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At age four, Nakamura picked up his first book.
It’d been sitting on his mom’s workshop bench. She had him in her lap. When he pulled the book to himself, she softly brushed the bangs out of his face.
“Okuto,” She had said, opening the book in his lap. “Research is one of the most important things we have in the world. People overlook it, but without research, we wouldn’t understand the world the way we do now.”
Growing up, Nakamura learned all about the world of research from her. There were all sorts of things to study - creatures, geography, weaponry, everything - a vast amount of knowledge that built up their kingdom. He loved picking up books and learning.
He decided to keep dedicating himself to research.
Then, one month ago, at age sixteen, the kingdom presented an opportunity of a lifetime: The Researcher’s Competition. Anyone in the kingdom could participate. If they were accepted to compete, they would present a project to a committee. The winner would stay in the castle and work in the royal archives.
Working in the castle guaranteed a person and their family being set for the rest of their life. And they got to work in the royal library.
Nakamura worked endlessly to put together a portfolio of various notes and sketches, years of research put into the application.
A few weeks later, Nakamura held a letter. His name was written in gold ink. He’d gently opened it: Congratulations! We would like to formally invite you for The Researcher’s Competition! Below, you will find information about…
He doesn’t think his mom or younger sister ever hugged him tighter.
Nakamura arrives with two suitcases and a nervous heartbeat to his name, standing at the castle entrance. The castle is huge. The pillars rise into the sky, shadows stretching across the stone path. Freshly cut grass spreads out on either side of it.
He clutches his suitcase handles a little tighter.
“Welcome, sir,” A castle servant stands by the entrance, bowing. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. Please follow me to your room.”
“Oh, uh, thank you.” Nakamura says with a small smile.
The velvet red carpet softens under him. He hesitates before stepping onto it again, glancing down at his beat‑up boots. He winces. It feels like he’s ruining something nice.
The air inside is cool. Every wall is covered in paintings framed in some type of gold with portraits of beautiful landscapes. The gold catches the sunlight pouring through tall windows.
Nakamura lowers his gaze, clutching the handles of his suitcases tighter. He feels like he’s trespassing in some type of dream. It’s unbelievable that all of this was real.
They arrive at a brown door. “Here we are,” the servant says, giving another bow. “Please let me know if there is anything more I can do for you. There will be an orientation in the royal library in one hour.”
“Thank you,”
He sets down a suitcase to open the door. The room is spacious and clean. There’s a polished wooden desk by a window and a neatly made bed with nice white sheets.
It’s more than he’s ever had or expected.
He steps inside, sets his suitcases down, and closes the door behind him.
For the first time since arriving, he lets himself breathe, sitting on the edge of his new bed. It has a slight bounce under his weight. The sheets are soft under his touch - way softer than his bed at home. He’s also relieved to finally have his own room instead of sharing with his younger sister.
He still couldn’t believe he was here. The place was so much more than he could’ve imagined it. No amount of research could’ve prepared him for it. This was amazing.
The royal library. It’s only the place he’s dreamed of visiting since he was a child.
“Okay,” he says, breathing in. “I’ve definitely got this… right?”
He was wrong. He feels way too out of place for this.
After many wrong turns into random stairways and corners, he finally made it to the royal library. It was beautiful. Tall, arched windows brighten the room with warm light. The shelves were stretched up toward the ceiling with all sorts of books in rich colors. The familiar scent of old paper was all around him.
He stands there, admiring everything, until he locks eyes to the center of the room. They’re all already there.
The participants, about fifteen in total, seem varied in everything - age, gender, height, posture, clothing. Most wore fine, silky robes and embroidered coats. He thumbs the hem of his brown tunic, faded from years of washing. His dark green vest had a few missing buttons. His trousers were plain and tucked into his scuffed leather boots with worn soles. His satchel strap crossed his chest, patched in two places from his sister, overflowing with notebooks, pencils, and papers.
Nakamura tried to look presentable, too, with combed hair.
Heat rushes to his face as he stiffly moves, nearly tripping over his feet to join.
A few participants glance at him before turning back to an older man standing in front. He’s definitely important, but he must’ve missed the introduction.
“Now that everyone has arrived, let us get started.”
Despite feeling so out of place, Nakamura was excited.
The orientation explained a lot about the competition. It had more details than the initial letter did.
The biggest thing was the research project. He needed to come up with an idea to present to a committee of judges in three months. It could be anything he chose.
Apart from that, there were general rules about the castle, like staying out of certain restricted areas. They were allowed to use the library as much as they wanted, which was the most important thing to him.
After the orientation, Nakamura had the best sleep of his life. Royal families had it good. It’d be another dream to borrow the bed and bring it home.
It’s early when he wakes up. The sun is starting to rise from his window. He quickly throws on clothes, swings his satchel over him, and rushes out the room.
He takes some more wrong turns, but Nakamura eventually makes it back to the library.
With shining eyes and no pressure this time, Nakamura wanders in, just as awed as the first time. He walks a little ways away before finding a desk to dump his satchel of supplies.
The books seem endless. There’s subjects on everything he could think of and more. The village’s library had nothing on this. Every page he turned was like touching gold.
He read until his eyes drooped.
Before he knew it, two weeks passed. He was starting to get in the rhythm of everything, becoming his new routine.
Nakamura’s sitting in the library at his usual desk. It’s isolated from anyone else who might be there. Notes and pens are sprawled out on it in organized chaos.
Nothing. He’s got no ideas on what to do.
His research ideas usually came from inspiration. When a townsfolk needed a new way to forge his weapons without a certain type of metal, Nakamura researched ways he could until there was a solution. When his younger sister wanted to learn how to weave clothes from cheap materials, he read and noted as much as he could to help her get started.
But there was nothing driving that passion yet.
He sighs, running a tired hand through his front bangs. Maybe if he read some more, something would click.
Nakamura gets up, walks around, and randomly selects a bookshelf - the astronomy section.
He picks up a thick book. Then another. Then another. He stacks them up until they’re lined up under his eyes.
Nakamura balances the books in his arms, determined. He will find a subject, even if he has to read every book in the library. Astronomy was broad enough where there were many things he could do with it. Maybe if he read up on a variety -
The impact instantly knocks the breath out of him.
He stumbles backward, landing on his lower back. The books tip off the top of his stack and scatter across the carpet with heavy thuds.
“Ah, sorry about that!” A younger boy’s voice says, sounding apologetic.
Nakamura sits up, blinking spots out of his vision. That could’ve gone worse.
