Written for FictionalMagicTamer , who plays Cha Duri in our roleplay group. I hope you like it! I think it turned out quite well!

Daichi was looking around nervously, tugging at the sleeves of his brown yukata and tapping his toes. Is someone looking at me? Do they think I'm getting stood up for a date or something? Ah, I hate crowds!

Originally, the plan was for him to meet up with his girlfriend Molly and practically adopted son Duri at the Tanabata festival. But Molls had to bail suddenly— she had been asked to design a website for a large company almost out of nowhere, and she needed to get it done ASAP. Even so, Daichi, despite knowing how much these situations gave him anxiety, insisted on going anyway. And he was kind of hating it.

The loud and fast-paced sound of footsteps in geta shoes approached, and Daichi immediately went on guard, ready to run if necessary. But he was in no danger whatsoever. "Daichi-nii!" the ten-year-old called out cheerfully. His smile was like a radiant little beam of sunlight. All discomfort melted away as Daichi accepted the boy into his arms for a hug. That's right. He was putting himself through it for Duri's sake. He seemed to be having a rough time of it lately, so Daichi was determined to raise his spirits a little.

"Duri! I'm so glad y-you're here! I was s-starting to get a little worried that I'd m-messed up the meeting place," he laughed guiltily.

"Nope! Sorry, did I leave you waiting too long? I really did try to get here quickly!"

"No, no, don't worry about it! It's okay! I-I do live here in H-Hakone, after all, so I g-guess I just got here a bit early. Where do you wanna start?"

Duri was thrilled and fascinated; he'd never been to a Tanabata festival before, since he grew up in Korea. They didn't have Tanabata. Chilseok celebrated the same story, but there was no major party for it, just a lot of wheat-based dishes at the table. "We have to write our wishes on tanzaku first, of course! I mean, if that's okay with you!"

"O-Okay! I mean, it's o-only proper if we d-do that first!" Daichi agreed. He took the smaller boy's hand and led him toward a large tree. It was already covered in tanzaku, bursting with color. Daichi chose a purple scrap of paper, while Duri chose a bright green one. Daichi, in handwriting as neat as he could muster, wrote out, "I wish Mother feels safe and has a year filled with joy."

He gave Duri's wish a quick glance. "I wish for Daichi-nii to find happiness!" He gasped a little bit, taken-aback.

"Duri... you're w-willing to use your wish on m-me?" he asked, touched and holding a hand to his heart.

The boy gave a sweet giggle in response. "Of course! You're always there for me when I need you. I think you deserve my wish."

"You're the g-greatest little brother in the world, I swear," Daichi complimented, giving him another hug. Duri's excitement levels were quickly rising to capacities almost more than he could handle. How could so much exhilaration fit inside such a small body? The world may never know.

They hung their wishes on the tree nearby one another, and Daichi set a hand on Duri's shoulder affectionately. They stood there for a while, thinking about their wishes and how beautiful the tree was.

"What next?" Daichi asked softly.

Duri checked his watch. "I think the parade should be starting soon! Do you know where it's gonna be?"

"Gotcha. It's th-this way!" Feeling a little more secure now, he guided Duri toward the blocked-off street a block or two away. The parade was just about to begin when they arrived, standing close enough to the front that, despite their lack of height, they could see the performers. Dancers moved to the beat of steadily pounding drums, swaying in their traditional yukatas. An instrument that sounded like a bell but looked more like a tiny gong was chiming. Duri was enjoying the show, clapping along.

Daichi, on the other hand, was suddenly alert and close to trembling. Because he had caught a glimpse of a man that, frankly, he hoped he'd never have to see again. "D-Duri. I-I'm starting to g-get a little bored. Let's g-go play some f-festival games or s-something! Is that okay?" he asked.

Duri wasn't in any particular rush to leave. But when he turned his head to look at Daichi, he was instinctively aware that something was very, very wrong. His smile was a little too stiff. His sharp-colored eyes kept flicking over to one side, as though he was checking something. "O-Okay."

