Birthday Blues PV Kazuo Closed

───────────── August 2nd, 2021 @Ruka Burnett-Tân ─────────────

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───────────── Outfit Reducio

They were only a day into camp and hadn’t really done much yet while the other students were gathered around the fire telling scary stories and eating smores, Ruka had chosen to return to their cabin after dinner. He would have thought the older boy would want to stay at the fire and visit with Jack or other friends but Ruka had simply headed back so Kazuo followed, curious about Ruka’s quiet demeanour. Ruka didn’t elaborate though, simply climbed into his bunk and collapsed. With his shoes on. WITH HIS SHOES ON. Kazuo harboured some uncharitable thoughts at that moment but he kept them to himself, simply sighing and fetching a book and his glasses from his trunk. He thought it unlikely but maybe Ruka was just tired.

He took his shoes off - like a civilized being - before climbing onto the bed, settling against the pillows to read. He was only a chapter into the book when Ruka called to him. He let his book fall forward onto his chest, turning to look up at Ruka over the rim of his glasses as the other slid down his ladder. “Mm?” Was his response but Ruka merely turned to look at the door. He arched a brow, waiting patiently for Ruka to come around to whatever it was he wanted to ask. He listened as Ruka asked him to go somewhere, head tilting slightly as he considered the request. Rather, as he considered not just the request but Ruka’s entire demeanour. He sat up, marking his place in the book and closing it, placing it on the bed as he swung his legs around. Staring up at Ruka, he hummed softly as he took off his glasses.

“Yeah, sure. Maybe down by the forest edge? I doubt anyone will head out there at night.” He asked as he slid his feet into his shoes. “You’ve been quiet today. Like you're a million miles away. What’s up?” He rose and crossed over to the drink cooler, grabbing a couple of bottles of water and throwing them into a small satchel that already contained a small manual crank flashlight, his wand, and several boxes of Pocky. Turning to Ruka, he gave the older boy a smile. “Let’s go.”

-------------@Kazuo Shimada----------

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Had Ruka known just how much it might have bothered Kazuo that he hadn't taken off his shoes before settling in bed, he would have kicked them off, but as it was Ruka was too far in his own head to consider what he was doing. All he wanted was to turn off his mind for a bit, take all those selfish desires and toss them elsewhere. By trying not to be a birthday brat that seemed to be exactly what he ended up being.

The sight of Kazuo already settled in with a book made him feel slightly guilty. Had the other boy come back to the cabin for his sake? Would he have wanted to stick around everyone else by the Campfire? Was he upset with Ruka disturbing his reading time now, after having been a sullen mess all day? Ruka shook his head off those thoughts. There didn't seem to be any resentment as Kazuo slid his shoes back on and fetched some water bottles as if there was nothing strange about Ruka asking him to leave the comfort of their cabin, and tear himself away from his undoubtedly interesting book. A warmth washed over him as he watched the other boy move through the cabin.

"Yeah, that sounds good," he agreed with a smile and a nod. As long as they just steered clear of any other company Ruka was happy to go wherever. He felt himself flushing when Kazuo pointed out that he had been quiet all day. Ruka had hoped it hadn't been too obvious, had tried to keep out of his mind as much as he could, but Kazuo was observant, so he should have expected it. "I'm just..." He hadn't had the chance to say this to anybody before. Nobody had asked him, at least not since he had found out. It felt sacred somehow, a secret Jack had gifted him exactly a year ago.

Ruka didn't exactly want a party or presents or for people he barely knew to throw well-wishes at him, but... But for someone to at least know, that might be nice. Someone he cared about, who was important to him. Someone he could trust with his secrets. If he was going to share this with anybody it would have had to be Kazuo.

