One-shot - A Drop in the Ocean
Title: A Drop in the Ocean
Pairing: Koyama/Shigeaki
Rating: PG
Words: ~6,500
Prompt: #039 - Heat
A/N: Written for (and beta'd by) sanjihan. I think I started writing it for her because she was feeling sick, but, uh. That was a while ago, and she's better now. XD;
Summary: AU. Koyama meets a boy at the beach during summer vacation and falls in love.
Koyama loved July.
Mid July marked the end of the rainy season, and its muggy humidity that robbed him of the motivation to move, think, do anything other than loll in front of his cheap fan, because the dorms had no air conditioning.
July was the beginning of real summer, of skies of stretching blue and glorious dry heat, the last month of school before the beginning of vacation, when he could finally go back to his home town; to his mother and cat and the friends he grew up with, to the sun bleached, yellow-white sand and the rich blueberry hue of the ocean.
He walked along the junction between road and the swell of the sand dunes with his wheeled suitcase trailing behind him, on the short trip between the bus stop and his house. He breathed in the sharp scent of salt in the air, and let the sound of the nearby ocean lull and fill him with the sense that he was home at last.
Koyama worked part-time, as he did every year, at a small ice cream stand on the beach, taking the morning shift, from 10 to 2; hiding under the canopy erected above the stall during the harshest hours of sunshine, then free to go during the more mellow afternoon heat, when the ocean had warmed, and the sun was a fat, gold shimmering disc moving lazily towards to west.
After 2, he could lie on the sand, skin browning and body relaxing, or he could take to the water with his friends, jumping waves and splashing in the shallows, or sometimes watching from the shore as Yamashita surfed, because Koyama had never been able to get the hang of it.
His days back at home were always a blissful blur of salty waves and burning sand and sticky fingers covered with white, melting soft serve.
Admittedly, Koyama had noticed his friends before he'd noticed him, though to be fair, it would've been difficult not to.
He'd been in a group of three, on the far left of the group, with a rather excited, clingy boy in the middle, who hung off the other two and prattled in a loud voice about how exciting it was to be at the beach; petite, doe-eyed and full of energy, he seemed to be attracting more than a few admiring glances. Then again, those could have been for the boy on the far right, because from the look of his body, it certainly seemed like he spent a good portion of his time in the gym.
They approached Koyama in the stall, weaving through other beach goers as angel-faced boy cheerfully declared that he wanted ice cream. Muscular Boy's eyes lit up and he agreed wholeheartedly, and it wasn't until they were in front of him, musing over toppings and sprinkles and the boy in the middle asked sweetly, "Shige will buy mine, right? Because Shige is such a nice friend" that Koyama noticed him.
Soft, dark brown hair and intelligent, brown eyes set in a face with an elegant jaw stole Koyama's breath away, and he fumbled the cone in his hand, snapping it in two and hastily stuttering apologies to his customer.
"You're really annoying." 'Shige' said in a smooth voice, with a higher pitch at the beginning of the sentence, sliding down into a lower tone.
Koyama was already in love.
Koyama automatically assumed the three of them were here on holiday. It was a small town where everyone knew everyone, with barely more than a general store and one restaurant and bar. The nearest gas station was a twenty minute drive away, in a slightly larger town where there were actually proper shops and schools and signs of modernity.
It certainly wasn't the kind of place where three young men would come to live, but it was perfect for vacationing, if you wanted to unwind on the beach. Thus, having never seen any of them before in his life, Koyama's assumption was pretty well-founded.
He got off at 2 as usual and strolled along the beach, pretending he wasn't hoping to catch another glimpse of Shige, because it made him feel a bit like a stalker, but unable to deny deep down that that was what he was doing.
He found them a few hundred metres from the ice cream stand, fooling around in the ocean. Once again, it was angel boy who drew his attention first, with his voice that was at least five times bigger than his body. This time, however, Koyama's eyes were automatically drawn to Shige, watching as he and Angel Boy splashed each other, laughing and shrieking while Muscular Boy floated on his back as the waves rolled underneath him. Shige looked years younger than Koyama had first assumed, with his wet hair plastered to his face, and a childish grin softening his features. Koyama felt his heart rate increase as he watched. When Angel Boy dunked Shige under the surface and he popped up again, gasping for air with droplets of salt water running down his body in rivulets, Koyama swallowed and forced himself to look away.
He went to see Mrs. Nakayama who owned the local bed and breakfast near the general store a couple of days later. He told himself it was just to visit her, that he was just taking an interest when he asked about her customers, but the disappointment he felt when she didn't mention any young men made it harder to pretend.
"Anyone my age?" He asked, trying to be subtle.
The old woman's mouth curved into a knowing smile and she began to tell him about a pretty young university student who was staying for a couple of weeks with her cousin. Koyama smiled politely, not wanting to disillusion her, and was forced to admit that the boys from the beach weren’t staying here. Maybe they were staying in one of the houses for rent along the shore, the ones that overlooked the sand dunes that overlooked the sea.
They were there every day, not that it was surprising. There wasn't much else of interest in town other than sun, surf and sand.
He watched Angel Boy, whose name he soon learned was Tegoshi, build lopsided sand castles and then delight in smashing them to pieces, then wash off in the ocean where Muscular Boy, whose name he still didn't know (probably because he wasn't the one Shige was continuously yelling at in exasperation) seemed to spend all his time.
Shige went back and forth between sea and sand, and Koyama watched him whenever he was in sight, eventually receiving a gentle chastising from his co-worker that afternoon for not listening to the customers’ orders.
Koyama found that he relished the really hot days, when the sun beat down, the heat an almost tangible presence, and the sand like fine grains of hot coal against your feet. Because those were the days that Tegoshi would insist that the three boys come and buy ice cream or a drink from the cart, and it gave Koyama a chance to be near Shige without looking like some kind of creepy stalker.
After their fourth visit to the cart, he finally built up the nerve to strike up conversation.
“It’s really hot today, isn’t it?” He said, completely casual, as he immersed a cone of soft ice cream into chocolate dip.
Shige looked a little taken aback that he was being spoken too, but then his mouth curled into a shy grin, and he looked up into Koyama’s eyes. Koyama felt his heart rate triple, but just as Shige’s mouth parted to speak, Tegoshi flung an arm around Shige’s neck.
“It is, isn’t it?” He said, beaming at him from over Shige’s shoulder, and Koyama’s smile faltered when Shige fell silent and let Tegoshi have the conversation for him.
He spoke a mile a minute, was cheerful and chatty while Shige stood wordlessly by, with the iced tea he’d bought in hand - Shige didn’t like sweet things much, Koyama had learned the other day, overhearing him chatting with Muscular Boy about what to buy.
When Koyama finished making up two soft serves dipped in chocolate, he made sure to give the cone with fewer sprinkles to Tegoshi in protest. They paid and left, Shige not looking back, and as they walked away, and Koyama decided that if he were starting the week over again, he’d probably nickname Tegoshi Devil Boy instead.
That evening when he walked home, he walked along the road of beach houses, usually so empty and dark in winter, but most of them occupied at this time of year. He inhaled, catching the smoky scent of barbequing food, and the faint but pervasive smell of the ocean, wondering if Shige and his friends were staying at one of the addresses on this street.
The thought made him feel a little strange, a little guilty for being so hung up on someone who didn’t even know his name, and he walked the rest of the way with his hands in his pockets and his gaze set firmly on the sidewalk, purposefully not looking into any more backyards or windows.
For all his irritation towards Tegoshi the other day, it was really thanks to him that Koyama and Shige finally really spoke to one another.
“Hold this for me.” Shige said, handing Tegoshi his bottle of iced tea the next time they stood in front of the ice cream stand, buying early afternoon refreshments.
Koyama watched Shige count coins with nimble fingers and tried to suppress a shiver when they brushed his as he accepted the money.
