Chapter 6: 2/2

CW: Subtle hints of an ED

Shiro scooted closer towards Akira, his eyes still focused on the ground. Shiro placed a gentle hand on his shoulder in an attempt to get his attention. Akira jumped at the gesture and grabbed the unknown hand tightly. His attention moved to the sudden presence next to him, his eyes as big as saucers, darting around with fear. But when his mind realized it was just Shiro, he immediately calmed. His posture slumping back down, his pupils dialing down to its original size, and his hand falling from Shiro’s, leaving a slight red mark on it from his tight grip. Shiro kept his hand on his shoulder, not at all phased by the action. He noticed there wasn’t much emotion on Akira’s face, aside from his bright eyes twinkling with a hint of sadness. 

“I’m sorry about that..” Akira said quietly, “I didn’t know it was you.”

Shiro smiled at the boy, his hand making its way on top of Akira’s. “It’s quite alright. I understand, no need to apologize.”

Akira stiffened, surprised by the unusual formality coming from Shiro. He was suspicious.

“Everything alright? You haven’t touched your food at all.”

Akira’s eyes wandered once again, refusing to make eye contact with the black haired boy. “Yeah I’m fine, just not that hungry.” But his stomach seemed to disagree. It once again growled with hunger, Akira’s arms tightening its grip around his stomach to mute the noise.

Shiro sighed at the white lie made by Akira. He gently took his fragile hands into his, softly pulling him up with minimal force. He gathered both of the plates and led Akira to the living room while everyone else was distracted. The two sat down on the couch together and Shiro placed the plates on the coffee table. Akira pulled his legs up, crossing them under him. Shiro copied him, the position making their knees touch gently. Akira’s bare knee delicately rubbed against the soft cloth covering Shiro’s legs. In response to this, Shiro took the plates again, placing Akira’s onto his lap and holding his own. He leaned down, taking the still full spoon and holding it up to Akira’s mouth. Akira refused, his head turning the other direction, away from the utensil. The strong smell of the food made him feel uneasy and nauseous, he didn’t know if he could handle it anymore. Shiro pleaded with a soft tone, “Just one bite?”

Akira still shook his head aggressively, pushing both plates onto the table and covering his nose with his arms. Shiro, accepting defeat, placed the spoon back down onto the plate. He gently placed his hand on the side of Akira’s face, pulling him towards him. The gesture made Akira blush lightly. 

“Maybe later?” Shiro asked. A small tone of desperation coming from his voice. 

Akira didn’t feel like eating, not for the rest of the day. Maybe even longer. His mood was ruined. But he didn’t want Shiro to know that. He hates lying to him, but he just couldn’t tell the truth, knowing it would break him. 

“Yeah, maybe.” Akira responded quietly, his arms moving down from his face as the smell of the food drifted away. 

Shiro could tell he was lying. Akira was never the best at lying, his bright brown eyes always revealed the truth. He preferred not to let him know though, so he instead just nodded in agreement. Akira gently laid his head on Shiro’s shoulder. His shoulders were broad and tough, making it a bit uncomfortable to lay on, but Akira ignored it, just wanting a place to rest his head. It felt so heavy after those past few minutes, and he needed a break. Shiro’s head softly touched Akira’s, the two boys sitting in silence as they closed their eyes, just taking in each other’s presence.

But as always, their peace was interrupted. Hina’s voice projected from the dining room, calling for them.

“Shiro! Akira! Where are you two? It’s time for presents.”

Shiro exhaled deeply. His plan didn’t work as he hoped, but at least he got to spend some time alone with Akira. He stood on his feet, then held a hand out to Akira. Akira grabbed it hesitantly and he was pulled up from off the couch. They walked slowly to the kitchen, but out of nowhere, Shiro stopped. He stood in front of Akira, observing the small frown on his face. He placed his hands on his cheeks, using his thumbs to turn his frown upside down. But the moment he let go, the forced smile went back to a frown. Shiro’s mouth moved to the side, and slightly down. He moved his eyes around the surrounding area, which quickly caught Akira’s attention. He did the same, curiously wondering what the raven haired boy was looking at. Shiro moved to the side, glancing behind Akira. The boy with dove-like locks turned his back to him. At that very moment, Shiro placed his hands on Akira’s sides tickling him gently, but it was enough to make him erupt in laughter and happiness.

“Agay! Agay! Shiro!!” (Ouch! Ouch! Shiro!!)

