Keep me in distant sight

Chapitre 2 : What a life

Two chapters in one go bc I've posted 1st one 2 and half weeks ago on AO3 but it didn't make sense to follow the same pattern here heh. 

TW for this chapter : binge-drinking, mention of death penalty (due to the soulmate's statut).

Enjoy !

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If it wasn't for the sirens echoing in the distance, they could have pretended that it's a normal afternoon. If it wasn't for the small snippets of talk coming from the hallways, they could have pretended that they are alone in the world.

Yet, they don't dwell on what could have been. A day-off is rare enough that they only want to relax in each other's company. Outside their rooms, their colleagues share the same thoughts - their boss had turned a blind eye to the bottles of homemade alcohol being exchanged between flats and in the mess hall, silently giving his blessing for their party tonight. All of them, from the little cadets to the manager in charge of the simulators, know that Satō-san would be joining them. It is kind of sad that they had to celebrate a meteor shower like the New Year but when you don't have a lot to celebrate to begin with, being picky isn't an option.

Keiji eases himself on his pillow, ignoring the huff coming from his best friend. He tunes himself to the tales that Shōyō is spinning with wild hands and even wilder eyes, weaving onomatopeias alongside made-up words. The red-head is sitting cross-legged on a chair, jumping up and down on the poor furniture which creaks every two seconds or so. Curled up on the floor with her legs under her, Hitoka is drinking in every word, sprinkling some of her own every now and then. For once, her fluffy blond hair is loose. Akinori hasn't bothered to change and is still lounging in his night clothes. He is nodding seriously, which means he doesn't understand a single thing the younger is saying but is willing to humor him.

"And then for the run, you know, across the wallrick I went like 'pfiou' and 'bam-bam' for the jump across the river, then with the ropes it was great! I went 'swish-swish-'"

Keiji never said he could actually understand what his friend was saying either. He was lost at the first "pow", much like Akinori. For the past fifteen minutes, he had been staring at his juniors, amazed that they could communicate so easily - an amazing feat, considering Shōyō's onomatopoeias keep changing every sentence. At this point, he's pretty sure Hitoka is fluent in Shōyō's language and she should write it down for the sake of their colleagues and friends. Sure, he himself had learned a completely new language for his Kōtarō's sake, yet, he feels it falls short of the absolute madness that is Hinata Shōyō whenever he's excited.

"What was he talking about, again?" Akinori murmurs to Keiji.

"Something about the Top Pilots Monthly Race, I think. It's the third time he's participating." Keiji whispers back.

"Did you win the race, yes or no?" Akinori wails to Shōyō. "The suspense is killing me here!"

"...No." Shōyō groans. "I was so close though! But I only came second!"

"Why?" Keiji asks.

"He distracted me. I think he was upset about something but I don't know what. I failed my last jump because of him."

"She was hurt." Hitoka pipes, rubbing at her left side. "It didn't hurt much but I dropped my blueprints just before the meeting! I was so ashamed I wanted to run into my room and never come back..."

"Maybe he wasn't looking at where he was going and crashed into her." Keiji muses.

"Don't you think it's a coincidence?" Hitoka replies.