He looked up from the till when he heard Shige squawk indignantly, and found him pinning the innocent faced Tegoshi with a reproving frown.
“Can you at least ask before you help yourself to my things?”
It didn't seem to bother Tegoshi that he was being snapped at, especially not when he took another sip from the bottle of iced tea, as though it was his.
"I was thirsty, Shige. You can have a bite of my ice cream if you want."
Shige's scowl deepened.
"If you were thirsty, you should’ve gotten your own drink. And I don't like ice cream. Even if I did, you owe me more than a bite. Look how much you drank! I didn't even look away for that long."
Koyama noticed that Muscular Boy was suddenly paying particularly close attention to selection of ice creams, pointedly ignoring what was going on beside him. Koyama couldn’t say he blamed him. Getting in the middle of those two seemed like a dangerous move.
Tegoshi and Shige continued to bicker in front of the cart, and Muscular Boy ducked his head and shot him a guilty grin, as though he felt he needed to apologise for his friends’ behaviour.
Koyama chuckled, reached into the chiller beneath the counter and taking out another iced tea. He coughed to get Shige’s attention.
“On the house.” He said, holding it out to him.
Shige looked surprised, and his face went a little pink.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t, I mean, I…” He began to stutter, but Tegoshi butt in.
“Wow, Shige, you’re lucky!” He said, and looked at Koyama with wide, shining eyes. “Mr. Ice Cream Man is so nice.”
Shige looked like he felt a little awkward, but after Tegoshi had said that, he couldn’t just refuse the offer. He reached out and wrapped his hand around the bottle, fingers brushing with Koyama’s, and offered him a shy smile. Koyama smiled back, hoping that the heat he felt in his face could be blamed on the sun.
In complete contrast to the previous day, when Koyama watched the three of them walk away from the cart with their purchases in hand, Tegoshi’s ice cream was covered in an extra helping of sprinkles.
Koyama got off work at the usual time, slathered sunscreen onto his skin, and went off down the beach to find Yamashita. He’d been promised sunbathing and a fold up deckchair to do it in - a step up from beach towels so they could “really live it up”, Yamashita had told him earlier that day when he’d stopped by the cart for a chat.
Yamashita left to go surfing with some friends after a couple of hours in the sun, and Koyama nodded off, dozing until he was suddenly startled awake again by an impact to his face.
He managed not to fall out of the chair in fright, and when he got his bearings and looked around, there was Tegoshi, the Devil-Angel Boy, shooting him a grin that showed both rows of teeth and pressing a large, soft plastic beach ball against his body with one arm.
“Come play with us, Mr. Ice Cream Man.” He said, beckoning with his free hand. “Our teams are uneven and it’s not fair if I keep losing.”
Koyama blinked at him blearily a couple of times, still not totally with it.
“Teams?” He asked, not moving, until Tegoshi got impatient and came over to drop the ball in Koyama’s lap.
“Come be on my team. At the moment it’s me versus my friends, but if you join, we’ll definitely win, so come play!”
Koyama was still a bit bewildered, but Tegoshi was already dashing off down the beach, kicking up sand as he went, and since he had their ball, Koyama had no choice but to follow.
The three boys were all waiting for him once he got down there, standing on a court made from carelessly drawn lines in the sand.
Muscular Boy and Shige were on one side, and Tegoshi was on the other, beaming and waving at him. Koyama picked up his pace and jogged over to join him. Muscular Boy greeted him with a smile, showing his dimples, and Shige nodded before quickly averting his gaze, and Koyama couldn’t help but find his shy behaviour endearing.
“Mr. Ice Cream Man is going to be on my team.” Tegoshi told the other two, snatching the ball out of Koyama’s arms, then leaning in to whisper to him, “We’ll definitely win now. Shige sucks at sports, so it’s only Massu you have to watch out for. He’s vicious.”
Koyama looked up to see Muscular Boy-Massu, still smiling away. He couldn’t imagine anything about him being vicious at all, but he chose not to comment.
“Have you even asked his name yet, Tegoshi? Or is he actually called ‘Ice Cream Man’?” Shige asked, and Koyama realised that while he’d figured out his name a long time ago, they still didn’t know anything about him, aside from that he provided them with ice creams and drinks.
“I’m Koyama.” He supplied quickly. “Koyama Keiichiro. Pleased to meet you.”
Tegoshi and Massu introduced themselves as well, as Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa - “No one actually calls him that, he’s just Massu.” Tegoshi dutifully informed Koyama. Massu rolled his eyes, but affirmed that it was okay if Koyama called him Massu too - and Shige introduced himself by his full name, Kato Shigeaki.
‘Shigeaki,’ Koyama repeated to himself, feeling the name out in his head.
He started out as ‘Koyama-kun’, but that gradually degenerated into ‘Kei-chan’ as Tegoshi got more and more hyped up as the game went on.
As it turned out, everything Koyama had been told about Shige’s sporting abilities had been the truth, and he was absolutely useless at hand-eye coordination. The beach ball spent more time on the sand in his side of their makeshift court than it did in the air, and Koyama started to feel so guilty that he made an effort to hit it in Massu’s direction to at least give them a chance.
Tegoshi seemed to find the whole thing hilarious, and whenever Shige missed the ball in a particularly dramatic fashion, he’d burst into hysterics and clutch his stomach like he was in pain.
Shige seemed to take it really well, considering, and mainly just rolled his eyes and threw the ball at Tegoshi’s face when he became too unbearable.
They played until the sun began to sink low in the sky, turning the ocean orange and yellow and dyeing the sand in evening colours. Once the beach started to empty, Massu finally suggested they call it a day, and Shige was quick to agree. Tegoshi seemed more hesitant, but eventually relented, and Koyama didn’t offer an opinion, though he secretly didn’t want the game to end. Ending meant going home, meant parting ways with the other three boys.
He snuck a look at Shige out of the corner of his eye, his skin bronze from days in the sun, and gleaming with sweat from exertion, and Koyama wished this could all go on for just a little longer.
“Let’s get dinner.” Tegoshi suggested, still bouncy and animated from being on the winning team. He leapt on Shige’s back as he went to pick up their belongings, and the two of them went toppling into the sand. Massu tried to hide a smile, and Koyama smothered a giggle when Shige shouted in surprise and unsuccessfully tried to put Tegoshi in a headlock.
“You can come with us if you like.” Massu offered, gathering up the rest of their things while the other two wrestled in the sand, shrieking and laughing.
“Oh…” Koyama was a little taken aback. He’d assumed that their time together would end on the beach. He hadn’t considered extending it, but certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea. “Would that be alright?”
Tegoshi looked up from where he had Shige pinned to the ground under his entire weight - not that that was very much, from what Koyama could gather - and paused in his merciless tickle attack.
“Is Kei-chan going to be eating with us?” He asked, eyes bright with enthusiasm.
Koyama glanced at Shige, trying to gauge his reaction to the suggestion of Koyama tagging along for a meal. He was looking at him upside down, hair and sand all over his face, but with no less of a smile than Massu or Tegoshi bore. Koyama’s lips curled upwards of their own accord.
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
They walked down the street in the glow of the setting sun with Tegoshi in the lead, walking backwards so he could talk to them. Eventually he fell into step beside Massu, chattering about whatever came into his mind, while Massu made small sounds of acknowledgement.
Koyama found himself beside Shige, who kept looking at him like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure what.
“So, why did you guys decide to come here on vacation?” He asked, deciding to make it easier for him.
“My aunt owns a holiday house here and she leant it to us for free.” Tegoshi looked over his shoulder to tell Koyama, before going back to talking to Massu.
Koyama laughed and lowered his voice before speaking again.
“He seems to like talking for you.” He said softly, so that Tegoshi couldn’t hear.
Shige rolled his eyes, shook his head.
“He seems to like talking.” He replied, in a tone halfway between amused and annoyed. “Unless we’re partners in a presentation for English Class. Then I’m the one who does the talking. All of it.”
