Did this sketch in celebration for my 21st birthday, I’m getting way too old and time is moving faster than I can comprehend, send help
Anyway along with Fossil Cookie are two of my other characters, Rexmon, a fan made Digimon I made, and Meirai, a Raichu girl who I can’t share much about cause she’s not exactly Tumblr friendly-
Summary: Sometimes Mei just needed Raichi to remind him it was okay to be a kid again. (2049 words)
Read on AO3
Mei enjoyed the month of November. It was when the world began to cool into the winter months, but not so cold that he couldn’t enjoy a walk through the park. It just meant he had to wear an extra layer of clothing or two depending on the day.
As he walked through the park, the colorful leaves above rustled in the breeze. He watched as a couple dislodged from their branches to twist and turn until they landed in his path. The crunch beneath his feet eased any stress he had about his fast-approaching finals. Just a few more weeks until the break and he couldn’t wait for a little breather.
Beside him, humming and skipping to his own tune, Raichi swung their interlocked hands. The childlike atmosphere that surrounded his boyfriend was what had originally drawn Mei to him. Odd, he thought, but probably not surprising.
Mei had always been a bit of a brat growing up. He liked to blame his parents for that. Their constant working and inattentiveness made for tantrums and trouble. Mei’s sisters had done their best to care for him, but they eventually moved out and started their own lives. He couldn’t blame them, but it left Mei alone, making him realize he needed to grow up faster than those around him.
So Raichi’s wondrous gaze that lit up at every little thing he found fascinating in the world had caught Mei’s attention. He loved the way those brown eyes sparkled with excitement and the way he grinned and seemed to vibrate with energy. Mei envied how his boyfriend felt with his whole body. Each emotion played across his face and body language. It made understanding Raichi easy when the younger couldn’t quite get his words across.
He hadn’t realized just how lost in his thoughts he’d become until he was jerked out of it by Raichi’s sudden halt. Their linked hands pulled Mei back to Raichi’s side. “What’s wrong?” Mei asked when he noticed Raichi staring off to the side. His eyes were large with excitement and anticipation. Mei followed his gaze and huffed out a little laugh. Just beyond the trees to their right stood a small swing set with two swings. “Do you want to swing?”
Raichi’s bright eyes turned to Mei. They downright sparkled at the question and the grin on his face was enough of an answer, but still, Raichi squeaked out, “Can we?” His voice strained with barely contained energy.
Smiling, Mei took the lead. He walked them over to the empty swing set. It was older looking. The poles were spotted with rust and the plastic black seats were cracked and mostly faded to gray. It seemed like the area had been forgotten and left to decay in comparison to the more populated areas of the park with the fancy playground equipment.
When they were close enough, Raichi relinquished his hold of Mei’s hand and ran the rest of the way to the swing. He flung himself down onto the seat and the chains clinked together, groaning loudly with the sudden weight. Mei knew he shouldn’t have worried, but there was a moment when he wondered if the swing would collapse with the way Raichi landed on it.
Raichi grinned up at the pole above as his fingers gripped the chains tightly. His feet dangled, barely touching the mulch beneath. The years of use and children attempting to halt their movements had caused the ground to dip low. Mei just observed Raichi’s childish wonder until those eyes found him again.
He was waiting for Mei to join him. Mei knew exactly what the younger wanted, but he still shook his head and laughed. “Seriously?” Raichi nodded vigorously and Mei simply shook his head. “Fine,” he tried to sound put out by the silent request but he really couldn’t keep the fondness from his voice or the smile off his lips.
Situated behind Raichi, Mei pulled his boyfriend back and then pushed him forward. Raichi kicked his feet out and pulled them back in an attempt to help kickstart his momentum. Mei’s fingers met Raichi’s back and he gave another hard push. They continued this over and over with Raichi’s laugh ringing out into the air, making Mei smile with the occasional laugh of his own.
He liked the way Raichi’s hair whipped around his head with the wind he made while swinging. Mei stood off to the side, leaning against one of the poles as he watched his boyfriend. The look of ecstasy on Raichi’s face was beautiful. Mei especially loved the way Raichi laughed when he went too high and there was a moment where he was freefalling only for the chains to go taut and continue the arch of the swing.
He was just wondering how long Raichi was going to swing when Raichi made eye contact with him. Using his feet, Raichi kicked at the ground, the mulch and dirt flying into the air. Mei resisted the urge to grimace at what his boyfriend’s shoes would look like later. They’d been relatively new and clean before, but now...
“Done already?” Mei asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.
Raichi’s eyes still shined brightly and Mei knew that meant he’d thought of some idea. “Mei-san,” Raichi exclaimed. Mei kept his face mostly neutral. He really wished Raichi would stop calling him that. They’d been dating for three months now. Raichi needed to stop being so formal with him. “Come here.”
Pushing off the pole, Mei walked over. “Now what?” He asked, standing beside his grinning boyfriend.
“Get on,” he said, shaking the chains slightly.
Mei looked from the chains to the seat that Raichi was basically covering completely to his boyfriend’s stupidly gorgeous eyes. “Raichi,” he said carefully. He didn’t want to crush the other’s hopes. “I don’t think we can swing if I sit on your lap.”