He opens his mouth, ready to say something like it’s okay or no big deal -
But the boy’s appearance made him stop. He looked about the same age. He has soft, light brown hair with a few strands sticking out and a tanner skin tone than his. He wears a loose white shirt with rolled up sleeves that expose his forearms, lightly smudged in green spots. The boots are stained with some dirt.
He definitely works in some type of garden.
When he leans down to pick up one of Nakamura’s books, the light catches on the boy’s smile. His heart does something strange.
Nakamura’s brain seems to stop working. He forgot to answer. “Oh - uh, no, I’m the one who’s sorry,” he blurts, scrambling to gather up his books. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“It’s alright,” the boy says, kneeling to help him. “I wasn’t either. I really should’ve been paying more attention.”
It’s quiet for a moment as they’re picking up books.
He sees the boy glance over at him. “Are you one of the participants for the research competition?”
Nakamura nods, throat tight. “Y-yeah! I’m just… trying to find a subject. For research stuff.”
“Well,” the boy says, handing him the last book, “it looks like you’re working hard.”
His cheeks heat up. It seemed like a compliment.
“Do you need any help carrying them back?”
A small guilty feeling eats at him. “That’s alright! Don’t worry about it.”
“You sure?” The boy tilts his head curiously. “I don’t mind.”
“Yup, no problem!” Nakamura exclaims, cheeks still flushed and heart beating faster. His fall suddenly feels so much more embarrassing to look back on. He wants to get out of this as soon as possible.
Nakamura lifts the books from the bottom of the stack with a small grunt. It wobbles for a few seconds before the stack is suddenly lighter.
The boy carries half the stack. He doesn’t seem bothered. “Where’re you working?”
Well. It wouldn’t be the end of the world… as long as he didn’t embarrass himself anymore than he already has. Nakamura internally cringes and leads them back to his desk.
He looks at the mess of his desk and flushes again. He really should’ve cleaned this up.
“Sorry for the mess,” Nakamura apologizes, setting the books on the table. “You can set them here, if that works?”
“No problem,” the boy sets the stack down beside the other one. His eyes seem to move curiously across the table before stopping on one of Nakamura’s open notebooks. He ditches the books and picks one up. “No way, did you make this?”
Nakamura blinks, stepping next to him. He had sketched out the anatomy of a crab with smaller notes and labels surrounding it.
He didn’t really think it was all that special. “Yeah, I did.”
“This is amazing.” The boy flips through more pages.
That notebook was dedicated to marine creatures. Nakamura liked the subject a lot, since they were cute. He thought about making it his project, but he didn’t really have any ideas for a three month project. It was more of a personal interest.
The boy stops at another page and Nakamura leans over.
That one was everything about an octopus. But instead of his meticulous sketches and notes like the other ones, this page is surrounded with hearts and sticky notes stuck all around it about how much he adores it.
Nakamura blushes. He never expected anyone to go through his notes like this.
“That’s so cool. Your favorite’s an octopus, then?” The boy asks, still staring at the notebook.
“Ah, yeah, probably?” Nakamura awkwardly laughs, fingers wringing together. “They’re really interesting creatures. There’s a lot to them.”
The boy closes the notebook, still smiling. It seems softer.
“You can call me Hirose,” he says, offering the notebook back with both hands. “Sorry for snooping through your stuff. It’s really interesting.”
Nakamura blinks. Hirose. In the back of his mind, it sounded a bit familiar, but he couldn’t remember from what exactly. He seemed friendly enough though.
He takes the notebook. “That’s okay. I’m Nakamura.”
Hirose’s smile brightens. “Nice to meet you, Nakamura. I’d love to see more of your research stuff sometime.”
Nakamura’s heart stutters.
“I’ll see you around!”
And then he leaves Nakamura’s designated spot with a small wave.
Nakamura clutches the notebook to his chest. Hirose seems like a nice person. He felt a bit embarrassed about the whole fall and his little… personal-interest drawing, but they seemed to get off to a good start.
Maybe he’ll see him around again.
He ends up seeing him again. It’s the next day and Nakamura’s in the library.
Nakamura’s still locked in on astronomy, head dipped into a book on his desk. Constellations. It was an interesting subject but still not something he was sure about using for the project.
“Whatcha reading today, Nakamura?”
Nakamura jumps. Hirose’s behind him, looking over his shoulder with an innocently curious, questioning look. He’s in a variant of the dirt-stained outfit he wore yesterday. It’s cute.
“O-oh!” Nakamura stutters, trying to bring his composure back. “C-constellations. Stuff like that.”
Hirose leans in, reading some of the words in the book. “That’s so cool.”
Nakamura opens the book wider and moves it so Hirose can see it better. The compliment makes heat rise to his cheeks again. “How, uh, are you doing today?”
“Pretty good,” Hirose says. “Just thought I’d stop by for a few minutes before I had to go. Got any fun research stuff in your notebook today?”
He thought for a second. There were some new entries from the day. Nakamura gently closes the constellation book and reaches over the desk for a leather-bound journal. He flips through it quickly, searching.
His fingers stop on a page. He might like this one. He hesitates before turning the journal toward him.
It’s a sketch of a small finch perched on a branch. The drawing has tiny notes on the side about wing structure and flight patterns.
Hirose’s eyes light up. “Oh wow,” he exclaims. “You made this today?”
Nakamura looks away, rubbing a finger against his pink cheek. “I, uh, saw it out my room window. I… thought it was pretty.”
“Your notes are so detailed too. Man, this is awesome!”
Most of the compliments he got were from his family. His mom taught him everything he knew note-related, like citations and focusing on which topics he wanted to write about. He took inspiration from her notebooks. Then he grew up drawing things he saw for his younger sister, who loved watching him make them and said so.
Hearing this from someone who wasn’t in his family made him smile.
“Thank you, Hirose.” Nakamura messes with one of his front bangs. “That’s - that’s really nice of you to say.”
“Well, it’s true!” Hirose gestures to the whole table. “If I could, I’d definitely make things like this all the time.”
“Why don’t you?”
It slips out before he can stop it. Nakamura backtracks as Hirose looks at him with a questioning look - that probably came off rude.
“I - I mean,” Nakamura flushes, waving his hands. “If - if it’s something you want to do, I mean, I can always help. It’s more like… dedication? I wasn’t really born doing it, just - just more like learned?”
Hirose pauses for a second, growing quiet, and there’s a spur of worry in his chest. Maybe he was being too presumptuous. He didn’t mean to come off rude or entitled.
“I -”
“Really?” Hirose moves up into Nakamura’s space, his face close to his own. “You’d really do that?”
“Um, yeah, I - I don’t mind?” Nakamura feels a sweat breaking out. He’s so close to him.
