Valerian Mountains, February 2596

15-year-old Asahi adjusted the strap on his backpack and tightened his grip on the walking stick before mentally bracing himself for the challenging terrain ahead. He and Carossio had agreed to accept their Copperanian friend's invitation to her sweet 17th birthday bash. Ushio would be hosting a karaoke session and barbecue night in her family's cabin secluded somewhere atop the wintery Valerian Mountains, roughly 45 minutes of hiking from the heart of Golden Valley.

"Do you have song recommendations for the karaoke session?" Carossio asked as the two of them trudged through the snowy trail. "Come to think of it, I never knew much of your taste in music. I don't even know if you've ever tried singing. Is it difficult for you to sing?"

"Siiingiing iss not maii forrrte," the teenager replied, "battt ressenttliii Ayumi baauttt a 48-key elektrrroniikk orrgann enn sintesssaiiizer aii laff tuu eksprerimmenn wiitt."

"An organ? Impressive. You're more musically inclined than I would have thought."

"Aii faiiin ittt harrrtt tuu plaii meloddii ennn korrrds simuultannessslii. Sso aii kenn onli plaiii wittt wan henn en not tuu heens. Batt am ebbell tuu plai baiii irrrs."

"Is that so? Then hopefully Ushio has an organ somewhere in her family's cabin. I'm sure she and her Copperanian peers would love to have you serenade them. Jamming sesh!"

"Duu yuu kno da siinggg-nger Shakira?"

"That woman from 2010s Earth your mother idolized? I think I've heard her songs. A while ago, Mama took me to a museum in Brown Aspen City that housed a repository of the top 500 albums our 21st-century ancestors brought with them on their voyage here from the doomed original planet of humanity. Shakira was one wonderful performer. She and Rihanna and Beyonce were."

"Dosss hiipsss don laiii!"

"Ay, those hips do be shaking like loco. Wow, Asahi, your taste in music is epic."

"Kontiiggo miii viidaa, quiiero vivvviirrr la vida!" Asahi belted a line in a high-pitched voice and swayed mock-seductively. "Quiiero vivir kontiiggo! Ahahahah."

"Oh, I know that one. Suerte, isn't that the title?" Carossio smiled. "What a nice love song."

And the lyrics are super poetic, Asahi responded in Copper Valley signs, especially the one in which the singer says she would climb the Andes all on her own just to see her lover's freckles.

"Yeah, that song is basically a poem!" Carossio agreed. "And it's a bit funny too. The singer says she is lucky her lover was born so far away so that they both could ridicule the distance between them. Then, out of nowhere, she said she's lucky her breasts are small so that they could not be confused with mountains!" he erupted into a fit of chuckling. "Dios mio, the sexual innuendo..."

"Aii laiik dat laiin," Asahi chuckled too, "shiii isss konnfiidenn in her aunnn baaadii."

"And we love women who aren't apologetic about their physical statures, yep."

Asahi nodded and returned his attention to the rocky path waiting for them. His eyes scanned the path for any fallen tree trunks or obstacles that could be injurious if they were careless.

"We have approximately 15 more minutes to go," Carossio glanced at his map, "and we could take some water break. Dehydration would be our enemy. Good thing we have coconut juice."

The two took shelter under a giant black willow and thirstily chugged a bottle of the replenishment before stretching their legs. Asahi hummed more upbeat tunes while Carossio studied the map again to figure out the fastest track they could take to their destination.

"I have marked our route with red dots," Carossio showed Asahi. "We should be there before nightfall. I can't wait to huddle under a blanket and maybe swap ghost stories."

"Booo!" Asahi grinned spookily. "Yuu arr now haaauuntiiid baiii a feeenjjjfuul spiiriiit."

"In the name of the Holy Trinity, I banish you to the depth of purgatory!"

Asahi imitated a dying moan and then descended into a string of boisterous laughter.

"Never a dull moment with you, man!" Carossio playfully punched him on the shoulder before getting up and pulling Asahi up with him too. "I couldn't have asked for a better trekking buddy. Anyhow, we should get going or the stars would come out and it's gonna get so freaking chilly."

***

The boys made it just in time for Ushio to usher them in, saying that the indoor grill was ready. They flocked to the spacious kitchen with the rest of Ushio's party attendees, their stomachs growling in protestation of the 45 minutes spent in the woods without dinner.

