Work Text:
The beach was such a romanticized place, often painted with watercolors, a pretty backdrop of films, and the desired location of everyone sick of their nine to fives. The reality of the beach, however, was hot sand sticking to sweaty bodies, sunburn, obnoxious seagulls trying to steal someone’s sandwich, and salty seawater. It was a messy place, not the picturesque experience most visitors hoped for, but Kazuichi Souda liked it nonetheless.
He was dressed for the warmth of the day in a loose fitting, blue button down, cargo shorts, and flip flops, standing at the entrance to the pier, kicking at a pebble wedged between the wooden planks beneath him. He was staring out over the crowded, umbrella spotted beach, waiting for Hajime Hinata to show up. Though Hajime was in the reserve corps, the two had become fast friends. Kazuichi never considered himself all that special anyway, and though he loved his Ultimate classmates, he didn’t feel like he totally fit in with them all the time.
What blew his mind was that Hajime had never been to the pier before. Kazuichi knew the guy was pretty school focused, but seriously, not even once, as a kid? Kazuichi would readily admit he’d never been to most of the local theme parks, both because they were expensive and because he didn’t want to barf on the rides. But the pier itself was free, and there were lots of non-barf-inducing activities to do, like visit the little aquarium, listen to the street musicians, or play sand volleyball in the courts just off the pier.
Kazuichi leaned against the railing as he watched crowds of people file towards the pier, many of them munching on street food and taking pictures of the ocean. Finally, in the midst of the throng, Kazuichi spotted a familiar ahoge sticking out above the heads around him.
“Oi! Hajime!” Kazuichi called to him, and Hajime wove through the crowd towards the entrance. “Hey man, welcome to the pier!” They did a quick bro-y handshake, and then Kazuichi threw his arm around Hajime’s shoulders, steering him towards the little shops and the aquarium.
“This place is… a lot.” Hajime laughed, gesturing at all the shops and the carousel in the distance, all packed with tourists with selfie sticks and kids with ice cream.
“What, ya didn’t think I’d drag ya somewhere boring, did ya?” Kazuichi ruffled his hair, and Hajime shoved him off. “You really need to get out more.”
“I get out!” Hajime protested, a pout at the corner of his mouth.
Kazuichi just gave him a deadpan stare, making Hajime roll his eyes. “Come on, let’s check out some of these shops.” He bounded over to the nearest one, a small, blue building boasting sunglasses and swimwear.
Hajime followed him a little reluctantly. Kazuichi noticed he was still dressed pretty formally, tie and all, even on such a warm, summer day. He looked a little out of place among the bright colors of the shop, neon hats and palm tree T-shirts advertising the name of the pier throwing the sunlight around and reflecting orange and blue hues onto Hajime’s white shirt.
“Dude, you look like you’re dressed to go to school. We gotta get ya outta those clothes!” Kazuichi tossed a souvenir shirt at him, but he caught it pretty adeptly. It took the mechanic a second to realize what he just said sounded a little more suggestive than he intended, but thankfully Hajime either chose to ignore it or hadn’t noticed. He was now squinting at the shirt Kazuichi had thrown, grimacing at the highlighter yellow color.
“I don’t know if this one’s really my style.” Hajime turned to Kazuichi, an uncomfortable half smile on his face. Then, his expression softened with laughter. “Also I don’t know if the guy who wears the same jumpsuit almost every day should be giving me fashion advice.”
“Hey!” Kazuichi was about to argue with him, but felt hypocritical once he saw how close the color of the souvenir shirt was to his own ratty, neon jumpsuit. Now it was Hajime’s turn to give him a deadpan stare. Kazuichi took the shirt from him and hung it back up, accepting defeat. Next to it, however, was a white button up with tiny brown palm trees on it, creating a subtle pattern. He snatched it up and held it out for Hajime to see.
“Now that’s… More my style,” Hajime admitted.
“Then try it on!” Kazuichi beamed, happy he found something Hajime might actually like. He dragged his friend towards the changing rooms, grabbing a pink button up for himself to try along the way. Right in front of the changing room stood a rack of eye catching swimwear, and Kazuichi stopped in his tracks to admire. “Look at these!” Underneath some pineapple patterned bikinis, he spotted a row of green camo speedos and pulled two off the shelf.