Hirose steps back with a smile. He slides his hands in his pants pockets. “Sick. I’ll be back tomorrow. Bye, Nakamura!”
Nakamura watches him leave. He presses his palms to his cheeks, heart racing. Hirose seemed really excited.
He couldn’t help but be excited too.
True to his word, Hirose came by the next day. And the next. And the next.
Before he knew it, Hirose stopped by the library everyday for a week. His timing was random. Each day, Hirose stayed longer and longer.
He usually took a chair beside him. He’d pick up one of the stray books on Nakamura’s desk and start reading it. When there was something he liked or didn’t understand, he’d turn to Nakamura with that same cute, questioning look. Then, with a personal notebook he brought, Nakamura would give him advice on what to write or draw in it.
Today, Hirose squinted at the drawing he made before showing Nakamura.
Nakamura couldn’t fight off the smile. It looks like Hirose tried drawing a cat, but the lines were scratchy and lopsided. He’d drawn a smiley face over an erased attempt to draw a realistic one.
“What do you think?” Hirose asks with that innocent expression.
“I… think it looks nice.”
“Dude, I literally drew it with a goofy-ahh face,” Hirose laughs, pulling the notebook away. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Whaaatt?” Nakamura pretends to look around the room. “Nooo.”
Hirose laughs even harder, gently shoving his shoulder with his. Nakamura smiles again.
He’s learned that they share similar humor. Nakamura could feel himself warming up and relaxing with him. He was easy to talk to and laugh with in a way Nakamura wasn’t used to. Usually he kept to himself, but with Hirose, his smile felt easier and talking felt lighter.
And every time Hirose laughed, Nakamura felt his chest warm.
“Hey, Nakamura?”
Hirose’s voice brings him back to reality.
“Is there anything else you like to do? Like, for fun and stuff?”
Nakamura hums, thinking it over. Most of the time, the fun he had was research. He didn’t really do too much outside of it.
“I guess I like to walk around sometimes?” Nakamura says, hoping it doesn’t sound too lame. “Back in my village, there's a nice place in the woods with waterfalls and stuff. I… liked going.”
He did kind of miss it. It was nice to wander in there and look at nature, then feel like he could relax away from the busyness of the workshop and his sister’s nagging about the mess in their room.
Hirose looks like he’s in deep thought. Then he abruptly stands, the chair wobbling back. Nakamura leans back, startled at the sudden moment.
“Come with me?” Hirose asks gently, nodding his head toward the exit.
Nakamura hesitates. He really should keep trying to find a subject for the research project. But it's not like he’s been having any luck after two weeks of constant reading. Maybe a small break would be fine.
“Sure,” Nakamura says, getting out of the wooden chair.
Hirose leads them out. It’s quieter than he expected the walk to be. Hirose seems to know where he’s going with confident steps, completely different from the wrong turns Nakamura kept making his first few days.
It makes Nakamura a bit anxious. Was Hirose mad at him or something? Was he - was he leading him to something like a guillotine?
The thought makes his face drop. He only just met him. Maybe he was being too trusting with someone he met a week ago. He didn’t really carry weapons or anything like that. Would a pencil work?
He starts internally crying. Goodbye cruel world, he thinks, I hope I’m remembered for the cute octopus drawing at least.
Hirose slows as they reach a tall set of glass doors at the end of the corridor. Sunlight spills through them. He pushes the door open with his shoulder. Warm air drifts in and there’s a strong scent of fresh flowers.
Nakamura blinks.
Hirose steps aside, gesturing him forward. “Tada!” he says with a proud smile. “This is where I wanted to take you.”
Nakamura steps through the doorway, breath catching.
They’re standing in a garden. There’s flowers blooming in every color and a narrow stream moves through the centers. Butterflies and other insects move between blossoms.
It’s quiet and nice, like the waterfalls in the woods.
“This is…” he whispers in awe. “Wow.”
Hirose smiles, cheeks looking pinker than usual. “I’ve been keeping up this place for a while now. You said you liked walking in the woods back home with waterfalls and stuff, so I thought maybe you’d like this too.”
Nakamura’s chest tightens, warm and soft and overwhelmed.
He looks at Hirose. The sunlight hits him, making him glow gold. He looks like he belongs here with the flowers and the warm air. There’s a glimmer of sincerity in his eyes.
His heart jumps, then starts racing so fast he’s sure Hirose can hear it.
It all clicks at once. This is what it feels like - the pounding heart, flushing cheeks, thoughts of wanting to be closer - this was what it meant to have feelings for someone.
Nakamura swallows, trying to think of anything to say. “I do like… it,” he says, clearing his throat. “I really do.”
Hirose’s smile brightens. It looks relieved.
Nakamura feels the tension in his shoulders ease.
He didn’t know someone like Hirose existed either. He cared enough to bring him somewhere beautiful just because he thought Nakamura would like it.
“I can show you around.”
Hirose takes his hand, and Nakamura didn’t think his heart could do more than it already was. It stutters then settles as Hirose gently pulls him through the garden. They go along the path, pointing out different flowers and grasses. Nakamura’s able to recognize quite a few of them with their scientific names. Hirose explains how he takes care of them.
Sometimes Nakamura realizes he barely hears the words. He’s too focused on Hirose’s hand and the sunlight in his hair.
But every other thought, an idea starts to unfold. The garden really was cared for. What if there were more things these plants in the garden could do? Medicine, nutrition, things that would improve the kingdom’s well-being?
He looks around again. There’s so much potential here.
For the first time in two weeks, Nakamura feels that spark of excitement. It’s the kind that he’s been looking for, that he was beginning to think he’d never find again.
He squeezes Hirose’s hand without thinking. “I’ve got it!” he says, breathless.
Hirose turns to him immediately, eyes bright and confused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about but awesome!”
Nakamura lets out a small laugh. “My research project.”
“The garden?” Hirose blinks.
Nakamura nods. “There’s a lot of rare ones here. I think they could help people.”
Hirose squeezes his hand back.
The project would be a botanical compendium, focusing on rare plants found in the royal gardens and near the kingdom.
Everyday, for the past two weeks, he’s stopped by the garden. It was open to anyone in the castle, but nobody really knew about it. Hirose spent the most time there, keeping up the plants and decorations.
“The castle gardener taught me how. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Hirose didn’t seem to share much about himself, but from the little Nakamura picked up on, Hirose seemed to have lived in the castle for a long time.
He didn’t want to pry. Maybe he’d been abandoned. It seemed like a sensitive subject.
“Nakamura~” Hirose pokes his cheek. “You keep spacing out.”
