Chapter Text
Little Tsukasa shouldn’t be feeling this upset. It was his 8th birthday after all, it should be a day all about him. His parents should be throwing him a big party where he invites all his friends over to celebrate, along with having his younger sister, Saki, there of course. At least this was what was supposed to happen.
Saki’s birthday was over a week ago, and even though their birthdays were so close, their parents would always make sure they each had their own party for their own special day. That would be the case this year as well, if it wasn’t for the fact that poor Saki fell ill again just before her own party.
The birthday boy was sitting on a swing seat, unmoving, gaze fixated on the soft dirt underneath his feet. Small hiccups escaped as he bit his lower lip, trying to not let any tears fall from his glassy amber eyes. He keeps telling himself, he needs to be a big boy. Big boys don’t cry. So what if he doesn’t have a birthday party this year? Saki didn’t have one either. His poor sister was stuck in the hospital again, on her own birthday no less, and yet he was moping by himself in the playground of a nearby park.
Tsukasa had come to the park instead of going straight home from school, knowing no one was going to be there waiting for him, at least not till dinner time. Maybe there would be other kids at the playground to play with, he initially thought, but there was not another soul to be found. The sky was gloomy, full of gray clouds, as if it would start to rain at any moment. Nearby trees rustled in the wind that had begun to pick up, but the small blonde boy didn’t move from the swing.
Another hiccup, a larger one this time, shook his body, threatening to make his tears finally spill out. The blonde clutched onto the cold metal of the swing’s chain, eyes shut tight, trying to prevent his emotions from overflowing. That was when Tsukasa felt a soft pat on his arm, which caused the young boy to flinch, his eyes darting upwards to see what caused the sensation.
What he wasn’t expecting was to see another boy, seemingly around his own age, standing in front of him. He had a light green shirt on, which heavily contrasted with his purple hair with two cyan streaks and bright yellow eyes. The other kid reached out to pat Tsukasa’s arm again, as if he was affirming he was the one that did before. The two boys locked eyes, and the purple haired one asked, “Are you ok?”
Tsukasa bit his bottom lip, worried if he tried to say anything that the sobbing he’d been trying to hold back would be let loose. The other boy must have noticed this, and he starts to pull Tsukasa off the seat. The blonde wasn’t holding the swing’s chain anymore, so he was lifted up rather easily. “Come with me,” the purple haired boy exclaims, grabbing Tsukasa’s hand in his own, leading him away from the playground.
“H-hey, wait a minute!” Tsukasa yelled, stumbling as he tried to keep up with the other boy tugging him along. The sudden boldness from the other surprised Tsukasa enough for him to forget about his own tears, even if it was for a brief time.
The two made their way over to an open field in the park, free of things like trees and street lamps. On the ground lay a flat red object with brightly colored tails, held down by a notebook with a picture of a platypus on it, almost matching the one on the other kid’s bright green shirt. Connected to the red body was a string, which itself continued to a black handle, where extra string was tightly wrapped around it. The other boy let go of Tsukasa’s hand, and replaced it with the black handle, closing his own hand on top of the other to make sure the blonde was gripping the object.
After making sure Tsukasa had a firm grasp on the handle, the purple haired boy picked up the notebook along with the red body. After holding it up for the other to see, Tsukasa excitedly blurted out, “A octopus kite?!”
The colorful rainbow tails mentioned earlier were tentacles attached to the red octopus’s body. The colors clashed, seeming like it was a mishmash of random strips of fabric thrown together, perhaps being handmade.
“Nice weather for kite flying, wouldn’t you say?” The platypus kid replied back. He stuck one of his fingers in his mouth, then held said finger up in the air, determining which direction the wind was blowing.
