Chapter 12: Sakura Kisses
Miyano Pov
"Oh, Mya-chan, I brought these!"
They were unpacking their things after lunch, and Miyano turned to his boyfriend to see him pulling out goodie bags that he recognized were from his family's bakery.
"What's that?"
"They're treats I made for you! There's cream bread and cookies." He handed the bags to him, and just like all the times before, a warmth settled in his stomach and awakened all the butterflies.
"Thank you, I really like them." The omega told him sincerely, and Sasaki made that pleased giggle sound that Miyano adored.
"I'm glad."
Miyano set the baked treats down on the table and then immediately turned to embrace his mate. The warmth spread throughout his chest, and his heart beat faster as the smell of sweet citrus enveloped him.
"Mya-chan..." Sasaki whispered, wrapping his arms around him until they were snug together.
Sasaki's longer limbs trapped him there, and Miyano thought there was no other place he'd rather be.
It was a few minutes they stayed like that, listening to the sounds of their heartbeats and songbirds outside.
"I just wanna stay like this forever..." Sasaki murmured as he leaned more of his weight on him.
Miyano smiled at his big alpha. "Can't. Hirano and Kuresawa have a whole schedule planned for the pack."
Sasaki groaned. "Of course those two would get together to make a schedule while we're on vacation!"
Miyano laughed. "Well, it does help us all spend time together. Apparently there's a lot to do in this town, and we are here almost a whole week..."
"Fine, fine." Sasaki grumbled and sighed. "What's the schedule look like?"
They pulled away slightly, and Miyano got out his phone to show him. "They just put it in the group chat. Apparently Ogasawara-senpai had the same reaction as you."
Sasaki smiled. "Doesn't surprise me. There's a reason we've been able to put up with each other for so long."
Miyano went to finish unpacking. "How long have you two known each other?"
"First year of middle school. We were the delinquents and had detention - go figure." Sasaki seemed in high spirits as he recounted it. "We ended up bonding over hating a specific teacher, and then music. The guy really started changing for the better after he met Yokota in our second year. It was always so weird seeing them so in love because I had no idea what it felt like..."
When he trailed off, Miyano looked back at him to see the orange-haired teen gazing at him so tenderly that Miyano could feel his heart flop down into his stomach.
"Well, until I met you and found the love of my life."
Miyano wanted to cry at the wall of pure love that knocked into him at such tender words. "If you don't stop I'll kiss you."
"Oh? Then maybe I'll keep going~"
"No, no, how about if you stop I'll give you one?"
Sasaki laughed. "Deal."
Red-faced already, Miyano walked back to him and kneeled down to where he sat next to his suitcase. He placed his hands on his shoulders to help steady him so he could lean in closer.
Those sunset eyes seemed to sparkle as he got closer, and finally, they shut when their lips met. Miyano felt warm all over as their lips moved softly against each other. It was a chaste kiss, and Miyano pulled away.
"There, now let's finish unpacking so we can check out the place." He had to look away from the dreamy expression Sasaki wore or he would be sucked in once more.
"What if I just wanna check you out?"
Don't look at him, Miyano. Don't look at him. It was so hard not to give in when he could hear the pout that was surely on that handsome face. "You're so cheesy, senpai."
"Cheesy only for you~" And he was back to being happy and flirty, and Miyano felt like he might combust with how much he loved this man.
They continued unpacking, and when he finished, Miyano went to check out the rooms and the supplies the inn gave them. He found a basket sitting in the top drawer of the small closet where their robes and such hung.
When he went through the basket he found everyday supplies, until he got to the bottom and promptly freaked out. He let out a surprised yelp and jumped back as if he'd been physically stung by the contents.
"Miyano!" Sasaki was right there in an instant, holding his back and shoulders. Worry. Danger. Protect. "Are you okay? What happened?"
The omega pointed to the drawer. "U-Um..." He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Sasaki stayed there for a few seconds to make sure he was okay before going toward the basket in the drawer. He went through its contents, and he froze when he saw exactly what startled Miyano.
"Oh, uh..."
"Yeah."
Condoms and contraceptives. And there were plenty at the bottom of the basket. Why in the world did they put them there? They were still in high school! Did they really think they were going to have sex?