“Speedos?” Hajime asked, looking a little concerned. He took the swimsuit from Kazuichi delicately.
“Dude, I just know we’d look sick in these!” Kazuichi insisted. “Just try it on. Can’t hurt!” He ushered Hajime into one changing room and took the other for himself, making a quick face in the mirror before throwing off his shirt and shorts.
The speedo looked just as good on him as he’d expected. He made little finger guns to himself in the mirror, feeling kinda like hot shit.
“Kazuichi, I… don’t think I’d be comfortable wearing this in public.” Hajime called from the other stall.
“What, ya don’t wanna match with me at the beach?” Kazuichi pretended to sound hurt and then laughed, slipping on the pink shirt he brought too. But hearing no response from Hajime, he felt a little guilty, not wanting to pressure his friend to wear things he felt uncomfortable in. “I’m just kidding, dude. Wear whatever ya like.”
Kazuichi decided the pink button up was a bit too tight on him, so he started to peel it off, wrestling with it a little as he tried to get it over his head. He thought he was almost free of it, but one of the buttons suddenly got itself ensnared in a stray lock of pink hair.
“Ow, fuck.” Kazuichi hissed, trying to yank it free, but his arms were stuck half up in the air, and he couldn’t even see the button or how it was stuck. “H-Hajime?” He thrashed, but every movement of his arms threatened to rip out half his hair.
“You okay in there, Kazuichi? You sound a little…” Hajime trailed off.
“I’m stuck,” Kazuichi huffed, embarrassed he had gotten himself into this position. “Can you c’mere? I can’t move!”
“You want me to…”
“Dude, I can’t even put my arms down!”
“Okay, okay! I’m coming!”
Kazuichi heard some rattling and shuffling, blinded by the shirt trapping him. Then, he felt a hand on his arm, gently pulling at the shirt.
“What did you do?” Hajime sounded like he was holding in a laugh.
“It’s not funny! It’s stuck in my hair.” Kazuichi tried to point with his current limited arm mobility. Hajime caught his flailing arms, trying to stop him from making it worse. Then, his hands found the button and the tangled hair around it. He carefully separated strand by strand, unwrapping the unruly curls from the plastic and thread.
“There.” He finished, helping Kazuichi finally shed the stupid shirt.
“Thanks, man.” Kazuichi ran a hand through his hair and shook it out, rubbing at the tender part of his scalp.
Then he looked up and saw Hajime, standing there a little awkwardly in the shirt Kazuichi had picked out, and also the speedo. He realized he had locked the door to the changing room, so Hajime must have crawled under the door in a hurry, not bothering to take off the speedo as he rushed to his friend’s aid. In the mirror, they looked kind of badass, just two dudes wearing matching speedos.
“Hey, what are you talkin’ about, dude? You rock that speedo.” Kazuichi smiled, gesturing at their reflections and playfully elbowing Hajime.
“Yeah… no.” Hajime shook his head, and Kazuichi snickered at the expression on his face.
“Alright, alright, fine. How do ya feel about the shirt at least?” Kazuichi relented.
“I think I like it.” Hajime smiled, putting his hands on his hips as he sized himself up in the mirror.
His olive green eyes shone with confidence, their color brought out by the earth tones of the shirt. He had puffed out his chest a little bit and lifted his chin, and Kazuichi was struck with the thought that Hajime was cute. Sure, one could say he looked cute in that shirt, or dare say cute in a speedo, but that wasn’t it. Hajime was just… cute all on his own.
Kazuichi blinked a few times, then put a hand behind his head and chuckled. “Yeah, you look good in it.” He normally would’ve added man or dude at the end of a sentence like that, but something stopped him.
“Thanks.” Hajime said quietly, taking his eyes off the mirror to meet Kazuichi’s. “For the record, you pull off that speedo much better than I do.”
A loud knock on the door made them both jump. “Hey, you can’t be hogging all the changing rooms!” A woman called, her voice high pitched and whiny.