"It's my birthday," he said quietly, dropping his gaze to the ground. He couldn't quite keep a small smile from his face as he said the words. "Today. I turned fourteen today." The thought filled him with a whole whirlwind of emotions, and he tried to catch Kazuo's eye in order to focus on something that would steady him. Reaching a hand out, Ruka would wait for Kazuo to take it before pulling him out of their cabin, though not before pulling the curtains on his bed closed. "Yeah, let's," he agreed, making sure the cabin door was shut behind them, and tugged Kazuo along towards the forest.

It was a clear night, stars twinkling in the dark blue sky, the smell of burnt wood in the air even away from the campfire. Perfect conditions, Ruka thought. "Sure you won't be getting cold in that?" he asked, eyeing Kazuo's attire for a moment as they walked. It may have been August, but nights in Scotland, away from the fire, could get chilly regardless. "Wouldn't want you to freeze to death on my behalf. I quite like you alive." Poking his tongue out at Kazuo, Ruka steered them towards an inviting looking tree by the forest edge. He felt lighter already. "How's this? Think that's a good spot for..." He frowned to himself as he slowed his step. "Well I haven't really had any plans beyond getting away but... For now, this should do, right?"

───────────── August 2nd, 2021 @Ruka Burnett-Tân ─────────────

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───────────── Outfit Reducio

Rukka hadn’t expected Kazuo to be so perceptive - at least that’s what the flush and the hesitant reply indicated to him. It made Kazuo smile, amused that Ruka hadn’t realized that he would, of course, notice when others around him weren’t behaving normally. Especially those with whom he liked spending time. He hadn’t prodded Ruka for answers, respecting the boy’s space in whatever matter was bothering him but part of him felt a bit annoyed that Ruka would assume he wouldn’t notice. Or had tried to hide it at all. It was a silly thing to be annoyed about; it wasn’t as if he was particularly forthcoming with his feelings, after all. He shoved it away when Ruka continued speaking, admitting that it was his birthday.

Kazuo paused in his preparations to look at Ruka with surprise. “Oh… otanjobi omedeto (Happy birthday).” He said with a sheepish grin. Just like with Dee, he felt a bit odd about the whole birthday thing. He hadn’t thought to ask Ruka and he felt a bit guilty for that but he still didn’t really understand why it was so important to people. Well, it didn’t matter if he understood it or not, it was enough to know that it was important to them. “Hang on…” He said, returning to his trunk to rummage through it, adding a couple of bottles and more of his hoard of Japanese snacks to his satchel. He turned back to Ruka, looking at the other’s extended hand with a slight smile before taking it. “Fourteen. Practically ancient.” He teased lightly as Ruka led him out of the cabin.

He stared up at the dark sky as they walked, marvelling at the stars. It was the one thing about Hogwarts that he had to admit he enjoyed more than Tokyo. The lights of the city made it difficult to see the stars without a telescope or a visit to the planetarium. He hummed happily as they walked, shrugging when Ruka brought up his attire. “It’s hardly cold out. Kind of nice, actually. August is the worst month back home, for the heat, I mean. You can’t even sleep if you don’t have AC sometimes, it’s so hot.” He missed Tokyo and wished he could have spent his entire summer there instead of the brief two weeks he’d spent with the Burnetts. But he didn’t miss the muggy, hot that was Tokyo in August. “So glad to know you’d prefer me alive.” He responding, sticking his tongue out at Ruka in return. Kazuo looked around at the treeline as they stopped then nodded. “Do you think we could make a small fire?”

-------------@Kazuo Shimada----------

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Ruka wasn't quite sure what he had expected upon revealing his birthday; it wasn't exactly a well guarded secret for most people and Kazuo didn't know just how much the information meant to him either, so the underwhelming reaction wasn't really a surprise. The Japanese words were unfamiliar but Ruka could just about guess what they meant. "Happy Birthday?" he asked for confirmation, a smile tugging at his lips. "Thank you." Before he could say anything else, Ruka watched as Kazuo rummaged around for more bottles and snacks, possibly stocking up for their impromptu trip the the Grounds. Most likely there were some treats at the Campfire, so why shouldn't they also take some food on their little getaway? Ruka could definitely appreciate that line of thinking.