Shiro pulled him in closer, despite Akira’s “cries”, tickling him even more. Akira tried to push him off, but Shiro’s grip on him was strong, and he couldn’t stop laughing. Eventually, the tickling stopped, allowing Akira to catch his breath. He gently massaged his sides, they felt slightly bruised from Shiro’s aggressive tickling, but it was worth it. Shiro patted Akira’s head with a big smile, then took his arm and dragged him into the dining room. They both sat back down in their seats, and Vin slid the bundle of presents to him. Akira’s eyes glimmered at the abundance of gifts filling the table in front of him, lifting his mood even more. This was probably the most amount of gifts he had ever received out of all of his birthdays.

Vin clasped his hands together, “So, which one first?”

Akira smiled, taking a look at his wide selection. He hummed curiously.

“I’ll open…Shiro’s!”

His hands moved quickly towards the medium sized gift Shiro brought. It was wrapped with a white and gold striped paper, a shiny golden bow on the top, pulling the whole thing together. He eagerly opened the present, revealing a white box. He took off the lid, there were multiple items inside, including some candy, but one caught his eye. It was a small golden heart shaped locket. Shiro knew him so well, gold was the only type of jewelry he wore. 

Akira opened the locket, observing the picture inside. It was a photo of Akira’s cat, Snowy. He felt the name Snowy was still a little childish, but at the time, 5 year old Akira thought it was perfect. The name Snowy represented the cat’s lucious white fur. It felt soft, like how a fresh pile of snow looks after a heavy snow storm. And each strand was almost long enough to be that of Akira’s own hair whenever she would shed her fur.

Akira showed the opened locket to the rest of those around him. They all awed in unison at the heart shaped picture of the cat. Shiro pulled a matching necklace from under his shirt, this time though, it was silver.

“I have a matching one right here,” he opened the locket, and instead of Snowy, it contained a picture of his dog, Lunar. “I would have put pictures of us, but it would seem like we were dating. And well, Snowy and Lunar are the closest things to represent the both of us.” 

Lunar, once again, was not the best name Shiro could have chosen for his dog. Although the dog’s midnight black fur fit the name Lunar, Shiro still believes his toddler self could have thought of something more unique.  

“I know it’s not much, but I hope you still like it.”

Akira smiled ear to ear as he clasped the necklace together around his neck, “I love it, Shiro, thank you so much!”

“Of course!” Shiro replied happily. 

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a long white tail sway in the entrance of the dining room. “Actually, speaking of Snowy, here she comes.”

Everyone turned to the entrance. A white cat with a slight orange tint, indicating her old age, came striding in. The way her small paws and legs moved was like a model if they were a cat. Snowy’s face was still kitten-like, her playfulness showing in her ocean blue eyes.

Akira laughed happily, picking up Snowy as she made her way to Akira’s side. He stuffed his face into her soft fur as she purred against his cheek. If Snowy’s old age hadn’t turned her white fur a beige color, the group was sure that she would have blended in completely with Akira’s own hair.

“My baby..” Akira said, muffled against Snowy’s obnoxious amount of fur. It was surprising to him how much fur a tiny cat could hold.

Vin smiled at his brother, petting their cat. “Alright now, why don’t you open the rest of your presents?”

Akira nodded and placed Snowy down onto his lap. She quickly fell asleep, her loud purring still echoing throughout the room. He observed his presents once again. He noticed a very tiny box hidden within the pile of presents. Akira grabbed it and turned to Vin.

“Yours?”

Vin nodded and Akira focused his attention back to the gift. He opened it and inside was a white guitar pick. Akira was confused on why his brother would gift him a guitar pick, he had never picked a guitar up in his life.

“A guitar pick?”

Vin leaned down to him, “Yup, but who’s?”

Who’s? Who’s guitar pick could this possibly be? The only person Akira knew that played the guitar was Vin, but Vin doesn’t own any white picks. He would know because he went rummaging through his collection one time looking for something. He brought it up closer to his eyes. His vision adjusted, and two small initials in gold were engraved into the pick. The initials read: H.N. 

And suddenly, it all clicked. Hikaru.

Hikaru was the first guitar player in their family. He taught himself how to play first before teaching Vin. Akira gasped at the realization, and Vin ran off, coming back with an electric guitar in hand. He placed it in Akira's arms, and he embraced it tightly. His hands slid against the smooth material. It was a void black shade with intricate designs colored in a deep sea blue. It was obvious the guitar was years old, but it still worked like it was brand new. The strings showed signs that it had not been touched in forever. 

“Before he passed, Kuya Karu told me to give this to you on the day of your 17th birthday. It was his first guitar, and he was your age when he bought it.”

Akira gently strummed his hands against the strings, closing his eyes as he did so. It felt like his brother was there with him. The lingering feeling of the moments Hikaru used that very guitar left a tingling feeling on his fingers. This was something he’d cherish forever.