Chapter 42

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Ko's Third Person P.O.V.

The flowers in his lungs were increasing by the size. Ko had thrown up many times during the day, the white rose petals falling out of his mouth like flakes of snow.

He was dying. Today was his birthday. One year closer to death. How ironic.

But what hurt the albino the most was tje fact that Hajime hadn't wished him a happy birthday or had given him a present.

He sighed. Oh well. Trash like him didn't deserve presents or a celebration from a symbol of hope like Hajime.

"Ko? We can leave now. We promised Makoto to be there by five." Hajime glanced at the clock.

Four thirty.

"Better be early than late," He finished.

"Alright." Ko yawned.

He couldn't believe it when Hajime had accepted his request, and had been even more surprised when he admitted that he liked Ko's submissive side rather than his dominant one.

Maybe he should act less dominant, just to impress Hajime.

Orange red lanterns hung from the top of stands, crisscrossing across the booths, illuminating the ground with a fiery hue. The sun was only beginning to set, setting the sky on fire with a bright orange splash of paint.

Many people in yuakatas and kimonos flooded the stairway to the festival, chattering about. Music played in the background as Hajime and Ko met up with Kirigiri and Makoto.

"Byakuya refused to come. He said the festivals were only for little kids." Makoto sulked.

He was wearing a baby blue kimono decorated with white stripes that went down vertically, along with a fox mask he had magically found.

Kirigiri, on the other hand, wore a bright purple kimono which was decorated with light pink cherry blossoms and a velvet sash.

"Kirigiri looks pretty today, too! Don't you think?" Makoto smiled at the detective.

"No. I do not."

The brunette stuck his tongue out.

Savoring the goodness in these moments, Ko allowed himself to smile for what may be the last time before everything went downhill.

Beside him, Hajime laughed at the pair's attempt to flirt with each other.

"Come on! Let's visit all the booths before we watch the fireworks!" Hajime took Ko by the hand and lead him to an archery stand while Makoto dragged Kirigiri off to a goldfish stand after they had agreed to meet at the large, grassy field at eleven.

"You want to try, young man? A hundred yen for two arrows. Get a bullseye in one shot and the first prize is yours!" The man pointed to a disfigured ball of clumped fluff. Two wide eyes and a smile was stitched onto the front as its face.

Ko thought it was the second most adorable thing he'd ever seen in his life. It loojed so soft and fluffy. He wanted it.

His smile faded when he realised there was no way that he would be able to shoot an arrow in one go.

Defeated, he started turning away, about to leave the ball of fluff behind.

A hand slammed onto the counter behind him.

"Let me try." Hajime spoke with determination.

"Hajime? What are you doing?" Ko asked.

"I'm playing the game. Isn't it obvious?" He chuckled.

"But it's archery!"

"You looked like you wanted the first prize, so I'll get it for you. Don't underestimate me," He winked at the albino, preparing his bow.

His fingers hooked the tail of the arrow to the string of the bow, notching it in place. His left hand gripped the front of the bow, aiming the arrow at the target.

Pulling back his right hand, the brunette closed his eyes, took in a breath, and released the arrow.

It flew in a straight line, hitting the target square in the center of the red dot.

The man at the counter clapped in approval.

"Here's your first prize!" He took the fluffy stuffed creature from the wall and handed it to Hajime. "Have fun!"

Ko could only gape at Hajime when he gave him the creature.

It was so fluffing soft. He rubbed his face against it like a little child, absorbing the softness of the ball of fluff.

He stopped short, remembering what he was going to ask the brunette.

"How?"

Hajime bit his lip in embarrassment. Cute.

"I kind of took archery lessons in my first year of high school...." He flashed Ko a lopsided smile.

Red tinted the albino's pale cheeks.

"Why?"

Hajime scratched the back of his head.

"You looked like you really wanted it by the look you gave the stuffed creature, so I decided to step up to the challenge. It was no biggie anyways." He shrugged.

No one had ever given him a present before. This was something entirely new to the albino. His heart thumped rapidly inside his chest as he buried half his blushing face behind the stuffed toy. Speaking about toys, Hajime still hadn't wished Ko a Happy Birthday. His heart sunk a bit. The brunette probably forgot about it. It didn't really matter anyways. He was trash, and trash didn't deserve celebrations hosted in his honor.

Even if Hajime hadn't wished him a Hapoy Birthday, Ko still had received the fluffy creature from the boy he loved, so he was already satisfied and content with his present.

"Thank you," He mumbled behind the fluff of pink.

"Ah." Hajime waved his palms in the air. "There's nothing to thank me for. It's just a favor to repay you for all those times you saved me. Consider it my first gift." He winked, imitating the albino's words.

"Are you hungry? It's almost seven and we haven't eaten yet..."

"Eh? Nah, it's fine." Hajime said.

His stomach disagreed with a loud growl.

Ko laughed, unable to keep in his laughter.

"W-what's so funny?" Hajime stuttered.

"Nothing, nothing. I saw a takoyaki stand somewhere here. You want to go there and have dinner?" He tilted his head.

"Sure."

Octopus and squid filled the air as takoyaki were being fried.

"Mmmmm..." Ko drooled.

The pair sat down at an empty bench, ordering two dozen squid balls, twelve for each of them.

Ko couldn't help smiling at Hajime's face when they waited for their food.

The brunette looked so at ease and comfortable, no longer uneasy around Ko.

A cough rose in his throat, threatening to spill out of his mouth.

Holding it in, a pain erupted inside the albino's chest.

The cough had served as a reminder. A reminder that his time near Hajime was limited.

Even though he was slowly dying, Ko would still love Hajime, even if the brunette was too dense to understand his feelings for him.

He would only love Hajime, and Hajime only.

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I feel like I'm dragging out this story more than I'm supposed to xD. Ah well.

P.S. Takoyaki best dish *^*

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