Smiling as Kazuo took the hand that had been offered to him, Ruka was quick to curl his fingers around the other boy's hand, giving it a light squeeze. He let out an ungraceful snort at being called ancient, nudged his shoulder against Kazuo's in a playful shove. "Age is just a number," he proclaimed dramatically. "That's what old people say to make themselves feel better, right?" His laughter fell silent as he tilted his head back to join Kazuo in looking up at the stars for a moment. He'd always loved them, always been fascinated by them. That they had such a clear view of them that night made him almost inexplicably happy.

The sound of Kazuo's happy hum drew Ruka's attention, and he looked to the side with a smile, mustering the other boy for a moment. There was a comfort that came with the other boy's presence, had nestled itself easily inside him since the first time they had properly talked back in the library. Despite Kazuo's claim that he didn't usually make anybody feel comfortable, Ruka rarely felt as at ease as he did when he was around him. "You mean to say July wasn't the worst of it?" he asked in mock outrage, using his free hand to dramatically clutch at his chest. "What about the Winters? Does it get cold? Do you get snow for Christmas?" He doubted it, thought the climate may be too warm for that, but stranger things had happened.

Squeezing Kazuo's hand one more time as they talked about Tokyo, Ruka laughed at the way the other boy stuck his tongue out at him again. "For now," he said, playfully wagging a finger in Kazuo's direction before he let go of his hand to have a look around the tree line. "Might draw some attention," he pointed out as he gathered some dry sticks and started aligning a few rocks in a small circle. "Might also keep wild animals away, so it could be worth the risk." He laughed and dropped the sticks he had found in the stone circle before kneeling down to pick out two larger, thicker sticks and rubbing them together between his palms. It took him a moment before he realised the obvious.

"Uh," he muttered, blinking at his own actions before he dropped the sticks to instead pull his wand from his jeans' pocket. With a flick of it and a muttered incantation he conjured bluebell flames into his stone circle, humming in delight as the blue fire started cackling peacefully. With a smile, Ruka put his wand away again and sat down in the grass, leaning his back against a tree. "C'mere," he told Kazuo with a smile, patting the grass next to him. "I don't have any spooky stories to tell, but I hear my company is pleasant, regardless."

───────────── August 2nd, 2021 @Ruka Burnett-Tân ─────────────

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───────────── Outfit Reducio

Kazuo nodded when Ruka asked if what he had said meant 'Happy Birthday'. With the snacks acquired and his hand in Ruka's, he grinned at Ruka "Soon you'll be complaining about how much your back hurts and yelling at the damn noisy kids.” He continued to tease, giving Ruka a playful shove in return. “I can’t believe you’re two years older than me.”

His gaze shifted to Ruka, arching a brow at the older boy when he made fun of Kazuo’s comments on the weather. “You mock me. I am wounded.” He deadpanned his tone of voice and even his expression but the corners of his eyes crinkled a bit in amusement. “Depends on where you are in Japan. Tokyo rarely gets more than a dusting of snow but Hokkaido has quite a cold winter. There are even ski resorts up in the mountains. If you go further south, like the Okinawa island, it’s so warm you can spend Christmas on the beach.”

He leaned against a tree and watched as Ruka gathered sticks and rocks for their improvised firepit. “For now? Do give me warning when that changes, please. As for wild animals, I think the ruckus they’re making over at the bonfire is enough to keep all the smart animals away.” He watched as Ruka knelt and began rubbing two sticks together, brows drawing into a furrow of obvious confusion. It wwasn’t even that Ruka didn’t choose magic first that confused him. He could understand not jumping to magic as a first choice… it was that Ruka didn’t have a lighter instead… no, he was rubbing sticks together. Did that even work? Kazuo knew nothing about woods survival but the method he was using seemed unlikely to start a fire any time soon. When Ruka finally realized that there were easier ways to light a fire Kazuo tried unsuccessfully to stifle the giggles, even clapping a hand over his mouth to muffle them. “As a belated birthday present, can I buy you a lighter?” He offered between giggles.

