[Team Two] Summertime Sadness

[damagea.livejournal.com]

I have no excuses, I'm shamelessly just posting something that's been almost ready for some time because I lost my inspiration in the middle of writing something else... This is my summer!romance fic about Shintaro and Hokuto. Hopefully, it'll be ready someday?

Shintaro & Hokuto | very very G for now | ~1000 words

*****

Back at home, the sunsets were always different from what they were in Ishikawa. 

The Uchinada coast glowed in the warm embrace of the setting sun, with waves in the background crafting a soothing melody. 

Shintaro stood casually by a counter, whistling a merry tune in his thoughts. He watched people passing by. There were families, couples, and groups of friends who had packed their stuff after a long day at the beach and were now heading back to their accommodation.

Summer was in full swing, and it had transformed the otherwise peaceful coastal town into a lively getaway for city-weary beach lovers. 

Shintaro had been lucky, and he had managed to take up a seasonal job at a watersports rental shop during the summer's beginning. The work was okay - he got to stay outside, meet people and most of all earn some money.  

As he gazed out at the sea, he couldn't help but think about his upcoming adventure.

His stomach dropped a little bit as sudden excitement took over him. 

In a few weeks, he would bid farewell to this coast, to the whole of Japan, and leave for Bali. Everyone knew Bali was the surfer's paradise, and Shintaro couldn't even recall when he hadn't been one of those who dreamt about traveling there someday.

As he stood deep in his thoughts, Shintaro couldn't help but reflect on his wandering spirit. Frankly, he had never been one to stay in one place for too long. He constantly thirsted for new experiences and was an adventurer at heart. Bali held the enticing allure of warm waves and endless surf, and he had already reserved a spot at a surfing retreat that would last for months.

Even as he cherished the familiar touch of Uchinada's sands beneath his feet, the fresh cool breeze in his nose, and the laughter of children sculpting sandcastles in his ears, Shintaro's spirit yearned for something more in the end. His spirit was always looking for something more. 

He knew himself well enough, and he knew that he couldn't sit still. When autumn would hit, he'd be more than ready to catch the next big wave, wherever it took him. Adventures waited, and Shintaro was so prepared for whatever came next.

Getting attached to places or people had never been his thing. 

*****

On one particularly warm afternoon, after his shift at the rental shop had ended, Shintaro decided to head to a nearby convenience store to pick up a cold drink.

He pondered his choices for a long time, crouched down next to the lowest shelf. But when standing up too quickly, he misjudged the distance between himself and a store worker who was busy reorganizing shelves. With an inadvertent collision, Shintaro stumbled back, and a cardboard box filled with soda bottles was sent crashing to the floor. 

The resounding clatter echoed through the store as bottles rolled and some shattered, creating a spectacle that drew the attention of both customers and staff.

Shintaro's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he quickly knelt down to help pick up the fallen bottles. 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." he stammered. He silently cursed to himself at his own clumsiness.

The store worker, a young man with dark hair and glasses knelt down alongside him. 

"It's alright, accidents happen."

Shintaro's hands moved deftly, picking up unbroken bottles and placing them back into the box. "No, but please, let me help clean this up. I can't believe I knocked the whole thing down!"

The clerk offered a small smile, his fingers brushing against Shintaro's as they both reached for the same bottle. "Thank you. It's kind of you to offer assistance."

"Well, I owe you for my little soda avalanche."

The man's soft laughter joined Shintaro's. 

As they gathered the last of the fallen soda bottles, the clerk straightened, his gaze meeting Shintaro's once more as he adjusted his glasses.

"Looks like the cleanup is complete," the clerk said.

"Yeah, and I think the store still stands, so that's a plus?" Shintaro answered. He was still embarrassed and was happy that his tan covered the apparent redness in his cheeks he felt.

"Indeed. Thank you. Now, excuse me," the man said and then bowed, excusing himself to serve the next customer behind the counter. 

 

 ****

 

The following day, Shintaro found himself back at the same convenience store. The cool air inside the store was a welcome relief, and he began his search for a quick snack. As he rounded a corner, he saw the same store worker he had encountered the day before standing at the cash register, a focused expression on his face as he attended to a customer.

Shintaro couldn't help but smile to himself. Fate seemed to have a sense of humor, and it was just his luck that he would need to face the guy again. He waited his turn in line, observing the clerk guy's efficient interactions with customers. When it was finally his turn, he stepped up to the counter.

"Welcome, do you need a bag?" the guy greeted monotonously. 

"Back again," Shintaro said with a playful grin.

The guy looked properly up from the register, confused.

"Oh, it's just me again!" Shintaro quickly clarified, realizing his words might have sounded weird.

The clerk guy's brows furrowed briefly, but then his eyes widened in realization. "Ah! I remember now. You're the... soda avalanche guy."

"Yeah, that's me. But don't worry, not causing catastrophe this time!"

The guy's lips curved into an amused smile. "No major catastrophes. It was just a minor soda situation."

"Anyway, I promise it won't happen again."

The cashier's smile remained as he scanned Shintaro's purchases at the register.

"I'm not too worried," he said and then pushed a button for a sum of Shintaro's snacks. "That'd be 780 yen, please."

"Thanks for not holding my clumsiness against me," Shintaro said with a smile as he put a bill on the tray, checking the guy's name tag before finishing, "Matsumura-san."

Matsumura's response was a soft chuckle. "Well, you're my customer, so I must be nice, right?" He handed out the change and the receipt.

"I suppose that's one way to put it," Shintaro answered and waved. "Thanks, I'll be back soon again!"  

*****

elindar, your turn!

Comments

[rin-aokuro.livejournal.com]

Ahh it's THIS one! I've been waiting for this! (And also dreading it a little bit because, well. You know why, haha. 😂)

You described the setting so well here! I could imagine the beach and the warm evenings and hot days so well with it! And, I mean...a tanned Shintaro is always a plus.

I totally smiled like an idiot at the soda avalanche! And the cute konbini cashier. 😌 Also: "Welcome, do you need a bag?" the guy greeted monotonously. Ahahaha this VOICE I can imagine it perfectly!

Omggg can't wait for you to continue this. ;;;;

[elindar.livejournal.com]

aaahh summer!hokushin 🤩 i've so been waiting for this one so it's nice to get a small peak of what's coming!

aww shintaro as a forever adventurer who's never still for long, that's so fitting (and regarding that.... poor hokuto 😅 already beforehand haha) and him working at a surf/water sports rental shop is so perfect altogether!

hehehe a shop clerk with glasses 8) and sdfkhjsfd the soda avalanche sounds AWFUL like if that happened in real life, i'd be soooo embarrassed i would NEVER go to the same conbini AGAIN just to avoid the staff XD but luckily shintaro is built different hahaha! and he(/they?) is already sort-of flirty or am i just reading too much into it?? 👀 ANYWAY, i'm Very Excited to read more of this and about the perfect summer romance they're about to have!! 😌💚🖤

[bluedreaming]

This was really sweet! <3 and summer romance!

we're about ready for the reshuffle, so I pinged you on discord to ask about what you mentioned in your sign up, but I'm not sure if you saw it, and for some reason LJ isn't loading your page today TT — is there a different way to contact you?

[damagea.livejournal.com]

Awww thank you!

Just answered you!💕