Ushio had laid a tray of squids, peeled deveined shrimps, clams, and cubed pineapples and jalapeños on the kitchen counter. Next to the plates of seafood was a bowl of marinade, from which emanated the scent of soy sauce, cilantro, red pepper, cumin, and garlic.

"Help yourselves," she addressed her guests while distributing plates and eating utensils, "don't forget to get some tongs to handle the seafood. Also, watch your piece so they don't get burned. We all love slightly charred barbecue, but no one likes to eat coal, does anyone?"

Asahi skewered a carefully selected pattern of layered squids, pineapple, squids again, shrimps, jalapeño, and more pineapples before joining Carossio in communally grilling the seafood skewers. Waiting for the juicy squids to turn crispy on the outside and flavor inside, he also threw some clams to the grill. While the clams were heating up, he sprinkled them with salt.

"Look at you being a veteran grillmaster!" Ushio complimented him as she watched him brush the marinade on the surface of the seafood. "I won't expect any less from the son of a coastal tribal chief. Your family must have several generations' worth of barbecuing secrets to pass down. I'm envious. Look at how you are arranging the ingredients by their colors."

"Waat BBQ siikkriit?" he gave the birthday girl a quizzical look before picking up the now nicely browned skewered squids and pineapples. "Deer iss no siikkriit, onlii guuttt taiiming."

"But timing your barbecue just right is tricky!" Ushio exclaimed. "You make it look effortless."

"Okeee, denn meeeibii yuu arr korrekttt en am griit at disss."

"All hail the prince of barbecue!" Carossio rose a glass of sparkling water, proposing a toast.

"Hear, hear!" everyone else toasted and the sound of clinking glasses filled the kitchen.

Once there was no single skewer left to eat, the guests moved to the big karaoke room in anticipation of a night of screaming song lyrics at the top of their lungs.

"Guys," Ushio grimaced as the TV projected nothing but grey static, "I think the karaoke machine is broken. Don't let this dampen your spirits, though. I know a good party game."

"Sneeeks ennn ladders?" Asahi chimed in. "Orrr perhhappps domino kaards?"

"No, silly!" Ushio shook her head. "What are we, 7-year-old? Nah, we're going to play the classic Truth or Dare combined with Spin the Bottle. Whoever is chicken enough to turn down a dare has to drink a special beverage I concocted."

"Ushio, I have to ask," Carossio held a hand up, "what is in that concoction? Our parents would kill us if they know we were engaging in some underage drinking crap. Not worth it, señorita."

"Lighten up, compadre. Nothing dangerous. Just mango juice with a helluva of lime juice added on top of grapefruit extract and starfruit essence. Very acidic and tart, no sugar added."

"Ewww, that's gonna be very sour!" Carossio scrunched up his face and Asahi mimicked him.

"That's the point! Punishment for those who chicken out from a dare."

Ushio then ordered everyone to sit in circles while a bottle was spinning. The bottle stopped in the direction of a girl with long, curly hair and a neon green headband.

"Truth," she said. "As long as it is nothing too personal."

"Alright!" Ushio spun the bottle again to decide who should ask the question. The bottle kept on spinning before its cap pointed to Asahi.

"Rrr, oke..." he cleared his throat, "hafff yuu effer waanteedd tuu slap a stranggger?"

"What? That's not what I thought you'd ask, but yes. All the time. People can be unbelievably annoying. Either they act too friendly with us or they cut us in line at the cinema and such."

"Biin derrr," Asahi nodded, "not essssi to kuuurrrb awwerr urrjj tuu smackk derr fess."

"Dang, and here I thought Asahi was one peaceful bear cub!" Ushio laughed heartily.

"Datt was wen aii was twelllfff!" Asahi turned a shade pinker. "Kuittt tiiisiing miii."

Ushio winked mischievously and the game went on with Carossio having to accept a dare from one of the older boys in attendance. The boy had dared him to give Ushio a lap dance.

"A-Are y-you alright with t-this, Ushio?" Carossio asked for consent. "If you are not, I would take a sip from that super sour concoction of yours. Just let me know."

"It's just a dance, nothing dirty!" Ushio shrugged, "And it's not like we are gonna be twerking like pole dancers. I trust you. Feel free to choreograph the dance in whatever way you like."

