Chapter Text
How do you hold on to someone who wakes up each day a little further away from you?
“SION, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES UNTIL REHEARSAL. LET’S KEEP IT MOVING!”
Ah, dang it…
“Coming!”
He stepped onto the stage and began practicing the first song, Flicker.
The stage was exactly how you would imagine the song. Lights flashed during the upbeat parts, the choreography had a domino effect, and an all-rap bridge featured lights flashing rapidly.
Next was the second song, Moonlight.
This stage had a more sensual feel, with laced ribbons and a black corset that accentuated his slim figure.
Finally, the last song was Answer.
This concept was very different from the others. It was more of a calming, peaceful song about knowing the answers to your problems and having to live with the knowledge of what’s coming next.
After rehearsal finished, it was four hours until midnight, so he decided to grab a snack.
He wasn’t familiar with the area since it was his first concert in Japan. He had only been to Japan once before, in Yokohama, for his brain treatment.
Sion had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, passed down from his father. He was one of the rare cases to develop it early, and he was now 27.
He searched for nearby places to eat and clicked on the first result. It had good reviews, and the place looked clean and well maintained.
He got into a taxi and gave the driver the address. It was only three minutes away, so he could have walked, but his calves were sore from jumping so much.
When he arrived, the cafe was small and called Wichu's Home. It had a nice ring to it.
He walked in, and the smell of bread mixed with a woody but sweet scent wafted through the air. He could have gotten lost in a trance from that aroma.
He walked up to the register and waited for someone to take his order, but there was only one person in sight. The man was working in the back and was too busy to notice him.
He rang the bell on the counter.
The man flinched, then walked up.
“Hi, welcome to Wichu's. What can I get you started with?” the man asked.
He had large black eyes and a catlike appearance. Just judging from his aura and presence, he seemed like he owned the place.
“I… I, um, would like to know your specials,” Sion stuttered.
“Well, you’re just in luck. I was cooking up a new item. Would you like to be the first to try it?” he asked.
“Oh, sure. How much would it be?”
“Hmm, well, I’m not sure how it will taste, so it’s on the house,” the worker replied.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll pay. Just name the price,” Sion said.
“Hey, it’s fine. We don’t even know if this could make it onto the menu. Besides, it’s my choice, so don’t worry,”
“Oh, okay. Thank you… um…” He peeked at the name tag. “Mr. Tokuno Yushi.”
“Please, just call me Yushi,” Yushi laughed.
“But what’s your name so I can write it on the order?” Yushi asked.
Sion didn’t want to reveal his real name, so he came up with a nickname on the spot.
“Ocean.”
“Ocean? Is that your real name or a nickname?” Yushi joked. “Just playing, Mr. Ocean.”
“Would that be to go or here?” Yushi asked.
“To go, please,” Sion answered.
They exchanged glances before Sion sat down at a table near the window.
He kept looking over at him, and Yushi noticed but didn’t say anything.
While Yushi was making the new menu item, Sion looked over and thought he was imagining things.
Yushi pulled his mask down to smell the food, and Sion could not look away. It was like he was watching him in slow motion.
Yushi's lips looked so soft, so soft that Sion imagined something he should not have.
He thought to himself —
Is this love at first sight real, or am I going crazy?
Then the bell rang.
A customer came in and snapped Sion back to reality.
Sion cleared his throat while rubbing the back of his neck and glanced at Yushi again.
He was walking up to the register to take the customer's order and made eye contact with Sion from behind the customer.
Sion almost fell back in his seat and immediately straightened himself up.
Yushi giggled to himself.
“Ah, right. Would that be to go or here?”
The customer tsked.
“Um, well, I don't want to carry it, but I don't want to eat here either. Could you just hold it for me? You know what, why am I asking? Of course you're going to be holding it. Besides, my hands hurt.”
“Excuse me?” Yushi was surprised by the bold command.
“Do I need to repeat myself? What didn’t you understand?” the customer asked, looking at him as if Yushi were playing dumb.
Yushi braced himself for a complaint and cleared his throat.
“Okay, so first of all, let’s calm down. Second of all, I’m not carrying your food. Third of all, you didn’t answer my question. Now, is it here or to go?”
The customer blinked at him and started frowning.
“Well excuuuse me, but don’t you know who I am? I am THE Fujinaga Sakuya. If you used that dumb brain of yours and looked closely…” he scoffed toward the end.
Yushi held back the anger that was bubbling inside him, but he had to stay professional.
“Look, Mr. Fujinaga, whoever you are, everyone who walks into this cafe gets the same treatment. So I’ll ask you one more time. Is it here or to go?”
Sakuya scoffed loudly.
“Wow. You really don’t recognize me, do you?”
Yushi crossed his arms.
“Should I?”
“I’m famous,” Sakuya said, clearly expecting a reaction.
Yushi tilted his head slightly.
“Congratulations.”
Sakuya’s eye twitched.
“I’m an idol.”
“Oh,” Yushi replied calmly. “That explains the attitude.”
From his seat by the window, Sion had to quickly cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
Sakuya noticed the sound and shot a glare in his direction.
“And what are you laughing at?”
Sion immediately straightened up.
“Nothing.”
Yushi glanced over at Sion for a brief second, the corners of his lips lifting slightly before he looked back at the customer.
“So,” Yushi continued, resting his hands on the counter, “here or to go?”
Sakuya clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Fine. To go.”
“Great,” Yushi said cheerfully, already turning toward the register. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Sakuya muttered something under his breath while Yushi rang up the order.
