He could always ask his mom. She was a surgeon, so elementary math meant nothing to her. But it would hurt his pride too much to approach her for problems he should easily solve on his own.

Furthermore, the expectation of excellence was there, looming like a grey shadow over him, and he could envision the looks of disappointment on their faces if they discovered he was struggling with relatively simple concepts. His parents had never scolded him before. He was always a perfect student, after all. That wasn't going to change. He wouldn't let it, even if it meant powering through all his study materials late into the night.

Hana glanced at his phone. It was shining, but made no sound as he left it on do-not-disturb.

Asai was calling.

Hana picked up. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much. I just...it's Shuri's birthday soon, right?"

"...huh? It is, but..." a smile lifted Hana's lips. "Wait, are you two actually friends after all?"

"...I don't actually hate him."

"Remember that time you took Shuri’s correction sheets? And the time you scolded him for coming to the student council room even though he’s not part of it?"

"I just get a kick out of pissing him off. Anyway, that's not why I called. Do you have plans for his birthday?"

"I've been thinking about it, but there's nothing concrete yet..."

They talked over the phone until Hana remembered a TV ad he saw earlier that day. A new rabbit cafe opened up downtown, and he knew Shuri adored animals. He was always playing with the stray cats that wandered around school, even if they were all filthy from fighting or sleeping in the mud. Sometimes he'd save scraps from the bento boxes to feed them too. By the end of the call, Hana called up the new cafe and reserved a table for three on Shuri's birthday.

The day of Shuri's birthday rolled around.

At first, dragging Shuri to the cafe was an arduous task. He didn't like the idea of being treated, even if it was on his birthday. It took a while for Hana's pleas to turn into an icy command for him to let go of his pride, after which Shuri obediently complied. Asai watched on, bemused and unnerved at the same time.

When they arrived at the front door of the cafe, Shuri's eyes were wide with excitement. "Rabbit...cafe?!"

"Surprise!" Hana poked him in the cheek. "I knew you'd like this!"

He grabbed Shuri's arm and ran in. Asai followed quietly behind them.

After ordering, they played with the rabbits for a bit. It was the first birthday Hana got to celebrate with Shuri. It was also the first time he ever saw Shuri looking so relaxed, his walls let down as he rubbed the soft fuzzy ears of all the bunnies surrounding him. 

"So warm to the touch..." he murmured.

Hana didn't want to disrupt the tender ease Shuri was feeling. He knew that things were wrong in Shuri's family. Some weeks were worse than others. Shuri kept up appearances, but Hana could observe the subtle shifts in his behavior. Even something as small as the way he texted a little less, or was quieter when he walked Hana home from school, could tip Hana off. 

Right now, Shuri was detached from that world and whatever horrors they entailed, and Hana wanted to protect his peace. 

Someday, Hana thought. Someday, I'll get you out of that world, and we'll live like this instead.

They went to their desk after their orders were ready. Shuri ordered a cup of warm black coffee. Hana watched him sip with a little smile on his lips.

"But how will you sleep when we go home later?"

Shuri shook his head. "I don't want to sleep tonight. I don't want tonight to end."

"Food's here," Asai mumbled.

After the food, his cake arrived. They sang for him and he blew the candles of his cake.

Hana pulled out his phone. "Come on in, Asai!"

"I don't like pictures," Asai mumbled from across the table. 

"Please, just one to commemorate the occassion!"

Up till then, Asai had silently gone along with their activities, making sure to keep a distance from the couple. He gazed uncertainly at Hana. He had never turned down a request from Hana before, but for once, there was hesitation in his eyes.

"Please?"

He gave in. 

After the picture, Asai pulled out his phone too. He glanced at the screen for less than a second. Then he said, as if he had rehearsed the line a dozen times in his head, "I have to go back early. Ayase, happy birthday. Goodnight, you two."

"You'll be fine heading back alone?"

Asai nodded. Normally, he would say something like, "Get home safe as well, Hana," or "Ayase, you'd better see Hana home properly." But this time, he turned and left without another word. 

Hana watched him leave. The bell hanging off the door of the cafe rang gently as he vanished.

Hana had been so focused on Shuri's happiness the whole night that he didn't stop to consider how all this might've felt for Asai. Riddled with guilt, but too late to pursue him, Hana turned to his phone and sent a quick text telling Asai to return home safe. He would have to speak to Asai about this.

Shuri finished his share of the cake just as Hana finished sending the text.

"Hey, Hana," Shuri said. "Thank you for this. All of this. I've never experienced something like blowing candles off a cake before. It's..."

"Never?"

"Mm, once, when I was very young...but that was when I still lived in Nara." His gaze wandered over to the row of half-melted candles beside the cake. "It was so long ago, I can barely remember it now. Back then, things were..."

He shook his head. The usual smile returned to his face. "Forget I said anything. It doesn't matter. Coming here and meeting you has changed my life, Hana. Thanks to you, I got to experience something as special as a birthday with friends. I'll cherish this memory forever."

And Hana could see from the wavering in his eyes that he truly meant it. He leaned over, resting his head on Shuri's shoulder. 

A waitress bowed to them as she passed by. "We'll be closing soon." 

They nodded. She walked off to draw the curtains. Slowly, the cafe was closed off from the glittering lights of the vehicles zooming through the street outside. No one else remained in the cafe save for the staff members. The slow jazz music that had been playing through the night was turned off, along with the animated flashing of the television screen. The counter lights were shut off.

"Hana..."

Shuri turned, and their faces were right in front of each other's. As he did many weeks ago, he held Hana's face and leaned in. This time, Hana didn't scrunch up his face. He shut his eyes, and felt as Shuri's lips pressed softly against his. Felt the slight pressure of Shuri's teeth pushing against his, alongside the lingering scent of coffee and cake.

The kiss lasted only for the briefest moment. They parted and Shuri turned away, the tips of his ears completely red. Hana chuckled and nudged him gently.

"You were so confident the first time we almost kissed. Where'd all your confidence go, huh?"

Still looking away, Shuri made a strangled sound. It took a while for him to stumble through his words, "You can't tell, but your phermones are out of control. The smell is intoxicating..."

"Give me one more kiss, Shuri."

"We can't. Any more and I won't be able to control myself."

"It's fine. You don't always need to be in control. Let go for onc-"

Shuri grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him, hard and fierce. Their teeth clacked this time, painfully, but the pain melted away as Shuri kissed him deep. They were all lip and tongue, and after a while of the heady pleasure, Hana began to feel light-headed. He tapped Shuri's shoulder, but Shuri didn't notice what he was trying to signal. It took a few firmer pushes for him to realize what was happening.

They were both gasping for breath by the time they parted. Hana even coughed a little. Shuri held a half-empty glass of water to his lip, and Hana drank, his chest still heaving from the effort. 

Hana couldn't look Shuri in the eye their whole way back from the cafe. But at Hana's doorstep, Shuri pulled him into a hug and kissed him again, this time on the forehead. He whispered something that might've been about love, but Hana couldn't hear it through the sound of his heartbeat thudding so loudly in his ears.

After Shuri left, he stood at the front door for a long moment before sliding down and hugging his legs. Later on, his dad opened the door and asked him what was wrong, but Hana couldn't speak a single word. All he knew was the sweet pressure of Shuri's lips on his.