Sasaki quickly shut the drawer and turned back to him, equally embarrassed. "We'll just pretend it doesn't exist." He laughed nervously, and Miyano once again groaned into his hands.
"Why did they put that stuff in here? This isn't a love hotel!"
Sasaki really laughed then, apparently able to get over it faster than Miyano could. Was this in every room? "Who knows... Maybe they thought we were already mated?"
Miyano didn't know he could blush even harder, but here he was, standing like a stop light in the middle of the room. "Please, let's just forget it..."
"Okay! Hey, have you checked the baths out yet? It's a really nice private one. We could take turns going in later."
Well, Miyano was actually getting distracted. He lowered his hands when he felt his face wasn't as heated. "Take turns?"
Sasaki stared at him, his eyes widening a bit. "Yeah... unless you wanted to go in together?"
And now his face was heating up again. He quickly shook his head. "N-No! Taking turns is fine!"
His alpha laughed. "Aw, you weren't trying to see me naked?"
How can he say things like that out loud?! "Um... not yet." He answered honestly. He didn't give that aspect of their relationship much thought yet, but he figured it would be later that... they'd want to explore more.
His response made Sasaki blush, and he tried to hide it behind his hand. "O-Oh... yeah."
Well, at least they both had an understanding on... that.
.
Their next outing was walking around town. 'Sightseeing' as the two schedulers put it.
Miyano was pleasantly surprised to see that Sasaki had brought a camera with him, and that he was pretty good at taking pictures.
"You sure you're not in the photography club?" Miyano asked him after Sasaki showed him the pictures he just took of the various cherry blossom trees.
Sasaki laughed. "Nope. Should I join? Probably too late now... I'll be a third year when we go back to school."
That's right... Next term was slowly approaching. He would only have one more year together in school with his senpai, with his boyfriend.
It felt bittersweet to Miyano, but he quickly shook off the feeling before his mate could detect it. He would just have to enjoy it!
"Oh, there's a petal in your hair." Sasaki murmured, and he gently plucked a pink petal that got stuck in between his bangs.
"Thank you." Miyano told him, and watched as his mate smiled at the petal in his hand.
"Hey, let's go over here!" Sasaki suddenly grabbed his hand and ran away from the group.
"Wha--Sasaki?" The omega was startled by his excited alpha pulling him gently.
"It won't take long!" Sasaki laughed, and his good mood was contagious. They went up some stairs and into a quiet park that was shaded by all the blooming sakura trees.
"This should be a good spot..." The older teen murmured as they stopped before one of the sakura trees in the center. There wasn't anyone around, and the way Sasaki stared at him in this setting was very... intimate.
Miyano had read countless stories with romance scenes involving the cherry blossom season, but being apart of it for real was really something else. The pink hues all around them highlighted Sasaki's features in their glow, and he found himself unable to look anywhere else.
"I wanted to take a picture with you here." Sasaki spoke so softly that Miyano almost missed it.
"Here? Why?"
Now Sasaki's face matched those pink petals falling around them. "It just seemed like the thing to do... Since we're a couple, and this is one of the most romantic places to be."
Miyano smiled, feeling all mushy inside. Sasaki didn't just read and enjoy BL, he paid attention. Just like he paid attention to Miyano. "Okay."
"Okay?"
He stepped closer to him. "I want to take a picture with you. How do we do it?" There wasn't anyone around to take the picture...
Sasaki's eyes lit up and he grabbed Miyano close and held the camera above them. "Like this~"
Several snaps went off, and they both looked over them. Most were candid shots of Miyano gazing at Sasaki as he adjusted to being held while also trying to pose and failing. The sakura tree was in the background, and the orange-haired teen was smiling so wide that he was beaming at the camera. They were good pictures, and Miyano blushed.
"Can you send those to me when you get them developed?" He asked shyly. He was never a picture taker, never really messed much with technology, but he really liked trying new things with his boyfriend.
"Of course, they turned out good!" Sasaki's eyes were even smiling at him, and Miyano couldn't take it anymore.
He grasped both of his hands, letting the camera fall back around Sasaki's neck. Their fingers instantly intertwined, and the omega stared up at his alpha's slightly surprised face.