Nakamura lightly shakes his head. He looks back down at the plant they're observing, sitting on their knees - a Purvintuicous flower that blooms at night with rich, purple petals. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just thinking. Sorry to worry you.”
“No problem.” Hirose says, looking at the flower too. “Did you hear about today?”
Today? Nakamura draws a blank. What was the date again? He doesn’t really remember the day either. Everything kept getting pushed away to focus on the project.
“There’s some kind of festival thing happening,” Hirose says, shrugging, “I don’t know much about it though - ”
“The lantern festival?!” Nakamura straightens up. “That’s today?”
Hirose blinks, startled by the sudden energy. “I think so?”
Nakamura can’t stop the excitement. The lantern festival happens every year. Vendors from villages everywhere gather in the town area outside the castle. It’d always been too far for Nakamura to go, but he’d heard stories from the townsfolk who did.
“The people in my village talk about it a lot.” Nakamura thumbs the petals of the flower. “I’ve never actually gone though.”
Hirose smiles. “Then we should!”
Nakamura blinks at him. “Really?”
“If you want to. Totally up to you.”
“Yes!” He blurts it out before he can stop it. He turns toward Hirose, too fast, and suddenly their faces are only inches apart. Both of them go pink and they jerk back at the same time. Nakamura quickly tries to recover, turning to look at the flower then back at him. “I - I mean, that could be fun?”
Hirose watches him for a moment. He sees something flickering in his eyes before he stands and brushes off his knees. “Alrighty,” he says. “I’ll meet you by the castle gate in an hour then!”
An hour. He nods, trying to keep his composure. “Okay,” he says, voice small.
Hirose gives him one last smile before heading toward the garden path.
And Nakamura sits there, processing. He was so excited, and he had someone to go with -
Hirose. He and Hirose were going to a festival together.
Like a - like a date?
The thought hits him and his face goes red all the way to his ears. A date? Was it a date? Did Hirose mean it like that? Did he mean it like that?
He only freaked out for a few more minutes there before moving to freak out in his own room.
Trying to pick out an outfit was the worst.
There was no amount of research books that could help him choose a fit for anything like this. His room ended up in a tornado of thrown clothes.
He finally settled on a clean, beige linen shirt and brown trousers. He thinks it matched okay, especially with his only pair of boots.
Nakamura walks to the gate. He was a little earlier than an hour. His mom’s voice rang in his head. Always be early! No son of mine will be late for something he cares about.
He thinks about his late arrival to orientation. Good thing she wasn’t here.
Nakamura spots Hirose before he notices he’s there. Apparently he was early, too.
For a second, he forgets how to breathe. Hirose casually leans against the castle gate, hands in his pockets. He’s wearing a simple dark tunic with rolled sleeves and a light cloak pinned at his shoulder, the outfit matching with his boots.
He looks really good.
Hirose looks up and spots him, smiling. “Nakamura! You’re here!” Hirose exclaims, pushing off the gate. “Ready to go?”
“I - uh, yeah!” he stammers, trying to push down the thoughts. “Yup! Let’s go!”
“Perfect.”
They walk beside each other, leaving the castle grounds. The air is cool around them as the sun drops lower. The sky is beautiful with pinks and oranges.
“So,” Hirose glances over, “I wonder what’ll be like.”
“Y‑yeah, I have no idea,” Nakamura says, trying to focus on not tripping over absolutely nothing. He really didn’t want to embarrass himself here.
Hirose’s smile softens. “I’m glad I get to go with you, Nakamura. This’ll be fun!”
He completely loses any words he could’ve said.
As they get closer to the main area, the distant glow of lanterns begin to shine along the streets. There’s music faintly playing in the air with laughter.
The closer they get, the brighter the lights become, and then the whole place looks like it’s glowing.
Nakamura slows, taking it all in.
Hirose slows with him. “This is so pretty.”
“Yeah,” Nakamura looks around. “It’s amazing.”
Then, without hesitation, Hirose reaches over and intertwines their hands. “Come on,” Hirose says, tugging him gently. “Let’s go over here!”
Nakamura lets himself be pulled, his feet moving on instinct while his mind is stuck on Hirose’s hand holding his. He shyly squeezes back and Hirose’s fingers tighten in return. This felt like a dream.
They weave through the glowing streets together. The crowds are massive with people from neighboring kingdoms gathering in one place.
The booths seem to go on forever with food and crafts. They both drag each other to different ones. Hirose tugs him toward anything with bright colors and Nakamura tugs him toward anything handmade.
They wander for what feels like hours, laughing, pointing things out and getting distracted every few steps.
Then Hirose suddenly lets go of his hand.
“I’ll be right back. Meet you here in a few minutes!”
Before Nakamura can ask where he’s going, Hirose already disappears through the crowd.
And just like that, Nakamura’s alone.
He stands there for a moment, watching the spot where Hirose left him with the fading warmth of his hand. He has no idea what to do with himself now.
Nakamura glances around the booths again. He really didn’t want to get washed away in the crowds and lose the meeting spot either, so he shouldn’t go too far.
He goes to the nearest booth just to browse while he waits. It’s a small display of flower crowns. They’re woven from petals and green leaves.
His eyes lazily browse around until one on display catches his eye. It’s made of soft pink meadows and warm yellow sunblossoms.
Hirose would look really nice with it.
He picks it up. It’s light and soft in his hands.
He swallows hard, debating it. Then he approaches the booth owner. “Excuse me. How much is this one?”
With a little paper bag clutched in both hands, Nakamura reaches their meeting spot again. It’s a simple gift - a festival thing that people bought stuff from all the time.
But his palms are sweaty, and every time he thinks about actually giving it to Hirose, his stomach flips.
He shifts the bag just as Hirose arrives at the same time, waving with a bright smile.
“Nakamura!” Hirose calls out, coming through the crowd toward him.
Nakamura straightens so fast he almost drops the bag. “H‑hey!” he says.
Hirose stops in front of him, slightly out of breath. “Sorry for the wait! I didn’t mean to take so long.”
“It’s fine,” Nakamura says quickly. “I wasn’t waiting long. I mean - I was waiting for a bit, but not like waiting-waiting? I didn’t mind.”
Hirose laughs. “Yeah, that makes sense. What’d you get?”
Nakamura realizes he’s talking about the bag. “Oh, uh, just festival stuff! Nothing much! Like souvenirs and - like other… stuff.”
Hirose holds out his own bag. “Nice! I got some stuff, too. I’ll show you later.”
They go around more booths until the sun starts to set.
After a while, the two decide to settle down. They sit at a nearby bench, watching the darkening sky and the people passing through the market.
Hirose leans back on the bench, breathing out and closing his eyes.
