Peppermint [Asahi Azumane]

~ friends ~

I take a sharp inhale as I wandered around the empty streets at night. I was frustrated, sad, and angry.

It had been a while since I'd done this. Gone to Ukais store, ignored his questioning, and wandered around nearby parks at 1 am, trying to clear my mind someplace that's not my cluttered bedroom.

_-_-_-_-_

New years had come by in a flash, the whole team having a great time together at Asahis house. A minute after 12 am hit, I snuck to the empty kitchen and had my first new years kiss with him. Soft and gentle, his hands and lips warming me up throughout the cold winters was everything I'd hoped it would be.

Once the break ended and it was time to go back to school, that meant it was time for the third years to start applying for universities, stressing about their essays and volunteer hours.

I'd never gotten into too much detail about what Asahi would want to do career wise. Something to do with fashion, based off of a sketchbook he left open on a certain page when I came in his room to study one day. The drawings were creative and very well thought out. I was never really an artistic person, but it didn't take an expert to know he would definitely do great in that field.

"So, where are you applying?" I ask him when he was taking a break from practice.

"Oh, um, Some places in Tokyo and one here in Miyagi."

"You'd be willing to do a fashion program in Miyagi?" I scoff, as Miyagi wasn't known for being a necessarily diverse fashionable place.

"It's my last resort. Who knows if I'm good enough to get into Tokyo." he tilts his head back for a drink of water.

"Come on, I saw your drawings. The sketches were so cool. I can tell you're super talented Asahi, you'll definitely get into the places in Tokyo, okay? Promise." I place a comforting hand on his shoulder, lightly squeezing when Ukai blows his whistle, signalling the end of everyones break.

The rest of his practice, he regretted not mentioning that he was applying outside of Japan as well. Some prestigious program in Paris had reached out to him after Noya forced him to apply there, saying "Who cares if you don't make it there you big baby! Just do it, or Ill tell Daichi you plan on becoming a lowlife".

The program was only 2 years long, but taking the opportunity would open up so many doors for him in the fashion world. People who attended that school always went on to do great things, but Asahi wants her with him through it all. He wants to be successful, as does everyone, but he would give anything just to have her be in Paris while he pursues his dreams. He dreamed of drinking coffee in the mornings with her although he preferred tea, waking up in the morning just to see her in his clothes with a clean face which he saw just recently. She truly was beautiful to him, inside and out.

The news slipped a few weeks later at his house when he started getting accepted for the programs in Tokyo. His acceptance letters flew off of his desk onto the floor, and as we both went to pick them up, I saw it.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to Paris?" I bump his shoulder playfully to hide how hurt I truly felt that he hid it from me.

"I'm not going there for sure, I just got accepted." he replied bashfully.

"Isn't that program better than any of the ones you applied for in Tokyo?"