"I love you a lot. Thank you for taking me here." He wouldn't have looked for such a place, and he was so grateful with how caring his lover was.
That blush returned to Sasaki's face. "I love you so much. I'm happy I get to experience this with you."
Before either of them knew it, their lips met as if pulled by an invisible force. Miyano melted into it as they stayed like that for a few minutes.
A throat clearing startled them, and they looked over to see two flustered packmates.
"H-Hirano-san wanted us to come get you guys!" Kagiura got out, his face slightly red.
"I'm glad I tagged along, these are some good pictures." Kuresawa, less flustered, but embarrassed, stared at his phone screen.
"You know the deal..." Sasaki pouted at the beta.
Kuresawa laughed. "Yes, senpai. I'll send them over."
That instantly brought a grin to his mate's face, and Miyano turned to a strangely quiet Kagiura.
"Sorry about that, we didn't know anyone would be looking for us..."
The alpha snapped out of his daze. "Ah, no need to apologize! I just, um, this is a nice spot, huh?"
Miyano raised a brow. "Yeah, it really is if you want--oh!" He shut up when he recognized the dreamy look his packmate had. He's totally thinking about bringing Hirano here.
The head omega was scheming how he could possibly sneak to watch such a moe scene. Maybe he could get his fellow fujoshis to help him....
.
The group found the arcade Tashiro talked about, and they decided to spend a few hours there.
Miyano had been to a lot of arcades, so he mostly tagged along with Sasaki until he spotted a new attraction. It was a horror game where two people sat in a booth together fighting zombies. That sounds fun!
"Senpai!" Miyano stopped Sasaki just as they walked by it. "Let's try this one!"
Sasaki eyed it. "O-Okay..."
Before he could say anything else, Miyano grabbed him and they sat in the secluded booth. It was darker in here, with the only light coming from the screen. It came to life after Miyano put in the right amount of tokens. He grabbed a toy gun and readied himself eagerly.
When the game paused to wait for player two, Miyano looked over at his boyfriend. "Sasaki?"
The older teen snapped out of whatever he was thinking about and quickly grabbed the other toy gun. "Sorry! Just daydreaming, I guess." He laughed nervously, and Miyano was about to ask about it when the sound of zombies and gunfire went off.
He focused on shooting as many as he could, but then noticed Sasaki was getting overrun on his screen. Sasaki yelped when a zombie got too close and scared him, and Miyano stopped paying attention to the game entirely.
He wrapped his arms around his mate, and his heart gave a sharp pain at how his shoulders trembled. "It's okay, the game is over."
Sasaki peeked open his eyes and looked around. "Oh, sorry we lost..."
Miyano shook his head. "I don't care about that. Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm not so good with scary stuff."
"Why didn't you tell me before?!"
Sasaki grew sheepish as he finally looked at him. "Because you were so excited?"
Miyano sighed and held him closer, rubbing his shoulder. He was thankful no one could easily see into this booth. He then thought about what his mate said and abruptly laughed.
"Mya-chan?"
"I'm sorry, it's just--You give off such a bad boy aura to other people, and yet you don't like scary things?"
Sasaki groaned and shrunk down as he shielded his face from view. "It's embarrassing... I'm so uncool."
Miyano laughed again and kissed the top of his head. "I think it's cute, and you're still really cool, senpai."
Sasaki peeked one eye at him from in between his long fingers. "You think so?"
He really couldn't help but kiss his head again. "Mhm... You're the coolest person I know."
"Thanks." Sasaki smiled as he removed his hands and sat back up to pull Miyano more into his embrace.
"Sasaki, we're still in public..."
"Mmm... just a minute or two longer, Mya-chan."
Well, now Miyano knew something new about his mate. He didn't like horror. He made a mental note of that.
Ogasawara called Sasaki over to help him with a game, so it gave Miyano time to sneak off in search of something to cheer his boyfriend up.
He found Tashiro at the claw machines, and was impressed by his methods at getting the prizes. A prize, bingo.
"Wow, can you teach me?" Miyano found himself asking after the beta successfully caught his second prize.