A moment later, Yushi placed a small bag on the counter.
“Your order will be ready in a minute,” he said.
Sakuya grabbed the receipt and rolled his eyes.
“Unbelievable service.”
Yushi smiled politely.
“Thank you for visiting Wichu’s.”
Sakuya turned and stormed out, the bell above the door ringing loudly as it shut behind him.
For a moment, the cafe was quiet again.
Yushi let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Some people…”
Sion couldn’t hold it in anymore and laughed softly.
Yushi looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Something funny, Mr. Ocean?”
Sion quickly shook his head, trying to compose himself.
“No, I just… didn’t expect that.”
Yushi chuckled and leaned slightly against the counter.
“Trust me,” he said. “I didn’t either.”
For a brief moment, their eyes met again, and the room felt strangely quieter than before.
Then Sion realized who it was. Sakuya was the guy he was collaborating with. He didn’t know why he hadn’t realized it earlier, but thinking about it now made him laugh.
Yushi had just finished preparing the food and was packaging it up. Secretly, he slipped a note inside without Sion noticing.
“Mr. Ocean?” he called.
Sion walked up to the register to grab his order.
Before leaving, Sion turned back to say something.
“Oh, by the way, what is this called?”
Yushi looked a little surprised that he asked.
“It’s called a tamago sando. It’s a creamy Japanese egg salad sandwich. I used to eat these a lot in my teenage years and thought I needed a little nostalgia in my cafe.”
Sion looked down at the sandwich in his hands.
“Tamago sando… sounds fancy for an egg sandwich.”
Yushi laughed softly.
“It’s still just an egg sandwich at the end of the day.”
“Well,” Sion said with a small smile, “if it’s good, I might have to come back for another one.”
“I’ll take that as a challenge,” Yushi replied.
Sion gave a small nod before heading toward the door.
“See you around.”
“See you,” Yushi said, watching him leave as the bell above the door rang.
Yushi was smiling to himself before he noticed a card on the seat where Sion had been sitting. It looked like a hotel card, so he debated whether or not to return it.
He took off his apron and cleaned the tables quickly, then checked the time.
15 minutes until closing time… I’ll just close for now.
He ran after him with the card in his hand, almost tripping over things along the way. Soon he was losing too much air, so he pulled out his inhaler and took a few puffs before continuing to chase after him.
When he finally caught up, Sion suddenly started speed walking.
Why is he walking faster?
Then Sion turned a corner into an alleyway. When Yushi followed, Sion suddenly pinned him against the wall.
It was dark, so Sion couldn’t recognize him.
“Who are you, and why are you following me?” he asked in a stern voice.
Yushi was too stunned to speak. After a few seconds passed, he finally managed to talk.
“Uh, it’s me… Yushi from the cafe. Y-you left your card,” he stuttered.
Sion immediately let go and began apologizing.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m so, so sorry.”
He bowed quickly.
Yushi reassured him that it was completely fine and understandable.
“Heh, I thought you were one of my crazy fans,” Sion said, scratching the back of his head, not realizing what he had just said.
“Fans?” Yushi questioned.
Sion paused, then sighed.
“Please don’t tell anyone, but… I’m Sion. The singer. An idol, to be exact.”
Yushi frowned, then realization hit him.
He didn’t know much about the idol Sion, but he knew enough to recognize the name. Yushi was never really a fan, but he had seen him on billboards, ads, and even on some Temu clothing with his face printed across the front and back.
“You’re Sion?”
“Um… surprise!” Sion cleared his throat, trying to play it off.
Yushi didn’t know what to say. What could he say in a situation like this?
“Well, I apologize, and thank you for today. I hope I don’t make the same mistake again,” Sion said with a small laugh.
Yushi nodded awkwardly and handed him the card.
“You almost left this.”
“Oh, right. Thank you.” Sion took the card and slipped it back into his wallet. “I really appreciate you running all the way out here.”
“It’s no problem,” Yushi said. “Just… try not to tackle the next person who returns your stuff.”
Sion groaned and covered his face with one hand.
“Please don’t remind me.”
They both laughed a little, the tension finally easing.
Sion paused for a moment, like he was thinking about something. Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small laminated pass.
“Actually… here,” he said, handing it to Yushi.
Yushi looked down at it in confusion.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a backstage pass,” Sion said casually. “I have a concert in a few days. If you’re free, you should come.”
Yushi blinked.
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yeah,” Sion shrugged. “Consider it a thank you. For the sandwich and for chasing me down with my card.”
Yushi looked at the pass again, still a little stunned.
“Well… thank you,” he said slowly.
Sion smiled.
“No problem.”
He took a step back toward the street.
“I should get going. My bus is probably waiting.”
“Right. Have a good night,” Yushi said.
“You too. And thanks again for the sandwich.”
Sion gave a small wave before heading down the street toward the tour bus parked nearby.
When he stepped inside, the familiar hum of the bus and quiet chatter from the staff greeted him. He dropped into one of the seats with a tired sigh and finally opened the bag with the tamago sando.
The smell made him realize how hungry he actually was.
As he unwrapped the sandwich, something small slipped out and landed on his lap.
A folded note.
Sion blinked and picked it up, unfolding it curiously.
“Hope the sandwich makes your day a little better.
– Yushi
Below the message was another line written a little smaller.
— If you ever want another one…
text me: (555) xxx-xxxx “
Sion stared at the note for a moment, surprised.
Then he chuckled quietly to himself.
“Well… looks like I really do have to come back,” he murmured, taking a bite of the sandwich as the bus slowly pulled away.