Kazuo moved to sit beside Ruka, leaning against him a bit as he let his back rest against the tree as well. He pulled his satchel onto his lap and opened it up, pulling out the snacks he had picked at random from his trunk. During their visit to Japan, he may have stocked up on his favorite snacks, most of which were hard to get in London and impossible to get at Hogwarts. He dropped several boxes of Pocky on Ruka’s lap, different flavours this time, from green tea to strawberry to cookies and cream. Next was a bag of rice crackers, followed by small containers of potato sticks that were labelled ‘lemon and salt’ flavour. There were also a couple bags of normal-looking chips and finally, a bag of wasabi flavoured pistachios. “I am sacrificing my snack hoard for you.” Kazuo said with a grin. “Since I didn’t know to get you a proper gift.” He then pulled out the bottles he had packed, glancing down at them with a slight smirk. “Didn’t think these would get used so soon…” The bottles were of blue-frosted glass with Japanese labels, smaller than a normal wine bottle but similar in shape. “It’s sake. I don’t really know what kind but I think it’s supposed to be premium quality, at least that’s what my Dad says. So we can toast to your birthday?”

-------------@Kazuo Shimada----------

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"Does it count if I just glare at the damn noisy kids?" Ruka asked with a laugh. "Yelling isn't really my thing." He grinned, steadied himself against Kazuo's shove to not stumble backwards. The weight he'd been carrying on his shoulders all day seemed to have lifted just by being able to joke about it with someone he felt comfortable with. He felt a rush of affection towards his friend course through him before he halted for a moment at Kazuo's next words. It was true, there were two years between them now, though it hardly felt like it. Kazuo was smart and mature and far more put together than most other people Ruka knew, including himself. "Way to make me feel even older," he pointed out. "When's your birthday, so I know when the time comes for us to complain about our aching backs together?" He grinned, squeezed Kazuo's hand and moved on as if the realisation hadn't startled him.

Gasping dramatically, Ruka stared at Kazuo. "I would never!" he proclaimed, amusement obvious in his expression. It sobered when the other boy actually gave an answer to his question, making Ruka hum in interest. "Christmas on the beach," he repeated with a little smile. "I'd like that, I think. It'd be different." He quite enjoyed different. Warmth, too. "Do you ski? What's your Christmas usually look like? Do you go back to Tokyo for it?" It was a miracle that Kazuo hadn't grown tired of Ruka's never-ending questions yet but he couldn't help himself from wanting to know everything he could, latched onto every single piece of information the other boy gave him about his life to explore it further and further.

Laughing at Kazuo's request to give him a warning once he changed his mind about preferring him alive, Ruka turned to look at his friend leaning against a tree. "Don't worry, I'm more of a stab-you-in-the-front kind of person," he promised with a solemn nod, though his eyes sparked with mirth. He turned back to his fire then, considering Kazuo's words about the noise from the campsite being enough to keep animals away. "Better safe than sorry," he decided as he tried his best to get a fire started before realising that he was, in fact, capable of magic.

It made Kazuo giggle, enough so that he was trying to hide it behind his hand, which made Ruka's face scrunch up in a mixture of delight and slight embarrassment. "You don't need to get me anything," he insisted, just to make sure that much was clear. "But a lighter might actually be nice." Grinning, he sat down, lifting his gaze to watch Kazuo join him on the ground. Their shoulders touched as the other boy leaned against him and Ruka averted his gaze for a moment, until he felt the weight of packages of sweets and snacks being deposited on his lap. "How long were you planning on staying out here?" he asked with a chuckle as he observed the various snacks. He recognised the pocky, immediately drawn in by the strawberry flavoured ones. Grabbing for them, he studied the outside for a bit, then put them to his side as if making sure he could easily reach them once he wanted to. The lemon and salt flavoured potato sticks caught his attention next, and he made a mental note to try those first. "I feel honoured," he told Kazuo with exaggerated glee, though his words were honest. He felt special. "This is more than enough." No gift could have meant as much as Kazuo's company right now anyway.

