Hey, Torch-head!

Why did I pick Hiro for my first route?  Well, he’s frickin’ adorable.  So energetic and friendly.  The food theme is a big plus.  But mainly it’s the whole childhood-best-friends-crush thing.  I’ve been there more than once when I was younger.  What gay dude hasn’t?

I thought it would be a cute, fun little game, bit titillating maybe, bit cheesy but ultimately forgettable.  I was not expecting to get so emotionally invested in the storyline.  Who could’ve thought a plotline about framing someone for snapping an illict picture of someone’s butt could be so dramatic?!  Who would’ve thought a game like this could be so wholesome, so heartwarming, so uplifting?  So funny in parts?  Not me, certainly.

This game, frankly, punched me in the balls.  Emotionally.

Seriously, if you can listen to “Autumn Raccoon (Slow)” without weeping tears for all the loves you’ve ever had and never will have, you’re a robot made of stone.

The worst thing about Hiro’s route is how hard he’s made it to invest in any other playthroughs, though I guess a lot of people have that issue with their favourite character.  But when you know his backstory, the reason why he invited Keitaro to camp in the first place and what it means for him if they don’t make a connection there, it’s really hard to set the protagonist up with another character.  For me, anyway.  All those little hurt moments when he tries and fails to get Keitaro to spend time with him.  Yeah, he’s clingy, jealous and possessive.  Yes, those are not good traits for someone in real life to have.  But in an adorable video game character, I find them incredibly endearing.  (And relatable.  Yes, I’m a mess.)

Okay, maybe a small, evil part of me does kinda enjoy torturing the poor dude a little bit, but nobody’s perfect.

What else?  The voice acting.  Just perfection.  Netflix’s She Ra has given me a new appreciation for guys with adorably squawky, uneven, not-quite-broken voices thanks to their character Bow, and Hiro fits that bill to a T.  I guess it’s maybe not much of a turn on if you’re playing the game for the sex scenes, but it’s so frickin’ adorable.  And as someone whose own voice can sound like that sometimes, it makes me a little bit more comfortable with it.

I love so many of his stock lines.  His little snicker.  His uneven “ooh-kayy”.  The unexpectedly gentle “That’s all right”.  And of course, “Anything for you, Keitaro” and “That’s my Keitaro”.

His bickering relationship with Yoichi is one of the highlights of the game for me.  Yeah, I ship it.

And that’s pretty much it!  Once I finish all of the other routes I intend to re-play Hiro’s route one last time to finish off my experience with the game - cos as far as I’m concerned, that shit is canon, baby.

“Anything for You”

Keitaro was abruptly awoken from a dream by something bouncing on his bed.  For a second he wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming or not.  The dream had been about him and Hiro, alone in the woods together, doing – well, something.  That part was still foggy.  The last thing he remembered was Hiro’s face inches away from his own, leaning in close to – what?  Whisper something? Or had he been moving in for a – kiss?

And now Hiro’s face was still inches from his own, only now his eyes were full of a different kind of excitement.

“Keitaro! Keitaro, wake up!” his best friend squeaked.  When he got really excited, Hiro’s voice tended to notch up a couple of octaves even higher than normal.  Keitaro found it endearing, though he’d once joked that only dogs would be able to tell when Hiro was really excited about something.

“H-Hiro?” Keitaro murmured, still sleepy.  “What’s wrong?”

“I just had the best idea!” Hiro grinned.  He was now kneeling on Kitaro’s bed, excitedly drumming his fists on the covers.

Keitaro yawned.  “Hiro, it’s eight o’clock in the morning,” he moaned.  “My brain won’t be working properly for at least another hour.”

“I couldn’t wait any longer for you, sleepy-head!” Hiro cried. “I’ve been trying to contain myself for the past fifteen minutes!”

“It’s true,” another voice said.  Keitaro looked across the cabin to where Hunter was sitting up in bed reading, a small smile on the quiet boy’s face.

“We tried to let you sleep in a bit more,” a third voice said calmly, and Keitaro turned to see Natsumi standing by his own bed.  Natsumi, of course, was already fully dressed and smoothing down the covers of his duvet.  “He just couldn’t help himself,” the older boy said fondly.

“Keitaro, can’t you shut your stupid Torch-head up?!” Yoichi’s voice growled from underneath the covers of his own bed.  “It’s bad enough having to listen to him yammering on when I’m not trying to sleep!”

“No one’s talking to you, Wolfboy!” Hiro shot back.

“Grah! You are, and that’s the problem!”

Hiro grabbed one of the pillows of Keitaro’s bed and was preparing to launch it when Keitaro grabbed his hand.  He couldn’t face round whatever of the two of them bickering this early in the morning.

“Hiro, Hiro,” Keitaro said, drawing the other boy’s attention back toward him.  “What’s your big idea?”

Hiro’s face broke into a huge grin again.  “I was just thinking.  What’s one camp tradition we haven’t participated in yet?”

“Uhm...”

“Getting eaten by a bear?” Yoichi muttered.

Hiro waved him away with an irritated flick of his hand.  “We should have a sleepover!”

There was a pause as Keitaro’s tired brain tried to process this information.

“But, Hero,” he said at last, “we already sleep in the same room together.  Every night.”

“Dumbass,” Yoichi muttered.

“It’s not the same,” Hiro insisted.  “Remember the sleepovers we used to have at my mom’s house back in our hometown?  Remember all the things we’d do?  Play games, have secret midnight snacks, stay up all night talking!  We don’t do any of that here!  Most of the time we’re so tired from hiking, or swimming, or whatever activities we do during the day that we’re all sound asleep by nine thirty!  We’re missing the best part!”

Despite his tiredness, Keitaro found himself smiling at some of the memories Hiro had conjured up.  Those nights at Hiro’s house had been some of the happiest he’d ever spent.  Some of that magic was exactly what he’d been hoping to recapture when he accepted his best friend’s invitation to come to Camp Buddy in the first place.

Hiro caught his smile and began drumming his fists excitedly once more. “That’s my Keitaro!  I knew you’d be up for it!”

“Gah! Fine!” Yoichi was now sitting bolt upright in bed, the covers thrown back to expose his muscular chest.  “We’ll all braid each other’s hair and talk about boys!  Is that what you want, Torch-head?  Now shut up and let me get back to sleep!” He rolled over theatrically, hugging the covers about his head.

“I suppose we’ll have to invite him too,” Hiro muttered under his breath.

“Hiro,” Keitaro chided, “Yoichi’s our friend.  Besides, he sleeps here too.”

“Don’t suppose we could tie him to a stake in the yard for a night?”