Koyama chuckled, and suddenly the wall of shyness and unease between him and Shige was gone, and they were talking freely, as if they’d been friends for years rather than for an afternoon.
Koyama told him about growing up in the tiny, empty town, about university in Tokyo and coming back every summer, selling ice creams at the beach, swimming and sunbathing with his childhood friends.
“I always have an amazing tan when I get back to school. All my friends get really jealous.”
Shige laughed, lips pulling back to show straight, white teeth, and Koyama tried not to look too enchanted by his smile.
“You’re lucky. I grew up in the middle of the city, then moved to the middle of another city. Just being out here in a tiny town makes me feel relaxed.”
“Yeah. It’s funny seeing him like this.” Massu chimed in from up ahead.
“Shige’s usually always so uptight.” Tegoshi added, and the two of them laughed while Shige glared at the backs of their heads.
“I’m always getting picked on.” He told Koyama, motioning to the two boys in front of them. “They’re supposed to be my best friends, but they act like making fun of me is some kind of professional sport.”
Koyama laughed and patted him on the arm, and when he took his hand away, he hoped that it wasn’t just the sunset on Shige’s cheeks that made them look so red.
They bought English-style Fish and Chips to take away from the restaurant on Koyama’s recommendation, and Koyama was invited back to their house with them. It had that semi-lived in feel that most holiday houses have, and even though he was in his own town, it made Koyama feel like he was in the middle of a road trip as well, instead of home for the holidays.
They sat around a table on the balcony, overlooking the sand dunes and the ocean, eating their dinner and playing various card games, which Tegoshi mysteriously won every time. They went inside once the moon had risen bright in the sky and the chirp of crickets had begun to punctuate the otherwise peaceful night, all of them squashing onto a battered couch to watch television on an old, dusty set in the corner of the cramped lounge.
Tegoshi fell asleep on his shoulder, snoring softly in his ear, and Shige was pressed warm and snug against his other side, close enough for him to catch the faint smell of his shampoo and cologne, and Koyama didn’t want to leave.
It became a routine for the four of them, with the three city boys easily welcoming Koyama into their fold, and every day after he finished his shift at the stand, he’d walk down the beach until he found them, or stop by at their house and join in whatever activity they were doing.
More often than not, Tegoshi would pull the other two along behind him to the ice cream cart at 2 o’clock every day and wait, eager and impatient, for Koyama’s co-worker to replace him.
He’d grown closer to all of them, mollycoddling Tegoshi, talking about fashion with Massu, but it was still Shige whose time and attention he craved the most. The moments he felt the most satisfied were when it was just the two of them, trading stories and jokes, bumping knees when they sat close to one another on the couch. One evening, he’d grabbed Shige’s hand to pull him across the road with him, on their way to the general store to pick up some groceries for dinner. Shige had held on for a moment longer than necessary when they reached the other side, and then they’d both pulled away quickly, faces suddenly red, and eyes looking anywhere but each other.
Today was one of those days when he couldn’t see them on the beach, and so he walked along the increasingly familiar path to Tegoshi’s aunt’s holiday home.
He knew they were there, because he could hear Tegoshi’s loud laugh and Shige screaming about something or other from all the way down the road.
Koyama picked up his pace, curious as to what mischief the petite boy was getting into this time. He arrived just in time to have Tegoshi greet him with a loud, sharp cry of “Hi, Kei-chan!” before he turned the hose he'd had pointed at Shige onto Koyama instead.
He was soaked through in seconds, clothes plastered to his body, and hair to his head, water running from the strands in little waterfalls as he ran around the yard, trying to escape Tegoshi.
Tegoshi chased him around in circles multiple times before he stopped, and even then it was only because they both looked up to see Massu standing at the tap with a hint of a sly grin on his face, announcing in a serious voice that they shouldn’t waste water.
Koyama wasn’t sure what happened to the two of them after that, because Tegoshi, still wound up and excitable, decided to turn all his attention to Massu and ran after him instead. Koyama shook his head, amused, and headed in the direction of the house, finding Shige standing on the front porch, wet shirt at his feet, patting himself down from dripping wet to moderate dampness with a towel.
“He’s an idiot.” Shige said, with a great sigh of exasperation that Koyama knew by now was only half real.
“He’s having fun.” Koyama said, grinning at Shige and leaning against the wall by the door. “You’re on holiday, he’s allowed to get a bit silly.”
“Wish he’d leave me out of it.” Shige muttered, but Koyama caught the fondness that crept into his voice.
“Tegoshi isn’t that merciful.” Koyama reminded him, trying to step past into the house.
“Hey.” Shige grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting a towel.”
Shige sighed, not letting go, and Koyama was acutely aware of the strong grip of his fingers on him through his sodden sleeve; warm, firm, oh god, he was blushing.
“You’ll drip water all over the floor. Here.” Shige said, lifting his towel to Koyama’s face, brushing his soaked bangs away from where they were plastered to his forehead.
Koyama swallowed, stopping still as Shige dried the drops of water from his hair, face serious with concentration. He was so close that Koyama could feel his warm breath, the brush of his arm, and he watched helplessly, unable to look away and hide his flushed cheeks. He knew that his emotions were laid bare in his features, written plain across his face for anyone to see, for Shige to see, if he only just looked.
He worked down from his hair, pressing the towel gently Koyama’s face, rubbing him dry, and it was only once he reached the line of his jaw that he made eye contact. Shige froze, towel pressed gently to the underside of Koyama’s chin, as though cupping his face.
“Oh.” He said softly, and though he looked surprised, he didn’t let go or step back. He stayed perfectly still, and Koyama’s heart rate shot through the roof.
He felt himself leaning towards Shige, body moving of its own accord, until their faces were mere inches from one another and Shige’s eyes slipped closed, lips parting, cheeks colouring.
“Shige, save me!”
They shot apart, Shige crashing into the wall, and Koyama almost tripping backwards off the porch as Tegoshi zoomed towards them, the enormous grin on his face in complete contrast with his words.
“What, wait, what, what’s happening?” Shige asked, obviously flustered and stuttering.
Tegoshi didn’t notice.
“Massu’s chasing me. He’s scary.” Tegoshi said, making dramatic motions with his hands.
Koyama tried to calm his pounding heart, simultaneously confused as to what had just happened, and very disappointed.
“Massu isn’t scary at all.” Shige said, and Koyama hoped it wasn’t just his imagination when he thought that he sounded more irritated than usual. “I can tell you what’s going to happen. He’ll catch you, not know what to do with you, leave you alone, and you’ll be fine.”
Tegoshi gave him a filthy look, like he couldn’t believe he was being denied help.
“You suck, Shige.” He called over his shoulder as he ran inside the house to find a hiding place. “You’re fired as my friend.”
“Oh no, what an awful loss!” Shige yelled after him in the most sarcastic tone he could muster, complete with an eye roll. Then he turned back to Koyama, muttering, “He is such a child.”
When Massu came jogging up to them a few minutes later, out of breath and asking if they knew where Tegoshi had gone, they both pointed into the house without a moment of hesitation.
That same night, Koyama brought over the barbeque from his house, and Shige and Massu went off to buy meat and vegetables to cook on it. Tegoshi helped Koyama scrape the build up of charcoal off of it, and fetched the cutlery, plates and tongs from the kitchen.
Then, having run out of helpful things to do, he proceeded to snap the tongs at Koyama, nipping him in the arm whenever he turned away for more than a second.
About the eighth time that Tegoshi ‘bit’ him with them, telling him, “Look out, Kei-chan, they’re going to eat you!” in mock horror, Koyama got fed up and grabbed him around the waist, hoisting him over his shoulder.
