November 15

The doorbell rang loudly and Akira jumped from his seat eagerly. His feet moved quickly to the door, throwing it open and grinning from ear to ear to the guests standing outside of his front door.

“Tita Hina, Tito Haru, Shiro!” Akira chirped happily. Hina pulled Akira into a tight hug and kissed his head lightly, expressing her love to the young boy.

“Hi sweetheart. It’s so nice to see you again.” She exclaimed with delight.

Shiro beamed and held his arms out, holding a box, “Happy Birthday Kira!”

Akira let out a small chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand as he smiled widely. “This better not be another plushie, Shiro..” Akira gently took the box from his hands. Shiro laughed at his comment and smiled.

“It’s not, don’t worry!”

Akira moved to the side, making room for the Okamoto family to make their way in. The three of them took their shoes off, placing them with the rest of the shoes in the foyer. Haru and Hina made their way to the kitchen while Shiro went with Akira to finish setting up the party table.

As they were setting up, Shiro gently nudged Akira and Akira gazed up at him. Shiro smiled warmly.

“You know, I can’t believe it’s been almost 13 years since we met.”

Akira blushed, “I know…4 year old me thought you were just a temporary friend.”

Shiro quickly embraced Akira tightly at the comment. Akira wrapped his arms around Shiro, and rested his head on his shoulder. The two boys held each other for a short while, taking in the warmth of the hug. Akira felt calm and content in his arms, not wanting to ever leave his embrace. But unfortunately for him, their hug came to a quick end when the doorbell rang once again. The two boys hurried to the door and opened it. Akira exclaimed in excitement. 

Imani and Hyori were at the door with presents, both of them thrilled to see Akira. They greeted him Happy Birthday, and Akira took Imani to put the presents away, while Shiro and Hyori headed to the living room.

The two sat quietly next to each other. The silence was loud, making the moment awkward. Shiro hummed, “Sooo, how’ve you been?”

Hyroi turned to him, “Um, pretty good! You?”

Shiro nodded at her reply, “Same here.”

She tapped her feet on the ground, “You seem quiet, you okay?”

He didn’t reply, only nodding vigorously. 

Hyori raised an eyebrow, and leaned closer towards Shiro, making intense eye contact with the nervous boy. “You’re hiding something.”

Shiro shook his head immediately, “No I’m not. I don’t know what you mean.”

He turned and Hyori crossed her arms, “Spill it, Okamoto.”

Shiro groaned and slumped into the couch, frowning deeply. “Fine, but promise not to tell anyone?”

She nodded eagerly, impatiently waiting for his reply.

His eyes wandered, refusing to make eye contact with the bright brown orbs staring into his soul.

“I um…I have a crush on someone. And well, I want to ask them out. I just don’t know how.”

Hyori gasped, her hands flying over her mouth as her eyes widened in surprise. She placed his hands on her lap, moving closer to the already nervous Shiro.

“Really?? Who? Who is it? Are they in our homeroom? They go to our school right? How old? What grade? Is it a senior? Are they-” Hyori was speaking too fast for Shiro to keep up. It was like all of her words and questions were mixing together into a bunch of nonsense.

“Alright!” Shiro said loudly, making her jump. “One question, Hyori. I will answer one question, and that’s it." Truthfully though, Shiro didn't want to answer anything. But knowing Hyori, she would nag him all day and he would end up spilling everything he wanted to keep secret.

Hyori grinned, making him nervous on what question she was going to choose. “Promise you’ll answer.”

Shiro nodded, just wanting her to get off of his back. She hummed, tapping her finger on her chin as she thought. The more she stayed silent, the more anxious he became. Suddenly she gasped, and turned to him with a suspicious twinkle in her eye.

“Are they in this house, right now?”

His eyes widened in shock. He promised he would answer, but if he did, it would reveal everything. His leg started to nervously bounce up and down, his eyes looking to the ground and his hands fidgeting. Hyori rocked the nervous boy back and forth, wanting the answer to her question.

“Come on Okamoto, you promised!”