Hiro didn’t see it coming.  Yoichi’s pillow flew through the air and whacked him on the side of the bed, knocking him clean onto the floor.

“Yoichi!” Natsumi scolded.  “Hiro, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hiro muttered as Keitaro helped him to his feet.  He was clearly embarrassed by the awkwardness of his fall, his cheeks glowing almost as brightly as his orange hair.

“What?” Yoichi smirked.  “I’m just practising for the pillow fights!”

***

The discussion resumed around breakfast in the mess hall.

“So what exactly is involved in a ‘sleep-over’?” Hunter asked timidly.

“You’ve never been to one?!” Hiro blurted, almost spitting out his mouthful of cereal.

Hunter fiddled with his breakfast, eyes downcast.  “No.  I’ve read about them, but it’s not quite, ah, the same.”

“Sleepovers are great,” Keitaro replied.  “Hiro and I used to have them all the time.  We’d play video games, sneak down to his mom’s kitchen to steal stuff from the refrigerator, then talk all night until the sun came up.”

“We don’t have any video games here, though,” Natsumi said. “The scoutmasters don’t allow technology or gadgets, remember?”

“We could ask to borrow Seto’s PnesP?” Hiro suggested.

Natsumi frowned.  “We shouldn’t break the rules.”

“Besides, I doubt he’d let it out of his hands for a night,” Hiro mused. “That guy has a problem.”

Keitaro, who had vivid memories of staying up 24 hours with Hiro to play their most-anticipated new releases, said nothing and took a bite of toast.

“There must be something we can play,” Hiro insisted.

“What about board games?” Keitaro asked.

“Huh?”

“Natsumi, does the camp have any board games?  They don’t count as technology.  We wouldn’t be breaking the rules if we played Monopoly, right?”

“Wellll... I suppose not,” the older boy said, thinking.  “We do have a small stash of board games in the scoutmasters’ office.  I remember Mr Yoshi had to break them out a couple of summers ago when it rained for five days on end.  I could always ask to borrow -”

“Aw, man, you can’t ask them!” Hiro complained.  “There’s no way they’ll let us stay up late!  The rules say we’re supposed to be asleep by nine!”

“I’m not going to steal Monopoly!” Natsumi cried.

“We wouldn’t be stealing,” Hunter said softly.  “Just borrowing it for a night.  We’d put it back the next morning, no one would have to know.”

Natsumi’s frown deepened.  “Still, I’m not comfortable-”

“Come on, Natsumi!” Hiro begged.  “Pleeeeeease? You’re robbing Hunter of his first ever sleepover!  Look at his sad little face, huh?”

Hunter blushed and tried to look fascinated by the crumbs on his plate.

Natsumi folded his arms unhappily.  “I suppose, provided we are discreet, and it goes back first thing in the morning-”

“Aw, thanks, Natsumi!  You’re the best!  Now, what about food? Any ideas, Keitaro?”

“Um.  I suppose we could save some of our food from dinner and eat that later -”

Hiro’s eyes widened in shock.  “Save our dinner?  You mean – go hungry?”

“Well, just for a little while-”

“No way!  We’re supposed to be having an extra treat, not starving ourselves till the middle of the night!  Hmmm.”  Hiro cupped his chin, deep in thought.  “Bro Aiden asked me to help him make tonight’s dessert.  He’s such a perfectionist it always takes him a few practice runs to get it right.  I bet I could stash some of the rejects until later, then we could have them to ourselves!  Yes!”  Hiro pounded his fist into his palm in excitement.  “This plan is finally taking shape!”

“What about Yoichi?” Keitaro asked.  “Do you think he’ll go along with this?”  Their cabinmate had yet to emerge from beneath his pile of bedclothes when they’d gone for breakfast.

“What about Yoichi?” a gruff voice asked from behind, making Keitaro jump.

Yoichi slammed his breakfast tray down onto the table and sat beside them, his face set in its usual grumpy expression.

“We were just wondering if you’d be joining us for the sleepover,” Keitaro asked.

Yoichi stabbed a sausage onto his fork and swallowed it in two bites.  “What else am I gonna do?  I sleep over there every night, Frogboy.  Why should tonight be any different?”

“Just so long as you don’t rat us out to the scoutmasters,” Hiro said, narrowing his eyes.

“Not that we’re doing anything wrong!” Natsumi hurriedly interjected.

“Hey!” Yoichi pointed his fork angrily in front of Hiro’s face.  The effect was slightly ruined by the piece of bacon flopping on the end of it.  “I’m not a snitch, got it?  You sissies can do what you want.  Just keep it down while I’m trying to sleep, okay? I don’t need your stupid voice invading my dreams, Torch-head.”

“Aw, I bet you’re used to hearing my voice in your dreams every night, Wolfboy,” Hiro replied.  Before Yoichi could respond, Hiro snatched the piece of bacon off his fork and shoved it into his mouth.

“HEY!  GIMMIE THAT BACK!” Yoichi snarled jumping to his feet.

Hiro opened his mouth, showing the half-chewed piece of bacon. “Commin geddit if you wantid, Wolfboy!” he laughed, racing off from the table.

“Grrrr!  One way or another, I’m taking a bite out of your hide!” Yoichi snarled, chasing after him.

Natsumi watched them go.  “This,” he said anxiously, “was a terrible idea.”

***

The boys went to bed at nine o’clock as usual that night. Fortunately, the day’s activity hadn’t involved anything more strenuous than a gentle nature walk around the camp grounds with Scoutmaster Yoshi pointing out some of the local flora and fauna, so none of them were especially tired when the sun went down.  They lay in the dark, waiting for the sound of the scoutmasters’ footsteps to retreat from the cabin as they carried out their nightly check of the grounds.

“Psst!  Keitaro!  You still awake?!”

“Yeah, Hiro!”

“Then who’s snoring?”

“I, uh, think that’s Yoichi.”

“What?  Are you sure, Hunter?”

“I think so.”

“Aw man!  Wolfboy couldn’t even stay awake for five minutes past lights out!”

“Guys, keep it down!  The scoutmasters won’t be asleep yet! They might hear us!”

“Stop panicking, Natsumi.  I saw Bro Aiden sneak another crate of alcohol into Sir Yoshi’s office this afternoon.  They’re gonna be focused on their own party, for sure!”

“Wait a second.  Hiro?”

“Yeah, Keitaro?”

“You thought that was me snoring?!”

“Uhhh...”

“I don’t snore!”

“Hehehehe....”

“Hunter, stop giggling!  I don’t snore!”

“Wellll.... ahhhh.... you kinda do, Keitaro.”

“What!!”

