Chapter Text
When Cecil returned to the dormitories, he found Otoya in his and Tokiya's bedroom, tucked under the blankets and snoring lightly. The person who directed him here—Masato—was reading a script on the sofa.
"Hi…" Cecil whispered, stepping inside the room with light steps.
"Aijima, welcome back," greeted Masato. "Ittoki fell asleep about an hour ago."
Cecil could not help the pout that made its way to his face. "So I just missed him?"
Masato gave a slight smile. "I would say it's good timing. Trying to converse with a sleepy child can be a rather cumbersome experience, as I'm sure you know."
Cecil had to admit Masato was right. He had tagged along with Otoya to the orphanage many times. Like everything else about them, children's reactions to something were a spectrum. When sleepy, some were agreeable enough to be led to bed, but others could be fussy and uncooperative. A stranger—it pained Cecil to think of himself as that—introducing himself to you while you were dozing off must not be a pleasant experience. It was definitely for the better that it was Masato who prepared Otoya for nap time. Though Cecil wished he had seen what a child Otoya was like when he was sleepy…
"You have a point…" Cecil relented. "Thank you for keeping Otoya company, Masato. I will have to thank everyone, too."
Masato smiled deeper in understanding. "You're welcome. However, keep in mind that we all do this for Ittoki because we want to. You shouldn't think you carry more responsibility."
Cecil shifted his weight from one foot to another. He did, in fact, feel an odd sense of extra responsibility that he believed his friends should not carry. Masato had not been in the room when Cecil uttered his thoughts, but he was perceptive enough to sense what Cecil was feeling—that if only he and Otoya had grown up together, the way normal brothers would, Otoya would not have to suffer this much.
"Aijima, are you alright?"
Cecil blinked, sighing. He nodded weakly. "Yes… You are right. We are all accompanying Otoya because we want to. Even so, I still cannot help but feel guilty…"
He could not bring himself to voice his thoughts, not again. But Masato understood enough. "You wish things had been different."
Cecil swallowed. "I do."
Masato sighed. "If only that were the case, right? However, I believe the pain of the past also makes up the person. Does it not?"
"Well…"
Masato turned his head to look at Otoya on the bed. "Once, I thought Ittoki and I were similar in some ways. We run away from the hurt we feel in the past. Instead of confronting it, we only desperately run faster and faster."
Cecil remembered this conversation, when Otoya ran away after his negative emotions piled up too much due to his collaboration project with Eiichi. While his relationship with Eiichi was civil and even friendly now, Cecil still held traces of bitterness about the whole incident.
"After spending time with the child that Ittoki is now," Masato continued, "I can understand why and how exactly he began running. There are moments when the experience left me saddened, but it has deepened my understanding of Ittoki as a friend I care about. I'm sure everyone else feels the same way."
"Masato…"
"Seeing Ittoki now, there are things I wish I could have done for him when he was a child," Masato muttered, seemingly more to himself. "I wish I had cooked for him and let him eat as much as he wanted. I imagine Kurusu wishes he had played soccer with him when no one else had invited him to play. Ichinose and Shinomiya could have taught him the joys of music during his lowest moments. Whatever Jinguuji said to make him cry"—Masato sighed deeply—"why, I have no doubt he wishes to go back in time to convey that to him."
Cecil's eyes widened. Masato must have read and reread the things everyone else reported they did with Otoya.
"We didn't know Ittoki back then, so we couldn't do anything for him when he was deeply hurt. But with this strange occurrence, we can." Masato smiled. "If you would take my advice… Instead of lamenting what could have been, I suggest you spend the time doing what you've always wished to do with Ittoki. Haven't you said that you wish you had an older brother?"
Masato's eyes twinkled at that last sentence, and Cecil fought the heat in his cheeks. He had long viewed ST☆RISH as his family. Growing up as an only child who was thrust into a group where he was the youngest, he secretly enjoyed the feeling of being the baby of the bunch. It was hard to believe Masato still remembered some off-handed comment Cecil had made years ago, but then again, if anyone were to remember, it would be him.
And apparently, Masato had more ammunition to fluster him. "Earlier, Ittoki told me he wanted to be a good older brother when he grew up."
"H-he did?" Cecil sputtered.
"Yes. Well, the circumstances are different now," Masato chuckled, "but the sentiment still stands. This is a great chance for the two of you to spend some brotherly quality time."
And then Masato patted Cecil's shoulder and left the room, saying that he had to get to work.
