Morning of the Camping Trip...
The street outside Yuki's apartment buzzed with activity as duffle bags were tossed into trunks and coolers snapped shut.
A fresh breeze blew through the early morning sun, carrying the scent of coffee from Keiko's thermos as she leaned against the van.
"Roll call!" Takeshi shouted from the front passenger seat, clipboard in hand like some overly enthusiastic camp counselor.
"Everyone here, mentally and physically?"
"Physically, yes. Mentally? Debatable." Keiko muttered.
Kazumi stood near the curb, arms crossed and lips pressed into a tight line as he watched Akihiko step coolly out of his sleek car.
The silver-haired doctor looked as composed as ever, not a strand of hair out of place, despite the fact that Kazumi's glare could have burned holes through metal.
"You've got some nerve showing up like this." Kazumi said flatly.
Akihiko merely tilted his head. "Still bitter?"
"You disappeared, and for years... For years she waited."
A beat of silence.
Ayaka, adjusting the strap on her overnight bag, lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Makoto appeared beside her then, brushing some imaginary lint off her shoulder like it was second nature.
"You okay?" he asked, voice gentle.
She gave a small smile. "Yeah."
Akihiko's gaze sharpened instantly.
His jaw flexed the slightest bit, eyes narrowing as Makoto casually moved closer, his hand brushing Ayaka's arm.
When Ayaka didn't pull away, Akihiko's expression chilled just enough to make Takeshi sigh dramatically from the van.
"Okay! Let's not turn this into a soap opera before we even leave the city."
He slapped a hand on Kazumi's back. "You're sitting with Nakamura."
Kazumi recoiled like he'd just been told to hug a cactus. "No thanks."
"You don't have a choice." Takeshi said breezily.
"I'm riding shotgun. Keiko, Haruto, Kaito and Yuki are taking the back row. Makoto's already next to Ayaka. So that leaves you and Nakamura, middle right."
"Takeshi! Switch with me! I don't want to sit next to this Ice Prince!" Takeshi demanded.
"Absolutely not. If you arrived early you could have chosen your seat." Takeshi crossed his arms.
Akihiko's voice was smooth as velvet. "You can glare at me the whole drive. Maybe it'll be therapeutic."
Kazumi glowered. "I'll walk."
"You'll ride." Takeshi corrected, opening the door and practically shoving him in.
"No! Stop pushing me! Don't force me to sit with him!" Kazumi pleaded.
"Kazumi stop acting like a child!" Takeshi ran out of patience and smacked him lightly on the head.
Akihiko followed, sliding into the seat beside Kazumi without a care.
But his attention wasn't on the sulking guy next to him.
It was on Makoto.
Specifically, Makoto's arm casually stretched behind Ayaka's headrest
He was leaning toward her, whispering something that made her laugh quietly.
Her shoulder touched his as she turned to respond.
The sight made something cold and slow simmer under Akihiko's calm exterior.
Takeshi caught it.
He smirked and leaned in from the front. "Careful, Ayaka." he said lightly. "You're sitting awfully close to Prince Sunshine."
Ayaka blinked. "Huh?"
"Makoto. Moonlight Sonata?" he clarified. "And Nakamura's gonna die of secondhand rage at this rate."
"I don't care where she sits. Or who she sits with." Akihiko said, too quickly.
Kazumi snorted. "Sure. That glare you're sending could melt steel."
Akihiko didn't respond, but his fingers drummed once on his knee.
Then stopped.
"Remember that beach trip three summers ago?" Yuki piped up from the back.
"Kazumi was dying to sit next to Nakamura. He didn't want Ayaka and Nakamura to sit together so he dragged Nakamura, clinging to him as if he was his boyfriend!" Everyone began laughing.
"Lies!" Kazumi barked.
"Nope." Keiko chimed in, sipping her coffee.
"I remember. You insisted to sit with him then talk nonsense the whole trip."
Takeshi grinned into the mirror. "And now the tables have turned. Karma's got a nice sense of humor."
Meanwhile, Ayaka shifted slightly in her seat, Makoto's presence and a steady warmth at her side.
She could feel Akihiko's eyes on her from the row behind, sharp and unreadable.
Makoto leaned in, voice low enough for only her to hear. "Should I move?"
"Huh?"
"To avoid being assassinated mid-drive."
Ayaka coughed to hide a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous."
But a small part of her wondered what Akihiko was thinking.
And why the weight of his stare was enough to make her cheeks heat.