Tsukasa looked up, seeing that dark clouds were still obstructing the sky, “I don’t think this is the best weather for this…”
“I didn’t say best, I said nice,” he rebutted. The boy adjusted his hold on the octopus, turning it around so it could catch the wind in order to fly. He positioned himself behind Tsukasa, due to that being the direction the gust was blowing in. Giving the blonde a small push to move forward, the kid cheerfully said, “Come on, let’s go!”
The blonde had never flown a kite before, so he looked at the other boy in confusion. The kid lightly pushed Tsukasa again before giving him instructions, “You run ahead, and I’ll hold the kite up so it can gain lift.”
The blonde was still stupefied, but Tsukasa did what he was told and began to run forward. The other boy was right behind, carrying the kite above his head. Soon enough, the kite was airborne, lifting up from the purple haired kid’s grasp.
Tsukasa did not stop running through, still unsure of what he was doing. He heard the platypus kid shouting not far behind him, “Slow down! Release some of the string!”
Without hesitation, the blonde boy unraveled the string from the handle, gradually slowing his movements while doing so. The other kid quickly caught up with Tsukasa, slightly panting as he spoke, “H-hey, you don't need to keep running n-now!” He brought his hand to the other boy's shoulder, encouraging the blonde to turn around.
As Tsukasa came to a full stop, he realized just how much he was gasping for air as well. He spun his small body around, just as the other kid told him to, and brought his gaze up to the sky. A breathy, “Whoa!” slipped out of the blonde’s mouth as he watched the red octopus dancing in the wind, it’s colorful tentacles swaying back and forth hypnotizingly.
Seemingly recovering from the sprinting so quickly, the purple haired boy gave Tsukasa a rewarding pat on the back, a cheshire-like grin forming on his lips, “Hehe, you follow directions quite well, don’t you?”
Still out of breath, the blonde answered back, “O-of course! I always give my a-all in everything I do!!”
The platypus kid snaked his hand around Tsukasa’s side, pulling him in a half hug, “And your diligence paid off! Look look, you made it fly up so high!” He pointed up to the kite eagerly with his notebook, face lit up as he applauded the other boy’s efforts.
The sudden closeness and praise from the other made Tsukasa’s face feel warm, a soft pink blush forming on his cheeks. Or was it from all the running? No, it was certainly from the close proximity, Tsukasa realized. His flush grew deeper as the other boy nested his chin in the crook of the blonde’s neck.
Just as quickly as the purple haired kid got close, he pulled away, sitting himself on the grass while taking a pen out from the spirals of his notebook, “I want to run a few tests, if you don’t mind.”
The blonde boy snapped himself out of a daze he didn’t even realize he was in, questioning back, “What kind of tests?”
“I want you to try to move the kite in certain directions, and I’ll take notes of the results!”
“Wait a second… am I helping you out with your homework?!”
“Oh no no no, I just wish to understand the possibilities of using different forces while trying to keep an object airborne is all!”
“That sure was a lot of… words,” Tsukasa stared at him dumbstruck, not a single thing the other said registering in his small brain.
“Just leave the thinking to me… uh…” The platypus boy looked back up at the other, waiting for an answer to a question he didn’t verbally ask.
As if the blonde knew exactly what the other was inquiring about, he shouted dramatically, “Tsukasa Tenma!!” He stuck one of his many ‘cool’ poses, still managing to hang onto the handles of the kite without letting it slip from his hands.
“Just leave the thinking to me, Tenma-kun~”
The two boys continued to play with the octo kite, with the purple haired one commanding Tsukasa to attempt various things with said kite. Many times the kite would lose altitude, but they would easily get it back in the air together.
Tsukasa began to wonder if these ‘tests’ were actually helping, if the boy was figuring out what he wanted to know at all. He’d take a glance at the other after hearing a hardy chuckle when the kite was swinging violently in the air after a rather harsh tug. What Tsukasa would see was a joyful, open mouth smile on the other kid’s face, clearly having fun at his own expense. But even if the tasks given to him were somewhat difficult, the blonde had to admit he was having fun as well. Plus the laughter and smiles he would see from the other were contagious, drawing Tsukasa in to join in the merriment.
