumatized a twelve-year-old Ginger then? Don't tell me you saw people kissing and freaked out."
"Not that," Ginger avoided his gaze, face becoming suspiciously red. His voice was even lower as he continued to mumble his grievances. "They were getting all handsy too. And this was my chill spot. I didn't always carry those stones in the beginning."
"Oh, you poor thing," Haruki's amused laughter was anything but sympathetic as he straightened to sit properly, wiping his eyes. "You saw it all, how scandalous."
"No, I didn't," he insisted, though the color of his face did little to support his claim. "I think I snapped off a small branch or something. Aimed it right at the guy's head. Went wild after that."
Haruki didn't hold back on the teasing, and he wished he'd been there at the time to see it. A red-faced twelve-year-old Ginger running home and never looking back after being traumatized by strangers in a park. No wonder he was so vengefully prepared when he found the courage to return, arming himself with tiny pebbles.
Haru didn't notice when exactly Ginger's gaze finally returned to him, only that when he looked over, Kentaro was watching him fondly through those slightly-tinted lenses, head propped in the arm resting on his raised knee.
"What?" Haruki's laughter subsided, but his face still beamed as he teased. "You're staring at me all strange-like."
"I'm always looking at you all strange-like," Ginger huffed, rolling of his eyes. He didn't allow Haru to voice his snarky retort, closing their distance to give his boyfriend a quick but soft peck on the lips, rendering the other person momentarily speechless. "Only this time it's actually fond."
Haruki stared at him as if he had done something utterly unfathomable, which made Kentaro snicker as he stood up in preparation to leave. Blinking out of his stupor, he squeaked, "You... You're not honoring tiny, traumatized Ginger's memory at all!"
The perpetrator laughed with a shrug and turned to walk away, "What can I say? I'm not gonna not kiss my boyfriend when he's looking cute. Younger spirits be damned."
Haruki scrambled after him, fighting to keep his face from turning too red as he grumbled, "I wasn't even ready just then. You're always like this."
"I'm sorry, I'll give you a heads-up next time," Ginger pacified, though he knew Haruki hadn't taken it to heart. He was more surprised when Haruki sidled up to him, grabbed his hand, and intertwined their fingers with a casual flair.
Kentaro's amused gaze shifted from their hands to their surroundings, then back to Haruki, a small careful smile on his lips. "You sure about this?"
"In case you forgot, I'm the one who actually asked to date you," the older teen teased warmly. His dark brown eyes met grey crystals. "This okay?"
Ginger squeezed his hand once before focusing on the road. "More than."
*
"Oh, I just remembered," Haruki suddenly brought up casually as they neared the Nomura residence, which certainly had his boyfriend's curious attention on him. "We're gonna have to tell Matsui and Shimoda about us."
Kentaro actually screeched to a halt, expression mortified, which earned a laugh from the older teen. "We do?"
"Of course we do, Ginger," Haruki shook his head with a grin, pulling his hand and encouraging him to walk again. "It'd be evil of us not to. I'm sure Takumi would have my head for that."
Kentaro looked a little uncertain, and Haruki understood why. Tadashi and Takumi were their long-time friends, and they were even planning on coming to spend the final week of summer vacation in Ichihara. Haruki planned on telling them as soon as they all got together, since it didn't feel right doing it over the phone.
"Best to just get it out of the way."
Kentaro's gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before he too looked ahead and smiled, adding a slight swing to their connected arms. "And if they freak out?"
"Then that's that. Can't really change people's minds unless they want to be changed," Haruki remarked with a shrug, sounding a lot more confident than he had been feeling for the past few days.
Being with Ginger, in any form of relationship, hadn't always been easy, but he'd be damned if a few biased opinions stopped him from taking the leap. Not after all those arguments, misunderstandings, and pining for the guy. He just hoped he wouldn't be in a position to choose one thing or the next.
This wasn't some cheesy teen-romance flick after all...
Or maybe it was. Just a little bit.
~(End of main story.)