Letting his gaze wander to the bottles, Ruka observed the other boy's smirk with a curious tilt of his head. "Sake," he repeated, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "Underage drinking, Kazuo? Really?" He chuckled, reaching out to carefully take one of the bottles and examine it curiously. He didn't know what the labels said but the glass was cool to the touch, and the cap was easy to unscrew. The scent he was met with was unfamiliar but not unpleasant. Fruity, perhaps. "We don't have cups, do we?" he asked mournfully, looking around himself as if to check his surroundings for something to drink out of. "I've never really..." He hummed as he considered the liquor, looking up to lock his gaze with Kazuo's. "To my birthday, then?" he asked with a smile, holding the bottle out to the other boy.

Just a sip or two would do no harm.

───────────── August 2nd, 2021 @Ruka Burnett-Tân ─────────────

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───────────── Outfit Reducio

Kazuo smirked and shrugged when Ruka claimed yelling wasn’t his thing. “However you’d prefer, jiji (basically old man or grandpa).” He replied. “Gotta respect my elders.” He considered whether or not to tell Ruka his birthday. No one knew so far and for him that was preferable to the fanfare that always seemed to accompany birthdays around Hogwarts. Yet Ruka had shared his birthday and it seemed important to him. “I… May fourth. But don’t tell anyone, please.” He asked with a bit of reluctance.

“I’ve only spent the winters in Tokyo or in London the last couple years. We don’t do Christmas like you do here, just New Year’s celebrations really. I’ve been skiing since the Shimada estate is fairly far north and there are some mountains nearby but mostly I just stayed at home in Tokyo. I’m not fond of the cold.” This last winter holiday had probably been the worst. He had thought he would enjoy staying at the school alone, to read and research as he liked but he’d found by the end of it, that he had felt quite lonely. A feeling he wasn’t used to at all. “Yes, please stab me in the front. Much better.” He continued with sarcasm though it was light-hearted.

He considered Ruka’s insistence that he didn’t need a gift, amused by the juxtaposition of refusing gifts while also sulking about his birthday. Though it seemed he wasn’t sulking anymore and that pleased Kazuo for some reason. “I know I’m not obligated to get you something but I think you might just need a lighter. To save myself from having to watch you rub two sticks together for who knows how long, if nothing else.” He stuck his tongue out at Ruka again then opened one of the containers of lemon and salt potato sticks. “I didn’t know what you’d like. Now you have variety.” He pointed to the bag of wasabi flavoured pistachios with a trickster’s grin. “Try the nuts…” He unscrewed the cap of the other sake bottle, shrugging and smirking a bit at Ruka’s response to the borrowed bottles. “I thought maybe I could present them as gifts the next time I needed to get into a professor’s good graces. Say they’re from my parents or something since my Dad likes to gift business associates with sake sometimes. But I think celebrating a birthday might be more important than potential bribery material.” Cups… he hadn’t thought of that when he added the bottles to the satchel. They weren’t very large bottles… it should be fine to drink them like this, wouldn’t it? “Ahhhh… guess I didn’t think that part through… We don’t have to… Drink I mean. If you don’t want to. I just figured, you’re fourteen and all… I’ve never tried it either.” When Ruka held the bottle out, Kazuo studied him but Ruka didn’t seem hesitant. He raised the other bottle to lightly tap Ruka’s, giving the older boy a grin. “Happy birthday, kitsunebi. Kanpai!” He finished with the Japanese cheer.

He took a small sip, unsure of what to expect, nose wrinkling a bit at the odd heat of the alcohol on his tongue. The taste wasn’t too bad once he got past the initial surprise, a sort of sweet and slightly fruity taste. “Heh. That’s not so bad…” He said with a slight smirk.

