A Mark That Lasts Forever

Purity | 淳 section 1 [NSFW]

CONTENT WARNING: This section contains sexual content that may not be suitable for some readers.

"You're such a picky eater," Shun chuckles at me from across the fast food restaurant table while watching me pick tomatoes out of my burger.

"I'm not picky. I just don't like raw tomatoes," I sneer.

"Or carrots, or radish, or eggplant," he lists, raising one finger at a time. "Or—"

"Alright, alright! I get it!" I cut him off and shove a few french fries in his face.

He puts a hand over his mouth to keep it closed while he laughs and munches away at the fries.

I can't help but smile at him. It has been a while since I've seen that squinty-eyed laugh of his. I'm so glad it's back. Just a few days ago, I was seriously scared that I'd never be able to joke around with him like this again.

I wait until he's done chewing and has his burger in his hands again before immediately reaching over the table and shoving more fries in his mouth.

"Mmrgh!" he exclaims while I crack up.

He puts his burger down and picks up the tomatoes I'd abandoned, lifting them up to my face.

"No, don't!" I bat his hand away.

When he persists, I lean forward and press his cheeks together, forcing his lips into a pout. Finally, he retreats and just stares back at me with a playful grin.

I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's a bit taken aback by my voluntary public display of affection, if you can even call it that. It's more than I've been able to do up until now. I just hope it's enough to make him and that goddamn Chiaki happy.

"Now that I think about it," Shun starts. "We're already halfway through summer break."

"Mm?" I grunt, my mouth still full.

"Is there anything you want to do before classes start up again?" he asks.

I hadn't realized how much time had passed. I feel like I've barely done anything summery yet, maybe because Tokyo's unbearable heat has made me lazier than ever. But there is one thing I know I don't want to miss out on this year.

"Fireworks."

"Oh yeah!" Shun's face lights up. "We haven't done that yet."

"Are there any good fireworks festivals in Tokyo?" I ask.

"There are." He nods. "But they attract a shit-ton of people."

"I'm okay with that."

"Right. So that's one thing," he continues. "Anything else?"

"Uh." I try to think of something before turning the question around. "What about you?"

"Well." A grin develops on his face. "There are a couple of things."

"Like what?"

"I want to go to the beach again."

"Okay, let's pick a day and go."

"And," he adds excitedly. "It'd be nice if we could go see stars sometime."

"Stars, huh?" I can't manage much of a reaction because I'm not that interested.

"Yeah." He nods. "I haven't seen any in a long time."

"I saw them almost every night in Hokkaido," I boast. "I've seen shooting stars, too."