Tegoshi screamed around a fit of giggles, dropping the tongs on the grass and flailing his legs. Eventually Koyama overbalanced and fell onto the ground with Tegoshi still on top of him. They lay there, laughing so hard they cried, until Tegoshi decided to curl up in Koyama’s lap, lying completely limp against his chest.
That was the position Shige and Massu found them in when they came back with bags of groceries. Massu’s reaction - the reaction Koyama had expected him to have - was to grin and shake his head fondly, amused by Tegoshi’s clingy behaviour. Shige’s reaction, however, Koyama hadn’t been expecting at all. He came to an abrupt halt and his face went completely blank for all of a second before he glared at Tegoshi like he was murdering Koyama, rather than sitting on him.
After that, everything was normal. Shige complained about the tongs being on the ground and Massu offered to go inside to wash them. Koyama and Shige cooked dinner while Tegoshi stood nearby offering helpful suggestions and not lifting a finger.
They carried everything up to the deck afterwards, eating and chatting amidst the soft sound of waves breaking on the nearby shore as the sun went down.
Tegoshi and Massu took washing up duty since Koyama and Shige had done the cooking, and so they left the two of them outside in the twilight. Koyama could hear them inside, the sounds of the sink being filled with water and the faint chink of porcelain against the bench.
He and Shige continued with their easy flow of conversation, but he couldn’t help feeling like something was different. They were still talking the same, and things hadn’t gotten weird between them, but something had obviously changed.
Shige must have noticed that Koyama wasn’t fully paying attention anymore, because he stopped talking and looked at him curiously, thoughtfully, until Koyama realised he’d fallen silent.
“Sorry.” Koyama said, flashing Shige an appropriately apologetic smile. “I was distracted. What were you saying?”
Shige didn’t reply immediately, instead keeping Koyama fixed with that same thoughtful look.
“Koyama.” He said, tongue forming the syllables slowly.
He dragged his chair a little closer, close enough so that Koyama could feel the warmth of Shige’s leg, almost touching his own, and he couldn’t help the little nervous flutter he felt in his stomach.
“What’s up?” Koyama asked, too anxious to stay quiet any longer.
Shige nibbled his bottom lip, leant closer but didn’t make eye contact, and when he spoke, his voice was soft, like he didn’t want anyone else to overhear.
“I don’t… I don’t want to spend the rest of this vacation wondering.” He said eventually, staring fixedly at nothing over Koyama’s shoulder. “And so I don’t want to pretend that nothing happened this afternoon.”
Koyama felt his pulse begin to race, and he inhaled deeply through his nose, tried to relax.
“This afternoon.” Koyama repeated dumbly, and then Shige looked right into his eyes, and his breath hitched.
Shige’s eyes were soft with uncertainty, with worry and hesitation, but Koyama thought he could see an underlying hint of anticipation before Shige started to lean in closer.
Koyama couldn’t tear his eyes from Shige’s lips; Shige’s perfect, pink lips that looked so silky, so smooth, and god, he wanted to kiss them, feel them, more than he’d wanted anything else the entire summer.
Shige’s face was closer now, closer to his than it had ever been before, and Koyama felt like his heart was going to hammer its way out of his chest. He could smell the scent of smoke from the barbeque lingering in Shige’s hair, mixing with the spicy fragrance of his cologne, and he closed his eyes, breathed it in. Koyama needed this, needed him, and then Shige’s hand slid over his own where it rested on top of the table an instant before their lips finally met.
Koyama felt a thrill go through him as they brushed together, Shige’s perfect, shapely mouth pressed to his own, lips dragging gently over Koyama’s in a curious, tender touch that left his heart racing and head spinning. The sound of rushing in his own ears drowned out the sound of the waves, the chirp of crickets, everything but the sound of Shige’s breath and his own heartbeat.
When Shige drew back, he lingered there for a moment, sharing Koyama’s air before finally going to pull away completely. But Koyama stopped him, threaded his fingers between Shige’s, linking their hands and pulling him back.
“You don’t have to stop. I didn’t want you to stop.” He whispered, and tangled his other hand in his Shige’s hair, and brought him closer before kissing him again and again with soft, tiny pecks, feeling himself fall further and further in love with each one.
If Tegoshi and Massu noticed that their hands were still firmly clasped when they finally came inside later that night, they didn’t say anything. The two of them slipped past into Shige’s room and curled up close on top of the covers of his bed, sharing kisses and body heat, and when Shige asked him in a drowsy whisper if he wanted to stay, Koyama told him ‘yes’.
Tegoshi and Massu figured out what was going on pretty quickly. Nobody had mentioned anything about it, but it was obvious they knew from the way Tegoshi mercilessly began to flirt with Koyama to see what Shige would do. It was obvious from the way that Massu would make up an excuse to drag Tegoshi away somewhere when Koyama and Shige started to share soft-eyed looks and what they thought were inconspicuous touches.
But, mostly, nothing changed. Koyama still worked at the ice cream stand on the beach during the day and played with the other three in the afternoon; he still piggybacked Tegoshi in the sea, had impromptu races with Massu, and traded jokes with Shige, splashing each other whenever they got a bit too vulgar.
They’d only known each other for two weeks, but Koyama already felt like they’d been friends since as long as he could remember. It felt like the summer was going to stretch on endlessly, like it was always just going to be the four of them enjoying countless, blissful days of sun and sea, and him and Shige lying on their backs on the grass during warm summer nights.
But, Koyama realised, nothing went on forever, and soon enough, the holidays would come to an end. Shige, Tegoshi and Massu would go back earlier, once August drew to a close, and Koyama would stay until mid-September, when summer would fade into autumn, when all this would come to an end.
This would be his last summer before graduation, the last one when he’d be able to spend weeks on end selling ice creams, swimming, tanning, fooling around on the beach. Next year, he would get a job, a real job, and visit his laidback, lazy hometown for only days at a time. And even if Shige and the others came back next summer, Koyama wouldn’t be here.
That evening, as Koyama sat in the dunes with Shige, his toes buried in the sand and his head on Shige’s shoulder, he knew that by the end of next week, this would all be over.
“You look serious.” Shige said to him, sliding his hand over Koyama’s knee, and Koyama jerked out of his thoughts.
“No way. That’s your job.” He said, earned a slap on the thigh. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, added, “This has been a good summer.”
Shige wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed the top of his head.
“It’s not over yet.” He said, and Koyama burrowed closer, smiled into Shige’s neck and reminded himself to enjoy every moment while it lasted.
Koyama said goodbye to the three boys the night before they left since he was working the next day, playing cards one last time and eating takeaway food from the restaurant. He and Shige stayed awake until the early morning, talking, kissing, enjoying each others’ presence, and when he got to work, exhausted and running on only a few hours of sleep, knew it was totally worth it.
It was later in the morning, just after midday, just after the beach usually began to fill up when Koyama recognised Tegoshi’s voice - as usual, hearing it before he saw him or the others. Koyama handed an ice cream to a small girl and took the money from her mother before he turned to face Tegoshi, Shige and Massu over the counter.
“We came to say goodbye.” Tegoshi said, coming around the back of the cart to join Koyama, soon followed by the other two.
Massu hugged him, giving him a brief pat on the back, and then once he moved away, Tegoshi snuggled up close, pressing a kiss to his cheek and cackling when Shige narrowed his eyes.
Koyama turned to him last, both of them a little choked up, a little lost for words, but when Shige’s arms circled his waist, and Koyama took Shige’s face into his hands to kiss him hard on the mouth, they didn’t really need to say anything.
Shige slipped him a piece of paper as they went to leave, telling him, “My dorm address. Once you get back to Tokyo, maybe you could come over,” and Koyama couldn’t help kissing him one last time as he took it.
They waved to him as they made their way up to the beach path, to the road where their car was parked, out of sight, and Koyama waved back, waved until he couldn’t see them anymore.
He looked at the address scrawled in messy black ink on the paper, and slid it into his back pocket as he went back to work, knowing that even though summer was finally at an end, the rest of the year was waiting for him.