-------------@Kazuo Shimada----------

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Ruka wasn't exactly sure what jiji meant but he could easily assume Kazuo was calling him old in some way. Unable to keep a laugh from bubbling from his lungs, Ruka used some momentum in his step to lightly kick at Kazuo's ankle. "You better," he said, though failed completely at even pretending to be serious. His expression sobered a little, however, at the hesitation with which the other boy revealed his birthday. May fourth. It made Ruka's stomach drop a little to know he'd already considered Kazuo someone close to him at that point but hadn't known to congratulate him on his birthday. "I'm not supposed to throw you any big surprise parties then?" he asked playfully, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The request to not tell anybody took a moment to settle within him, made him ponder what it meant. "Your secret's safe with me," he promised with a small nod. "So long as you don't tell anybody about mine either." A gentle squeeze of Kazuo's hand accompanied the words. "You're the only one who knows. You and Jack." The corners of his lips tugged upwards, into a fond smile, though he directed it at the ground for the time being.

Kazuo's words about winters in Tokyo drew Ruka's gaze up again, and he watched the other boy's profile as they walked, lights and shadows cast across skin by the moon and stars above. "Me neither," he proclaimed his distaste of the cold with a smile. "We should go to the south of Japan for winter sometime then. To- Okee-nawa Island?" He struggled with the word for a moment as he tried to recall the way Kazuo had pronounced it. "Stay warm all year long. I've never been on a beach holiday before." He chuckled, excitement lighting his eyes at the thought. He wasn't quite sure what to expect from a trip to the beach, especially during winter, but he imagined it to be fun.

The sarcasm in Kazuo's voice was met with a teasing grin. "I'll stick to not stabbing you at all, I think," he decided with a nod as if he had just settled on that decision for himself, then proceeded to set up their little campfire. "It'd have taken a while, but I'd have gotten us our fire," he insisted in mock outrage, though there was a flash of gratitude crossing his features when Kazuo continued talking about him needing a lighter, even if it was for the other boy's own sake. "I suppose, if you're planning on having more impromptu bonfires with me a lighter would spare you that kind of pain." A grin settled on his features, and he nudged his elbow against Kazuo's teasingly.

Watching Kazuo opening the lemon and salt potato sticks, Ruka's eyes widened in confusion for a moment. Had he announced that he wanted to try those first out loud? No, the other boy liked the taste of lemon so maybe he just enjoyed those particularly much. Either way, Ruka was quick to snatch one and nibble on it. Taking a look at the green coated pistachios, he narrowed his eyes at Kazuo, observing the suspicious grin on his face. Surely there was something about the nuts that made the other boy look like that at his own suggestion, but Ruka was rarely one to turn down a challenge. With his eyes focused on Kazuo, he reached for the package, ripped it open and fished one out. Maybe he should have carefully given it a taste, but instead he placed it on his tongue and started chewing on it right away. It wasn't an instant sensation, but after the second bite, Ruka could feel a burn making his eyes water and tingling in his nose. "Wha-" he started, tempted to just spit it out, but with a heavy breath he managed to swallow it down while glaring at Kazuo through watery eyes.

"There's something evil about you," he decided as he threw one of the pistachios in the general direction of the other boy's face. "Nogitsune," he elaborated dramatically, managed to let out a laugh despite the burn in his sinuses. Something to drink would probably be good right about now, though he hadn't quite expected it to be something alcoholic.

The information that Kazuo had wanted to use the bottles to get into teachers' good graces if necessary made Ruka laugh despite the fact that his nose was still tingling with the heat of the wasabi snack. "I never used to think birthdays were important at all," he admitted quietly. That was before he had known when his own even was. "But I feel flattered you'd give up your bribery material for me. I'll make sure to pay you back somehow." Not that he had much to offer than would help getting on the teachers' good side but he would do what he could anyway.