But things took a turn for the worst as the first drops of rain fell from the dark cloudy sky, followed by a roar of thunder just a short distance away. Tsukasa let out a shrieking cry, nearly letting go of the kite handle at the loud sound.
The rain began to pour down harder, the octopus kite falling to the ground for a final time due to the weight of the raindrops. The platypus boy sprung to his feet, reaching out to tug on the blonde’s arm while saying, “Come on, we need to find cover.”
Tsukasa, still shocked from the thundering sound, hardly registered the kid pulling at him, dragging him where he wanted them to go once again. He only realized after dropping the handle thank to the water anchoring down the kite, making it too heavy for the small 8 year old to pull it along.
“The kite-!”
“I can make a new kite later!” The purple haired kid rigidly shouted, the grip on Tsukasa’s arm becoming tighter as he picked up the pace.
Hurriedly running in the rain as fast as their little legs could take them, they made their way back over to the playground, crawling into one of the large plastic tunnels that sprawled out near ground level. In here they were at least protected from the downpour, but another booming sound of lightning caused the blonde to tremble, clutching his knees close to his chest.
The other boy made himself comfortable, laying his back against the curvature of the rounded tube, feet planted on the opposite side. He noticed Tsukasa’s body was shaking, and made a sarcastic comment to try to lighten up the mood, “I don’t think this type of plastic conducts electricity, but there are certainly enough metal bolts holding this together to counteract that benefit.”
Instead of hearing even a light chuckle from Tsukasa, he was met with small hiccups, the boy’s body shuddering even harder than before. The platypus kid’s expression grew remorseful, reaching out to gently rub Tsukasa’s back while saying, “I’m sorry… Are you scared of lightning?”
Tsukasa’s shivering seemed to subside slightly from the soothing massage, replying back faintly, “...They make me sad.”
“Makes you… sad?” The other boy pressed further, moving his hand from Tsukasa’s back over to his shoulder, continuing to try to provide solace to him.
“M-my sister… is really scared of them. I would a-always try to comfort her when a storm was happening but… she isn’t around m-much anymore,” Tsukasa could feel his voice trembling, the feeling of tears building up, threatening to spill out once again, till he felt the other boy firmly grip his shoulder, snapping him out of his nearly spiraling trance.
The other kid released his hold, resuming to pet up and down the blonde’s arm in a calming manner while commenting, “Maybe… Tenma-kun is scared of them as well, and you were both comforting each other.”
Tsukasa didn't have time to deny what the boy said as another bolt struck in the distance. The blonde’s eyes grew wide as a single tear finally managed to escape, running down his already wet face from the rain. He swiftly ducked his head to his knees, hoping to stop himself from any further crying.
He doesn’t know if the other boy noticed the tear, but he felt the continued motions of the other’s hand on his forearm, hearing him ask, “What would your sister and you do to help ease your fears?”
“W-we would cuddle under the blankets t-till the storm was over…” The blonde mumbles, feeling shame for feeling so weak and vulnerable.
“I don't have any blankets, but,” Tsukasa hears the other mutter before he can feel arms wrap themselves around him, pulling him closer and giving him a careful squeeze, “I hope this will suffice.”
Tsukasa’s body tenses up at first, the sudden hug surprising him. Legs still held to his chest, the blonde eventually lets himself relax in the purple haired boy’s arms. His head lolls to the side, resting on the other’s shoulder.
The two boys lay like that in the large tube till the rain began to slow, only faint pitter patters of droplets could still be heard around them.
The other kid pulled away first, a small tender smile on his lips. He softly asks, “Are you feeling better, Tenma-kun?”
Tsukasa shyly nods, feeling a bit embarrassed by the whole ordeal. He glances over to the opening of the tunnel, seeing the skies clearing up, having rid themselves of the gray clouds.