Timidly, Carossio sat on a chair while Ushio climbed onto his lap. "Now what?" she scoffed.

The boy held out both of his arms and Ushio squeezed his hands. They proceeded to move their arms side to side in a steady rhythm while tapping their feet on the floor.

"I did the dare," Carossio said to the boy who had challenged him. "That counts, yeah?"

"It counts but that was pretty tame!" the challenger said in amusement. "Still, good game."

The next round of the Truth or Dare saw Asahi choosing to be given a dare too.

"Okay," one of the older girls spoke up. "Pick any girl in this room to kiss."

"Batt watt iff shii dasss not wann to kiss mii?" Asahi started to sweat, "meiibe wii suuulttt akksss whuuu wanna voluuntiiir feers."

The group of girls glanced at each other for a hot minute or two. Meanwhile, Asahi fidgeted with his shoelaces while thinking I need to know for myself if I really feel nothing for girls. I need to figure out if I really have problems getting turned on or if it's something else.

"May I kiss you?" the neon green headband-wearing girl from earlier volunteered. "Your lips look so soft, like rose petals. I wonder if they taste like roses too. Please?"

"G–goo ahh-hheadd," Asahi stammered before closing the gap between them and shutting his eyes. Don't make this any weirder than it has to be. She's way too excited but I gotta keep it together. No meltdowns.

The girl started brushing her lips against him and then licked his upper lip before prying his bottom lip open and sticking her wet tongue in. Asahi gasped but didn't let go.

The girl put a hand on Asahi's cheek before sucking his bottom lip passionately.

"W-wai–" Asahi pushed her off him, "s-sssori, aii niid samm eeeeirrr..." he got up before feeling dizzy and he staggered to a nearby table to get some warm tea. Before he could get to the table, however, his stomach churned. Throwing up, he emptied his barbecue dinner onto the floor.

"Fuck! This is bad! Very, very bad!" Ushio shrieked before rushing to Asahi's side. "You must be so nervous, poor thing. Let's get you cleaned up. Carossio?" she beckoned her best friend over.

"Can you walk okay?" he knelt down beside the shaky and retching boy. "Let's get your smelly shirt changed and then I'll tuck you onto the bed. You look so pale. Oh, dear! You're warmer than normal!" Carossio exclaimed as Asahi kept on convulsing.

"Aiii... aii did not miin to v-vommittt b-b-att aii–" Asahi's vision turned blurry and he fainted.

"What have I done?!" the girl who kissed Asahi screamed. "Ushio, please don't kick me out of the party and leave me alone in the cold, freezing weather. I had no idea he was anxious."

"Not your fault," Ushio reassured her. "First kisses can actually be disastrous for some guys."

"I'm sorry," the girl whispered to the unconscious Asahi. "Performance anxiety sucks."

"He should be okay after getting a lot of rest," Carossio scooped him up and proceeded to carry him to one of the bedrooms. "And I don't think he'd be upset with you. If anything, he would be embarrassed but not blame you. Just... try not to bring up the subject in the morning. Let it go."

***

8.35 AM

"Good morning, sunshine!" Carossio changed the towel-wrapped ice pack on Asahi's forehead and greeted him as the young boy regained consciousness. "¿Cómo te sientes?"

Still a bit lightheaded, Asahi rubbed his eyes and signed, but not as badly as last night.

"I see. Take it easy today. Ushio is making chicken noodle soup and warming up honey ginger chamomile tea for you downstairs," his friend said. "She's worried your mom would be so cross with her and that this would undo all of the work we have done in the past three years to bridge the differences between Inner and Outer Little Trees. I'd say she's overthinking."

She is! Asahi continued responding in Copper Valley sign language, I'm not telling Mama anything. No way. If she and Ayumi heard about this, I would be my family's laughing stock.

"Really? Your sister would make fun of you for a horrible first kiss?"

Not for that, the flustered teen grimaced, but for putting myself in a risky scenario. She would laugh because all those years she had prepared me for puberty and now puberty kicked in.

"Welcome to teenagehood, I guess?" Carossio shrugged. "I suppose you wanted to make a good impression on girls that your brain became overloaded at the prospect of disappointing them."

"S-Syo," Asahi gripped his best friend's wrist, "daat wass not watt I meeenttt baii pubertii."

"Then what did you mean?" Carossio squinted his eyes. "Oh! You meant you're worried you're a late bloomer because of your disability. Well, better late than never. It finally happened."

