"I don't know much about the stars," Hajime admits as he lies on his back and looks up at them. "They're really pretty, though."
"That's okay," Tooru replies, and there's a smile in his voice, one that Hajime is only just learning to recognise without looking. "I can teach you all about them. They all have names and stories, you know. It's just like learning about characters from a book!"
"Yeah?" Hajime turns to him. Their heads are so close to each other that he can barely even make out Tooru's face. "Really?"
"Really," Tooru replies with a smile, and he points up at a bright point in the middle of the sky. He moves his finger, like he's tracing a shape that Hajime can't quite make out. "This one's Orion. It's one of the easiest constellations to find. First you find the three stars on the belt, you see them? The ones that look like they're in a straight line."
"Yeah, I think I see them," Hajime replies.
"Then there are two bright ones, just above the belt."
Hajime frowns until he finds them. "Yeah?"
"Those are Orion's shoulders."
"Orion's a guy in the sky?"
"A hunter," Tooru stresses. "A great one, from mythology. He was put in the stars by the gods."
"Really?" Hajime blinks up at the sky. "What did he do?"
"Apparently, he was such a good hunter that he hunted with the gods," Tooru replies. "He was put in the stars after he died. Maybe they missed him?"
"Can gods do that?" Hajime asks. "That's pretty cool."
"Right?" Tooru wiggles next to him with excitement, "and, and, apparently Orion was killed by this huge scorpion! If you look over there, you'll see Scorpius. The gods put him in the sky too. Maybe the gods liked Scorpius too?"
"Tell me more," Hajime urges, and Tooru laughs, taking his hand and squeezing it. They rest their heads together as Tooru continues on, going from one story to the next, pointing out each constellation as he talks about it, waiting until Hajime finds it before continuing.
It's a summer night, so their mothers are happy to let them lie out in the grass for longer, and Hajime listens as Tooru's voice slows and gets softer, his fingers going slack in Hajime's grip.
"Hey. Are you sleeping?" Hajime asks, looking over to his side. Their foreheads touch, and he can hear Tooru's soft sleep breathing.
Turning back to the sky, Hajime lifts his hand, like he can reach out and touch all the constellations that he's learned about.
Maybe one day, Hajime thinks to himself, they'll be great enough to find themselves in the stars too. Just like this, with their hands joined, feeling unstoppable.
FILL: Team Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, G
no tags
word count: 463
remix of
"I don't know much about the stars," Hajime admits as he lies on his back and looks up at them. "They're really pretty, though."
"That's okay," Tooru replies, and there's a smile in his voice, one that Hajime is only just learning to recognise without looking. "I can teach you all about them. They all have names and stories, you know. It's just like learning about characters from a book!"
"Yeah?" Hajime turns to him. Their heads are so close to each other that he can barely even make out Tooru's face. "Really?"
"Really," Tooru replies with a smile, and he points up at a bright point in the middle of the sky. He moves his finger, like he's tracing a shape that Hajime can't quite make out. "This one's Orion. It's one of the easiest constellations to find. First you find the three stars on the belt, you see them? The ones that look like they're in a straight line."
"Yeah, I think I see them," Hajime replies.
"Then there are two bright ones, just above the belt."
Hajime frowns until he finds them. "Yeah?"
"Those are Orion's shoulders."
"Orion's a guy in the sky?"
"A hunter," Tooru stresses. "A great one, from mythology. He was put in the stars by the gods."
"Really?" Hajime blinks up at the sky. "What did he do?"
"Apparently, he was such a good hunter that he hunted with the gods," Tooru replies. "He was put in the stars after he died. Maybe they missed him?"
"Can gods do that?" Hajime asks. "That's pretty cool."
"Right?" Tooru wiggles next to him with excitement, "and, and, apparently Orion was killed by this huge scorpion! If you look over there, you'll see Scorpius. The gods put him in the sky too. Maybe the gods liked Scorpius too?"
"Tell me more," Hajime urges, and Tooru laughs, taking his hand and squeezing it. They rest their heads together as Tooru continues on, going from one story to the next, pointing out each constellation as he talks about it, waiting until Hajime finds it before continuing.
It's a summer night, so their mothers are happy to let them lie out in the grass for longer, and Hajime listens as Tooru's voice slows and gets softer, his fingers going slack in Hajime's grip.
"Hey. Are you sleeping?" Hajime asks, looking over to his side. Their foreheads touch, and he can hear Tooru's soft sleep breathing.
Turning back to the sky, Hajime lifts his hand, like he can reach out and touch all the constellations that he's learned about.
Maybe one day, Hajime thinks to himself, they'll be great enough to find themselves in the stars too. Just like this, with their hands joined, feeling unstoppable.
Hajime hopes this feeling never goes away.