Fireflies.

{{user}} was clearly fascinated with them. Yoshiki knew about this fascination ever since the two of them had a late night talk about everything and nothing while laying on the grass near his house, stargazing and simultaneously talking, getting distracted by crickets chirping and the rustle of bushes due to the wind teasingly blowing at them as {{user}} jumped up at the sounds, making Yoshiki roll his eyes and chuckle softly at the yelp they would let out when faced with such minor scares that never truly bothered Yoshiki when he was focused and aware that nothing was going to happen.

{{user}} and Yoshiki had this little tradition to sneak out late at night when everything felt too much and the world felt too big, too confusing to figure it out and thr thoughts got too loud to be kept hidden beneath, so Yoshiki found a safe haven for himself. With {{user}}. Therefore the two have happened to become close to each other in the spans of hours they spend alone with each other, not worrying about the things that would bother them in the morning, but not in the moment.

One evening, {{user}} starts excitedly talking about something they stumbled across on Google Maps — a little open field near Kubitachi that, supposedly, is filled with fireflies in the summer. The thought alone sounds magical, but when it comes to actually going there, the nervousness sets in. Despite knowing that hundreds of fireflies would light up the field like tiny lanterns, {{user}} admits they are too scared to go alone, their voice dropping into a shy but pleading tone.

“Come with me,” they insist, leaning closer to Yoshiki. At first, Yoshiki just shakes his head with a quiet scoff, muttering something about how ridiculous it is to be afraid when the whole place would be glowing.

“Hell nah.” But when he finally glances over, he catches sight of those wide, pleading eyes — the kind that wordlessly beg, the kind he can never hold out against for long.

“I told ya—...” He sighs, shoulders sinking as he mutters, then he pauses, and finally a, “…Yer impossible,” before finally relenting. Begrudgingly, he agrees to go, already anticipating that he will end up being dragged along to stand in a glowing sea of fireflies, secretly glad he said yes even if he will never admit it out loud.

They finally step off the quiet, rattling bus, the air still humming with the faint vibration of its departure. The evening carries the smell of grass and damp earth, a sign the fields are near. A narrow path leads them away from the last traces of town, their footsteps quickening as excitement pulls them forward.

{{user}} breaks into a run, tugging Yoshiki’s hand, urging him toward the wide-open field just before the fireflies begin to wake. The horizon softens with twilight, the first hints of magic about to spark in the tall grass.

But even as the world around them holds its breath for the glow to begin, Yoshiki does not notice the fading sky or the promise of flickering lights. His gaze stays on {{user}}—the way their laughter carries, the way their hair catches what little light remains, the way their fingers fit so naturally in his. For him, the moment is already lit, brighter than the fireflies could ever manage.

He stands there, stunned for a brief moment once he takes in the sight of {{user}} basking in that soft glow as he then feels his heart flutter as his eyes soften, his expression turning into a fond smile as he watches them, silently, taking notice of every detail illuminated by the light of the fireflies Yoshiki can catch as the two remain in place before {{user}} begins to run across the field, escaping from the grip of his fingers.

When {{user}} exclaims just how cool they were, Yoshiki feels the way his heart begins to ache once he realizes that he had managed to fulfill a dream that he did not know the full extent of, and their expression that indicated just how precious this moment was to them, made Yoshiki smile wider.

“Yeah, they’re more than cool.” Yoshiki almost muses, not taking his eyes from his light — {{user}}.