“Don’t be embarrassed!  I think it’s cute.”

“All those sleepovers we had, you never mentioned this!”

“Well, we didn’t do a lot of sleeping then!  I only noticed it when we came to camp!”

“Are they messing with me, Natsumi?!”

“Ah...”

“I don’t believe this!”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about!  We all do dumb stuff in our sleep.  Hunter sucks his thumb!”

“What?!  No I don’t!”

“And Natsumi sleep-cleans.”

“I do what, Hiro?”

“Well, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and you’re sweeping the floor.  In your sleep.  It’s kinda creepy.”

“Oh.  I apologise.”

“Aw, don’t let it worry you.  At least it keeps the place neat.”

“Well, what about you, Hiro?  Don’t you ever do anything embarrassing in your sleep?”

“Come on, Keitaro!  How would I know!  I’m asleep, silly!”

“Apart from that time you got into the wrong bed.”

“Natsumi!”

“He what?”

“He didn’t tell you, Keitaro?”

“Natsumi, you promised you wouldn’t say anything!”

“I guess Hiro must’ve been going for a glass of water, and when he came back he got into my bed.”

“By mistake!”

“Well, you kinda snuggled up beside me.”

“I was half asleep!  I didn’t know what I was doing!”

“Really?  Because you told me I smelled nice and minty.”

“!!”

“...”

“...”

“Zzzz … hfnfnn... gnnnnn.... stupid... Torch …. head …. zzzzz ...”

“So … you just let him sleep there?”

“I’m sorry, Keitaro?”

“You just let Hiro stay snuggled up beside you in bed all night? You didn’t try to wake him up or anything?”

“Well, I, er -”

“Yeah!  Why didn’t you wake me up, huh??”

“You just looked so peaceful!  And you’d had such a busy day! Sleep is very important, you know!”

“Guys!”

“All I remember is waking up on the wrong side of the cabin one morning, and you beside the bed already dressed, Natsumi!”

“Guys!”

“How come you picked his bed of all beds to get into, hmm?”

“Guys!!”

“It was totally random, Keitaro!  I swear!  It could have been anyone!!”

“Guys!!”

“What, Hunter?” “The lights are out in the scoutmasters’ cabin!  I think we can start our sleepover now!”

“Znnn...gha... snrt.... you mean you dummies haven’t already started?!  Ugh.  Then what the hell have I been listening to for the past half hour?!”

***

They sat cross-legged in a circle on the cabin floor, their faces lit only by the faint orange glow of one of the camp’s emergency storm lamps.

“Can’t we turn the lights on?  I can’t really see very well in the dark,” Hunter asked.

“We can’t risk the scoutmasters seeing it through the window,” Natsumi said.

“Pssh.  You need better night vision, Twinkerbell,” Yoichi grumbled.

“This is better anyway,” Hiro said.  “It makes it more atmospheric!”

“Yeah, it’s nice and cosy,” Keitaro added.

“Pssh.  Whatever.”

“You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to, Wolfboy,” Hiro said.  “You can always go back to sleep.”

Yoichi stifled a yawn.  “Nah.  I want to see how lame your parties are for myself, Torch-head.”

“Gnnn.  Anyway, let’s get started.”  Hiro produced a large sack from under his bed.  “I have our snacks in here, though we should probably save them until later.  Unless anyone’s hungry now?”  He looked hopefully around at everyone’s faces.

“Nope.”

“I’m good.”

“I can wait.”

“Psssh.”

Hiro’s face fell slightly.  “Oh.  Okay.  Well, I suppose we should start with a game!  Any luck getting your hands on Monopoly, Natsumi?”

“Welllll, kinda ...” Natsumi said with a grimace as he pulled a cardboard box out from under the bed.  “It turns out Monopoly was given away to a yard sale last year, along with most of our other games.  The only thing I was able to find was, um, this.”

Everyone stared in disbelief at the cover of the box.

“What?!”

“Ha ha, what the hell!”

“Oh my.”

“That’s, er – where did you find this, Natsumi?”

“In Miss Yuri’s office,” Natsumi said, blushing.

“Why am I not surprised,” Yoichi muttered.

“How exactly do you play – Manopoly?” Hunter asked.

Natsumi removed the box cover, whose art depicted a gleeful young woman surrounded by several scantily-clad bishounen, and took out the instructions.

Natsumi cleared his throat.  “The object of the game is to acquire as many male admirers as possible,” he said nervously, “with the game ending when one player has achieved total – er – manopoly.”

“Is this game for real?!” Yoichi asked.

“I get the impression this is a prototype of Miss Yuri’s own design,” Natsumi said.  “It seems to be something she was working on in her spare time.”

“Wow.  She’s very creative,” Hunter said.

“That’s one word for it,” Yoichi muttered.

“Well, since we don’t have anything else, it’ll have to do!” Keitaro said brightly.  “How do we play?”

Natsumi read through the instructions.  “It seems we must first choose a game piece to represent us on the board.”

“Does anyone mind if I be the boot?”

“Ah, Hunter?  I don’t think that’s a boot.”

“Oh.”

“...”

“Well I’ll be the sixpack, obviously,” Yoichi said, snatching up the piece.

“I’d like the bouquet of flowers,” Keitaro said.  “I mean, if no one else wants it?”

“Very appropriate, Keitaro,” Natsumi said, smiling.  “That just leaves the box of chocolates -”

“Oh, me!  Me!  I want those!” Hiro cried.

“You know they’re made of plastic, right, Torch-head?” Yoichi said.  “Just don’t try to eat ‘em.”

Hiro stuck his tongue out at him.

“And I guess that leaves me with this,” Natsumi said, looking down at the final piece in his hand.  “Hmm.  What is this?”

There was an awkward silence around the game board lasting several seconds.  Finally, Keitaro leant across and whispered something in Natsumi’s ear.

The older boy blushed.  “I … see.”

“Okay, Mr Perfect, so we’ve all got our dumb pieces of plastic. What do we do now?”

“According to the instructions,” Natsumi said, his cheeks still crimson, “we roll the dice to determine how many steps we take around the board.  If we land on a certain square, we have to take a card from this box and do what it says.”

“Cool, so it’s just like regular Monopoly then,” Hiro said.

Keitaro picked up one of the cards from the box and read it.  His eyes widened and he put it back in the pack at the very bottom of the pile.

“Not really,” he said.

***

An hour in and things were getting competitive.

Hiro was vigorously shaking the dice in his cupped hand, his tongue sticking out from the side of his mouth as he concentrated fiercely.

“Come on, six!  Come onnn, six!”

“Hurry up and roll ‘em, Torch-head,” Yoichi snapped.  “We don’t have all night!”