"N-no. S-Syo, liisteenn. Am positif am g-ggay. Ween aii kisssedd dat guurl, aii felllt so rrrepulsssed en tauuut watt aii wass doiinng wasss dissgasssstink. It wasss rev–revolllttingg. Thus, aiii konkluddd I haff g-ggay inn-kliii-natt-tions."

"Well, that's one of several possibilities, of course." Carossio caressed Asahi's hands. "But you've never also kissed a boy after trying with a girl, so how do you know if you're not something else? Like asexual or aromantic, as in not attracted to any gender. To me, it seems you're averse to non-platonic intimacy. Maybe you don't feel romantic and sexual attraction."

"S-syo, aii–" he turned his head to the wall before trying to speak again, "aiii– yuuu—"

"Don't stress," Carossio shushed him."It is normal not to be sure of our sexual identities and preferences. You're at the exploration stage, so no worries if you're full of uncertainties. Also, there's nothing wrong with having an aversion to sex. Different people prefer different things. "

"B-Baat aiii... aii am suuur of maii orri-orrientt-ttation."

"Hm? You said you are sure?" Carossio's eyes widened. "Did I hear you wrong?"

"Yuu... herrrttt mi raiiit."

"Okay. But this means you have a crush on a boy all along, right?" Carossio asked before pausing. "Wait, you didn't know a lot of boys and hadn't interacted with many until we came to this party, which means..."

Asahi rolled his eyes. Come on, it's not a quadratic equation, he signed impatiently.

"Whoa! You like me. As in, more than just as a childhood friend. I am your crush. Go figure."

Asahi shivered and his heart felt as if it could stop without warning from the sheer amount of extra blood it had to pump. His eyes were feverish from holding the tears that threatened to flow.

I know my feelings for you are going nowhere, he signed, because I am me. Nobody would ever think a minimally-verbal teen could have a crush that began as early as when he turned thirteen. I've liked you for a couple of years but I've always tried to downplay my feelings because I know that, to you, I am nothing but a helpless and non-functional kid to keep an eye on, especially during episodes of my brain being overstimulated. I am nothing but a burden and you see yourself as my caretaker. Nothing would come of this.

"Asahi..." Carossio was crying softly now, "I've never seen you as a helpless child. All this time, I've admired you for having such a bubbly and chipper personality. When we were goofing off in the woods singing Shakira's songs, that was a memory to treasure," he exhaled heavily. "So I see you as the 15-year-old you are. I know people might think you're simple-minded just because you can't talk in long sentences, but you know what, Asahi? Screw those people."

I don't want to get my hopes up, Asahi's hands were shaking but he pressed on, but does this mean... I have a chance with you? We could start dating when we're ready?

"I-I'm sorry," Carossio buried his face in his hands, "I hate to do this to you but... but one can't choose who one falls in love with any more than one can choose one's ethnicity. Asahi.... I-I have no control over this but... I am as straight as I could be.... And I'm in love with Ushio."

Asahi stayed silent but the tears he was holding were now streaming down his cheeks like a creek after a thunderstorm. Carossio reached out to wipe them away, but they kept coming.

Ushio is amazing, Asahi forced a smile, and I–I want nothing but happiness for you, so it's okay, you can be with her. I... I'm not gonna get between you two or harbor any resentment. B-But I-I'm afraid I would never outgrow this... this intense adoration I have for you. I-if I... If I never move on from you, then... then would you distance yourself from me? Ushio likes you too, right? So you would distance yourself from m-me for h-her sake. It's unfortunate but... it's life.

Carossio closed his eyes and pulled Asahi into a suffocating hug.

"You're the most selfless person I've ever had the pleasure of calling my best friend," he loosened the hug after a while and tilted Asahi's chin up so that their eyes met. "And I would never, ever dream of ending our friendship just because you're crushing on me. I'm unable to return your feelings," he patted Asahi's back when the younger boy sobbed louder, " but we're friends and will always be friends forever, period."

T-Thank you for not letting our friendship d-deteriorates because of my c-confession, Asahi signed haltingly, and I hope Ushio knows I have no plan of stealing you from her.