“You okay?” Nakamura asks, peering over at him.
Hirose tiredly smiles. “Yeah, I’m alright. I’ve never really been to anything like this so I think I’m just feeling a bit tired from all the people.”
Nakamura felt the exact same way. He’s lost a lot of energy being around people for too long. “I feel that.”
They sit in a nice quiet. There’s a mom and daughter going around, laughing. Then another family, carrying their children on their shoulders, and a couple passing by.
The festival’s really nice. He’s so glad he got to go. It’s even better than the stories he heard from the village.
“Nakamura?”
He looks over. Hirose is staring down at him, bangs falling over his eyes with bright, pink cheeks. He suddenly thrusts a small bag toward Nakamura.
“This is for you!” he blurts out.
Nakamura blinks. “For… me?”
Hirose’s face changes in a way he’s never really seen. It wasn’t exactly embarrassment, but also not the confidence he saw him walking the castle halls with. It looked more… vulnerable. “I saw it and it reminded me of you. So. You can open it if you want.”
For me? Nakamura takes the bag gently. His heart’s pounding so loudly he’s sure Hirose can hear it this time. Hirose got him something? That… that was so nice of him.
He opens the bag, peeking inside. Something small sits at the bottom, wrapped in soft paper.
When he pulls it out and unwraps it, he can tell it’s hand‑carved with the tiny dents and the uneven edges. It’s curved and shaped with a round head, eight stubby legs, and two carved eyes.
A little wooden octopus.
He looks up at Hirose with a numb feeling. “You… got this for me?”
Hirose nods, still pink. He bites his cheek, looking away. “Do you like it?”
Nakamura curls his fingers around the little octopus, holding it close and seeing the minute details.“It’s - ” His voice cracks. He feels a weird rush of heat in his eyes that he blinks back, clearing his throat. “I love it. Thank you so much.”
Hirose finally meets his eyes. “That’s - that’s good. I’m glad.”
“I, uh,” Nakamura starts, bringing his own bag close to him. “I actually got you something, too.”
He gives it to Hirose, his heart picking up the pace again. This was it. He hoped it wouldn’t be weird.
Hirose’s eyes widen. “Really?”
Nakamura holds the bag out with both hands. “Yeah. I’m, uh, not sure you’ll like it though.”
Hirose hesitates for a second. Then he reaches out.
Their fingers brush. Hirose quickly takes the bag, holding it in his lap. His hands hover over it. “It’s okay if I open it?”
“Yeah,” Nakamura’s heart keeps pounding. “Of - of course.”
Hirose lifts the bag, peeking inside. When he pulls the crown out, the lantern light near them catches on the pink and yellow petals.
He just stares at it and Nakamura panics. “I - I’m not exactly sure if it’s your type of thing but I guess like with the flowers, with the garden, and - and also the vibe? The vibe fit yours a lot I think and I thought of you - like - ” Nakamura puts his hands together, trying to keep them from shaking. “Sorry. I can always take it back.”
Hirose shakes his head. “No,” he says, voice soft but firm. “It’s pretty,” he murmurs. “Nobody’s really given me something like this before.”
Hirose lifts the crown up. For a moment, he turns it, looking at it from every angle. Then he lifts it the rest of the way and gently puts it on his head.
There’s a word to describe the way he looks - it takes him a second to think of it -
Ethereal.
Hirose adjusts the crown, trying to center it. “Does it look okay?”
The answer slips without thinking. “You’re perfect.”
They both freeze. Hirose’s ears immediately go red, as bright as the lantern. Nakamura feels heat rush up his own neck and panic rising in his chest.
“It’s!” Nakamura blurts, laughing awkwardly, waving his hands. “It’s perfect! Looks great! The crown, I mean, not - I mean, like, you look - it looks -”
Hirose's laugh stops Nakamura’s rambling. “It’s alright, I think I know what you mean. Thank you,” he says softly. “I really like it.”
“I-It’s no problem at all!” Nakamura quickly picks at a strand of his bangs. “I should be the one thanking you. For - for the gift and being…” His mind jumps, hoping it wouldn’t be too forward. “...being a close friend.”
He thought he’d seen every smile from Hirose, but this one shines more than any other. He places his palms on the bench, leaning on them toward Nakamura, who looks right into his beaming eyes. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Nakamura.”
He didn’t think Hirose thought of them as anything more than acquaintances.
Nakamura goes to say something - maybe that he’s grateful that he met someone as kind as Hirose -
But Hirose’s expression suddenly flickers and shifts. He pulls back, looking away with slow, lowering shoulders.
This was something he’d truly never seen before. Hirose’s always had a brightness around him. Now it dims, a frown growing on him. Maybe he’d forgotten something or he was thinking of a bad memory.
“Hirose?” Nakamura worriedly asks, hesitating. “Are you okay?”
Hirose’s quiet. He looks down, smoothing out a wrinkle in his pants. “There’s… there’s something I should tell you.”
Nakamura shifts closer without thinking, hands curling nervously in his lap. He wants to reach out, maybe to touch Hirose’s sleeve or something, but he doesn’t know if he should.
He still leans in, careful with his words as he tries to figure out how to approach this. “What is it?” he asks, softer now.
Hirose’s shoulders rise with a shaky breath. He still won’t look up. His fingers tremble slightly as they keep trying to smooth that same wrinkle. “I…” Hirose starts, then stops again. “I think you’ll see me differently.”
Nakamura’s chest tightens. “I won’t,” he says immediately, blunt and honest. “I promise.”
Hirose finally lifts his head just a little, enough for Nakamura to read the sadness. “It’s about who I am,” he says, closing his eyes. “It’s - it’s - ”
Boom!
The sound cracks through the air. They both flinch, looking toward the sky. Fireworks explode, colors bursting in the night above the festival.
For a moment, everything is consumed with brightness and noise. Nakamura looks in awe.
He looks over at Hirose, whose expression has changed. He looks at the fireworks in the same awe.
“Hirose?” Nakamura says. He didn’t want the fireworks to take away from what Hirose wanted to tell him. It seemed like it meant a lot to him.
Hirose keeps looking at the fireworks with a tighter smile. His eyes don’t meet it. “Let’s talk about it some other time.”
The brightness around them keeps exploding warm and loud.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Nakamura says gently, glancing back up at the sky then at him again. “Just… if you want to, you can.”
Hirose’s eyes flicker at him. “I’ll tell you sometime. Promise.”
Another firework bursts, lighting up gold across Hirose’s hair and the pink‑and‑yellow petals of the flower crown. Nakamura offers a small smile. “Okay.”