The older boy swiftly tossed the younger onto his shoulders and started booking it at full speed, darting in an odd pattern until they were far from the parade site. Daichi looked around a bit more, assuring himself that the man was nowhere nearby. Once his nerves were sufficiently calmed, he set Duri down. "I'll m-make it up to you, I p-promise! I can w-win you a prize. Let's check out these games, s-see what I think I'd be good at. And if there are any that y-you want to play, all you have to d-do is ask!"

Hmmm... I'm definitely not good at anything strength-related. I can do accuracy, but if I were to try the wanage, I might not have enough strength to get the rings where I want them to go. Ah! Shateki might work!

"This one. I can do that," he affirmed confidently. He slapped some coins onto the counter. "Six tries, f-first. I think m-maybe that'll be enough." He took the toy gun into his arms. "What p-prize do you want?"

"Hmm... maybe that cool hat over there?"

"Gotcha." Daichi casually took aim for a tin can near the center. It was off by a couple centimeters. "Okay, c-cool. Now I know what I'm d-doing wrong." He aimed once more, this time painstakingly, trying to be as purposeful and he could. CLUNK! He nailed a can. He let out a cocky smirk, and Duri couldn't help but grin at this rare display of aplomb. He repeated this process once more— aiming slightly and then readjusting— and even managed to hit the third can without a miss. He took a deep breath, ready to test himself and see if he could get a fourth. He counted down in his head. CLUNK!

"I'll take that hat there, p-please."

"Good job, kid," the worker commended, grabbing it for them. Daichi pushed it down onto Duri's head. Duri laughed.

"I wanna try out the fishing game, if that's okay!" he requested, pointing.

"Of course! L-Lead on." Duri took his shot with the magnetic fishing pole, intensely gathering as many "fish" as he could. He managed to gather a rather impressive hoard, and got a coupon for Takoyaki that far outweighed what he paid for the game. His eyes lit up. Daichi suddenly knew they would be there for a while. And they were. Because Duri just kept playing until they could essentially scam any food stand they wanted. Takoyaki was the first choice, and then, craving something on the sweeter side, he scored some apple candies. Daichi was hesitant to buy anything for himself— festival food was not at all what he was used to— but eventually he relented and got Takoyaki with a spare coupon, to show Duri he was grateful.

They sat and ate together. But Duri noticed that Daichi had once again gone vigilant. "Are you okay? I know you weren't really b-bored of the parade."

Daichi took in a deep breath. He wasn't sure how much of the story he should share with his friend. The truth. He should tell him the whole truth. Duri deserved it. "L-Look... I'm sorry for being so jumpy. But I s-saw... my f-father."

"Your dad? I thought you loved your dad! Why would he scare you that much?"

"N-No, no. I guess I've really n-never told you, huh? You can keep a secret, right?"

"You can count on me," he nodded resolutely.

"My dad and my f-father are t-two different people. As are my mom and my mother. Mother and F-Father live in Sendai. I don't even know why he's h-here!" he explained. He had to take a moment to relax himself so that he could continue. "Mom, Dad, and Mother are all w-wonderful. They raised me well and t-took care of me even when times were hard. F-Father... is a different story. Grief can l-lead people to make... b-bad choices. And God, d-did that man ever make bad ch-choices. I-It's been so long. I don't think I'm m-mad at him anymore. B-But I haven't seen him in close to s-seven years. I s-still don't think I'm r-ready. I so hope he didn't see me. And if he did, I hope he didn't r-recognize me."

Duri offered him a warm hug, bringing with it all the comfort and affection he could muster. "D-Don't worry, Daichi-nii! I'll be right here the whole time! We could go get you facepaint. And me, too! To disguise us! And then if he asks you about it, you can tell him that's impossible. And I can back you up, because I'm your 'little brother' and we have the same parents!"

"Do you think it'd work?" he asked shakily, a slightly pained smile on his face.

"Yes. It'll be okay!"

"God, you're such a s-smart kid. Th-Thank you. Y'know, I w-was hoping to cheer you up, but here you are m-making my life a whole lot easier. I love you, Duri."

The boy's eyes glistened with joy and empathy. "I love you too, Daichi-nii! Let's finish up our food quickly so we can get our faces painted."

For the rest of the night, Daichi felt completely secure. Even when he caught another glimpse of the man he once feared, his heart was at rest. And the two enjoyed the festival all the way until closing time.