Cecil sat on the sofa while it was still warm, sinking into the cushions with a heavy sigh. Thinking about it again, it was a good thing he arrived when Otoya was asleep. This way, he had time to prepare himself on what to say and do when Otoya woke up.
He kept expressing his wishes to everyone, but what did he want to do with Otoya, actually?
His mind rattled off activities faster than he could keep up. They were close in age, so he wished they could have learned how to read and write together. He wished he could have crawled into Otoya's bed whenever the thunderstorms scared him at night. He wanted them to sit in the dining room in anticipation as their mother made them Japanese curry or onigiri. And once they were older, he wanted them to flip through family albums and reminisce about their childhoods. Cecil did not even have to be a prince—he would trade his royalty for the mundane things he could have done with Otoya.
Well, some of these things were impossible to do even with Otoya's current condition, but some were plausible. Cecil made up his mind, and that was when the blankets rustled. He knelt by Otoya's bed in a second.
Cecil had had sleepovers with Otoya in the past. He was familiar with how Otoya woke up—he would stretch his already-sprawled arms and legs, mumble, "Few more minutes…" but spring out of bed not even a minute later. He spotted these same traits now, albeit with slight differences. Otoya still stretched, but his arms and legs were previously curled in on himself. He mumbled something unintelligible, but he rose from bed quickly. And the most noticeable of all was how lethargic and reserved Otoya was, instead of the bundle of energy Cecil was used to.
"Good morning, Otoya," said Cecil, despite the fact that it was well past noon.
Otoya blinked drowsily. His droopy eyes stared at Cecil. "Uhm… Aijima… san?"
Cecil visibly flinched. Being called so formally by Otoya, of all people? Call him dramatic, but he would have to commiserate with Syo and Ren soon and learn how they were coping…
Otoya noticed his discomfort. "I'm sorry," he said hurriedly. "Cecil… san."
"Do not worry about it," Cecil said, heart pounding. "Hi, Otoya! I hope you had a nice rest!"
Otoya hummed and looked around the room while rubbing his eyes.
"Masato has left for work," Cecil supplied. "Tokiya is away for work, too. Did he tell you he will not return for the night?"
Looking down, Otoya swung his dangling legs. "Yeah…"
"Then, how about a sleepover with me?"
Confusion and curiosity danced in Otoya's eyes when they met Cecil's own. "Sleepover?"
"Yes! I do not have a roommate, so it gets lonely sometimes." Here, Cecil gave a pout, which quickly turned into a smile as he extended his hand. "How about we play in my room?"
The delight Cecil felt when Otoya reached for his hand without hesitation sent an indescribable warmth to his chest. Together, they walked to Cecil's room. With every step, Otoya gripped his hand tighter.
Cecil fought to control the hurt and joy raging in his chest. He knew Otoya did not like sleeping alone in a room. After all, he had had roommates for over half his life—first the kids in the orphanage, and later Tokiya. It was common for Otoya to declare an impromptu sleepover in his or Cecil's room whenever Tokiya was away.
But… there must have been a time when Otoya slept all by himself. There must have been a time when Otoya slept in a bed much too big for him, in a room much too quiet for him, feeling all alone and helpless after his aunt passed away. Cecil squeezed Otoya's tiny hand to chase away the thought.
They reached Cecil's room, its layout very similar to Otoya and Tokiya's own. Two beds were on either side of the room, one left unoccupied after Camus moved out, thank the Muses.
Otoya gravitated to Cecil's side of the room and began scanning the shelves. Books on Japanese grammar, a collection of Japanese folktales, Japanese recipes from magazines and newspapers, music scores… Otoya's eyes skimmed past everything and landed on the bottommost shelf, where Cecil kept his photo albums. He curiously poked the spine of one of them.
"Do you want to look at my photos?" Cecil asked. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled a random album out of the shelf and beckoned Otoya to join him on the bed.
It happened to be the album containing photos of his work as an idol. Candid pictures from live stages and interviews, photoshoot projects both of himself and others, variety shows he attended, educational programs he starred in…
"Look, here is everyone!" Cecil pointed at a picture of ST☆RISH in their latest live. Otoya inched closer, recognizing most of the faces. Natsuki was on the leftmost side of the lineup, with Cecil on the other end. Cecil watched as Otoya's fingers traced the outlines of Ren and Syo, followed by Tokiya. And there, in the center, holding Masato and Tokiya's hands with a blinding smile, was Otoya himself. How much would Otoya recognize his grown self, looking so cheerful and loved?