Shiro stared up at her, “Um..well-”

If Shiro believed in miracles, then this moment definitely was one. Before he could answer, Imani’s hand gently came smacking Shiro in the head, Akira following behind her. Shiro sighed in relief as Imani and Akira plopped down right next to them. While Shiro was relieved, Hyori groaned in defeat. 

Imani looked at the two suspiciously, “So, what were you guys talking about while we were-”

Another interruption. But this time it was Shiro interrupting her.

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Shiro stiffened up and he turned quickly the other way, leaving Imani and Akira in his rear view. Akira slowly came from behind him, staring at him. Shiro’s eyes slowly moved to him.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Akira’s eyes fluttered. “You okay?...”

Shiro turned back around, sinking into the couch even more as he hastily pulled a blanket over himself.  “I’m fine! I already said it’s nothing.” Hyori laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Ummm, we were just..talking about the science project due next week! I needed some help, that’s all.”

Imani gasped loudly. She threw her head back against the couch. Her hands covered her face and her voice muffled as she spoke, “I forgot about that, I haven’t even started!”

Akira turned angrily, “What?!” He gently smacked her shoulder, and she peeked at him through her fingers. “You told me you were almost done! I already finished my half of it!”

Imani whined, her legs kicking in the air, “I’m sorry, I lied! I’ll finish soon I promise!”

Akira groaned and let himself collapse onto the seat. The group sat together in silence. Shiro still under the blanket, Imani covering her face, Akira with his arms crossed, and Hyori sitting up confused. Their silence was interrupted by a deep voice behind them.

“You kids alright?”

The four teens screamed in shock. Akira fell into Shiro’s lap as Shiro peeked over the blanket to observe what happened. Meanwhile Imani somehow made her way to Hyori, the two girls holding each other tightly. They looked up where the voice came from, and standing there was Vin. He smiled at them awkwardly.

“My bad..”

Akira laughed nervously, slowly making his way off of Shiro as he adjusted himself. After Akira got over his embarrassment,  he jumped up from the couch and pounced onto Vin happily.

“When did you get here Kuya?!”

Vin laughed gleefully and hugged his brother back tightly, “Like 5 minutes ago, did you not get my text? My plane landed two hours ago!”

Akira stuffed his face into the crook of his neck. Vin could feel him smiling, and he tightened the hug. “I haven’t checked my phone!”

He unstuffed his face and looked down, then clapped happily. He bent down, eagerly opening a box on the ground brought by Vin.

“Oo, Pasalubong!” (A box(es) full of gifts and snacks given when coming back home)

The large box opened, revealing a variety of Japanese snacks and gifts. He took some out, observing them curiously. As he did so, his gaze made its way back to Vin. He looked around his older brother, then tilted his head in curiosity. 

“Where’s Ate Malaya and Kuya Amihan? You said they would be here.”

Vin sighed and crouched down next to his brother, “I’m sorry bud, they couldn’t make it..”

Akira frowned sadly, “Oh okay, I understand.”

Out of the blue, Vin started laughing. Akira looked up, wondering why his brother was laughing at his sorrow. Vin placed his hands on his shoulders and smiled brightly, “I’m joking Akira, they’re right there!” he turned towards the foyer, “they were just getting some more things out of the car.”

Akira immediately hopped up happily, and practically flew to the door. Amihan and Malaya, Vin’s wife and husband, were taking their shoes off and holding an abundant amount of presents. Malaya gasped, placing the gifts on the ground and grabbing Akira into a warm hug. He always loved her hugs, ever since he was young. She was like a sister to him, the sister he always dreamed for.

“Akira baby, hello! I’ve missed you so much, how’ve you been my love?”

Akira looked up at her, his eyes twinkling with love. “I’ve been great Ate, how about you?”

Malaya patted his head, “I’ve been good too!”

Akira laid his head on her shoulder, still keeping his eyes on her, “Are my brother and Kuya Amihan taking good care of you Ate??’

Malaya giggled, “Yes they are sweetheart, don’t you worry.” The two of them let go of each other and Akira slowly turned to Amihan, a huge smile creeping onto both of their faces.

“HAN!” Akira exclaimed.

“KIRA!” Amihan called out.