As the van pulled away from the curb, the other car — driven by Yuki's parents — followed close behind.
The road ahead promised forests, tents, and a surprise proposal.
But inside the van, a storm had already started to brew.
And Akihiko Nakamura was not used to sharing space — or attention — when it came to Ayaka.
------
The van rumbled along the highway, forest trees whipping past in a blur of green as the city faded in the rearview mirror.
The inside buzzed with conversation, snacks being passed, and the occasional thrum of Yuki's playlist from a shared speaker.
In the middle row, Kazumi sat stiffly with his arms folded, pressed against the door like Akihiko had some contagious disease.
His mood had not improved since being shoved into the seat beside his "favorite person."
"Why are you still glaring at me?" Akihiko asked coolly, not even turning his head.
"Because I still don't like you after what you did!" Kazumi shot back.
"You'll survive." Akihiko leaned back and closed his eyes—at least for two seconds, until he heard Ayaka laugh softly from the row ahead.
He opened them.
Makoto had just pulled out a pack of gummy candies, offering some to Ayaka.
She smiled as she plucked one, their fingers brushing briefly.
Ayaka didn't notice it, but Akihiko did.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Isn't that too sweet for her?" Akihiko said suddenly, the voice was dry. "She doesn't usually like sugary things in the morning."
Ayaka turned around, a little startled. "You remember that?"
Makoto raised a brow but smiled. "She liked the lemon ones last week."
"Because they're sour." Akihiko replied flatly.
Kazumi let out a laugh under his breath. "Wow. That was subtle."
"Your sarcasm is unappreciated." Akihiko said without missing a beat.
Meanwhile, Ayaka blinked between the two, then turned back forward, biting the gummy anyway—probably just to prove a point.
The van bumped over a slight hill and Takeshi leaned around from the front seat, smirking. "I feel like we need popcorn. This is way more entertaining than I expected."
Kazumi muttered, "Still not sitting next to him on the way back."
"You think we'll make it back alive?" Keiko said from the back row, sipping her iced tea like a spectator. "The tension is choking."
Makoto leaned a bit closer to Ayaka, pretending to whisper. "If things go sideways, I'll protect you."
Ayaka chuckled. "From what?"
"From the eye daggers behind us." he said under his breath.
Akihiko could hear them.
Every hushed laugh. Every soft exchange.
The way Ayaka naturally leaned a bit toward Makoto when she spoke.
It was infuriating.
His fingers drummed slowly on the armrest between him and Kazumi.
Kazumi noticed it. "You look constipated."
"I'm fine." Akihiko replied tightly.
"You sure? Because you've been blinking like you're recalibrating your emotions."
"I don't need to recalibrate anything."
"Right. You're totally fine with Prince Radiant sitting next to Ayaka. Laughing. Whispering. Feeding her—"
"I said I'm fine."
Kazumi smirked. "Then why do you look like you're planning his murder in three languages?"
The conversation was interrupted as Yuki turned around in her seat and pointed her phone toward everyone. "Smile for the camera!"
The group posed—sort of. Makoto leaned close to Ayaka with a playful peace sign.
Ayaka smiled. Akihiko?
His smile was barely there.
Tight.
Cold.
Calculated.
Yuki glanced at the photo and grinned. "You look like you're in a drama, Dr. Nakamura."
"I feel like I'm in one." he muttered.
Kazumi snorted again.
Just then, Ayaka turned in her seat slightly. "Akihiko?"
He blinked. "What?"
"You okay?"
His gaze flicked to Makoto for half a second before landing back on her. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
She blinked. "Huh?"
He leaned forward just enough that his voice was low, meant only for her ears. "You're looking a little too comfortable over there."
Her eyes widened slightly. "W-What's that supposed to mean?"
He said nothing else.
Just sat back again, expression unreadable.
Makoto arched a brow but said nothing.
Ayaka quietly faced forward, a faint heat rising to her cheeks that she didn't understand—and refused to analyze.
Behind her, Akihiko crossed his arms.
Jealousy wasn't something he entertained often.
But with Makoto? With the way Ayaka smiled around him, trusted him, leaned into him?
It was a fire he didn't know how to put out.
Kazumi, watching him out of the corner of his eye, nudged him.
"What?" Akihiko asked.
"You're a mess."
"And you're annoying."
"So we're even." Kazumi said with a smirk.
Akihiko didn't respond.
His eyes stayed fixed on the back of Makoto's head.
The road stretched on, and so did the tension.