As they wait for the rain to fully come to a halt, Tsukasa decides to ask, “Hey, where are your parents anyway?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“But I asked you first!!”
“Hehe, ok I’ll answer first then. They are just busy with work right now is all.”
“Don’t you feel lonely…? Being by yourself?”
The platypus kid hums before responding, “Maybe sometimes it can feel lonely, but I know my mother and father care about me. They have always been supportive in whatever I set my mind to, and even if they are not around all the time, I know they still love me.”
Tsukasa’s eyes widened at the other’s statement. He starts to realize how childish he was before, too caught up in his own negative thoughts about his birthday party that he forgot that his family has always been nothing but loving and encouraging towards him. His expression softened, glancing back upwards towards the now soft yellow and orange sky.
“Besides,” the other boy continues, “I’m not lonely right now because you’re here!”
“T-that's true!” The blonde fumbled out, a light dust of pink appearing on his face. He let out a light cough, then brought one of his hands up to hit his chest, boisterously shouting, “It’s a good thing I was here today to keep you company! HA HA HA!!”
“Hehe, thank you for being here, Tenma-kun~” Replied the boy playfully, a seemingly teasing grin forming on his lips. Tsukasa felt his cheeks burn just a bit warmer as he glared at the other, who let out another giggle in return before asking, “So, why are you at the park by yourself?”
“Well, it’s my birthday today-”
“Why didn’t you say so sooner? Hold on,” The purple haired kid interrupted, sliding out from the tunnel. He pointed toward the blonde, telling him, “Wait right here, I’ll be back.”
Tsukasa watched as the other boy ran off till he was no longer visible from the tunnel. The rain had fully stopped at this point, leaving the ground shiny and wet.
The blonde tried to wait patiently as he was told, but curiosity got the better of him so he poked his head out of the plastic tube. He glanced around the surrounding area, finally spotting the other kid in what looked to be a flower garden right next to the playground.
Somehow noticing Tsukasa was peering in his direction, the platypus boy yelled at him to not peek with a big pout on his face.
Feeling slightly ashamed for being caught red handed, the blonde scooted back into the tunnel. Leaning his back against the rounded sides, Tsukasa saw the kid’s notebook was in the tube with him. He was surprised the boy had managed to still hang onto it after everything that happened.
Without thinking, he reached out to the book, feeling the wet cover and soggy pages under his fingertips. Attempting to flip through the waterlogged notebook, he discovered that most of the ink had smeared, making any writing illegible. Tsukasa felt pained, seeing the boy’s book had been nearly filled to the brim with so many notes, was now completely useless.
Tsukasa continued turning the pages, hoping there was something salvageable within the drenched book. As he started to feel all hope was lost, he flipped to one of the final pages and saw something interesting. The ink had still smeared all over, but he could manage to make out a crude drawing of the octopus kite, along with what seemed to be a person. Their mouth was wide open with a big smile, brows angled excitedly. Was this supposed to be Tsukasa? The blonde couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the sight. It was so silly, but yet it felt so endearing. Was this how the other boy saw him?
“It’s not very nice to stick your nose in other people’s belongings.” An ear piercing squawk left the blonde’s lips at the unexpected whisper in his ear, nearly throwing the soaked book in the direction of the noise. The other boy had returned, holding his hands behind his back. His eyes were narrowed with another cheshire grin on his face, reaching from ear to ear.
“I-I… Sorry,” Tsukasa began, it didn’t seem like the kid was mad at him, but he still felt he needed to apologize, “I’m sorry your notebook got ruined…”
“Hey, no need to worry about it. I can rewrite everything later,” The purple haired boy’s face relaxed into a softer smile, “Anyway, I have something for you! Come out here!”
The blonde climbed out of the tunnel, stretching out his arms and legs after being in there for so long. The other kid moved closer, standing only a foot away from the other boy, their height difference becoming more noticeable. Tsukasa didn’t realize the other one was quite shorter than himself.