Raichi’s face flushed. Even the tips of his ears were a bit pink. It was cute. After all their intimate moments over the months, one would think that Raichi would stop blushing at the most innocent comments. Then again, Mei kind of enjoyed watching him stutter through his responses.
“N-no!” He panicked and Mei decided to ease his boyfriend’s apparent gutter of a mind.
“Relax,” Mei whispered, brushing a hand through Raichi’s hair and being careful of any knots. The action always managed to ease the younger. “What did you mean?” He was grinning while attempting to contain the laughter that wanted to burst from his chest.
Tapping on the small spaces available on the seat, Raichi said, “Put your feet here.”
“Seriously?” Mei wasn’t convinced this was a good idea. He looked up at the chains, wondering if it would hold both of their weights combined. “Will it hold?”
Raichi nodded excitedly. “Sawamura and I used to do this all the time.”
Now that definitely did not ease Mei’s concerns whatsoever. He almost wanted to tell Raichi that anything Sawamura did was seldom a good idea. He knew how impulsive his boyfriend and friend could be when together. It was amazing that they came back in one piece after going out together.
With a sigh, Mei walked behind Raichi, who watched him with vibrating shoulders. “Are you sure about this?” He asked once more but sighed in resignation when Raichi gave a single determined nod. “If I die, I swear I’m coming back to haunt your ass.” To his disappointment, Raichi only grinned wider.
The cold chains bit into the skin of his palms as his fingers gripped them tightly. He put one foot up on the seat and prepared to lift himself onto the swing. One, two, he began in his head. On three, he pulled himself up so he stood behind Raichi. Mei wobbled slightly as Raichi held them as still as he could. Once he’d found his balance, he looked down at Raichi.
With a small smile, Raichi began kicking his legs. Mei leaned with his movements, trying to do his best to help them get moving. Mei wouldn’t admit it and never would admit that he’d been scared at first, but man... he’d been terrified. But thankfully, it wasn’t as difficult to balance as he had anticipated.
He couldn’t remember the last time he was on a swing set. The wind they created pulled and pushed at his clothes. His hair whipped into his face, stinging his eyes and skin, but he found he didn’t mind. He felt free with his heart pounding against his ribs. When the weightlessness hit, he laughed loudly.
So maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Maybe - just maybe - he would thank Sawamura for doing this with Raichi first. But probably not. Couldn’t let Sawamura think he’d one-upped Mei.
Mei looked down to find Raichi grinning up at him. He couldn’t tell if his boyfriend’s cheeks were pink from the cool air or happiness. Maybe both. There was so much fondness in the look that Mei’s breath caught in his throat. God, he loved Raichi so freaking much. So much that sometimes it caught him by surprise.
“Mei-san!” Raichi said over the wind and effectively pulled Mei from his staring. He raised an eyebrow at Raichi as they began falling backward again. “Gonna jump!” He yelled when they started forward.
“Wha-” They reached their highest point and Raichi let go of the chains. Mei’s heart lurched in his chest as Raichi went flying through the air, laughing as he went. The younger hit the ground and rolled on the mulch. He lay there laughing on the ground with mulch stuck to his clothes. “Raichi!” Mei snapped as he was left swinging and waiting for it to stop on its own. “I’m going to kill you!” For giving me a damn heart attack! He didn’t say.
Sitting up, Raichi continued to laugh with a hand clutching his stomach. Mei could see the tears glittering in his boyfriend’s eyes as he scrambled to his feet. “Jump!” He called out.
“No way!” Mei’s grip on the chains tightened. His fingers ached from the cold.
“Please!” Raichi gave him a small smile. “It’ll be okay, promise!”
Mei worried his lip. Raichi looked like he was in one piece, but Raichi was always better at things like this. He looked at his boyfriend, waiting there with open arms. Was he going to try to catch Mei? Now, that would end in a disaster.
“You can do it!” Raichi encouraged him again.
Oh, fuck it. Mei used his body to gain some more height on the swing. Then, as he went forward one last time, he let go. For the brief moment that he was in the air, Mei felt like he was flying. He let out a startled laugh. His heart thundered in his chest when his feet hit the ground and his momentum sent him rolling over twice.
Sitting up, he yelled, “Holy shit!” The exclamation sent Raichi into a fit of giggles as the younger knelt beside him. He couldn’t believe how much adrenaline he was feeling from something so small. Mei fell back onto the ground, hoping his heart would calm down.
Raichi leaned over to look down at him. Mei could only see happiness in the other’s eyes as he said, “It was fun, right?”
Mei tugged Raichi down by his sweatshirt to give him a quick kiss. “God, you’re lucky I love you,” he whispered against Raichi’s lips. Raichi’s eyes crinkled with unleashed mirth as he held Mei’s gaze.
Raichi gave him another kiss before pulling Mei to his feet. They helped each other brush off the stubborn pieces of mulch clinging to their clothes. As they turned to continue on their way - Mei couldn’t even remember what they had originally planned - Raichi laced their fingers together. God, that smile, Mei thought as they continued their walk. He would never get over Raichi’s impromptu mini-adventures.
But what Mei had omitted to say earlier was that he was actually the lucky one. It was days like this that made him wonder what he did to be able to call someone like Raichi his - to have someone so pure-hearted remind him that he’s never too old to act like a kid and just enjoy life.
