#drinkingcarameltea

Gifts

“Muraku-senpai! Muraku-senpai, wait up!” Muraku turned as his name was called, ignoring the muttered complaints from the rest of his platoon. It was Wataru, of course, no doubt rushing to congratulate him on his most recent victory.

“Go on ahead without me,” he told the others, seeing no need for them to be standing around because of him. As his team left, Muraku waited patiently while the younger student caught his breath from his sprint down the hill.

“Muraku-senpai, thanks for waiting!” Wataru said at last, straightening up and grinning at him. “I saw your battle against that Glenschteim unit – those were some amazing moves you pulled!”

“Thank you, Wataru-kun,” the captain acknowledged the praise with a nod, knowing that a lot of the younger students looks up to him, Wataru included. But then, Wataru was starting to be more than just his junior.

Walking close beside Wataru as they headed back to the dorms, Muraku watched him out of the corner of his eye. Wataru looked happy enough with his bag slung over his shoulder, gloved hands shoved in his pockets against the late spring chill. Waiting until the chattering group of Harness students had passed them, he asked quietly, “So, how was your day?”

“Really good!” Wataru grinned, clearly pleased at the question. “We learned lots of interesting things in class today, and I think I even understood most of our math lesson. I don’t suppose it gets any easier, does it?”

“Not really,” Muraku admitted, thinking back over everything he had learned since arriving at the academy. “You seem to be adjusting well, Wataru-kun.”

“You think so too, Muraku-senpai? I know I’ve only been here two months, but I like it. I want to help make Rossius the most powerful nation in the Second World, and with you on our side, I know we can achieve that!”

Muraku couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, recalling a time when he had felt the same way. Looking up at the afternoon sky, he said, “Don’t just reply on my strength, Wataru-kun. If you keep battling, you might be as strong as I am someday.”

Wataru suddenly grabbed his arm at that, forcing Muraku to look down to keep from tripping over his own feet. “Y-You really believe that?!”

They halted then, Muraku confirming that they were some of the last students on the hill before he focused his full attention on Wataru. “I do.”

“M-Muraku-senpai...” The younger student looked away and let go of his arm, cheeks flushed from something other than the temperature. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Wataru could be impulsive at times, but his heart was in the right place. Deciding to take a risk, Muraku, grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. “Have you covered formation tactics in class yet?”

“No.” Wataru’s voice came out as a squeak, but he pressed on anyway. “If you have some free time tonight, I’ll explain the basics to you. Come by the common room at around eight.” Muraku held his hand for a moment longer, then let go and took several steps down the hill. “We better get going if we want to make dinner.”

“O-Ok...” For possibly the first time, Wataru seemed speechless, and he smiled at that as he turned and walked away.

- - -

“We’re not going to get in trouble for this, are we?” Wataru asked anxiously, gripping Muraku’s hand harder as they left the main street.

“As long as we’re back in the dorm before the doors are locked, no.” Muraku glanced back over his shoulder to check that no one was following them, seeing that his boyfriend looked more nervous than excited for once. Giving his hand a squeeze, he added, “I know what I’m doing.”

“You’ve done this before?!” Muraku chose not to answer as he led Wataru through a maze of side streets and back alleys, finally ending up at a small park bordering the forest. Settling onto the bench that was placed into the centre of the park, he gestured for Wataru to join him.

“This is a cool spot...” Wataru murmured, looking around with interest. Then he froze and swung his head around to stare at Muraku. “H-Hold on, Muraku-senpai. Is...Is this a date?”

“Possibly,” he said, watching as Wataru’s eyes went wide. “But I also know that this is an important day for you.” It had taken some discreet questioning and rule-bending to find out what he wanted to know, but he considered all of the work worth it.

“It is?” Wataru looked confused for a moment, then he smiled. “Oh yeah, I had almost forgotten. It’s so hard to keep track of the days here.”

“I know the feeling.” Taking a deep breath to calm the faint butterflies in his stomach, Muraku reached into the bag he had brought and took out a small box with a ribbon on top. “Happy Birthday, Wataru-kun,” he said simply, holding the present out.

Wataru stared at the gift for a few seconds, then carefully took the box and opened it. Muraku watched with a growing sense of happiness as his boyfriend’s pleased smile stretched into a grin. The gift was nothing too fancy, just a cupcake with sprinkles on top, but it was something.

“T-Thank you, Muraku-senpai!” Wataru exclaimed at last. “May I eat it now?” Muraku nodded, then smiled as his boyfriend eagerly bit into the cupcake. Most of the sprinkles ended up on his face, along with a good amount of frosting, but he doubted that either of them cared.

“So when is your birthday?”

“Later in the year.” Muraku was reluctant to reveal the exact date, since he could imagine exactly why kind of celebration Wataru would throw if he knew.

“Cool!” Clearly too pleased to press the issue, Wataru wiped his face and grinned. “I want to give you something too, Muraku-senpai!”

Before he had time to object, Wataru leaned over and planted a sweet-tasting kiss on his lips. Seeing his shocked reaction, he smiled and said somewhat apologetically, “Sorry?”

“No, don’t apologize,” Muraku said firmly. “We’ve been together for a while. It was only natural that this would happen.” Some might not count a month and a half a long time, but given how the academy operated, it sometimes seemed like a lifetime. The smile Wataru gave him then was worth a thousand lifetimes, and he was suddenly very glad he had accepted Wataru into his life.

He hesitated, then asked, “Do you want to go for some ice cream? I have enough credits for both of us...”

“If you really don’t mind, sure! But only if I can buy the drinks!”