“Don’t interrupt my ritual!” Hiro said.  He kissed his knuckles, then bumped them twice against Keitaro’s knee for good luck.  At last, he rolled the dice onto the board.

“Nooo!  Seven!”

“Ha!  Yes!  You know what that means, Torch-head!”

“Gnnn!”

Angrily, Hiro moved his game piece seven spaces along the board, landing right next to Yoichi’s own piece in the shape of a muscular torso.

“C’mon, fork it over,” Yoichi said, grinning.

“I barely have anything left!”

“No excuses, loser!”

“Gah!”

Reluctantly, Hiro stood up.  He bent down and peeled off his left sock, then threw it at Yoichi.  It landed in the middle of the older boy’s forehead, nestled perfectly between the two ‘ears’ of his messy hair.

“Ahhh,” Yoichi said, taking a big whiff of the sock, “smells like victory.”  He peeled it off his forehead and added it to the growing pile of clothing items at his side.

“Gross, Wolfboy,” Hiro said and sat back down.

Most of those around the game-board were at least half-naked, except for Yoichi (who had only lost a single sock so far) and Hiro, who was down to his underpants.  The orange-haired boy folded his arms crossly over his stomach and shivvered slightly, more from pent up frustration than cold.

“This game sucks,” he grumbled.  “The rules make no sense!”

“Makes perfect sense to me, Torch-head,” Yoichi said, grinning.

“Only because you’re winning!”

“Ah, you’re just a sore loser!”

“Aw, don’t feel bad, Hiro,” Keitaro said, putting a consoling hand on his friend’s bare shoulder.  “Yoichi’s beating all of us!”

It was true.  Keitaro and Natsumi were both bare-chested, though they at least had managed to hold onto their pants.  Hunter had chosen to go in the opposite direction, clutching his shirt around him as his skinny bare legs poked out from the bottom.  The night air in the cabin was fairly cool, but none of them could help grinning as the surprisingly fun game built towards its conclusion.

Except for Hiro, of course, who was furious at losing to Yoichi.

“I’m cold,” he complained.  “Can’t I at least have my shirt back?”

“You know the rules, Torch-head!  Winner takes all.  And I’m the only winner here.”

“But I’m freezing!  It’s not fair.  I think you’re cheating, anyway!  If only-”

“GAH!  Will you shut up!  Fine!”

Yoichi stood up abruptly.  Everyone tensed, expecting his good mood to evaporate as it so often did, expecting him to perhaps kick over the game board and stomp off back to his bed.  Instead, to everyone’s surprise, Yoichi pulled his own shirt over his head and held it out to Hiro.

“Here, put this on if it’ll stop your whining!”

“Huh?” Hiro blinked up at him in confusion.

“My shirt!  Put it on!  Only over your shoulders, though.  You have to keep that puny little chest exposed or it’s not a fair punishment for losing.”

Tentatively, Hiro took Yoichi’s shirt and draped it over his shoulders.  “Um.  Thanks?”

“Pssh.  Whatever.  It doesn’t count as me giving you my clothes. You’re still in last place, okay?” Yoichi said, sitting back down at the board.

“Okay.  Sure,” Hiro said, bewildered.

“Fine.  Now let’s get on with this dumb game, all right?  I’m about to win!”

“Maybe, maybe not!” Natsumi said, scooping up the dice and handing them to Keitaro.  “It’s your turn next, Keitaro!” he said.

“Okay, let’s see,” Keitaro said, taking the dice and shaking them.  “I need a four to land on the community chest.”

Hunter frowned.  “Community chest?  They have that in this game?”

“Yeah, it’s those cards with the pecs drawn on them.”

“Oh, I see.”

Keitaro rolled the dice.  “Two and – two!  A four!  Yes!”

After moving his game piece onto the correct square he chose a card from the community chest pile.  “Hmmm.  It says here I have an opportunity to win back a piece of clothing from another player.”

Everyone perked up, suddenly paying attention.

“How?” Hiro asked.

Keitaro felt his cheeks growing hot.  “It says I have to, ah -”

Everyone leaned in closer.

“-well, it says, um, it says I can -” Keitaro stammered, his tongue suddenly feeling out of place in his own mouth.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, let me read it,” Natsumi said with a smile, taking the card from Keitaro.  “It can’t be any worse than when I had to do that exotic dance for Hunter.”

Hunter looked at the floor but couldn’t stop himself from grinning slightly.

“It says – oh,” Natsumi stopped.  He cleared his throat.  “It says Keitaro can steal back a piece of clothing from another player – with a kiss.”

Silence fell around the game board as everyone took this in.

Keitaro laughed awkwardly.  “Well, guys, I mean, we don’t have to do it if you don’t want to -”

“NO!” the other four cried at once.

Keitaro jumped, startled.

“I mean, those are the rules,” Hunter said.

“Rules are very important in life,” Natsumi agreed.

“Yeah.  I love rules,” Hiro said, his eyes wide and staring into Keitaro’s own.

“I got nothin’ to lose,” Yoichi muttered.  “It’s not like any of you dummies are gonna catch up to me at this rate.”

“So … who are you gonna choose, Keitaro?” Hiro whispered.

Keitaro swallowed.  Suddenly the temperature in the room seemed a lot less cool than it had been moments before.

“Well, I can’t choose you, Hiro,” Keitaro stammered.  “You’ve only got one piece of clothing left, and then you’d be out of the game!  I couldn’t do that to you.”

Hiro looked away, crestfallen.  “Gee.  Thanks, Keitaro.”

“Don’t mention it.”  He smiled weakly.  “And Hunter, well, no offence, but you’re so much younger than us, it just wouldn’t feel right.”

“I’m not that much younger!” Hunter protested.

“Pssh.  Please, Twinkerbell.  You look like one of those kids from Village of the Damned,” Yoichi said.

“Still, I just wouldn’t be comfortable,” Keitaro said.  “No offense.”

Hunter did his best to smile, yet looked unhappy.

“And Natsumi, well, you’re pretty much in the same place as me, clothing wise,” Keitaro said with exaggerated thoughtfulness, “so I guess it wouldn’t make much sense to choose you.  Y’know, stratetgically.”

“Yeah.  I suppose,” Natsumi said, looking away. “Strategically.”

“So I guess that leaves ...”

“... Me.”

Yoichi locked eyes with Keitaro from across the game board.  His muscular chest glistened in the low light of the storm lamp.  His mouth was cocked to one side in a smirk.

Keitaro gulped.

“Y-yeah.  You, Yoichi.”