"Is this… ST☆RISH?" Otoya tried the unfamiliar word.
"Yes! This was from our latest concert."
Otoya looked at the picture with what could only be described as longing. "…You all seem close."
"Of course! We see one another as family."
"Family…" Otoya traced the picture again, causing Cecil's heart to squeeze. "I…"
Otoya closed his mouth and continued flipping through the album in silence, but Cecil could guess what he wanted to say.
So he said it. "Otoya is family to me, too."
He did not expect this simple sentence to prove to be extremely effective. Otoya's eyes sparkled, and he looked at Cecil with hope and adoration. "I am?"
"Yes! I have always seen Otoya as my brother," said Cecil, fighting not to let the truth slip out. The rest of the world did not know of their deeper connection, and it would be better for their careers if it remained so. So, as much as Cecil wanted to call Otoya "nii-san" to show closeness and playfulness, he had to hold back.
"Then…" Otoya fiddled with his thumbs. "Can I… can I call you Cecil-nii?"
Cecil's jaw went slack. No, actually, his whole body might as well have been mush. "Yes," he breathed out, at the same time Otoya rambled, "Uhm, that's what we call the older brothers in the orphanage, so it just came out, sorry…"
"Otoya." Cecil forced a smile, even though internally he was screaming at fate. "Yes, I can be your Cecil-nii, if you want." In exchange, when you return to normal, can you be my nii-san?
Redness spread across Otoya's tan cheeks. "T-then… Can you tell me about your family?"
Cecil's smile faltered. His family, and especially his parents, was a sensitive topic he and Otoya rarely discussed. When they did talk about it, he always had to tread the delicate line between nostalgia and hurt. Why did Otoya, who just lost his family, want to know about…
Oh. It was the orphanage's tradition, wasn't it?
Cecil learned about this in one of his visits to the orphanage with Otoya. There was a child therapist who frequented the orphanage every few months. She encouraged the children to talk about their past family situation if they knew about it. It served as a healthy outlet, better than bottling everything up. Otoya said that he'd seen children who became more comfortable in telling one another about their families after that. They accepted it as part of their history instead of something shameful or upsetting that they had to hide. Surprisingly, it also became a way for them to bond over similar experiences.
Had Otoya started talking about his family? Was this why he was asking Cecil the same thing? He wanted Cecil to open up first, before he felt safe enough to do the same…
Cecil made up his mind. "Even better, I can show you!" He hopped off the bed and pulled out a photo album from the shelf. This one held his family pictures, which mostly covered his childhood and adolescent years.
Otoya was practically pressed to his side when he opened the album. The warmth from that tiny body gave Cecil strength, preventing his voice from shaking. "I am actually half-Japanese. My mother is Japanese, born and raised, but my father is the king of a faraway country of music, Agna Palace."
Otoya's jaw dropped. "Cecil-nii's dad is a king?"
Cecil giggled. He faintly recalled that Otoya had a similar reaction upon his first meeting. "He is. Look, this is him." He pointed at a picture of himself decked in Agna's fanciest traditional garments. Next to him was his father, a tall and well-built man with dark hair and a calm, regal smile.
"Then, you're a prince?" Otoya asked. Cecil nodded. "Why did you become an idol, then?"
"Well, it was a long story… I was cursed by the other members of the royal family." Cecil pursed his lips as he stared at a spot on the wall. He had no pictures of them, and he would rather keep it that way. "They do not like that I am half-foreigner. So they cursed me into a black cat."
Otoya's gaping mouth only grew larger, but he drank up Cecil's words without a drop of disbelief. Even when Cecil told ST☆RISH about his curse, Otoya was the first to declare he believed him. "You were a cat?" Otoya's voice was hushed in amazement and wonder. "How's that like?"
Cecil laughed. "There are nice things about it, but there are weird times, too. I could easily climb trees and see in the dark. But I became afraid of water." He frowned at that. Getting adjusted to water again was a slow and turbulent process. "By some chance, I ended up at Saotome Academy and was adopted as a stray cat by Haruka. Do you remember her from yesterday?"
Otoya nodded. "How did you go back to a human?"
"Haruka broke my curse with the power of love and music!" Cecil playfully tapped Otoya's nose. Whatever curse fell upon you, I know we can break it, too. "After that, I was officially scouted to join the agency by the president, Shining Saotome."
Otoya did not need to be reminded about Shining. "He's… kind of scary."
Cecil chuckled dryly at Otoya's blatant honesty. "Yes, and many people agree."