Kazuichi and Hajime made quick, mortified eye contact, and then Kazuichi opened the door for Hajime to leave and get his clothes from the other room. The woman opened her mouth to give them a scolding, but closed it when she saw the two boys standing in their matching speedos, deciding not to ask questions. Hajime turned bright red and scurried to the other changing room, leaving Kazuichi alone with his thoughts and this speedo Hajime thought he looked good in.
*****************************************************************
After making their purchases, mucking about in the arcade, dodging a man shouting Bible verses over a megaphone, and watching a caricature artist do their work, the boys decided to check out the rides on the other side of the pier. Hajime needled Kazuichi, trying to get him to go on a rather tame coaster, but Kazuichi threatened to aim his barf at Hajime if he dragged him on, so that was the end of that discussion. Towards the very end of the pier, however, sat the brilliantly lit ferris wheel. The sun was just beginning to set, so the lights along the spokes had been turned on, creating swirling green and purple patterns against the orange sky.
“Come on, Kazuichi, you’re not gonna throw up on that, are you?” Hajime asked with a teasing grin, pointing at the slow moving pods of the wheel.
“Probably not…” Kazuichi admitted. His arms were crossed, but seeing the excitement on Hajime’s face softened him and he dropped his arms. This is why he brought Hajime here in the first place, to experience the pier like a tourist, since he’d never been.
They got in line, watching the ferris wheel’s gentle cycle a few times before it was finally their turn. Kazuichi insisted on paying for the ride, saying the whole trip was his idea and his treat. Hajime finally let him pay, and they took their seats. Kazuichi didn’t like that there were no seatbelts or anything and the emergency door seemed too easy to open, but he had already gotten himself this far! Plus, like everyone and their mother had ridden this thing at some point, and he felt like he’d know about it if someone had died. Right?
There was plenty of room for the two of them in their little pod, but Kazuichi sat right next to Hajime, a little bit of fear rising in his stomach. “Is this a good time to mention I’m also afraid of heights?” Kazuichi asked, biting his lip.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” Hajime turned to him, his eyebrows knitted in concern.
Kazuichi sank in his seat, trying not to look out at the ground below as the wheel began to move. Why did he agree to this again? His stomach started tying itself into knots, and he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
“Hey, Kazuichi.” Hajime said louder, breaking through the fog of fear in Kazuichi’s head. Hajime scooted closer to him, brushing his leg against Kazuichi’s. Kazuichi squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on the comforting feeling of Hajime’s physical touch, reminding himself to breathe.
After a moment, he felt confident enough to open his eyes. He expected Hajime to be looking out at the shoreline below them, but Hajime’s eyes were trained on Kazuichi, wide and full of worry.
“Sorry, I’m probably ruining your first ride on the ferris wheel.” Kazuichi tore his eyes away and looked down at his shoes.
“Kazuichi…” Hajime whispered, almost chiding. He didn’t have to say it, but Kazuichi knew it was silly of him to have thought like that. Putting a hand on Kazuichi’s shoulder, he continued. “I care more about making sure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay now.” Kazuichi breathed, putting on a brave smile. “Is it pretty out there?” He asked, still afraid to look out at the world below them. They were just about at the top of the wheel’s path now. The lights on the spokes were currently a cool blue, contrasting the warm sky and sending wild shadows across Hajime’s face.
Hajime turned to look out behind him and nodded. “It’s really cool.” His enthusiasm was mellow, and Kazuichi could tell he was trying not to add any stress or pressure to the mechanic’s ferris wheel experience.
Feeling emboldened, Kazuichi peeked over the wall of the pod, finally catching a glimpse at the houses dotting the hills overlooking the beach and the flock of seagulls flying low over the sand. With the sun fading, the beach was more open and a few bonfires had been lit, small circles of people hovering around them, perhaps roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. It was pretty like a postcard, even though it made Kazuichi’s stomach do another little cartwheel.
“Okay, that’s enough for me.” Kazuichi returned to his curled up position, though he kept his leg touching Hajime’s. He was content to just take in the way the lights illuminated Hajime’s expression of wonder as he watched the world slowly drift by.
It was strange and a little funny, really. He and Hajime hung out all the time, both in a big group of their classmates and one on one. If you would’ve asked him yesterday what he thought of Hajime, Kazuichi would’ve called him his best friend. But today, once his brain had that spontaneous thought that Hajime was cute, there was no going back. But maybe it had been like that for a long time, and Kazuichi had just been blind to it, too busy trying to figure out what kind of guys Sonia was into to realize his heart was really somewhere else.