Hirose exhales, shoulders relaxing. It makes Nakamura relax too. The anxiousness didn’t go away, but it was Hirose’s choice on when to tell him whatever was on his mind, even if the curiosity was picking at him.
Hirose shifts. It’s small at first - his shoulder brushing Nakamura’s. Then he leans closer until the side of his head rests on Nakamura’s shoulder.
Nakamura goes still.
A few moments pass as he debates the option in his head. Then he decides to go for it.
He carefully maneuvers his arm to wrap over his shoulders, closely watching to see if Hirose wanted him to stop. He didn’t want to overstep. He patiently lets it sit for a moment before he brings Hirose closer to him.
Hirose melts into the touch.
Before he knew it, the day of the competition came.
The castle courtyard was completely transformed for it. There were long tables in rows, each one with a tablecloth and a card with each competitor’s name. Beyond those, judges in blue, embroidered robes moved between the tables with clipboards. There were spectators along the edges of the area, excitedly speaking with each other.
Nakamura stands rigid at his assigned table, taking it all in. He’d already set his table up, arranged with books, drawings, notes - he hoped it was presentable enough.
He scans back into the crowd. There was one familiar face he still hasn’t seen yet.
The night before, he’d been in the garden with Hirose. Hirose had looked through everything he was going to present.
“This is amazing, Nakamura.” Hirose said in disbelief. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Thank you.” Nakamura said. He was thankful, but Hirose was also nice. Was he just saying it? He wasn’t sure if he was being honest.
The anxiety of the competition tightened his chest. He was worried it wasn’t good enough or he’d mess it up or -
“Nakamura,” Hirose had said, placing down his book of research. He took both of Nakamura’s hands in his, squeezing them. “You’re going to do great. I’ll… even be there to cheer you on.”
“You will?” Nakamura smiled, the heaviness lightening up. If Hirose was there, at least he’d have someone who was confident in his research.
There was another tight smile for a second before Hirose looked down at their hands. “Yeah. I’ll try.”
But he couldn’t seem to spot him in the crowd.
He rubs his fingers in the oversized sleeves of the black and gold robes the royal court provided participants. He said he’d try. If he wasn’t able to make it, that was okay. It was too far for his mom and sister to come, too. He understood.
Nakamura could do this. It was only… everything he dreamed since he was a kid. No pressure.
“Hello, everyone!” An older man’s voice spoke. He recognized him from orientation a few months ago. He was dressed in a red robe compared to the blue ones. The courtyard quiets. “We will now begin the competition. First, I would like to thank the royal family for coming.”
The man gestures to a further part of the courtyard. Under a tent, the queen and king sit. The princess is next to them. It’s hard to see them, but he’s able to spot the empty spot beside her.
Even the royal family was here? Nakamura’s palms gather more sweat. Would he really be able to handle this?
“The assigned judges will be coming around the tables to observe and ask questions. Let us begin!”
The crowd erupts into a loud cheer. Nakamura swallows, scanning the crowd one more time. Still no Hirose. There’s a slight defeated feeling in his shoulders, but he breathes it in. That’s okay. Maybe something came up.
He fixes up his posture as the judges move down the line of tables. They all have a stern, sophisticated look to them. It makes Nakamura’s skin crawl.
One judge approaches his table. He looks younger than some of the other judges. There’s already a scowl on him as he comes up. It makes his stomach twist, but he tries not to take it personally.
The judge’s eyes flicker over Nakamura’s display. “Describe your research.”
Nakamura briefly nods. “Yessir,” he starts. “My - my research is a botanical compendium and the additional materials are about rare plants from the royal gardens and surrounding areas.” He tries to keep his voice steady.
His passion overcomes the pressure in his chest. “I - I documented the species’ with drawings for visual representation and recorded their growth patterns over the last three months. There are notes on their different uses for medicines and theories on what they could be tested for and additional information.”
The judge looks over the materials on the table - pots of flowers, papers with his drawings, and notebooks filled with months of writing.
Nakamura bows. “I would be more than happy to answer any questions.”
He thinks he did pretty good. He didn’t want to overexplain in case the judge already had prior knowledge in the area, but he’d jump in to explain it if needed. The words came out steady enough. He lets himself feel some pride.
The judge picks up one of the small pots, still with a scowl. “Your explanation was adequate, especially for your age.”
Nakamura forces down a smile, the pride swelling stronger. “Thank you, sir.”
The judge’s eyes flicker over the display again. He places down the pot he has then reaches for the biggest one. The flower blooms a crimson red. It helps in healing major high-grade sicknesses, which is why he dedicated so much time to it.
He lifts it off the table and tilts it. “Tell me,” he says, “how did you manage the soil for this?”
Nakamura opens his mouth, the answer forming in his mind -
The judge suddenly shifts his grip.
The pot slips dangerously and Nakamura’s instincts kick in. He’s reaching out to catch it, feeling it under the tips of his fingers -
But the judge blocks his arm.
The pot crashes back on the table, hitting the edge of a large glass jar with a honey concoction, tipping over. Nakamura tries to catch it.
It shatters on the impact. A shard slices across the palm of hand, burning pain shooting up his arm. He lets out a sharp gasp.
The judge straightens. “You really should handle your materials with more precision.”
Nakamura's breath shakes. “What - why - ”
He staggers back away from the table as the judge steps toward him, expression unreadable. Warning bells signal over the ringing in his ears.
Nakamura’s vision blurs. He tries to steady himself, but the world tilts. This didn’t feel real. He couldn’t understand what was happening.
“Nakamura!”
He hears the voice over the ringing. He blinks, trying to clear up his vision.
The only thing he sees is the judge lifting a hand toward him before his vision’s blocked by a blur of white.
The smooth coat is long, draped and flowing. Gold embroidery traces the edges in patterns of vines and suns, glowing. The boots are white leather lined in matching gold.
Nakamura steadies his vision. He meets Hirose’s eyes which are looking over his shoulder.
They’re narrowed, glaring with a fierceness he’s never seen from him before.
Nakamura sees the glimmer of a sword pulled out, shining in the sun. Hirose wields it in front of him, holding it between him and the judge.
Hirose turns back to the judge. His voice is low, dripping with spite. “I suggest you back down now, Victavin.”
“Your - your highness!”
Nakamura’s breath stops.
“The castle gardener taught me how. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
“...I’ve never really been to anything like this so I think I’m just feeling a bit tired from all the people.”
“It’s about who I am,”
Hirose. In the back of his mind, it sounded a bit familiar, but he couldn’t remember from what exactly.
The pieces fit.
Hirose wasn’t just someone in the castle who worked in the garden. He was the prince.