"She knows that we've been friends since before she becomes a part of the picture," a single teardrop fell and the streak stained Carossio's cheek. "And so she'd understand our enduring friendship. If worse comes to worst and she starts becoming overly jealous of us being friends... if she becomes possessive of me... I swear to heavens, Asahi, I'd rather lose her than lose you."

Don't say that! Asahi shook his head adamantly. No one should lose anyone. If she's as important to you as I am, then she belongs in your life too. We both belong but in different ways. I hope she's okay with this truth. Belonging can mean different things when romance is involved.

"The two of you are both mis corazones," Carossio said affectionately."I can't imagine a life in which one of you isn't in it. I need you as my best friend and I need her romantically."

The three of us need each other deeply, Asahi nodded, let's remember that always.

"Me preocupo mucho por los dos," Carossio was smiling again. "I care very much about you both," he repeated in English. "Con todo mi corazon. With all my heart," he patted the back of Asahi's hand. "And nothing could change how much I'm grateful for you two."

Asahi was too astonished by disbelief at Carossio's kindness to offer a response, but Carossio flashed him a tender look before getting up and saying that he would be going ice fishing with everyone else but that Asahi didn't have to join if he weren't in the mood.

***

When Asahi calmed down enough to go downstairs and eat breakfast, he saw Ushio already set up the bowl of chicken noodle soup on the dining table and was pacing restlessly in the kitchen.

"Uss-shh-io?" he tapped her shoulder. When she didn't react, he snapped his fingers.

"Oh! Asahi, you're okay now!" she flung her arms at him. "You were out like a light. Carossio was at your bedside all night long. I hope you have enough appetite today. If not, there are fruits in the fridge. Apples and bananas."

"Chii-chikkeennn nuudell is okke," he brought the spoon to his mouth. "Yum. A-Arigatou!" he was about to dig in even more but remembered something. "Waii yuu not aiss fiissing?"

"Oh, Asahi, if I go ice fishing then who would keep you company in the cabin?" she chuckled. "I am fine just doing some cleaning and washing the dishes today, if it means spending time with you. I'm leaving procurement of lunch to others more capable of braving the wilderness."

"U-ssh-io, maaaind if I akkss perrrss–o-nal kuessttyen?" Asahi said while twirling the noodles.

"Ask away."

"Hawwww longg haff yuu enn S-syo biin goiing auttt as a peeeirrr of loffers?"

"Hm?" she cocked her head in surprise. "Ah! The cat is out of the bag, I see. He confessed to me not too long ago. One and a half weeks ago, if I recall correctly," she smiled shyly. "I was taken aback because I like him too but had never thought I would be at the receiving end of a confession. But I said yes. We weren't trying to hide it from you or anything, we just thought we would wait for a good time to celebrate with you. In fact, if last night hadn't gone so wrong, we would have announced the news after the barbecuing event. We originally discussed picking a love song to karaoke as a duo and then declare we are now an item. But y' know, the karaoke machine wasn't working."

"Kongratuulla–tt-ions. Baii da wwii, a-aii haff nyuus for yuu tuu. S-syo allreedii kno."

"Good news or bad news?" Ushio looked at him with a hint of worry.

"Nyuuttrral. Am g-gay. Dat wasss waii aii bleeekked autt affterrr da kiss. It waass nott jass mii beingg nervosss. I wass battlllingg emoshhional disskomforrt."

"So what you were saying," Ushio picked up on where the conversation was going, "is that you purposefully participated in Truth or Dare just to confirm to yourself that you don't like girls that way," she flashed him a sad smile. "I'm happy you know for sure now you're gay, but I wish the realization didn't have to come at the expense of you suffering through a meltdown."

"Dat wass thou–ghtt-less of me," Asahi admitted embrassedly. "Aii shuult haff knaaunn maii boddii wuud reakktt stroonglii regarrddlless. Ferrs kiss shultt be swiit, not a gemmm of derrrr."

"Yeah. That was careless of you, but honestly, Carossio and I shouldn't have just stood by doing nothing when that girl started using tongue," Ushio grimaced. "That was too forward of her. If I were you, I'd be grossed out too because shouldn't that level of passion be done only in private?"

"Innn ennniii kesss," Asahi let out a long exhale, "am gladd aii kno am undeniiablii g-ggay. Aiiff gottt an anseeerr tuuu mai kuessyenn abauttt maissefff. Enn nauu aii also knoo aii don laiik swallowww–ingg tangg."