"But… I think I've seen him somewhere."
Cecil looked at Otoya, who was frowning in thought. Otoya had said this to Shining's face, and Cecil had pushed the matter out of spite, but Shining waved them off.
He actually knew why Shining seemed familiar to Otoya, though. Shining Saotome had been Otoya's benefactor in secret. He must have attended Otoya's aunt's funeral and made arrangements for Otoya to enter the orphanage. Maybe in the short time Otoya had been in the orphanage, Shining had made several appearances. Cecil thought this was the bare minimum as Otoya's biological father. Not that he could fully forgive Shining for everything else.
Still, this was not something he could tell the current Otoya—it was not his place. "I see. Do you remember where or when?"
Otoya thought harder, but in the end, he shook his head and shrugged weakly. He refocused his attention on Cecil's photo album, and his eyes landed on…
"Is this Cecil-nii's mom?"
Here we go. Cecil prayed to the Muses for strength. "Yes! This is my mother, A—"
Wait. He could not say her name, could he? Otoya already knew his—their—mother's name. The first time Cecil accidentally said it in Otoya's vicinity, it led to a shocking and tearful realization of their connection. It had left Otoya shaken and hurt, despite already feeling secure and loved by ST☆RISH. Cecil could not imagine how this child Otoya would react if he knew. In the end, as much as Cecil wanted to assure Otoya that he still had his biological parents, he would not put him through the emotional pain of knowing why and how they left.
So Cecil only joined Otoya in staring at his—their—mother's picture. He knew Otoya mostly got his looks from his father—Cecil had choked on his drink when Tokiya showed him a picture of Saotome Mitsuo that he had discovered—but looking at Kotomi, and then at Otoya's young face, he could see the faint similarities. The high cheekbones and full cheeks, the red hair, the ear shape, the curve of their eyes when they smiled, which Cecil also inherited… "Isn't she beautiful?"
"Mn," Otoya said without tearing his gaze away. If he recognized Kotomi's similarities with his aunt… well, Cecil would not know what to say.
Whatever Otoya was thinking about, though, he kept it to himself. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he flipped the page. There was Kotomi again, with a newborn Cecil in her arms.
Did Otoya have his pictures taken as a newborn? Were there pictures of Kotomi holding Otoya lying somewhere in a dusty album? Who recorded his first smile, his first steps, his first words? Cecil would never know. The only people who knew were gone.
He decided the silence and the voice in his head were too loud. "Most of my family dislikes me, so my mother is the closest person to me. After all, we are both seen as outsiders. But even then, as I was growing up, I could never spend long moments with her."
Otoya frowned. "That's not fair…"
"I know." Cecil smiled bitterly. He loved Agna with all his heart, but he was very grateful for being in ST☆RISH now, where he always felt included and belonged. "But we always made the most out of our time together!"
"What did you do?"
"Singing, mostly! Mother loves to sing, and she can write songs, too! Maybe that was why Father fell in love with her."
Otoya gasped. "Auntie and I did that, too!"
There it was, Otoya's first mention of his family. Shared experiences, Cecil thought. He took this as a good sign. "Amazing! What kind of songs did you like to sing?"
"Lots of songs! Auntie knew all the children's lullabies."
Cecil's smile bloomed. "My mother liked to sing me Japanese lullabies, too! She was also the one who taught me Japanese."
Otoya's mouth formed into an O. He glanced at the row of Japanese grammar books on the shelf with renewed understanding.
Cecil flipped the page this time. He laughed at the picture that greeted him—his child self, maybe eight or nine, sitting inside a crate full of fruits and vegetables. He wore a cheeky expression as his hands held up the lid. "Mother likes going to the street markets herself, and I love tagging along," he explained. "Then she would make me Japanese dishes."
"What's your favorite?" Otoya asked.
"Onigiri!" Cecil said, turning the page to show Otoya a photo of him and Kotomi rolling rice into triangular onigiri. "I like how they can have different fillings and are easy to carry and eat."
Otoya nodded. "I like curry," he said without being asked.
"Curry is also nice!" Cecil agreed. "Mother makes curry for me sometimes." And so do you. Both are really, really delicious.
They continued going through the photo album, with Cecil doing most of the talking.
"First birthday, first steps… Oh, this was the first time I wrote my name in kanji. I think I was around your age."
"Aijima… It's really like my mom's name."
