Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 8

After stopping briefly by the apartment to change out of our hero costumes, we walked down the lit-up streets towards the beach. It had become a somewhat tradition to visit the beach every Friday evening and just walk along the shoreline, hand in hand.  The walk was our little moment of peace and quiet with each other, where everything else would fade away and it was just me and him. Here, on the beach, we were alone - no need for us to save anyone, no fans running up to ask Keigo for an autograph, no uncomfortable moments where he and I had to pretend we weren't together. It was just me and Keigo, enjoying the time we had with each other.

The sand squished beneath my feet, and I took off my sandals, holding them in one hand, Keigo doing the same. Despite the warm air, the sand was cold and refreshing, and the waves lapped calmly at our feet. All of my stress and uneasiness seemed to leave me behind with every moment that we stayed on the beach. Maybe it was the way that the almost-gone sun painted the sky red and left the water with a trail of light, or maybe it was the amount of good memories Keigo and I had here, from his first 'confession' to our evening walks. Whatever it was, the pain I'd had earlier dissolved into nothing as Keigo dragged me a little further down the beach, his hand fitting perfectly in mine.

In the fading light, he looked even more perfect than usual, and I couldn't hold back the wide smile that stretched across my face. Right now, it didn't matter to me what anyone else thought of me - as long as Keigo was beside me, I will be fine. The evening wasn't anything special. It was just a typical Friday evening, with the sun dipping beneath the horizon and the waves washing over our feet, but it just felt perfect for some reason. We walked in a comfortable silence along the shore until Keigo suddenly started to drag me back towards the streets, his eyes lit up in happiness, and I glanced over to see a small festival crowding one of the main roads.

Within minutes, we reached the booths and stalls that were overflowing with cheap souvenirs and street food. All around us, small kiosks with rip-off carnival games were packed with lines of children waiting for their turn. It made me smile - so soon after a villain attack, people were still able to carry on with their life as if nothing happened, and although hearing the laughter echo through the air was relieving, a small part of me felt it was wrong. People were hurt only two days ago, and the villains weren't even punished, but they're still able to enjoy themselves? It felt like a betrayal to those who were injured, to be relaxing while the League of Villains was enjoying their freedom without any repercussions. 

Stop it. You did your best, and it sucks that they escaped, but you can't do anything about it now. I mentally scolded myself for being so uptight about it. None of the other heroes were still holding on to it, and even Keigo was completely relaxed. It's okay. I can get back to catching the League later. I can relax right now. I pushed away that annoying voice in my head that raged for the villains to get what they deserved, and I forced a smile onto my face. Keigo looked up to me from where he was excitedly eyeing one of the kiosks, the joy replaced with concern.

"Everything okay? You're frowning," he asked me, placing the back of his hand on my forehead.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," I smiled at him. Don't drag him down. He's had it worse than you, and he needs this time to actually enjoy himself. Don't you dare be selfish enough to ruin this for him. "I just got a little cold for a second."

Keigo grinned and pulled me into a hug, wrapping his wings around me to provide extra warmth. "You could've just told me, you know?" He whispered quietly in my ear, and I pulled him into a sweet kiss. I don't deserve someone as pure as him. I haven't done enough good in this life to be with him. All I could do was gaze at him in adoration as he broke the kiss, offering me his beautiful smile instead. With his wings covering us from all sides, our little moment was completely private - no crazy fans of his could interrupt us. "Let's get you a drink, alright?"

I nodded, and with Keigo's arm wrapped around my waist, we walked through the street, dodging through the crowds until we came to a stop in front of a small café. After a brief second of both of us checking our pockets for our wallets and a quick debate over who should pay, Keigo ordered himself a hot chocolate, and I got a raspberry tea for myself. Before he could pay, I shoved the cashier five hundred yen, telling them to keep the change, and with our drinks in hand, we walked back to the festival. It didn't seem to be about anything special, but Keigo and I weaved lazily through the groups of people, stopping occasionally in front of a booth or street performer that interested us. 

It was relieving to see that everyone was having too much fun to even notice the number two hero among them, and even though I knew it was a little wrong, I said a silent 'thank you' for Keigo being ignored for now. I hadn't had him to myself in a long time, and this festival was almost like a blessing.  Keigo's eyes landed on one of the carnival games - a wall covered in maybe fifty small multicolored balloons, along with a short man standing in front of it with five darts in his hand. He was already dragging me towards it, and I laughed out loud. He really was like a small, excited puppy that was way too energetic when it came to things he liked.

My paper cup of tea got dangerously close to spilling over as he pulled me towards the game, coming to an abrupt stop that almost made me crash into him. I managed to stop myself just in time, and stood back as Keigo energetically approached the man who ran the game. He pulled out his wallet, handing the owner another five hundred yen, and the man, in return, gave Keigo the five darts.

"Just try to hit five balloons of the same color while standing behind the line right there," he explained, pointing to a chalk line maybe four meters away from the dart wall. "If you get all five, you get a prize!"

Keigo blew me a kiss, and, completely ignoring the line, walked further back from the wall until he stood at least ten meters away. I rolled my eyes playfully,  thinking showoff  to myself but deciding to ignore his antics, watching happily as he focused at one particular balloon, aiming carefully before pulling his arm back and throwing the dart forward, the teal balloon popping loudly, but among the commotion of the festival, no one paid attention. Between each throw, Keigo turned to me and either winked or made a silly face that made me laugh, and I brought my cup of tea to my lips to hide my blushing smile. I can't believe how far he's come from being that scared little boy. 

With the fifth teal balloon popping and a grinning Keigo jogging back to the wall where the owner of the game stood, the man led us behind the wall to where a basket of prizes stood, ranging from tiny plushies to a few massive stuffed animals.

"Take your pick," he said, spreading his arms out to show we were free to take anything. I waited for Keigo to choose, but he locked eyes with me and nodded slightly to the prizes, silently telling me to pick what I wanted. I smiled softly, and my eyes landed on a small stuffed hawk. My grin turned mischievous as I pointed at the toy bird.

"That one, please," I sweetly told the man, who just shrugged and handed me the toy. Beside me, Keigo was already trying to hold back a groan, and as soon as we were out of earshot of the man, I giggled, raising the stuffed hawk so that it was eye level with my boyfriend. "Looks just like you, doesn't it, Hawks?" I teased him, and Keigo rolled his eyes playfully.

"If I knew you were gonna tease me, I would've chosen that deformed frog instead," he retorted, sticking his tongue out at me as we started walking away from the festival, the soft lights of the street lamps lighting the way to our apartment complex.

"Oh, shut it," I grinned, leaning a little into him as we walked hand in hand. "You know you love me."

"Yeah, I really do," Keigo replied softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes full of pure adoration.