Yoichi snickered.  “All right.  Can’t argue with your taste, Frogboy.  Come here, then.”

Feeling like he was a million miles away from his own body, Keitaro got unsteadily to his feet.  This is really happening, he thought.  This is really happening!

Yoichi stood up too.  “Well?” he said.  “I’m waiting.”

Keitaro picked his way around the game board, trying not to step on anyone’s legs or upset the pieces.  He could feel the eyes of the other campers on him as he stepped up to Yoichi.  The older boy was at least a head taller than him, and Keitaro found himself on eye level with Yoichi’s chest.  Slowly, he dragged his gaze up to meet Yoichi’s intense violet eyes.

“If we’re gonna do this,” Yoichi purred, his voice low and rumbling, “we’re gonna do it right.”

Keitaro licked his lips, which suddenly felt impossibly dry. “Wh-what do you mean?” he asked in a faint voice.

“I mean,” Yoichi said, taking a step forward and looming over the younger boy, “that if you want your shirt back, you’re gonna have to earn it, Frogboy.  I’m not gonna settle for a peck on the cheek.”

The cabin was so utterly silent that Keitaro could hear the crickets chirping outside.  This close to Yoichi it was impossible to ignore the older boy’s scent.  Yoichi would sometimes go a couple of days without bathing, yet somehow he always smelt pleasant to Keitaro. Warm, inviting and a little bit wild.  He could detect that same faint scent right now, but also what smelt like some of Natsumi’s mint-scented body wash.  He made sure to have a bath before tonight, Keitaro realised.

And then, before he could have any second thoughts, Keitaro threw his arms around Yoichi’s neck, pulled him close and kissed him.

The older boy was surprised, momentarily caught off guard by Keitaro taking the initiative, but soon recovered.  He wrapped his own muscular arms around Keitaro’s slender body and pulled him close as their mouthes opened, their tongues met.  Keitaro thought he heard one of the other campers utter a small, startled gasp before the room dissolved into nothingness beyond Yoichi’s lips.

The kiss went on.

And on.

And on.

Hiro stared.  If anyone had been observing him, they would have seen his initially surprised expression gradually turn to one of hurt. But then that too began to fade, melting into something else.

Discreetly, Hiro pulled Yoichi’s shirt off his bare shoulders and slid it down to cover his crotch.

***

It was shortly after midnight.

Manopoly had been returned to its box, hidden underneath Natsumi’s bed until he could safely return it to Miss Yuri’s office without anyone noticing.  The boys remained in their positions on the cabin floor.  Even after his victory, Yoichi had refused to return any items of clothing to their rightful owners, declaring them the ‘spoils of war’.  He was now reclining beside his hoard with a bored expression, casually twirling Hiro’s underwear around on his finger.

“Okay,” Natsumi said after a long pause.  “Truth.”

“Gyah, not again,” Yoichi complained.  “Your truths are so boring, Mr Perfect.”

“Hey, those are the rules, Wolfboy,” Hiro said.  “It’s Natsumi’s turn, so he gets to choose.”

“Quit whining, Torch-head, or I’m taking my shirt back,” Yoichi replied.

Hiro looked like he wanted to respond, but stopped himself at the last moment.  Having lost his underwear in the final round of Manopoly, he was now wearing Yoichi’s shirt as a makeshift loincloth.

The boys paused as everyone tried to think of an interesting question they could ask Natsumi.  Finally, Keitaro spoke up.

“Oh, I have one!” he said.  “What’s your favourite subject in school?”

The others groaned, except Natsumi who seemed somewhat relieved.

“Math, actually!” Natsumi replied.  “Although I also enjoy-”

“COME ON, Frogboy!” Yoichi burst out.  “That’s your idea of a good Truth or Dare question?  You’re supposed to ask something that’ll embarrass them!”

“Yeah!” Hiro added.

“Aw, guys, I don’t want to embarrass Natsumi,” Keitaro said. “He’s so nice!”

Natsumi beamed.  “Thank you, Keitaro!”

“You guys suck at this game more than Manopoly,” Yoichi growled. “I’ll show you how it’s done.  Your turn next, Frogboy.  Truth or dare?”

“Ummm...”

“You better not try to humiliate Keitaro, Wolfboy,” Hiro warned.

“Hey, this stupid sleepover was your dumb idea, Torch-head!  I’m just trying to do it right!”

“Well, how would you know how it’s supposed to be done?  Do they have sleepovers in the jungle?!”

“That’s it!  I’m takin’ my shirt back!  Come here!”

“Hey!  No!  Get your hands offa-”

“DARE!” Keitaro blurted.

“Huh?”

Everyone turned to look at him, Hiro and Yoichi paused mid-tussle.

“I choose a dare, Yoichi,” Keitaro said.  He took a deep breath. “And you can make it as embarrassing as you like!  I can take it!”

“Okayyyy,” Yoichi purred, smirking as they group settled back into their original positions.  “Challenge accepted.”

Keitaro gulped.  What have I just gotten myself into? he thought.

Yoichi stroked his chin thoughtfully as the seconds ticked by. Finally, an evil grin spread across his face.

“I got it,” he said.

Oh boy, Keitaro thought.  Here we go.

“I dare you,” Yoichi said, leaning across the space between them, “to ...”

He paused.  Everyone held their breath in anticipation.

“... run naked into the Scoutmasters’ office!”

“What?!” Keitaro blurted.

“No way!” Hiro cried.

“That’s too much!” Hunter whispered.

“Yeah, Yoichi, Keitaro can’t do that,” Natsumi scolded.  “He’d get expelled immediately!  You need to think of something else.”

“Bah, you guys are no fun,” Yoichi said, slumping back.  “What’s the point of daring someone if they’re just gonna chicken out?”

“N-no,” Keitaro said, standing up.  “I’ll do it!”

“Keitaro, you don’t have to do this!” Hiro said.  “We don’t want you to get kicked out!”

“I won’t get kicked out,” Keitaro said.  “The scoutmasters should be asleep by now, right?  Yoichi only said I had to run naked through their office.  He didn’t say anyone had to see me do it!”

“Haha, that’s right!” Hiro crowed.  “He’s got you there, Wolfboy!”

“Pssh, fine,” Yoichi said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “If you want to do it the sissy way, go ahead.”

“Are you really gonna do this, Keitaro?” Natsumi asked.

Keitaro started removing his pants.

“Yep,” he said.

***

The boys stood in the doorway, staring out into the night.  They watched the slender, pale form of Keitaro’s naked body disppear into the shadows as he ran off towards the darkened scoutmasters’ hut.

“I can’t believe he’s doing this,” Hunter breathed.