For all the research he’s done, the books he’s read his entire life, he thought he wasn’t the dumbest person in the world. But now Nakamura feels like the biggest one for not putting it together sooner.
Hirose raises the sword, pointed in the center of the judge’s chest.
“Leave,” he says, voice cold. “Now.”
Victavin stumbles back, nearly tripping over his blue robes before he runs off.
There’s a tense silence before Hirose elegantly maneuvers his sword back into the hilt. He quickly turns around, facing Nakamura.
The blood trails down the sleeve of his robe. The cut in his palm looks deep - deeper than what he thinks is a good sign.
Hirose quickly takes off his white long coat. He rips a long strip from it. With a hand, he gently rolls up Nakamura’s sleeve, who flinches.
Hirose works quickly, his hands trembling as he wraps the cloth around Nakamura’s cut. “Sorry, sorry,” he murmurs, fingers gentle against the burning sting. “I’ll try to be quick.”
“You’re -”
“I’m sorry.” Hirose cuts in. “I didn’t want you to know like this. I wanted to tell you, but I just - I didn’t want things to change.” He ties a knot, the cloth already soaked through with red but preventing it from spreading anymore than it did. Hirose looks down, eyes squeezing shut. “I’m so sorry, Nakamura.”
His heart aches. There’s a mix of emotions that’s hard to decipher.
He asks the first thing on his mind. “Your name,” Nakamura says softly. “Is it really Hirose? I… thought the prince goes by Aiki.”
Hirose hesitates, then nods, glancing up. “Yeah. It’s my middle name. Outside of the castle, not a lot of people know my face either. My parents… didn’t like me leaving.”
Nakamura hesitates for a moment too, looking over the makeshift bandage. It looks blurry. “Did you… want me to know then? About you being the prince?”
Hirose lets out a small, sad huff. “I thought when I first met you, you already knew since you’d been in the castle, to be honest. I wasn’t trying to - to lie. I just - I genuinely prefer my middle name over my other ones. So I used that.”
He looks away, shoulders slumping. “Then at some point… I realized that you didn’t know. And I also realized how much I liked not feeling like I was a prince with you.” His voice softens to a whisper, turning over Nakamura’s hand. “I was just Hirose.”
There’s a brief pause before he talks again. “I had a lot of fun being with you, Nakamura.” Hirose says, bowing his head. “I also completely understand if you’d like to stop. I should’ve made sure you knew right from the beginning.”
“I…”
It’s everything at once - from the stress of the competition, the drumming pain in his palm, who Hirose is - his mind spirals for a moment. That moment makes everything tilt to the side, knees buckling. Hirose catches him by the shoulder, steadying him.
“Nakamura!”
The ringing in his ears comes back, loud and painful, drowning out Hirose’s voice. He can barely hear anything except the muffled panic from Hirose yelling out to the crowd.
When Hirose’s face comes back into focus, it’s with wide eyes and a palm cupping the side of Nakamura’s face.
He looks scared.
Nakamura hates that look on him.
Since meeting him, he’d always thought Hirose was a light. He thinks about the flower crown on Hirose - the way the light had shone down on him. He thinks about the time Hirose smiled at him in the garden, where the sunlight was catching his hair and the warmness in his voice.
“You said you liked walking in the woods back home with waterfalls and stuff, so I thought maybe you’d like this too.”
He really did believe him. Maybe he was a fool, but from everything they’d been through, Nakamura chose to believe him.
“It’s alright, Hirose,” Nakamura thinks he says. He closes his eyes for a second, leaning into Hirose’s hand. “I still like you.”
He’s not sure how long he’s laying there, but every time he opens his eyes, it’s a different moment.
In one, Hirose’s over him, voice sharp and protective. “Don’t touch him,” he snaps at someone. “Give him space.”
In another, he remembers Hirose’s voice to him. “I’m gonna stay with you. I’ll be right here, I promise.”
The next time he wakes up, he’s in a cot.
It’s still nicer than his bed at home. The blanket over him is warm and comfortable.
Nakamura blinks a few times, trying to adjust to the bright lights. He thought being outside was bad, but maybe this bright white lamp was worse.
He takes a glance at the injury. It’s got a proper bandage now, wrapped professionally. Nothing was seeping through it.
It’s quiet. Except for the faint breathing beside him.
Hirose’s body is leaned forward, the upper half slumped over the edge of the bed. His arms are tucked under his head, eyes closed, breathing steady.
It’s nice to see him. Nakamura places his good hand on Hirose’s head, feeling the soft fluff of his hair.
Reality hit as Hirose stirred. Nakamura yanked his hand away, a flush coming up. He shouldn’t have done that.
Hirose blinks with half-asleep eyes. Cute. Then it was like a switch flipped. Hirose stood up, the chair hitting the floor. “Nakamura!”
“H -” Nakamura starts before Hirose hugs him. He oofs, then smiles, readjusting. “Hey, Hirose.”
Hirose quickly lets go, eyes narrowing at him. “No, wait, I’m mad at you.”
Nakamura’s face falls. That was the last thing he wanted to hear from him. Did he do something wrong?
“I’ve decided we’ll be laying down some rules.” Hirose sits on the edge of the cot. He holds up his index finger. “Number one. You’re no longer allowed to be around anyone. At all.”
Oh. Nakamura cracks a smile. “But I’m around you?”
Hirose rolls his eyes. “Well, except for me.”
“What about my mom? My sister? And -”
“Okay, okay,” Hirose huffs a small laugh. “Some exceptions. Only a few though.”
The tension in the room lifts. Nakamura readjusts himself again, sitting up in the bed. Everything that happened comes back to him.
“How long was I out for?” Nakamura asks, observing the bandage again.
“A few hours. The doctor said it was from stress and the injury.”
Nakamura sheepishly fiddles with a strand of his front bang. “That… makes sense.”
Hirose sighs. “Turns out the judge was working with one of the competitors. The judge was kicked from his position and the competitor was disqualified.”
That made sense. So everything the judge did was on purpose. That… was not a good person.
“I… do have some bad news though.” Hirose hesitates, looking away. “I think - well, it’s…”
“Hold on,” Nakamura interrupts. Hirose glances over, eyes glazed with worry and anxiousness. “First. Just… I’m not - I’m not upset with you about the prince thing.”
Maybe he should be. Maybe everything was all in his head and he was making a terrible mistake.
But he also spent almost three months with Hirose, who stepped in the way when Nakamura got hurt. He protected him. That showed that he was someone who genuinely cared about him to the point of hiding his title so they didn’t change.
He understood why Hirose hesitated to tell him for so long. Change was hard, especially without knowing what could happen. He did it because he valued their friendship.