"Sure! See anything you want?"
As Miyano looked around at the prizes, one caught his eye immediately. It was an adorable blue bunny, and it honestly reminded him of his inner omega. More importantly, it was something he could give to Sasaki.
"That one."
Tashiro followed his gaze, and laughed at the blue bunny. "Aw, that really reminds me of you. You getting it for Sasaki-senpai?"
Miyano immediately flushed at getting caught right away. "Y-Yeah... I really want to win it before he sees what I'm doing."
His packmate just grinned and agreed. Miyano followed his teachings in order to get the plush over the bars. He would never admit how much money he spent trying to get the thing, but eventually he won it.
"Congrats! I'm gonna see if Kagiura's gotten a new high score yet at basketball hoops."
They waved each other off, and just as Miyano turned to leave the claw machines, he saw Sasaki walking toward him.
"Mya-chan, there you are! Oh, did you win something?" Sasaki sounded so excited for him that it was too much.
He pushed the bunny plush into his arms. "I want you to have this!"
Sasaki stared wide-eyed at the small, cute, blue bunny plush. "This is for me?"
"Yeah... You're always giving me stuff, and I just really wanted you to have something that's like me..." Miyano didn't know why he was feeling so nervous, but he couldn't stop wringing his hands together.
Sasaki smiled softly. "It reminds me of you." He hugged it close to his face and then gave the warmest expression that completely melted the nerves away. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Miyano could only whisper as he stared at how much Sasaki cared about him and his gift.
"Oh, they're doing it again." Came Kuresawa's voice.
"What's that?" Hirano questioned.
"Lost in their own world." And the sound of a picture being taken quickly made the two turn to the beta. "They're at the puppy love stage."
Miyano pouted at his best friend. How did he always manage to find them?! He probably had a whole album of pictures of them now!
"I don't want to know anymore... Anyway, dinner will be served soon at the inn so we better get going." Hirano told them, already walking away and to gather up the rest of the pack.
Kuresawa just smiled at the two as he turned to leave. "Don't get lost again you two, or we'll leave you behind." He laughed to himself, and Miyano crossed his arms. He had to be getting back at him for all those times Miyano teased him when he was in a similar state with Fujimi!
Sasaki whined beside him, catching the head omega's attention. "Aw, I really wanted to win you something too..."
"Well we do have the rest of the week, but you don't have to get me anything you know."
His alpha shook his head. "I want to get something to remind you of me, too. I swear I'll win something by the end of the week!"
The determination coming from his boyfriend made those butterflies swarm in his belly. "Okay." Was all he could say, and he took his hand so that they wouldn't get lost in each other's eyes again.
He began to wonder, though, what the stages of love were. And when and how he would experience them with Sasaki.
* * *
"The bath was really nice!" Sasaki sighed as they got ready for sleep.
"Yeah, it was just the right temperature." Miyano smiled. They had taken turns using the private one. "It's better than the one I went to with Kuresawa and Tashiro."
"Oh, on your first trip?"
"Yeah, we found a public onsen and decided to try it out since they had one for betas and omegas." Miyano told him as he fluffed his pillows and rolled the blankets back. Sasaki's futon wasn't too far from his. If he reached out an arm he could touch the edge of his. It was still strange to think about them sharing a night together alone in a room...
Sasaki was quiet, and Miyano gazed back at him to see him with a troubled expression.
"Sasaki?" Miyano asked, crawling closer to reach out to him. When their hands touched, he could feel the emotions running through him, and they were so complex that he had a hard time deciphering them.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about earlier, with what you told us about what happened on your first trip. Did something happen to Tashiro-kun?" Sasaki was worried. Not just about him, but about his pack. It really warmed Miyano to see how well his alpha was adapting.
"Well, something did happen, but it wasn't on that trip. It happened in middle school." Miyano took out his phone to quickly text Tashiro. "Hold on, let me just ask permission to talk about it. I was there, but it's still his story..." When he got the confirmation to go ahead, he readied himself with a deep breath.