“I can’t believe Wolfboy’s making him do this,” Hiro complained.

“Hey, I didn’t hold a gun to his head!” Yoichi said.  Now that Keitaro was actually going through with the dare, Yoichi seemed to have lost some of his former bravado.  “He could’ve chickened out if he wanted to!  This is on him!”

“He’s made it to the outer office door,” Natsumi said.

“Are you sure?  I can’t see anything!” Hunter asked.

“Poor Keitaro,” Hiro said anxiously.  “I hope he doesn’t get in trouble over this.”

“Tch.  You’re probably just pissed that you can’t get a better look at his junk, Torch-head.”

“I am not!”

“So you got a good enough look before?”

“Yeah – I mean, no!  I mean, shut up!”

“Guys!” Natsumi warned.  “Keep it down!  We don’t want to alert the scoutmasters!”

“Is he inside yet?” Hunter asked.

“Yes,” Natsumi added.  “The door is always left unlocked in case a camper needs to get in touch with one of the scoutmasters.  I hope he doesn’t take too long.  He only needs to make a quick circuit of the – oh no!”

A light came on in the scoutmasters’ building.

Hunter gasped.  “They’ll see him!”

Even Yoichi seemed alarmed.  “Come on, Frogboy, get out of there! You did it already, get moving!”

“Keitaro!” Hiro cried.  “I’m coming!”

Yoichi grabbed Hiro by the arm and yanked him back into the cabin before he could go running off towards the other building.

“Are you crazy, Torch-head?!” Yoichi hissed.  “If you go over there you’ll just make it more likely he gets caught!”

“Let go of me!” Hiro yelled, struggling.  “We need to do something!  We need to cause a distraction!  I can’t let him get kicked out of here, I can’t!  He’s my best friend!”

“Look!” Natsumi whispered.  “Someone’s coming!”

A pale figure began making its way toward their cabin.  As it came closer, the boys realised it was Keitaro – still naked, looking somewhat sheepish and holding his hands in front of his groin.

“Keitaro!” Hiro cried, ignoring the other boys’ efforts to shush him  “Are you okay?  What happened?”

“I’m fine, guys!” Keitaro said.  “Uh, nothing to worry about!”

The light in the scoutmaster’s building went off again.

“Did someone see you?” Natsumi asked.  “We saw the light go on!”

“Actually, I did run into someone, yeah,” Keitaro said nervously.  “But everything’s fine!  Don’t worry about it.”

He was now close enough for them to see a clearly embarrassed expression on his face, and that both of his hands were still covering his crotch, despite the fact that they had all seen each other naked multiple times by now.

“Who did you run into, Keitaro?” Hiro asked.

“And – oh my god, what the hell are you wearing?!” Yoichi blurted.

Keitaro was now close enough for the light from the storm lamp to illuminate him more clearly.  His feet were muddy, his face was bright red – and he appeared to be wearing a pair of frilly pink underpants.

“I ran into Miss Yuri,” he admitted.

Yoichi burst out laughing.

“Are those her panties you’re wearing?!” he asked between gusts of laughter.

“Y-yes,” Keitaro said.  “She bumped into me just as I was entering the office.  She’d gotten up to use the bathroom.  I panicked and said I was looking for Hiro.”

“What?!” Hiro cried.

Yoichi was now doubled up with laughter.

“Oh, this is too much!  Oh god!  My sides!”

“Well, you know what she’s like!” Keitaro said defensively. “She’s always pretending you and I are a couple!  It was the first thing that came to my mind!”

“Hahahaha!  Hahahaha!  Oh god!”

“So I told her we’d arranged to meet up for a date away from the other campers,” Keitaro said sheepishly.  “But I’d gotten lost in the dark.”

“Hahahaha!  I can’t take this!!”

“And what did she say to that?” Natsumi asked.

“Wellll, first she started kinda – squealing?” Keitaro said. “You know how she does?  All high-pitched?  I was worried she was gonna wake up Sir Goro or the others.”

“Hahahaha!  Panties!  Little pink panites!  Hahahahaha!”

“Then she finally calmed down and told me I shouldn’t be wandering around naked in the dark.  She said if I wanted to arrange a secret date with Hiro, she could show me somewhere more appropriate in the morning.”

“Hahahaha!  Oh god!  I can’t breathe!”

“Then she gave me some of her underwear so I wouldn’t be naked and told me to go back to bed,” Keitaro finished.

Gasping for breath, Yoichi finally managed to get a hold of himself. “This is the best day ever,” he sighed.

“Guys?” Keitaro asked.  “Can you let me back inside before anyone else sees me?  Please?”

“Oh!  Of course, Keitaro!  Come in, quick!” Natsumi said.

Back inside the cabin, Keitaro slipped quickly out of Miss Yuri’s panties and threw them hurriedly onto the floor.  He was searching around for some of his own clothing when Hiro ran up to him and grappled him into a hug.  There was a slapping sound as the bare skin of their chests bumped together.

“Keitaro, I was so worried about you!” Hiro blurted.  “Thank god you’re all right!  I could never forgive myself if you got kicked out over this!”

“Aw, thanks, Hiro,” Keitaro said, still blushing.  “But you don’t have to worry!  Everything worked out okay.”

“Except Miss Yuri now thinks you’re dating,” Hunter said.

“Tch.  Aren’t they?” Yoichi smirked, jerking his thumb toward their embrace.

“Um.  Hiro?  I’m kinda naked here.  And you pretty much are too.”

“Huh?  Oh!  Sure.  Sorry, heh.”

Hiro released Keitaro from his embrace and stepped back sheepishly.

As Keitaro slipped back into his own underpants, the other boys took up their former positions on the floor.  Natsumi yawned and Hunter rubbed his eyes.

“Well, I think that’s enough excitement for one night!” Natsumi said.  “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m bushed.”

“Y-yeah,” Keitaro said.  “Me too.”

“Aw, but guys!” Hiro exclaimed.  “It’s still early!  And we didn’t even get to eat the food I brought yet!”

“That’s okay, Hiro,” Keitaro said.  “I’m not that hungry. You can have my share.”

“Mine too,” Hunter added.

“It’s not healthy to eat this late at night, anyway,” Natsumi said.

“But, guys!  We still have to-”

“Forget it, Torch-head,” Yoichi said, yawning and stretching. “The sleepover is over.  And I think we can all agree who owned the night.  Me!  I won Manopoly, I won Truth or Dare!  Face it, Torch-head, I dominated your entire lame party.”

The other boys began making their way towards their beds, oblivious to Hiro’s mounting anger.

“NO!” he yelled.

Everyone turned back to face him, surprised.