Cecil did not let Otoya mull over it. "Then it must be fate that you call me Cecil-nii! Oh, this was taken on my birthday. The royal family and palace servants hid their dislike of me to hold a celebration. Should we hold a huge party for you, too, Otoya?"
"Uhm… Sounds cool."
"I will let ST☆RISH know, then! Oh, this was not a particularly festive moment, but it was special for me. After the rain, Mother and I like to sing and dance outside. The rainbow and the bright blue sky always make me feel like the clear skies are sending me a message of joy and love."
"That's fun… I don't like rain either."
Cecil smiled, his hand gravitating to pat Otoya's head. "It was indeed fun! I wish Otoya could have joined me."
"Mn… Cecil-nii's mom looks very kind."
A lump was stuck in Cecil's throat. "She is. And she would love you lots."
Otoya looked up at Cecil shyly. "Cecil-nii thinks so?"
"I know she would!" Cecil nodded with conviction. "I wish I could take you to meet her! We should plan a trip to Agna." He was making dangerous promises, but he could not stop himself. Kotomi did not remember her firstborn at all, but how wonderful it would be if Otoya got even the slightest bit of closure.
"…Yeah," mumbled Otoya, running his finger through the pages of the photo album.
"Well, until then…" Cecil caressed Otoya's messy hair. "I can do those things with you."
"Huh?"
Cecil looked out the window. It had been raining when he arrived at the dormitory, but the rain had stopped at some point. All that was left were the clear blue sky, the droplets of water dangling from the tips of leaves and branches, and, if Cecil opened the window, the fresh scent of the damp earth.
"Perfect timing." Cecil grinned, carefully taking the album from Otoya's hand. He grabbed both of Otoya's hands and tugged him to stand up. "The rain has stopped. Let's go, Otoya!"
They hurried to the gardens, Cecil walking so briskly that Otoya had to jog to catch up. When Cecil opened the double doors, the calming scent of nature surrounded his senses. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and relaxing his shoulders. Then, he guided Otoya to step into the clearing. Surrounded by lush bushes and trees from all sides, he began to sing.
It was a traditional song from Agna, a song to thank the Muses for the fine weather that inspired the birth of many songs. While singing in his native tongue, Cecil inadvertently began to dance. His hands and feet moved naturally, almost instinctively, without his brain having to direct them. His arms extended, his feet made a turn, and his lips were curved in a blissful smile as he danced to a rhythm only he could hear, no, feel reverberating in his chest.
When Cecil finally opened his eyes, Otoya was staring in awe. Before he could say anything, Otoya blurted out, "Can you teach me?"
Cecil smiled widely. "The dance?" Otoya nodded. "Come here, then!"
Otoya was initially stiff when Cecil guided his arms and legs. Where to step, where to position his hands, where to look and turn his head… But he relaxed after a while, and before long, Otoya could dance on the beat as Cecil sang a short passage.
"Amazing! Otoya is very good at this."
Otoya scratched his cheek. "No, Cecil-nii is a good teacher…"
Cecil sighed with a smile. That was because he had years of experience practicing how to dance, sing, and even breathe with Otoya. He kept this fact to himself.
They continued dancing and singing under the clear sky. Cecil showed him more Agna dances, and he was extremely delighted when Otoya said he wanted to learn a dance from one of ST☆RISH's songs.
"Make a fist and hold it in front of your mouth, like this!" Cecil laughed as Otoya clumsily tried to maintain his hold on the imaginary microphone as he danced.
The sky had turned orange by the time Otoya's stomach rumbled. Seemingly forgetting the mic he was supposed to be holding, Otoya clutched his stomach in embarrassment.
Cecil giggled. "Dinner after a dance practice is always great! Shall we eat? Masato said there is leftover curry."
The promise of curry made Otoya perk up. He took Cecil's offered hand, and together, they walked to the dining room. Cecil watched in amusement as Otoya practically inhaled the reheated curry. After all that dancing, he must be starving.
While Cecil was doing the dishes, an idea struck him. "Otoya, do you know how to make onigiri?"
Otoya paused from his activity of drying the spoons. "I can shape them, but they don't turn out good."
Cecil laughed. "Well, what matters is the taste, right? I saw some leftover chicken in the fridge. How about we make onigiri after this? We can eat it for breakfast tomorrow."
Otoya's eyes widened, and Cecil swore he almost, almost smiled. Though he had so much fun with Otoya today that he had forgotten that was the objective.
They chatted about Japanese food as Cecil prepared the rice and seasoning. Once the rice and filling were ready, he and Otoya sat at the dining table, shaping the rice into triangular shapes.