It made Ruka feel a bit better to know that Kazuo had never had a drink before either, which at least meant he wasn't the only one doing this without knowing exactly what to expect. "Kanpai," he repeated gently, tilting his bottle forward to clink with Kazuo's. Whether he had heard the word before or not, it was easy to figure out its meaning through context. With a small smile, Ruka took his first sip, cringing a little at the first taste of a foreign flavour, but after the initial reaction, he could taste the fruitiness of the liquor. It was sweeter than he had expected, made him smack his lips after the first swallow. "It's good," he agreed with a giggle; the laughter of a child knowing they had done something forbidden.

Grinning, he reached his free hand for Kazuo's to intertwine their fingers between them. "Thanks for this, Kaz," he said before taking another sip of sake, poking his tongue out to lick the remains of the liquid off his lips while letting his gaze rest on the flickering blue flames. "This is great."

───────────── August 2nd, 2021 @Ruka Burnett-Tân ─────────────

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───────────── Outfit Reducio

Ruka had grown serious at his request for secrecy and he wondered if the other thought it was a strange request. Ruka didn't pry though, simply accepted the request at face value and that relieved him a bit. "Please no, I think I would die if I had to deal with the kind of birthday parties you seem to like to throw around here." He replied to Ruka's tease with a wry smile. "We don't really make a big deal of birthdays back home. And the gift giving tradition is not something we do at all really. It's… hmmm. Gift-giving creates obligation." He didn't know how to explain it so he just left it at that. He squeezed Ruka's hand back when the older boy admitted that his birthday was also a bit of a secret. "So you don't like big parties either, is that what I'm hearing?"

"You don't like cold?" Kazuo scoffed in disbelief, though it was tempered by a teasing grin. "Ok Mister Hosts a Hockey Game." He stuck his tongue out at Ruka again. "Convenient excuse, if you ask me. You just want me to take you to new places.” He was joking, of course. But the idea of getting to show Ruka new places actually made him happy. Their trip to Tokyo had been a selfish endeavour, a desire of his to show off the place he called home, to have not only a reason to go home but also friends to go with. It was probably just as selfish of him to want Ruka to be interested in seeing other places with him. “I’ve never been to Okinawa but I’ve heard it’s very beautiful. December is a good time to go since it’s cooler around that time of year but I think it must get crowded with tourists…” Kazuo continued, considering the idea then shrugging. “Maybe someday. I think it’ll be harder to convince my parents of that trip.” He chuckled.

“You’re too kind.” Kazuo replied to Ruka’s offer of not stabbing him with a joking roll of his eyes. “Yes, this gift is really for me. Are you saying you thought this would be our only bonfire?” He shook his head, using his foot to nudge Ruka’s. “I expect many more bonfires, impromptu or planned.” He munched on a potato stick as he watched Ruka, waiting to see if the older boy would try the pistachios. It was an awful trick but a harmless enough one. He’d brought them back with him specifically to trick people into trying them and Ruka was about to become his first victim. The grin only widened, turning into genuine laughter as Ruka called him evil and a nogitsune. He caught the pistachio and tossed it into his mouth, making a face as he suffered the same fate as Ruka. He really didn’t like them either but he felt it only fair to endure the awfulness he had tricked Ruka into. With eyes watering, he pulled a face. “Ugh, they’re so awful. I don’t know why anyone would think putting wasabi on nuts was a good idea. Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t trustworthy?” He added with a laugh.

He waved a hand dismissively when Ruka promised to pay him back. “I can always find other bribery material and it would have been a fifty-fifty shot anyway. If they found it in my trunk before I gifted it, they might have just confiscated it and given me detention or something.” Once they had taken their first sip, he smiled softly, also choosing to stare into the flames as. “Why are you thanking me? All I did was come with you when you asked. I don’t think that deserves thanks.” He took another sip then reached for another potato stick to munch on. “So… why didn’t you say something earlier?” He finally asked the questions he’d been holding back. “You obviously weren’t happy… why?”