“Hiro?” Keitaro asked.  “Are you okay?”

“No, I am not okay!” Hiro shouted.  “I’m sick of this!  Every time I try to do something with you, he makes it all about him!  I’ve had enough of it!”

“Hey, don’t blame me because your party sucked-” Yoichi started.

“SHUT UP!” Hiro screamed.  “JUST SHUT UP, CAN’T YOU?!  WHY DOES EVERYTHING ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ABOUT YOU!”

Yoichi looked startled, his expression that of a dog who has chased a raccoon into a corner, only for the raccoon to pull out a switchblade.

“Keitaro is my best friend!  I’m the one who invited him here!  I’m the one who keeps trying to find ways to make amazing memories with him, but it’s you who keeps interfering!  He keeps picking you over me every time, and YOU DON’T EVEN CARE!”

Silence fell like a thunderclap in the cabin.  The boys were frozen in place, none of them daring to move.  Hiro’s bare chest rose and fell with deep breaths and there were tears in his eyes.

“Hiro, I-” Keitaro started to say, but trailed off helplessly.

Hiro looked at him.  Tears began to spill over his eyelashes.  He swiped them away angrily with his forearm, but they continued to run down his cheeks.

“Why couldn’t it be me, Keitaro?” he whispered.  “Why can’t you ever pick me?”

They stood in a frozen tableau for seconds that seemed like an eternity.

“Torch-head,” Yoichi said, “come on.  It was just a lame party.  Get over it.”  His voice, to everyone’s surprise, was oddly kind.

Hiro took a deep, shuddering breath.  “Yeah, well,” he said, “party’s over.”

They watched him walk out of the cabin and into the night, door closing behind him, none of them having the slightest clue what to say.

***

Hiro walked.  He had no idea where he was going and didn’t much care.  He just let his feet carry him as far as they could from that stupid cabin and that stupid Wolfboy and that stupid Keitaro -

I can’t believe I just thought that about Keitaro, he realised.  It’s not his fault.  He didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t do anything at all.

And isn’t that the problem? another part of his mind ventured.  He didn’t do anything.  He never does anything.  He didn’t ask you to come here.  He never tries to find ways to spend time with you.  Most of the time he’s looking for the first opportunity to ditch you for anyone that comes along, even that jerk Yoichi.  He never defends you when Wolfboy picks on you either, does he?  He only pipes up when you fight back.  What’s it gonna take for you to realise it, Hiro?  He doesn’t like you.  At least not the way you like him.  You guys were friends once, but that’s all you’ll ever be.  And maybe not even that anymore.

Then the tears were coming again, thick and fast, blinding him so much that he had to stumble up against the nearest available tree to catch his bearings.  Mentally exhausted, he slumped down into a sitting position against the tree, head bent forward, feeling the warmth of his tears fall onto his bare chest and stomach.

He was so lost in his own misery that he didn’t hear anyone approach until a shadow loomed over him, blotting out the moonlight.

“K-Keitaro?” Hiro asked.

“Pssh.  No.  Sorry to disappoint you, Torch-head.”

Hiro rubbed the tears from his eyes until his vision cleared enough for him to see Yoichi standing over him.  He scowled.

“Go away,” Hiro said.  “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Well, tough,” Yoichi said.

Hiro looked away, determined to ignore him.  After a couple of seconds he heard Yoichi sigh before sitting down beside him, back leaning against the tree trunk.

Yoichi dumped something into Hiro’s lap, forcing him to look down.

“I brought your clothes.”

Only now did Hiro realise how cold he was.  Goosebumps were rising all over his exposed skin.  Nonetheless, he refused to acknowledge Yoichi’s gesture.

“Aren’t you gonna say thank you?”

Hiro sniffed and continued to ignore the other boy.

“What, you’re just gonna sit here and freeze to death?  Just to be stubborn?”

Then, to Hiro’s surprise, Yoichi started laughing softly to himself.

“I gotta admit, Torch-head.  You don’t give up.  Even when you really, really should.”

Hiro couldn’t help himself.  “You mean Keitaro, don’t you?”

“Among other things.”

Hiro shook his head.  “You’d like it if I gave him up, huh?  So you could have him all to yourself.  Until you get bored of him and move on to something else.”

Yoichi sighed.  “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh yeah?  So what did you mean then, huh?”

Yoichi paused.  “I only meant – ah, what’s the point.  You’ll never listen.”  Yoichi stood up.  “Freeze to death if you want, I don’t care.  Later, Torch-head.”

“No, say it!” Hiro yelled, jumping to his feet as well.  “Say what you always mean when you’re picking on me in front of him! SAY IT!”

“All right, fine!” Yoichi snarled.  “You want me to say it? He’s not good enough for you!”

“I KNEW IT!” Hiro yelled, jabbing a finger accusingly at Yoichi’s chest.  “I knew it!  All this time!  Running me down! Making fun of me!  Trying to make me look stupid!  All so you could have Keitaro to yourself!  Well for your information, I’m just as good as you, Wolfboy!  And one day Keitaro will see that for himself!”

Yoichi shook his head.  “You’re not listening to me, dumbass.  I said he’s not good enough for you.”

“Oh yeah?!  Well I think – huh?” Hiro suddenly stopped in mid-rant, his finger pausing in mid-air.

Yoichi stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Hiro’s brain to process the shift in gears.

“But – I – you – I mean – huh?” Hiro stammered.

“Torch-head,” Yoichi sighed wearily.  “Put your damn clothes on.  I can’t have a serious conversation like this.”

Yoichi turned his back.  Not out of any sense of respecting his privacy, Hiro realised, but because he seemed more uncomfortable being honest than staring at another guy’s body.  Hiro began to get dressed while Yoichi spoke.

“He’s not good enough for you,” Yoichi said.  “Or – I dunno – maybe not right is a better way of saying it.  I’m not great with words, okay?  Gah!  This is so fucking-”  Yoichi paused, took a few deep breaths and tried again.  “He’s not what you’re looking for, and you’re not what he’s looking for.  Not right now, anyway.  Keitaro wants to explore himself.  He wants to meet new people and have new experiences.  Do things he’s never done before.  He’s not ready to settle down with one person.”

Hiro finished dressing himself and tossed Yoichi his shirt.  The other boy put it on and then turned to face him.

“You’re different,” Yoichi said.  He was now looking him directly in the eye and seemed to be almost pleading to be understood.  Hiro had never seen him like this before.  He wasn’t sure if this was even happening or if it was all some crazy dream. Or a prank, his mind suggested.  It’s all part of some prank.  He’s reeling you in so he can pants you or something by the end of it.  Maybe the other guys are waiting behind a tree over there, just ready to jump out and laugh at your reaction.

