Work Text:
The walk from the hospital felt shorter than usual that summer evening. The almost full moon was already visible in the sky by the time he arrived at the Seisoukan. HiMERU sighed.
He didn’t want to go inside. The morning and afternoon had been enough—forced smiles, putting on the mask, accepting gifts on a day that was supposed to be about Kaname. Not him.
His legs moved on their own. Gravel crunched beneath his feet as he stepped off the main path and turned into a quieter corner of the garden. A melancholic smile tugged at his lips as he thought back to the afternoon in the hospital.
It had been the first birthday Kaname had spent conscious since the accident.
He’d have to thank Shiina again later for the cake he had handed him with nothing more than a quiet smile.
“I hope it tastes good to you.”
Had Amagi said something?
HiMERU shook his head. As annoying as that boy could be—Amagi seemed to respect his privacy.
Even if he was fairly sure that the Rinne plush in Kaname’s room had come from him.
Without realizing it, he had stopped walking, his thoughts still lingering on Kaname.
How his little brother had eaten Shiina’s cake—almost without help. How much he had enjoyed it. He hadn’t screamed once and had stayed awake longer than usual.
He still wasn’t speaking, but sometimes he hummed songs by Crazy:B.
Before he was even fully aware of it, HiMERU reached into his pocket for something he hadn’t used in a long time.
But today… he felt like he needed it.
He glanced around—no one in the garden.
Then he lit a cigarette and took a drag.
A quiet sense of pride rose in him. No one knew about this old burden from his former life. Not even Amagi.
But unfortunately for him, eyes had already found him, hidden in the dusk.
Hiiro had just stepped out of the Seisoukan building when HiMERU entered the grounds.
His face lit up, and he was about to call out to wish him a happy birthday—when the older idol suddenly veered off toward the garden.
Hiiro froze in confusion.
Why was HiMERU walking away?
Curiosity piqued, he followed the older boy—careful not to startle his "prey."
While twigs occasionally snapped under HiMERU’s feet, Hiiro seemed to float silently across the grass.
He didn’t know why he was sneaking up on HiMERU.
But something inside him told him not to disturb the man.
From a distance, he watched him with quiet reverence.
Shiina-san often said that HiMERU was "sexy"—but in that moment, bathed in the last rays of dusk, he looked more like a mystical being.
Hiiro thought of the mythical creatures his brother used to tell him about as a child.
And how HiMERU resembled one of them right now.
For a brief moment, he held his breath—until a tiny flicker of light shattered the illusion.
The cigarette.
A frown formed on Hiiro’s face when he saw it between HiMERU’s fingers.
The mysterious idol… with such a burden?
He had helped him back then, when Hiiro had scolded Rinne about alcohol—and now this?
Before he could even think, his feet carried him out of the shadows.
Silently, as always. Or maybe HiMERU was just so deep in thought that he flinched only when Hiiro’s voice broke the silence:
“HiMERU-san.”
HiMERU almost dropped the cigarette.
Startled, he turned around—the bubble of his thoughts bursting.
“Amagi… Hiiro-san.”
His voice was soft, barely audible.
Surprise flickered in his golden eyes as he looked at the younger boy.
Citrine met topaz.
Time stood still. The reason for their presence forgotten.
“HiMERU-san~,” Hiiro said again, almost in a whisper, slowly reaching out his hand—hesitant, yet his gaze was firm and resolute.
HiMERU raised an eyebrow.
The younger always wore his heart on his sleeve, and yet he remained a mystery to him.
He didn’t know what was going through this Amagi’s mind—but sometimes, he preferred this one to the older Amagi.
“Dance with me.”
Wide, shining eyes.
A steady gaze.
The older idol looked caught off guard—but a soft laugh escaped him.
“HiMERU truly doesn’t know what to say to that.”
He shook his head in quiet amusement—then, to Hiiro’s joy, dropped the cigarette and crushed it underfoot.
The redhead still stood there, hand outstretched, full of certainty.
“What’s stopping you?” Hiiro asked.
“HiMERU isn’t hearing any music.”
Topaz met citrine once more.
And in the end, it was HiMERU who looked away first—his eyes drifting down to Hiiro’s hand.
Maybe… maybe he didn’t want to spend this evening alone after all.
A thought that needed no words.
Beneath the light of the moon, he finally placed his hand in the younger one’s—gracefully avoiding the radiant smile he received in return.