“I - I still want to be your friend, if that’s alright.”
Hirose sniffles. Nakamura sits up in alarm.
He’d never seen Hirose angry like before. He’d never seen Hirose scared like before.
But most of all, he’d never seen Hirose cry.
“Sorry,” Hirose wipes at his eyes with the sleeve of his white tunic. “That’s really nice to hear but - but I haven’t told you everything yet. So. It’s still okay to change your mind.”
One part of him wanted to deny it, saying there’s nothing that would. But he had a feeling Hirose wouldn’t budge, so he caved in. “Okay.”
Nakamura patiently waits as Hirose takes time to compose himself. He seems trained to do so because it only takes a minute before he breathes in and lets it out. “They disqualified you from the competition.”
Nakamura pauses. That… was unexpected. There’s a weird mix of shock and sadness heavy in his chest.
Hirose shuts his eyes, clasping his hands tight in his lap. “It’s because we’re friends. They - they said you might’ve had an unfair advantage.”
Even though the research was all his. He’d made every drawing, every note, and they disqualified him for that. Sure, he showed Hirose, but he wasn’t even a judge. It was disappointing but…
But still. He loved research, but really, if he was being honest with himself, he’d trade all of that for his friendship with Hirose. It was probably illogical and maybe another foolish thought… but true to how he felt.
“They gave the position to someone else and they said they’d like to appoint you as a research intern instead of the royal archives in the castle -”
“What?!” Nakamura sits up in disbelief. Hirose startles. “Wait - like - what do you mean? Intern? To who?”
“Um,” Hirose blinks. “The head of research, Dr. Frievan. He was the one wearing red robes at the competition.”
A bubbly feeling replaces the disappointment. He smiles, clutching the blanket.
“I’m really so -”
“This is amazing!” Nakamura abruptly interrupts. He moves his hands. “I mean, yeah, it would’ve been nice to win - but my goal was staying here. Like, for the royal library and continuing research stuff -” He stops himself short before saying the new reason: for you.
He thought Hirose’s sadness would change but it didn’t seem to move.
Nakamura lowers his smile. “Hirose?”
“It was my fault though.”
Hirose glares into his folded hands, close to the anger he saw confronting the judge. “If I didn’t keep seeing you, you wouldn’t’ve been disqualified. You probably would’ve won.”
Everything made sense now. Nakamura carefully gets out of the blanket. He moves, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Hirose. Slowly, he peels apart Hirose’s tightly gripped hands, holding them gently in his own.
He rubs his thumb over the calluses from the garden. “I think that… there’s a lot that could or couldn’t’ve happened,” Nakamura softens his gaze, staring at their linked hands. “But… if I did win then… then that means I wouldn’t have you, which would’ve been worse than anything else.”
He meant every word. Hirose was a part of his life now and he wanted to keep it that way.
Nakamura glances up, then stares in shock. Hirose’s face, ears to neck, is bright red. His eyes are wide and tearful, lips parted in surprise, like he wants to say something but it doesn’t come out.
It makes the heat rise in Nakamura’s cheeks too. He awkwardly laughs, quickly turning away. “A-ah! I - I mean -”
Then he feels a soft peck against his cheek.
Nakamura goes still. Then he slowly looks back at Hirose, who’s pointedly looking away now too, still red with another pout.
This was it. His heart was actually going to burst this time.
“Then - then good,” Hirose stutters, turning further away. “I’m glad you’ll stay then.”
Nakamura smiles, big and wide, squeezing their hands together again.
Living in the castle was just as amazing as he thought.
Everyday, Nakamura got to wake up early to help Dr. Frievan. He seemed to like having him around. The older man was nice, teaching him new ways to approach research topics on higher levels than what he knew. It was a bit more overwhelming than what he was used to, but his passion in the field kept growing.
Sometimes they’d go on research trips to different parts of the kingdom. His notebooks were filled with notes and drawings of everything he saw. Some of those drawings included his tiny wooden octopus that lived in his pocket everywhere he traveled.
He also got to meet new people in the castle. They quickly became his friends, too, like Tamura, the theater intern, the herbalist intern, Aokiyama, and the painting intern, Kawamura.
But none of his new friends compared to Hirose.
Hirose had a lot of duties as a prince. He was usually packed with meetings and prince-y stuff he didn’t understand half of.
Hirose wasn’t particularly happy about it and he told Nakamura that. “I’d rather be spending my time with you, Nakamura, not going on some dumb horse ride.”
Despite the chaos, they still made time to hang out in the garden. It was always going to be their secret place.
It’d been over a year since he came for the competition.
Now, he’d just come back from a week-long research trip. Hirose was the first to greet him and pull him away.
They sat in the same garden, shoulder to shoulder. There’s a display in the center by the stream. It has Hirose’s flower crown from the lantern festival. Nakamura watches it as Hirose rants.
“-and I was like, dude, I just want to eat my food. Why should I care where the fork and spoon are supposed to go when I can just dig in instead?”
Nakamura laughs small, nodding in agreement. “Yeah. I never really understood that either.”
“Completely off topic but,” Hirose leans off his shoulder. “You’ve gotten way taller since the last time I saw you.”
Has he? Maybe he did but it’d only been a week. He did notice he was looking down a little more than he used to looking at Hirose, so maybe it was true.
“New rule - number twenty-three. No growing taller than me.”
“What?” Nakamura puts the edge of his hand on his forehead like he was trying to measure the height. “I can’t control that.”
“Then find a way.”
Nakamura purses his lips. “Fine. Then you find a way to dodge.”
“Wha -”
Nakamura brings his hands in, tickling Hirose’s sides, who immediately tenses and laughs, bright and loud, trying to pull away from Nakamura.
He continues for a few more seconds before Hirose is out of breath. He lightly punches Nakamura’s shoulder, rolling his eyes. “You’re the worst.”
Nakamura puts his hands on Hirose’s face, squishing his cheeks. “Me? I’m the worst?”
Hirose playfully glares at him. “Yes.”
He can’t help it. Hirose is just so cute.
Nakamura gently moves his thumb under his lips. His eyes look up, locking with Hirose’s light brown ones. He slowly moves in, watching the signs. Hirose matches him.
The kiss is soft.
They gently pull away, faces pink between them.
“Hirose,” Nakamura says, still holding Hirose’s face in his palms. “I really like you.”
Hirose breaks into a smile and it’s like everything around them lights up. “You’ve gotten more confident, too.”
“Are you gonna make that a new rule? No more trying to be confident?”
“Nah,” Hirose says, planting a small kiss on his nose. “I like that one. It stays because I really like you too.”
Nakamura decides he doesn't want his life any other way.