Pairing: Koyama/Shigeaki
Rating: PG
Words: ~6,500
Prompt: #039 - Heat
A/N: Written for (and beta'd by) sanjihan. I think I started writing it for her because she was feeling sick, but, uh. That was a while ago, and she's better now. XD;
Summary: AU. Koyama meets a boy at the beach during summer vacation and falls in love.
Koyama loved July.
Mid July marked the end of the rainy season, and its muggy humidity that robbed him of the motivation to move, think, do anything other than loll in front of his cheap fan, because the dorms had no air conditioning.
July was the beginning of real summer, of skies of stretching blue and glorious dry heat, the last month of school before the beginning of vacation, when he could finally go back to his home town; to his mother and cat and the friends he grew up with, to the sun bleached, yellow-white sand and the rich blueberry hue of the ocean.
He walked along the junction between road and the swell of the sand dunes with his wheeled suitcase trailing behind him, on the short trip between the bus stop and his house. He breathed in the sharp scent of salt in the air, and let the sound of the nearby ocean lull and fill him with the sense that he was home at last.
Koyama worked part-time, as he did every year, at a small ice cream stand on the beach, taking the morning shift, from 10 to 2; hiding under the canopy erected above the stall during the harshest hours of sunshine, then free to go during the more mellow afternoon heat, when the ocean had warmed, and the sun was a fat, gold shimmering disc moving lazily towards to west.
After 2, he could lie on the sand, skin browning and body relaxing, or he could take to the water with his friends, jumping waves and splashing in the shallows, or sometimes watching from the shore as Yamashita surfed, because Koyama had never been able to get the hang of it.
His days back at home were always a blissful blur of salty waves and burning sand and sticky fingers covered with white, melting soft serve.
Admittedly, Koyama had noticed his friends before he'd noticed him, though to be fair, it would've been difficult not to.
He'd been in a group of three, on the far left of the group, with a rather excited, clingy boy in the middle, who hung off the other two and prattled in a loud voice about how exciting it was to be at the beach; petite, doe-eyed and full of energy, he seemed to be attracting more than a few admiring glances. Then again, those could have been for the boy on the far right, because from the look of his body, it certainly seemed like he spent a good portion of his time in the gym.
They approached Koyama in the stall, weaving through other beach goers as angel-faced boy cheerfully declared that he wanted ice cream. Muscular Boy's eyes lit up and he agreed wholeheartedly, and it wasn't until they were in front of him, musing over toppings and sprinkles and the boy in the middle asked sweetly, "Shige will buy mine, right? Because Shige is such a nice friend" that Koyama noticed him.
Soft, dark brown hair and intelligent, brown eyes set in a face with an elegant jaw stole Koyama's breath away, and he fumbled the cone in his hand, snapping it in two and hastily stuttering apologies to his customer.
"You're really annoying." 'Shige' said in a smooth voice, with a higher pitch at the beginning of the sentence, sliding down into a lower tone.
Koyama was already in love.
Koyama automatically assumed the three of them were here on holiday. It was a small town where everyone knew everyone, with barely more than a general store and one restaurant and bar. The nearest gas station was a twenty minute drive away, in a slightly larger town where there were actually proper shops and schools and signs of modernity.
It certainly wasn't the kind of place where three young men would come to live, but it was perfect for vacationing, if you wanted to unwind on the beach. Thus, having never seen any of them before in his life, Koyama's assumption was pretty well-founded.
He got off at 2 as usual and strolled along the beach, pretending he wasn't hoping to catch another glimpse of Shige, because it made him feel a bit like a stalker, but unable to deny deep down that that was what he was doing.
He found them a few hundred metres from the ice cream stand, fooling around in the ocean. Once again, it was angel boy who drew his attention first, with his voice that was at least five times bigger than his body. This time, however, Koyama's eyes were automatically drawn to Shige, watching as he and Angel Boy splashed each other, laughing and shrieking while Muscular Boy floated on his back as the waves rolled underneath him. Shige looked years younger than Koyama had first assumed, with his wet hair plastered to his face, and a childish grin softening his features. Koyama felt his heart rate increase as he watched. When Angel Boy dunked Shige under the surface and he popped up again, gasping for air with droplets of salt water running down his body in rivulets, Koyama swallowed and forced himself to look away.
He went to see Mrs. Nakayama who owned the local bed and breakfast near the general store a couple of days later. He told himself it was just to visit her, that he was just taking an interest when he asked about her customers, but the disappointment he felt when she didn't mention any young men made it harder to pretend.
"Anyone my age?" He asked, trying to be subtle.
The old woman's mouth curved into a knowing smile and she began to tell him about a pretty young university student who was staying for a couple of weeks with her cousin. Koyama smiled politely, not wanting to disillusion her, and was forced to admit that the boys from the beach weren’t staying here. Maybe they were staying in one of the houses for rent along the shore, the ones that overlooked the sand dunes that overlooked the sea.
They were there every day, not that it was surprising. There wasn't much else of interest in town other than sun, surf and sand.
He watched Angel Boy, whose name he soon learned was Tegoshi, build lopsided sand castles and then delight in smashing them to pieces, then wash off in the ocean where Muscular Boy, whose name he still didn't know (probably because he wasn't the one Shige was continuously yelling at in exasperation) seemed to spend all his time.
Shige went back and forth between sea and sand, and Koyama watched him whenever he was in sight, eventually receiving a gentle chastising from his co-worker that afternoon for not listening to the customers’ orders.
Koyama found that he relished the really hot days, when the sun beat down, the heat an almost tangible presence, and the sand like fine grains of hot coal against your feet. Because those were the days that Tegoshi would insist that the three boys come and buy ice cream or a drink from the cart, and it gave Koyama a chance to be near Shige without looking like some kind of creepy stalker.
After their fourth visit to the cart, he finally built up the nerve to strike up conversation.
“It’s really hot today, isn’t it?” He said, completely casual, as he immersed a cone of soft ice cream into chocolate dip.
Shige looked a little taken aback that he was being spoken too, but then his mouth curled into a shy grin, and he looked up into Koyama’s eyes. Koyama felt his heart rate triple, but just as Shige’s mouth parted to speak, Tegoshi flung an arm around Shige’s neck.
“It is, isn’t it?” He said, beaming at him from over Shige’s shoulder, and Koyama’s smile faltered when Shige fell silent and let Tegoshi have the conversation for him.
He spoke a mile a minute, was cheerful and chatty while Shige stood wordlessly by, with the iced tea he’d bought in hand - Shige didn’t like sweet things much, Koyama had learned the other day, overhearing him chatting with Muscular Boy about what to buy.
When Koyama finished making up two soft serves dipped in chocolate, he made sure to give the cone with fewer sprinkles to Tegoshi in protest. They paid and left, Shige not looking back, and as they walked away, and Koyama decided that if he were starting the week over again, he’d probably nickname Tegoshi Devil Boy instead.
That evening when he walked home, he walked along the road of beach houses, usually so empty and dark in winter, but most of them occupied at this time of year. He inhaled, catching the smoky scent of barbequing food, and the faint but pervasive smell of the ocean, wondering if Shige and his friends were staying at one of the addresses on this street.
The thought made him feel a little strange, a little guilty for being so hung up on someone who didn’t even know his name, and he walked the rest of the way with his hands in his pockets and his gaze set firmly on the sidewalk, purposefully not looking into any more backyards or windows.
For all his irritation towards Tegoshi the other day, it was really thanks to him that Koyama and Shige finally really spoke to one another.
“Hold this for me.” Shige said, handing Tegoshi his bottle of iced tea the next time they stood in front of the ice cream stand, buying early afternoon refreshments.
Koyama watched Shige count coins with nimble fingers and tried to suppress a shiver when they brushed his as he accepted the money.