Sasaki squeezed his hand in comfort, and Miyano let out the breath and looked back at him. "We were in our third year, and only Kuresawa and Fujimi-chan was apart of my pack. Since I was still getting used to scent tracking, it was hard to pick apart and find Tashiro. Our middle school was big, and there were too many bold types around that didn't control their scents very well." Miyano didn't like to remember that school at all, but he pressed on. "It was after school when I found the scent of pack and followed it. I followed it to an empty classroom where Tashiro was."
The omega looked down as he remembered it well, too well. "He wasn't alone. There were two pure alphas there with him and their scents were overpowering." He took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. It was like that stench was around him again. "They had him cornered, and wanted to force him to join their pack..." He gripped his pants, and Sasaki gently took his fingers to curl them around his. That felt better.
"It was the first time I ever got so angry. Tashiro was pack, and these alphas were saying such awful things to him just because of his type. Even though he's beta, he's always leaned more into his omega nature, and they were trying to exploit that." The memory even riled his inner omega up. "I stood up for him and managed to make distance between Tashiro and the alphas. They tried to get me too--" Here, Sasaki growled, and Miyano swept his thumbs over his knuckles. "But that's when my inner omega took control and had the alphas bowing out. They got scared, and left the room. After that, I was able to calm Tashiro and after a while he joined my pack. When we were all pack, however, it's like we became a bigger target for bullies. It wasn't just the alphas..."
Miyano trailed off, not wanting to go into that territory just yet. There were still emotional scars that he didn't want reopened. When he gazed back at Sasaki, the older teen wrapped his arms around him, and Miyano's face was pressed gently into his mate's neck.
Oh. This was really comforting. So comforting that the omega melted with a slight purr. His alpha's scent was so strong here, right next to his scent gland, that Miyano pressed closer into it. When he rubbed his face against the spot where the slightly silver mark was, an explosion of pleasant endorphins swelled around them. It was like they were glued together as they melted and held each other close. Sasaki sighed above him as their shared scent filled the air, and he pressed closer into Miyano's hair.
It was like experiencing that first time all over again, of bonding Sasaki to his pack. He had never rubbed another's scent gland so intimately, so he had no idea it could feel like this! Maybe it was just Sasaki? Because they were fated?
Miyano didn't know how long they stayed like that, just drifting with those pleasant smells and feelings, but eventually it started to fade. He sighed, and pulled back enough to look at Sasaki's face.
"Thank you."
"Huh? I should be thanking you. That felt incredible." Sasaki was smiling at him, and Miyano flushed.
"Yeah... I didn't know doing that would feel so good."
His mate was grinning now. "Maybe we should do it again?"
Miyano was blushing harder. "M-Maybe next time. It's late, so we should really sleep..."
Sasaki laughed. "Okay."
Once they were in their separate futons and the lights were out, it should have been easy for Miyano to fall asleep... Only it wasn't. It was too dark to see Sasaki, and despite the blankets, it felt cold. Miyano was an only child, he was always used to being alone growing up, but now he felt extra lonely. Why did he feel this way when his alpha was in the same room as him? Why did--
The sound of something rustling and moving beside him made Miyano turn his head. He could barely make out the white of the futon and blankets, but then his eyes locked on those light eyes of his mate.
"Sorry, um, I just need to be closer to you?" He phrased it like a question. He was nervous, and Miyano reached out an arm toward him.
His hand met his arm, and he gently rubbed it reassuringly. "I feel the same way. Um, should we just push them together?"
When Sasaki eagerly agreed, they moved through the dark to push the beds together. Once or twice they knocked against each other, and they laughed. As they laid down together, that cold emptiness inside him slowly started to warm, but it still wasn't enough.
He reached through their shared blankets to find his mate's hand. He heard Sasaki suck in a breath when their fingers tangled together. "Um, uh, it's okay if you want to get closer."
Sasaki moved, but before he could bridge that gap between them, he spoke. "Are you sure?"
Ever careful with him, and Miyano's heart swelled. "I want you to."
Those words seemed to melt Sasaki's resolve, and then his boyfriend was hugging him close. It reminded Miyano of that time on the couch at school...
"Goodnight, Mya-chan."
"Goodnight, Sasaki."