Kazuichi wouldn’t have let just anyone drag him on this big wheel of death. He wouldn’t invite just anyone to the pier to try on matching clothes with him. He wouldn’t just compliment one of the boys the way he had complimented Hajime today in the dressing room.
Before he could put any of this into spoken words, the ferris wheel had come to a halt, and the attendant opened the door for them to exit. Hajime stood up first, and when their legs stopped brushing against each other, it was like the vibrant lights of the wheel dimmed, and the sun finally decided to slip behind the horizon.
“Hey, congratulations, Kazuichi! You didn’t barf on me!” Hajime smiled, a playful glint in his eye. Kazuichi just rolled his eyes and followed him off the ride.
They stepped back to observe its next rotation, and Kazuichi let out a low whistle. “Man, it would be so cool to build something like that, but you won’t catch me up there again any time soon.”
“I could see you building the next big theme park attraction.” Hajime waved a hand out towards the other rides, as if he was imagining Kazuichi’s attraction looming among them. “If you built one, you’d have to ride it at least once.”
“Maybe just once…” Kazuichi thought about it. Knowing him, he’d build the fastest coaster the world had ever seen. Maybe he’d be fine if he just didn’t eat anything the day of. Maybe he’d be fine if Hajime went with him.
They started walking back towards the pier entrance, Hajime looking out over the railing at the ocean and Kazuichi with his hands shoved in his pockets. With the sun gone, most of the street performers had left the pier and the shops had closed up, leaving mostly street vendors and tourists looking a little chilly now.
“Wanna walk down the beach for a bit?” Kazuichi asked, dragging his feet.
“Sure.” Hajime agreed, then looked down at his gym shoes, which would not fare well on the beach. He shrugged and slipped them off, stuffing the socks inside.
Kazuichi picked up his own sandals, and they left the pier for the soft sand that still held some of the warmth it collected from the sun during the day. The two meandered along, just enjoying the feeling of sand between their toes and the distant sound of an Italian restaurant’s music mingling with the gentle roar of the waves.
A short lady in a brightly colored dress was selling churros on the beach, so the boys stopped to buy some. When she handed one to Kazuichi, it was still warm, and he could smell the cinnamon and sugar. He closed his eyes and just let the smell fill his lungs for a moment before biting into it. Hajime seemed to be slightly judging the face he was making as he smelled his food, but Kazuichi didn’t care. They continued down the beach again, churros in hand. Kazuichi finished his in a heartbeat, but Hajime took his time.
Hajime let out a big sigh all of the sudden, kicking at the sand. To an onlooker, it could’ve been a tired sigh at the end of a long day, but Kazuichi could tell something was bothering him.
“You okay, Hajime?” Kazuichi nudged him.
“Yeah, yeah…” Hajime waved him off, but he didn’t sound okay. “I was just… thinking about your talent, and how I know you’re gonna go off into the world and do amazing things, and I’m… I’m just...” He trailed off, clenching his fist at his side.
“Hey, I know you’re gonna go off and do amazing things in the world too! You’re smart and hardworking and kind, and the world needs more people like you around. Just ‘cause you’re not super obsessed with engines or whatever doesn’t mean ya can’t change the world. I mean… I’m weird, dude.” It made him sick to his stomach to know Hajime was being so hard on himself. Hell, Kazuichi barely felt like he deserved to be an Ultimate at Hope’s Peak. Yeah, he was an excellent mechanic, but being surrounded by all the other Ultimates made him realize he was lacking in many, many other areas. He was mediocre at math, he sucked at writing, he felt like he was going to wet his pants and throw up at the same time whenever he had to do a presentation or give a speech, he was too uncoordinated for most sports, he couldn’t play any instruments, he came from a family of nobodies, he’d never left his hometown, he didn’t know how to talk to his crush… the list went on and on.
It made him realize that the whole Ultimate thing was a little overrated in the first place. There were way more than 15 students his age in the whole world who were going to grow up and become something amazing. And he firmly believed Hajime could be one of those people if he set his mind to it.