He looked up from the till when he heard Shige squawk indignantly, and found him pinning the innocent faced Tegoshi with a reproving frown.
“Can you at least ask before you help yourself to my things?”
It didn't seem to bother Tegoshi that he was being snapped at, especially not when he took another sip from the bottle of iced tea, as though it was his.
"I was thirsty, Shige. You can have a bite of my ice cream if you want."
Shige's scowl deepened.
"If you were thirsty, you should’ve gotten your own drink. And I don't like ice cream. Even if I did, you owe me more than a bite. Look how much you drank! I didn't even look away for that long."
Koyama noticed that Muscular Boy was suddenly paying particularly close attention to selection of ice creams, pointedly ignoring what was going on beside him. Koyama couldn’t say he blamed him. Getting in the middle of those two seemed like a dangerous move.
Tegoshi and Shige continued to bicker in front of the cart, and Muscular Boy ducked his head and shot him a guilty grin, as though he felt he needed to apologise for his friends’ behaviour.
Koyama chuckled, reached into the chiller beneath the counter and taking out another iced tea. He coughed to get Shige’s attention.
“On the house.” He said, holding it out to him.
Shige looked surprised, and his face went a little pink.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t, I mean, I…” He began to stutter, but Tegoshi butt in.
“Wow, Shige, you’re lucky!” He said, and looked at Koyama with wide, shining eyes. “Mr. Ice Cream Man is so nice.”
Shige looked like he felt a little awkward, but after Tegoshi had said that, he couldn’t just refuse the offer. He reached out and wrapped his hand around the bottle, fingers brushing with Koyama’s, and offered him a shy smile. Koyama smiled back, hoping that the heat he felt in his face could be blamed on the sun.
In complete contrast to the previous day, when Koyama watched the three of them walk away from the cart with their purchases in hand, Tegoshi’s ice cream was covered in an extra helping of sprinkles.
Koyama got off work at the usual time, slathered sunscreen onto his skin, and went off down the beach to find Yamashita. He’d been promised sunbathing and a fold up deckchair to do it in - a step up from beach towels so they could “really live it up”, Yamashita had told him earlier that day when he’d stopped by the cart for a chat.
Yamashita left to go surfing with some friends after a couple of hours in the sun, and Koyama nodded off, dozing until he was suddenly startled awake again by an impact to his face.
He managed not to fall out of the chair in fright, and when he got his bearings and looked around, there was Tegoshi, the Devil-Angel Boy, shooting him a grin that showed both rows of teeth and pressing a large, soft plastic beach ball against his body with one arm.
“Come play with us, Mr. Ice Cream Man.” He said, beckoning with his free hand. “Our teams are uneven and it’s not fair if I keep losing.”
Koyama blinked at him blearily a couple of times, still not totally with it.
“Teams?” He asked, not moving, until Tegoshi got impatient and came over to drop the ball in Koyama’s lap.
“Come be on my team. At the moment it’s me versus my friends, but if you join, we’ll definitely win, so come play!”
Koyama was still a bit bewildered, but Tegoshi was already dashing off down the beach, kicking up sand as he went, and since he had their ball, Koyama had no choice but to follow.
The three boys were all waiting for him once he got down there, standing on a court made from carelessly drawn lines in the sand.
Muscular Boy and Shige were on one side, and Tegoshi was on the other, beaming and waving at him. Koyama picked up his pace and jogged over to join him. Muscular Boy greeted him with a smile, showing his dimples, and Shige nodded before quickly averting his gaze, and Koyama couldn’t help but find his shy behaviour endearing.
“Mr. Ice Cream Man is going to be on my team.” Tegoshi told the other two, snatching the ball out of Koyama’s arms, then leaning in to whisper to him, “We’ll definitely win now. Shige sucks at sports, so it’s only Massu you have to watch out for. He’s vicious.”
Koyama looked up to see Muscular Boy-Massu, still smiling away. He couldn’t imagine anything about him being vicious at all, but he chose not to comment.
“Have you even asked his name yet, Tegoshi? Or is he actually called ‘Ice Cream Man’?” Shige asked, and Koyama realised that while he’d figured out his name a long time ago, they still didn’t know anything about him, aside from that he provided them with ice creams and drinks.
“I’m Koyama.” He supplied quickly. “Koyama Keiichiro. Pleased to meet you.”
Tegoshi and Massu introduced themselves as well, as Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa - “No one actually calls him that, he’s just Massu.” Tegoshi dutifully informed Koyama. Massu rolled his eyes, but affirmed that it was okay if Koyama called him Massu too - and Shige introduced himself by his full name, Kato Shigeaki.
‘Shigeaki,’ Koyama repeated to himself, feeling the name out in his head.
He started out as ‘Koyama-kun’, but that gradually degenerated into ‘Kei-chan’ as Tegoshi got more and more hyped up as the game went on.
As it turned out, everything Koyama had been told about Shige’s sporting abilities had been the truth, and he was absolutely useless at hand-eye coordination. The beach ball spent more time on the sand in his side of their makeshift court than it did in the air, and Koyama started to feel so guilty that he made an effort to hit it in Massu’s direction to at least give them a chance.
Tegoshi seemed to find the whole thing hilarious, and whenever Shige missed the ball in a particularly dramatic fashion, he’d burst into hysterics and clutch his stomach like he was in pain.
Shige seemed to take it really well, considering, and mainly just rolled his eyes and threw the ball at Tegoshi’s face when he became too unbearable.
They played until the sun began to sink low in the sky, turning the ocean orange and yellow and dyeing the sand in evening colours. Once the beach started to empty, Massu finally suggested they call it a day, and Shige was quick to agree. Tegoshi seemed more hesitant, but eventually relented, and Koyama didn’t offer an opinion, though he secretly didn’t want the game to end. Ending meant going home, meant parting ways with the other three boys.
He snuck a look at Shige out of the corner of his eye, his skin bronze from days in the sun, and gleaming with sweat from exertion, and Koyama wished this could all go on for just a little longer.
“Let’s get dinner.” Tegoshi suggested, still bouncy and animated from being on the winning team. He leapt on Shige’s back as he went to pick up their belongings, and the two of them went toppling into the sand. Massu tried to hide a smile, and Koyama smothered a giggle when Shige shouted in surprise and unsuccessfully tried to put Tegoshi in a headlock.
“You can come with us if you like.” Massu offered, gathering up the rest of their things while the other two wrestled in the sand, shrieking and laughing.
“Oh…” Koyama was a little taken aback. He’d assumed that their time together would end on the beach. He hadn’t considered extending it, but certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea. “Would that be alright?”
Tegoshi looked up from where he had Shige pinned to the ground under his entire weight - not that that was very much, from what Koyama could gather - and paused in his merciless tickle attack.
“Is Kei-chan going to be eating with us?” He asked, eyes bright with enthusiasm.
Koyama glanced at Shige, trying to gauge his reaction to the suggestion of Koyama tagging along for a meal. He was looking at him upside down, hair and sand all over his face, but with no less of a smile than Massu or Tegoshi bore. Koyama’s lips curled upwards of their own accord.
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
They walked down the street in the glow of the setting sun with Tegoshi in the lead, walking backwards so he could talk to them. Eventually he fell into step beside Massu, chattering about whatever came into his mind, while Massu made small sounds of acknowledgement.
Koyama found himself beside Shige, who kept looking at him like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure what.
“So, why did you guys decide to come here on vacation?” He asked, deciding to make it easier for him.
“My aunt owns a holiday house here and she leant it to us for free.” Tegoshi looked over his shoulder to tell Koyama, before going back to talking to Massu.
Koyama laughed and lowered his voice before speaking again.
“He seems to like talking for you.” He said softly, so that Tegoshi couldn’t hear.
Shige rolled his eyes, shook his head.
“He seems to like talking.” He replied, in a tone halfway between amused and annoyed. “Unless we’re partners in a presentation for English Class. Then I’m the one who does the talking. All of it.”