“Hopefully these little performers don’t mind that I snatched them away for a special show!” The kid exclaimed, perplexing the blonde. Performers? Special show? But before he could say anything, the platypus boy pulled his hands out, revealing what looked to be a chain of flowers. Standing on his tiptoes, the boy placed the flowers on top of Tsukasa’s head.
“A fitting crown for a prince such as yourself, I must say,” The purple haired kid cooed, looking pleased with his work. "Happy birthday, Tenma-kun!"
A red flush returned to the blonde’s face, more fierce than before. As Tsukasa moved his head to say something he felt trickles of water running down his hair, and let out a blaring yelp in shock.
A loud giggle found its way out of the other kid’s mouth, trying to apologize in between his laughter as he reached for the flower crown once more, taking it off of Tsukasa’s head to shake the excess rain off.
Before he could reach up to put the flowers back on, Tsukasa stopped the other boy’s arms with his own, taking a closer look at the ‘crown’. It was a beautifully weaved crown of yellow tulips with forget-me-nots filling the spaces in between. The 8 year old’s grip loosens, allowing the kid to rest the flowers atop the boy’s blonde hair once more.
But Tsukasa didn’t let go of the other’s arms. He slid his fingers down, catching the other boy’s hands in his own. Their gazes met, the blonde’s amber eyes were glossed over, small tears forming around the corners. He mutters a soft thank you, giving the kid’s hands a soft squeeze, a wide but fragile smile on his lips.
The purple haired one stared back at the taller boy, his yellow eyes blown wide, as if mesmerized by what was in front of him.
The two were unmoving, eyes still locked into each other's until a loud, “TSUKASA!!” was heard not too far away, coming from an older man running towards them. The adult had peach colored hair that matched the tips of the blonde’s own hair. The other kid clenched the boy’s hand in return before pulling himself away.
Soon the adult had caught up to the two boys. Kneeling down, the man looked at Tsukasa with concern written all over his face, “Oh Tsukasa, we have been so worried! It’s getting so late.”
“I-I’m really sorry, Father,” The blonde fearfully replied, thinking he was in trouble. He never registered what time it was, the sun was clearly setting in the distance, surrounding the three of them in a soft orange light.
“I’m just so glad you’re safe,” His father answered back, his frown turning upright into a reassuring smile. He patted his boy on the shoulders as he stood back up, then turned his attention to the purple haired kid, “Well hello there! Have you been keeping my boy company while we were away?”
“Hehe, sure have. We had a lot of fun, didn’t we?”
No longer worried that his father was mad at him, Tsukasa enthusiastically said back, “Yeah!! He showed me how to fly a kite, it was so cool!! Father, I want to show Saki how to fly a kite too someday!!”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m glad you two had a good time!” The man ruffled the two boys’ heads as he spoke, minding the flower crown on his own son’s head, “Let’s get going now, Tsukasa. Your mother made your favorite, ginger pork!”
The blonde’s eyes lit up brightly in excitement as he reached out for his father’s hand, very eager for his birthday dinner. As the two made their way out of the park, Tsukasa looked back to see the platypus boy waving goodbye with a somber smile on his face. Something inside of the boy made him want to let go of his father’s hand, and back run towards the other to give him a big hug. He was just about to, till he noticed the kid began to walk in the opposite direction.
Hoping the other boy would hear, Tsukasa shouted at the top of his lungs, “THANK YOU AGAIN!!” And the kid did, looking back in his direction, this time appearing much happier than before. Both of them gave a final wave, before fully parting ways.
Tsukasa had no idea his day would end up being like this. It was a crazy roller coaster of ups and downs, but he was so glad to have spent the afternoon with someone as fun and as silly as that platypus boy. It really made what he thought would be the worst birthday ever into something really special.
But little Tsukasa had forgotten something.
He never asked the other boy for his name.