"Position your hand like this," Cecil said, showing his own C-shaped hand. "Otoya's hands are small, so your onigiri should also be around the same size. Yes, like that!"
In the end, Otoya's onigiri still turned out messy, but Cecil laughed it off. "They have character! When I was a child, my onigiri also turned out like this," he assured. "But Mother assured me they still taste delicious. Try one!" He offered one small onigiri to Otoya and ate one himself. Humming, he placed the onigiri in a container and stored them in a cabinet.
They returned to Cecil's room after that, where Cecil read out loud from the collection of Japanese folktales that Tokiya had gifted him. Otoya sat next to him and joined him in looking at the pages, but with the lack of pictures and mostly kanji characters, Otoya was probably mostly listening to his voice.
Cecil was secretly delighted. He read rather slowly, so he was often asked to read to the smaller children at Otoya's orphanage. When Otoya was not occupied, he sat on the rug, listening to Cecil with the same look of interest and awe that the children shared, no matter how many times he had heard the stories before.
This was how they spent the evening. When Cecil finished reading the last story in the book—an elderly couple who cut open a large peach and found a baby boy—he noticed Otoya was fighting off sleep. "Tired?" Cecil asked softly. "It is close to your bedtime."
"Mm…" Otoya mumbled. Sleepiness made him clingier, Cecil noticed, melting when Otoya raised his arms.
Cecil did not need to think twice—he scooped Otoya into his arms. "Now, now, you have not taken a bath! Up you go!" He carried him to the bathroom easily and pointed at the various soap and shampoo bottles that originally belonged to Otoya. Cecil just never returned them because Otoya often spent nights in his room, anyway. Earlier this morning, Tokiya had even dropped off the small toothbrush he had bought for Otoya.
When Otoya exited the bathroom, he was clean and ready for bed—in fact, he was swaying where he stood. Cecil laughed, directing him to the empty bed that Otoya used whenever he slept over. Cecil took a quick bath (with a sponge and lukewarm water, because he still avoided the bathtub), but when he reentered the bedroom, he found Otoya on his bed.
"Otoya…" Cecil sighed with a smile, approaching the boy who had made himself comfortable in Cecil's pillows and blanket.
"Can I sleep here?" Otoya said in a tiny voice. Though with how he held Cecil's pillow tightly, his request bore no room for argument.
Otoya was quickly drifting off to sleep, and Cecil did not have the heart to move him. He could only sigh again. "Okay."
The bed was spacious for one person, so the addition of Otoya was nothing. Yet Cecil's chest felt tight. Did Otoya like to climb into his siblings' beds? Did they comfort each other after a nightmare? Why couldn't Cecil have done that with his own brother?
Cecil shooed the thoughts away. He might not have been there for Otoya then, but right now, this same Otoya called him "Cecil-nii". He asked about Cecil's family and talked about his own. He requested Cecil to teach him how to dance. He chose to sleep close to Cecil. Cecil could not be any more grateful.
He turned off the lights and climbed into bed next to Otoya, sleeping on his side. Instinctively, his hand reached out to rest on Otoya's small shoulder and patted it rhythmically. He liked to do this to the children in the orphanage. It helped lull them to sleep.
"Cecil-nii," mumbled Otoya sleepily.
"Yes?" Cecil replied, eyes closed.
"I had a lot of fun today. Thank you."
Cecil's eyes snapped open, and he gasped. Even in the dark, even with his limited night vision as a human, he could see it.
Otoya was smiling.
Not just a slight curve of his lips. Not just some twinkle in his eyes. The wide smile stretched his cheeks and reached his eyes. Cecil had seen this smile countless times on the Otoya he knew and loved, but this one felt so very special.
After saying that, Otoya closed his eyes, and his breathing evened. Soon, he fell asleep completely, the smile still on his face.
Cecil was not sure if he had blinked even once through all that.
The responsible thing to do would be to spring out of bed, grab his phone, and tell ST☆RISH the good news. Or maybe he should reply to Otoya, even if he could not hear. Some of the kids in the orphanage asked for head pats as they drifted off to sleep, and Cecil should probably do that. He wanted to.
But he could not do any of this. All he could do was hold Otoya's shoulder tighter as his other hand reached for Otoya's own.
Moonlight spilled into the room, illuminating the two brothers who finally found rest. As the moon peeked from the window, she became the only witness to Otoya's peacefully slumbering face and Cecil's tears on the damp pillow.