Koyama chuckled, and suddenly the wall of shyness and unease between him and Shige was gone, and they were talking freely, as if they’d been friends for years rather than for an afternoon.
Koyama told him about growing up in the tiny, empty town, about university in Tokyo and coming back every summer, selling ice creams at the beach, swimming and sunbathing with his childhood friends.
“I always have an amazing tan when I get back to school. All my friends get really jealous.”
Shige laughed, lips pulling back to show straight, white teeth, and Koyama tried not to look too enchanted by his smile.
“You’re lucky. I grew up in the middle of the city, then moved to the middle of another city. Just being out here in a tiny town makes me feel relaxed.”
“Yeah. It’s funny seeing him like this.” Massu chimed in from up ahead.
“Shige’s usually always so uptight.” Tegoshi added, and the two of them laughed while Shige glared at the backs of their heads.
“I’m always getting picked on.” He told Koyama, motioning to the two boys in front of them. “They’re supposed to be my best friends, but they act like making fun of me is some kind of professional sport.”
Koyama laughed and patted him on the arm, and when he took his hand away, he hoped that it wasn’t just the sunset on Shige’s cheeks that made them look so red.
They bought English-style Fish and Chips to take away from the restaurant on Koyama’s recommendation, and Koyama was invited back to their house with them. It had that semi-lived in feel that most holiday houses have, and even though he was in his own town, it made Koyama feel like he was in the middle of a road trip as well, instead of home for the holidays.
They sat around a table on the balcony, overlooking the sand dunes and the ocean, eating their dinner and playing various card games, which Tegoshi mysteriously won every time. They went inside once the moon had risen bright in the sky and the chirp of crickets had begun to punctuate the otherwise peaceful night, all of them squashing onto a battered couch to watch television on an old, dusty set in the corner of the cramped lounge.
Tegoshi fell asleep on his shoulder, snoring softly in his ear, and Shige was pressed warm and snug against his other side, close enough for him to catch the faint smell of his shampoo and cologne, and Koyama didn’t want to leave.
It became a routine for the four of them, with the three city boys easily welcoming Koyama into their fold, and every day after he finished his shift at the stand, he’d walk down the beach until he found them, or stop by at their house and join in whatever activity they were doing.
More often than not, Tegoshi would pull the other two along behind him to the ice cream cart at 2 o’clock every day and wait, eager and impatient, for Koyama’s co-worker to replace him.
He’d grown closer to all of them, mollycoddling Tegoshi, talking about fashion with Massu, but it was still Shige whose time and attention he craved the most. The moments he felt the most satisfied were when it was just the two of them, trading stories and jokes, bumping knees when they sat close to one another on the couch. One evening, he’d grabbed Shige’s hand to pull him across the road with him, on their way to the general store to pick up some groceries for dinner. Shige had held on for a moment longer than necessary when they reached the other side, and then they’d both pulled away quickly, faces suddenly red, and eyes looking anywhere but each other.
Today was one of those days when he couldn’t see them on the beach, and so he walked along the increasingly familiar path to Tegoshi’s aunt’s holiday home.
He knew they were there, because he could hear Tegoshi’s loud laugh and Shige screaming about something or other from all the way down the road.
Koyama picked up his pace, curious as to what mischief the petite boy was getting into this time. He arrived just in time to have Tegoshi greet him with a loud, sharp cry of “Hi, Kei-chan!” before he turned the hose he'd had pointed at Shige onto Koyama instead.
He was soaked through in seconds, clothes plastered to his body, and hair to his head, water running from the strands in little waterfalls as he ran around the yard, trying to escape Tegoshi.
Tegoshi chased him around in circles multiple times before he stopped, and even then it was only because they both looked up to see Massu standing at the tap with a hint of a sly grin on his face, announcing in a serious voice that they shouldn’t waste water.
Koyama wasn’t sure what happened to the two of them after that, because Tegoshi, still wound up and excitable, decided to turn all his attention to Massu and ran after him instead. Koyama shook his head, amused, and headed in the direction of the house, finding Shige standing on the front porch, wet shirt at his feet, patting himself down from dripping wet to moderate dampness with a towel.
“He’s an idiot.” Shige said, with a great sigh of exasperation that Koyama knew by now was only half real.
“He’s having fun.” Koyama said, grinning at Shige and leaning against the wall by the door. “You’re on holiday, he’s allowed to get a bit silly.”
“Wish he’d leave me out of it.” Shige muttered, but Koyama caught the fondness that crept into his voice.
“Tegoshi isn’t that merciful.” Koyama reminded him, trying to step past into the house.
“Hey.” Shige grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting a towel.”
Shige sighed, not letting go, and Koyama was acutely aware of the strong grip of his fingers on him through his sodden sleeve; warm, firm, oh god, he was blushing.
“You’ll drip water all over the floor. Here.” Shige said, lifting his towel to Koyama’s face, brushing his soaked bangs away from where they were plastered to his forehead.
Koyama swallowed, stopping still as Shige dried the drops of water from his hair, face serious with concentration. He was so close that Koyama could feel his warm breath, the brush of his arm, and he watched helplessly, unable to look away and hide his flushed cheeks. He knew that his emotions were laid bare in his features, written plain across his face for anyone to see, for Shige to see, if he only just looked.
He worked down from his hair, pressing the towel gently Koyama’s face, rubbing him dry, and it was only once he reached the line of his jaw that he made eye contact. Shige froze, towel pressed gently to the underside of Koyama’s chin, as though cupping his face.
“Oh.” He said softly, and though he looked surprised, he didn’t let go or step back. He stayed perfectly still, and Koyama’s heart rate shot through the roof.
He felt himself leaning towards Shige, body moving of its own accord, until their faces were mere inches from one another and Shige’s eyes slipped closed, lips parting, cheeks colouring.
“Shige, save me!”
They shot apart, Shige crashing into the wall, and Koyama almost tripping backwards off the porch as Tegoshi zoomed towards them, the enormous grin on his face in complete contrast with his words.
“What, wait, what, what’s happening?” Shige asked, obviously flustered and stuttering.
Tegoshi didn’t notice.
“Massu’s chasing me. He’s scary.” Tegoshi said, making dramatic motions with his hands.
Koyama tried to calm his pounding heart, simultaneously confused as to what had just happened, and very disappointed.
“Massu isn’t scary at all.” Shige said, and Koyama hoped it wasn’t just his imagination when he thought that he sounded more irritated than usual. “I can tell you what’s going to happen. He’ll catch you, not know what to do with you, leave you alone, and you’ll be fine.”
Tegoshi gave him a filthy look, like he couldn’t believe he was being denied help.
“You suck, Shige.” He called over his shoulder as he ran inside the house to find a hiding place. “You’re fired as my friend.”
“Oh no, what an awful loss!” Shige yelled after him in the most sarcastic tone he could muster, complete with an eye roll. Then he turned back to Koyama, muttering, “He is such a child.”
When Massu came jogging up to them a few minutes later, out of breath and asking if they knew where Tegoshi had gone, they both pointed into the house without a moment of hesitation.
That same night, Koyama brought over the barbeque from his house, and Shige and Massu went off to buy meat and vegetables to cook on it. Tegoshi helped Koyama scrape the build up of charcoal off of it, and fetched the cutlery, plates and tongs from the kitchen.
Then, having run out of helpful things to do, he proceeded to snap the tongs at Koyama, nipping him in the arm whenever he turned away for more than a second.
About the eighth time that Tegoshi ‘bit’ him with them, telling him, “Look out, Kei-chan, they’re going to eat you!” in mock horror, Koyama got fed up and grabbed him around the waist, hoisting him over his shoulder.
Tegoshi screamed around a fit of giggles, dropping the tongs on the grass and flailing his legs. Eventually Koyama overbalanced and fell onto the ground with Tegoshi still on top of him. They lay there, laughing so hard they cried, until Tegoshi decided to curl up in Koyama’s lap, lying completely limp against his chest.