“Thanks, Kazuichi.” Hajime forced a smile, but his fist was still clenched. He hadn’t been fully convinced.
Kazuichi wished he was better at words, better at comforting his best friend, better at a lot of things. For all his wishing, the words still didn’t come out, and he grew frustrated. With an exasperated breath, Kazuichi just grabbed Hajime’s hand, pulling apart the tensed fingers and threading his own through them.
“Listen, dude. I think you’re really cool, seriously. I believe in you.” Damn, that was cheesy and messy, Kazuichi thought, and he looked away, embarrassed.
Two seagulls had been hanging around in the sand next to them, but with Kazuichi’s little outburst, they grew startled, flapping their wings and waddling away, then finally deciding to take off. They rode the breeze out over the ocean, barely having to beat their wings and letting the wind carry them.
“I believe in you too, Kazuichi.”
Once the heat in his cheeks had subsided a bit, Kazuichi dared to look back at Hajime. Hajime was just kind of staring at their clasped hands, his mouth slightly open, but he made no attempt to pull away. Kazuichi could run away, could start screaming, could pull his hand away and laugh it off, but he didn’t want to.
“Kazuichi…” Hajime flicked his eyes up at Kazuichi’s, searching. “Is this a date? Did you ask me to come to the pier on a date?”
“Yea—No! I mean, I didn’t mean for… well, I guess maybe I…” Kazuichi slapped his palm to his face. What eloquent, complete sentences he was forming!
Hajime chuckled, then continued to walk along the beach, hand in hand. Kazuichi was pulled along, still in shock, confused how Hajime seemed satisfied with that complete non-answer Kazuichi had just given. But he wasn’t complaining, and he was happy Hajime wasn’t feeling as down on himself anymore.
They reached a skatepark that jutted out onto the beach and arched their path around it, watching a couple teens attempt tricks rather unsuccessfully. It was getting darker and darker, and if it weren’t for the lamps of the skatepark, they’d be having trouble seeing where they were going.
Hajime pulled out his phone and checked the time, frowning at the screen. “I actually have to get going soon. I’ve got work in the morning, and I have a pretty long train ride home.” He spoke up.
Disappointment settled in Kazuichi’s stomach. He wasn’t quite ready for this nice day to end. “Okay,” he relented, gently slipping his hand out of Hajime’s.
Hajime raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t look at me like that. We’re hanging out tomorrow too after I get off work, in case you forgot.”
“Oh! Right.” Kazuichi smiled.
“Am I meeting you at the garage?” Hajime started towards the street, walking backwards with his eyes still on Kazuichi.
“‘Course! I gotta show ya the new motorcycle I’m workin’ on for Mondo!” Kazuichi waved goodbye, but the sinking feeling in his stomach was continuing to grow.
“Can’t wait to see it! Bye, Kaz. Thanks for showing me around the pier for the first time.” Hajime waved back, a big grin on his face.
And Kazuichi snapped. “Wait!” He yelled, running very ungracefully through the deep sand to catch up with him. He was still holding his sandals, and they flailed around as he tried to keep balance while running. Hajime froze, a little confused, but still with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“What?” Hajime furrowed his brow.
“I…” Kazuichi’s tongue got caught in his throat, but he forced himself to get the words out. “Can… can I kiss you, Hajime?” A giggle bubbled up from Hajime’s throat, and Kazuichi’s heart burst at the sound.
“Yeah, you can kiss me, Kazuichi.” Hajime beamed.
So Kazuichi did, standing on his tiptoes in the sand to reach Hajime’s lips. He could still taste the cinnamon sugar on them from the churros, and it only made the moment sweeter. Hajime got his hands all tangled up in Kazuichi’s hair, and Kazuichi wrapped his arms around Hajime’s waist, pulling him close. He didn’t know before today how much he had wanted to do this exact thing, to run up and leap into Hajime’s arms and kiss him on the mouth.
If someone had asked him yesterday, Kazuichi Souda would’ve said Hajime was his best friend. But yesterday, he had been blind, and today he could see, even in the darkness on this beach, even with his eyes closed as he made out with his best friend and his big crush, Hajime Hinata.