They both opened their arms widely, running to each other. Amihan picked Akira up off the ground for a few seconds, then swayed him back and forth once his feet landed on the surface. Akira warmed into Amihan’s hug. Amihan was just like Hikaru, and he loved that. It wasn’t like Amihan was there to replace him, but instead it felt like he was there to fill the empty hole in his heart. They stood there, embracing each other for what felt like an eternity. Their moment was interrupted by the sound of Vin clearing his throat behind them. 

Vin stared at them, “Guys…” The two boys turned, “Everyone’s waiting for us.”

Akira and Amihan turned back to each other. Then jumped into the hug once again.

“They can wait!” Akira stated loudly.

Once Akira and Amihan’s lengthy hug finally ended, they headed to the dining table where everyone was, in fact, waiting for them. Vin, Malaya, and Amihan took their seats, leaving one chair between Shiro and Vin empty. Akira sat down happily, but his smile faded quickly when a cake slid in front of him, and the sound of someone recording could be heard in front of him. 

“Wait what!” Akira scowled.

Sora hugged her son from behind, placing her head on her his, “I know you hate this, but it’ll only take a few seconds, I promise!”

Akira groaned. He of course loved celebrating his birthday with his family and friends. But the one thing he hated? The singing. Akira absolutely despised the moment when the entire group sang Happy Birthday as he sat there, the center of attention. He felt put on the spot. It always made him want to tuck himself under a thick, warm blanket, to hide himself from the embarrassment. But as always. He could never resist the playful sparkle of his mom’s eyes as they pleaded for him to agree.

“Okay fine..” Akira sighed.

Sora clapped happily at this, and the singing began.

Once they finished. Akira slumped in his chair with relief, hoping the next time wouldn’t be so awkward. Riku stood from their chair, clapping their hands together. This gathered the attention of the group.

“All right everyone, let’s dig in. Sora and I made both Japanese and Filipino food today!”

Akira beamed at this. He hadn’t eaten all day, his excitement for the party clouded his mind. The thought of eating both of his mom’s cooking made him feel warm inside. Their cooking always made him happy. He rushed to grab a plate, piling it with food. He grabbed his utensils and sat down, ready to eat. His fork in his left hand, and his spoon in his right. He pushed some rice onto his spoon with his fork and held it up to his mouth. He would’ve eaten the whole spoonful in one fell swoop, but something stopped him. The fork and spoon slowly made its way back onto the surface of his plate. His stomach no longer growled from the need for food. Instead, his eyes were fixated on two specific people. Shiro and Hyori. They were shoulder to shoulder, feeding each other extremely large spoonfuls while trying their hardest not to choke while laughing their heads off.

 Akira wrapped his arms around his stomach tightly, his eyes moving down, staying concentrated on the wood floors. He tried his hardest to distract himself. He counted the number of wood planks within view, he listened to the sound of chattering around him. He even began to count how many times he heard a lone lizard chirp in the ceiling above him. This tactic was common for him when he needed a distraction. Lizards often found themselves within the homes of the Philippines. So it wasn’t uncommon to hear a quiet chirp come from a lizard or two daily.

No matter how hard he tried though, he couldn’t get the two off of his mind. The way their shoulders touched, the way they were smiling and laughing with each other. But most importantly, the way both of their faces were flushed, a slight red tint covering their cheeks. 

Imani noticed the uncomfortable ambiance radiating off of Akira. It was so strong that she swore she could see a dark blue aura surrounding him. Imani couldn’t take seeing her best friend so sad. She knew the exact reason why he was feeling this way too. With no hesitation, she stood up, and aggressively nudged Shiro on his back. Shiro flew forward, almost choking on his food. He quickly turned with furrowed eyebrows, still chewing. Imani glared at him, her eyes burning into his skull as she crossed her arms. Shiro raised his hands in confusion, and the wrinkles on Imani’s nose and forehead became more prominent. She pointed towards the lonely Akira behind her with her head, at the same time, her eyes screaming at him to go talk to the boy. Shiro finally swallowed and frowned, noticing how sad his friend looked. Imani fixed her face to a smile, and went up to Hyori, dragging her away to let the two boys talk alone.

Chapter 6: 1/2