That was the position Shige and Massu found them in when they came back with bags of groceries. Massu’s reaction - the reaction Koyama had expected him to have - was to grin and shake his head fondly, amused by Tegoshi’s clingy behaviour. Shige’s reaction, however, Koyama hadn’t been expecting at all. He came to an abrupt halt and his face went completely blank for all of a second before he glared at Tegoshi like he was murdering Koyama, rather than sitting on him.
After that, everything was normal. Shige complained about the tongs being on the ground and Massu offered to go inside to wash them. Koyama and Shige cooked dinner while Tegoshi stood nearby offering helpful suggestions and not lifting a finger.
They carried everything up to the deck afterwards, eating and chatting amidst the soft sound of waves breaking on the nearby shore as the sun went down.
Tegoshi and Massu took washing up duty since Koyama and Shige had done the cooking, and so they left the two of them outside in the twilight. Koyama could hear them inside, the sounds of the sink being filled with water and the faint chink of porcelain against the bench.
He and Shige continued with their easy flow of conversation, but he couldn’t help feeling like something was different. They were still talking the same, and things hadn’t gotten weird between them, but something had obviously changed.
Shige must have noticed that Koyama wasn’t fully paying attention anymore, because he stopped talking and looked at him curiously, thoughtfully, until Koyama realised he’d fallen silent.
“Sorry.” Koyama said, flashing Shige an appropriately apologetic smile. “I was distracted. What were you saying?”
Shige didn’t reply immediately, instead keeping Koyama fixed with that same thoughtful look.
“Koyama.” He said, tongue forming the syllables slowly.
He dragged his chair a little closer, close enough so that Koyama could feel the warmth of Shige’s leg, almost touching his own, and he couldn’t help the little nervous flutter he felt in his stomach.
“What’s up?” Koyama asked, too anxious to stay quiet any longer.
Shige nibbled his bottom lip, leant closer but didn’t make eye contact, and when he spoke, his voice was soft, like he didn’t want anyone else to overhear.
“I don’t… I don’t want to spend the rest of this vacation wondering.” He said eventually, staring fixedly at nothing over Koyama’s shoulder. “And so I don’t want to pretend that nothing happened this afternoon.”
Koyama felt his pulse begin to race, and he inhaled deeply through his nose, tried to relax.
“This afternoon.” Koyama repeated dumbly, and then Shige looked right into his eyes, and his breath hitched.
Shige’s eyes were soft with uncertainty, with worry and hesitation, but Koyama thought he could see an underlying hint of anticipation before Shige started to lean in closer.
Koyama couldn’t tear his eyes from Shige’s lips; Shige’s perfect, pink lips that looked so silky, so smooth, and god, he wanted to kiss them, feel them, more than he’d wanted anything else the entire summer.
Shige’s face was closer now, closer to his than it had ever been before, and Koyama felt like his heart was going to hammer its way out of his chest. He could smell the scent of smoke from the barbeque lingering in Shige’s hair, mixing with the spicy fragrance of his cologne, and he closed his eyes, breathed it in. Koyama needed this, needed him, and then Shige’s hand slid over his own where it rested on top of the table an instant before their lips finally met.
Koyama felt a thrill go through him as they brushed together, Shige’s perfect, shapely mouth pressed to his own, lips dragging gently over Koyama’s in a curious, tender touch that left his heart racing and head spinning. The sound of rushing in his own ears drowned out the sound of the waves, the chirp of crickets, everything but the sound of Shige’s breath and his own heartbeat.
When Shige drew back, he lingered there for a moment, sharing Koyama’s air before finally going to pull away completely. But Koyama stopped him, threaded his fingers between Shige’s, linking their hands and pulling him back.
“You don’t have to stop. I didn’t want you to stop.” He whispered, and tangled his other hand in his Shige’s hair, and brought him closer before kissing him again and again with soft, tiny pecks, feeling himself fall further and further in love with each one.
If Tegoshi and Massu noticed that their hands were still firmly clasped when they finally came inside later that night, they didn’t say anything. The two of them slipped past into Shige’s room and curled up close on top of the covers of his bed, sharing kisses and body heat, and when Shige asked him in a drowsy whisper if he wanted to stay, Koyama told him ‘yes’.
Tegoshi and Massu figured out what was going on pretty quickly. Nobody had mentioned anything about it, but it was obvious they knew from the way Tegoshi mercilessly began to flirt with Koyama to see what Shige would do. It was obvious from the way that Massu would make up an excuse to drag Tegoshi away somewhere when Koyama and Shige started to share soft-eyed looks and what they thought were inconspicuous touches.
But, mostly, nothing changed. Koyama still worked at the ice cream stand on the beach during the day and played with the other three in the afternoon; he still piggybacked Tegoshi in the sea, had impromptu races with Massu, and traded jokes with Shige, splashing each other whenever they got a bit too vulgar.
They’d only known each other for two weeks, but Koyama already felt like they’d been friends since as long as he could remember. It felt like the summer was going to stretch on endlessly, like it was always just going to be the four of them enjoying countless, blissful days of sun and sea, and him and Shige lying on their backs on the grass during warm summer nights.
But, Koyama realised, nothing went on forever, and soon enough, the holidays would come to an end. Shige, Tegoshi and Massu would go back earlier, once August drew to a close, and Koyama would stay until mid-September, when summer would fade into autumn, when all this would come to an end.
This would be his last summer before graduation, the last one when he’d be able to spend weeks on end selling ice creams, swimming, tanning, fooling around on the beach. Next year, he would get a job, a real job, and visit his laidback, lazy hometown for only days at a time. And even if Shige and the others came back next summer, Koyama wouldn’t be here.
That evening, as Koyama sat in the dunes with Shige, his toes buried in the sand and his head on Shige’s shoulder, he knew that by the end of next week, this would all be over.
“You look serious.” Shige said to him, sliding his hand over Koyama’s knee, and Koyama jerked out of his thoughts.
“No way. That’s your job.” He said, earned a slap on the thigh. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, added, “This has been a good summer.”
Shige wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed the top of his head.
“It’s not over yet.” He said, and Koyama burrowed closer, smiled into Shige’s neck and reminded himself to enjoy every moment while it lasted.
Koyama said goodbye to the three boys the night before they left since he was working the next day, playing cards one last time and eating takeaway food from the restaurant. He and Shige stayed awake until the early morning, talking, kissing, enjoying each others’ presence, and when he got to work, exhausted and running on only a few hours of sleep, knew it was totally worth it.
It was later in the morning, just after midday, just after the beach usually began to fill up when Koyama recognised Tegoshi’s voice - as usual, hearing it before he saw him or the others. Koyama handed an ice cream to a small girl and took the money from her mother before he turned to face Tegoshi, Shige and Massu over the counter.
“We came to say goodbye.” Tegoshi said, coming around the back of the cart to join Koyama, soon followed by the other two.
Massu hugged him, giving him a brief pat on the back, and then once he moved away, Tegoshi snuggled up close, pressing a kiss to his cheek and cackling when Shige narrowed his eyes.
Koyama turned to him last, both of them a little choked up, a little lost for words, but when Shige’s arms circled his waist, and Koyama took Shige’s face into his hands to kiss him hard on the mouth, they didn’t really need to say anything.
Shige slipped him a piece of paper as they went to leave, telling him, “My dorm address. Once you get back to Tokyo, maybe you could come over,” and Koyama couldn’t help kissing him one last time as he took it.
They waved to him as they made their way up to the beach path, to the road where their car was parked, out of sight, and Koyama waved back, waved until he couldn’t see them anymore.
He looked at the address scrawled in messy black ink on the paper, and slid it into his back pocket as he went back to work, knowing that even though summer was finally at an end, the rest of the year was waiting for him.