That cold emptiness completely disappeared, and was replaced by warmth. Being in his arms just felt right, like that missing part of him was found. He never wanted to let go, and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
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Extra [12]
-fudanshi/fujoshi trio spy on kagihira
|| Wear a dark yukata. -Yokota
Miyano sighed at the text he received earlier. He wasn't used to wearing a yukata, so Fujimi had to help him since his mate was out with Ogasawara. Something about a 7-Eleven run...
"I saw them leave together a few minutes ago." Yokota spoke after appraising the two omegas. It was night, so their darker yukatas helped them blend in better.
Miyano brightened up at the news. "Did they seem close?"
Yokota grinned, equally excited. "Ohh, yeah. Practically glued to the hip, and I don't think they realized it."
Giggling, Fujimi jumped a bit. "Which way did they go, senpai?"
"This way, toward the bunched up cherry blossom trees."
Miyano realized the alpha pair was indeed going to the small park he had been at with Sasaki. Interesting. Wait, are they going to confess?!
"If it seems like things are getting extra serious we need to leave them alone, okay?" Miyano whispered to the girls as they neared the place.
They both agreed, and they stealthily moved to hide behind some of the larger trees as they spotted the pair standing together at a low-hanging sakura tree. The lampposts in the distance created a warm glow in the area.
The omega trio was able to get close enough to hear what the two were saying without being spotted. Hirano would kill them for sure.
"I really wanted to bring you to this spot!" Kagiura laughed, his face flushed as Hirano stared at him, wide-eyed.
"It's pretty... but what for?"
The taller teen gazed at him, unabashed and tender. "Just thought it would be romantic enough to... tell you how I feel."
Yokota clamped down on the excited squeal that nearly erupted from Fujimi. Miyano grasped Fujimi's hand as they all stared with baited breath at the roommates.
"What do you mean?" Hirano didn't seem ignorant, just more taken aback.
Kagiura kept going. "I'm in love with you! I have been for a while. You're just so amazing, Hirano-san!"
It's like it's ripped straight out of a BL novel... Miyano bit his lip to contain his own squeal.
"Kagi-kun..." Hirano just stared at him, a bit dazed. "I... I'm flattered, I just..." He looked down, and Miyano could sense something was off with the blonde. "I don't know yet."
Kagiura blinked rapidly before nodding. "You need time to think about it?"
Hirano shot his head up, staring at him with a torn expression. "I don't want to leave you hanging without a proper answer!"
The younger alpha smiled, genuine, and touched the older's hands. "That's okay, I can wait."
"Kagi-kun..."
"I want you to think on it some more, since I caught you off-guard." Kagiura gave a boyish grin and rubbed the back of his head. It made Hirano smile genuinely.
"Okay."
That was their cue to sneak away, and they managed to get to another street before erupting into excited squeals.
"Ohmygod!"
"Seeing real life BL is so different from reading it!"
"I wasn't expecting a confession, or for Hirano to be so indecisive - what a plot twist!" Miyano joined the fujoshi girls.
"I expected him to say no! Not to turn all cute and say he has to think about it!"
"Uwah! This is such good news!"
As they rambled on and on about the alpha couple, they didn't realize Sasaki and Ogasawara found them.
"Whatcha freakin' out about?" Ogasawara asked as he and Sasaki gathered it was fujoshi/fudanshi stuff.
Miyano turned excited eyes to Sasaki. "It's happening! Sasaki, it's happening!"
Sasaki looked like he was about to combust from an excited Miyano. "What is?"
"KagiHira! It's going to happen!"
Sasaki blinked rapidly, but he looked like he understood. The girls chatted away to Ogasawara as they headed back to the inn, and Sasaki and Miyano walked slower on the quiet sidewalk.
"I've never seen you like this..." Sasaki murmured, and Miyano realized his mate had been staring at him this whole time.
The head omega looked down at himself and realized he was talking about the yukata. "Oh, this? Yokota-chan wanted us to wear it out tonight."
Sasaki slowly and carefully brushed a few wild curly strands down. "I've also never seen you in the moonlight like this. You look beautiful."
Miyano's face erupted in a blush. "Th-Th-That's!" No words. He couldn't speak after hearing that, and he marched on to the inn while Sasaki trailed after him, lovesick and laughing.
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