Yet the expression in Yoichi’s eyes seemed to deny that possibility.

“You’re different, Hiro,” Yoichi said again, stepping closer this time.  “You’re loyal.  You think I don’t see that?  You stick by people.  You care about them.  You care for them. You make an effort.  You’re always cooking for him, or talking to him, or thinking of something you guys could do together.  And it kills me to see him not appreciate it!  I get it, Frogboy’s not looking for that right now.  But some people never get that kind of thing in their lives.  From anyone.”

Yoichi dropped his eyes.

“I didn’t,” he said quietly.  “I’ve never had anyone who cared about me like that.  Not anyone human, at least,” he added. “You just need to find someone who wants what you’re offering.” He raised his eyes again to meet Hiro’s gaze, and there was a flash of the old Yoichi in them once more.  “So stop feeling sorry for yourself and have a little fucking self-respect, okay, Torch-head?”

Hiro was too stunned to respond.

“Well?!” Yoichi snarled.  “Aren’t you gonna say anything?”

“Wow,” Hiro said eventually.  “I think that’s the longest you’ve ever gone without calling me Torch-head.  Until the end, anyway.”

Yoichi snickered and shook his head.

“I don’t get it, Yoichi,” Hiro said uncertainly.  “Are you saying you – you like me?”

Yoichi looked as though Hiro had asked him what colour the sky was. “What kind of stupid question is that?!  Of course I like you, dumbass!  I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t like you!”

“But you’re always so mean to me!” Hiro cried.  “You’re always insulting me and fighting with me!”

“Well, yeah!  Because it’s fun!” Yoichi said, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.  “Don’t you like fighting with me?”

“I guess.  Sometimes?”

“And who else am I supposed to fight with?  Mr Perfect just smiles when I insult him.  Frogboy’s too polite to insult.  And Twinkerbell cries if I look at him funny.  At least you can take it! You even fight back!”

Hiro felt like the world had turned inside out.  Nothing made sense anymore.  Left was right, up was down, and Yoichi was being nice to him.  While still, somehow, yelling at him.

“So, if you like me, why did you kiss Keitaro?” Hiro asked.

“Uh, he kissed me,” Yoichi said.  “Remember?”

“Well, you didn’t exactly fight him off!”

Yoichi shrugged.  “Why would I?  He’s hot!”

Hiro laughed resignedly to himself.  “You’re an animal, Wolfboy.”

He turned toward the tree and rested his back against it, slumping down into a sitting position once more.

“He’s never gonna like me back, is he?” Hiro asked quietly. “Not like I want him to.”

Yoichi sighed.  He picked up a paper bag that was resting at his foot and came to sit beside Hiro, leaning against the tree.

“How the hell should I know, Torch-head?  I’m not psychic.”

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“Is everyone okay back at the cabin?” Hiro asked.

“Yeah.  Why?  You think they were all shitting themselves after your dramatic exit?”

“No.  Well.  Maybe.”  He paused.  “Did Keitaro-”

“He was gonna come.  I said I would.  Figured I owed you an apology.”

“I guess I should apologise too.  Kinda ruined the mood back there.”

“Yeah.  For a second I thought you were gonna take a swing at me.”

“Scared you, huh?”

“Pssh.  Hardly.  You probably woulda missed me and knocked Twinkerbell out cold.”

“You know, you didn’t actually apologise yet.”

“I didn’t?”

“Nuh uh.”

“Fine.  Here.”  Yoichi tossed the paper bag into Hiro’s lap.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the stuff you brought earlier.  Your ‘midnight snack’, remember?”

“Oh!”  Hiro checked his watch.  “Kinda past midnight now.”

“So?  You telling me you’re not hungry?”

“Actually ...”

Hiro reached into the bag and produced a chocolate-coated, cream-filled doughnut.  The glaze glowed brightly in the moonlight.

“Want one?” he asked.

Yoichi reached for the doughnut.  Before his fingers could touch it, Hiro shoved the whole thing in his mouth, smearing cream and chocolate across his face as he did so.  He grinned at Yoichi through a mouthful of doughnut.

“Damn, Torch-head.  How much can you fit in there?” Yoichi asked.

“Mebbe yull fin doubt,” Hiro mumbled through a cloud of crumbs.

He offered Yoichi the bag and let him take one this time.  They stayed beneath the tree, eating doughnuts until the bag was empty, before heading back to the cabin.

***

“Hiro!  Are you okay?  I’m so sorry I-”

“I’m fine, Keitaro.  Don’t worry.”  Hiro smiled weakly.  “I feel so embarrassed.  I guess my blood sugar was running a little low or something.”

“Oh.  Are you sure you’re all right?”  Keitaro’s concerned expression felt like being stabbed through the heart.  Hiro steeled himself, determined not to give in to the feelings rising in his chest.

“Yeah,” he said.  “I’m fine.”

A buddy always shows a bright smile on his face, Hiro thought.  He stretched his face into a grin, a grin which felt more genuine when Keitaro embraced him in a hug.

“Well, good.  I’m glad you’re feeling better.  Tomorrow we’ll do something fun, okay?  Just you and me!”

“Thanks, Keitaro,” Hiro said.  “But that’s okay.  We’re here to make new friends, right?”

Hiro turned to gesture towards Yoichi who was closing the cabin door after their return.

“Right!” Keitaro said.  “Like this sleepover!  It really was a lot of fun.  Before, y’know -”

Hiro winced.  “Yeah.  Before I ruined it.”

“Ah, don’t beat yourself up, Torch-head”, Yoichi said before throwing himself onto his bed.  “I’ve been to worse parties.”

“I think Miss Yuri might be on to something with her Manopoly game,” Natsumi said.  “I could see it being a big hit.”  He was picking up the storm lantern off the floor.  “I’ll just make sure and turn this off once everyone is ready for bed.  We don’t want to get caught out if there was a real emergency!”

While the others got undressed for bed – except Hunter, who was already tucked up and asleep, and Yoichi, who was snoring fully-clothed on top of the covers – Keitaro crept over to Hiro’s side again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Keitaro whispered.

“I’m fine,” Hiro said.  “Honest.  Yoichi and I had a good talk out there.”

“You’d tell me if there was anything still wrong, right?”

“Of course.”  Hiro smiled his brightest buddy smile.  “Anything for you, Keitaro.”

Keitaro nodded, seeming to accept this, and left to change into his sleeping clothes.  Hiro finished changing and got into his own bed.

Anything for you, he thought sadly to himself, staring up at the cabin ceiling.

Natsumi turned off the light.