Submission (#8222) Approved

The branches of Yggdrasil hummed with life that night, every single one of them. Lanterns swayed gently from woven ropes, casting golden light across the winding walkways and the countless shivering leaves. The salty breeze from the ocean carried laughter and the sound of chimes. Beneath the canopy, where roots stretched into the sea, Ealei celebrated the Starfall Faire.

Yuji sat cross-legged on a wide dock, parchment spread in front of him. His white fur glowed faintly under the lanterns as he bent over his sketch, his pink tongue peeking out in concentration. His paw guided a charcoal stick across the page, smudging little arcs and bursts into a rough diagram.

Subaru leaned against a piling behind him, half-guard, half-pillow, watching with that quiet intensity he always carried. His ears twitched at the sounds of kittoms dashing past with sparklers, their squeals of joy echoing over the water. The purple elnin didn’t move, though his tail curled protectively around Yujis side.

“You’re very focused,” Subaru murmured. His voice was soft, but warm, like low thunder rolling in from the sea. “What are you plotting?”

Yuji chuckled, not looking up. “Not plotting. Dreaming.” He shaded in a large bloom at the top of the page. “They said anyone could submit ideas for tonight’s fireworks display. Even kittoms. I thought I might… sketch a few.”

Subaru tilted his head, peering down. “Mm. Let me guess. Medical fireworks?”

Yuji laughed, startled. “What? No! I wouldn’t launch herbs into the air.” He paused, smiling sheepishly. “Though… imagine a firework that spread healing pollen like silver mist across the Faire. Everyone would wake up without sore paws or coughs the next day.”

Subaru nodded knowingly. “I’d call that medicine fireworks.”

“...Maybe a little.” Yuji admitted, fluffy cheeks warm.

On the parchment, the first drawing was a huge, starburst-shaped firework, each line shaded to fade from white to pale green. He tapped it with his paw.

“This one would look like the kelp forests when they sway under moonlight. Gentle and long, drifting down instead of bursting apart.”

Subaru leaned closer, chin brushing Yujis shoulder. “Beautiful. Calm. …like you.”

Yuji blushed, ears flicking. “Subaru…” He tried to refocus, but his paw trembled slightly as he added another sketch.

The second firework was smaller, layered in black and white, with pink highlights. Yuji drew tiny flecks spilling outward. “This one would look like a Pomu scattering petals into the wind. Each fleck could sparkle on its own before fading.”

“Pomu?” Subarus eyes softened. “You’ve been watching the kittoms, haven’t you?”

Yuji smiled. “They kept drawing pomus on their papers. I think they’d be happy to see one in the sky. Even if it’s small.” As if summoned, a cluster of kittoms tumbled down the dock beside them, each clutching their own crayon-scribbled pages.
One shoved a drawing of a giant seal-shaped firework under Yujis nose before darting off again. Another loudly declared they wanted “the whole sky to turn rainbow forever.”
Yujis laughter bubbled out before he could stop it.

Subarus mouth curved faintly. “And here I thought your kelp idea was ambitious.”

A familiar voice carried down the dock: “I’m telling you, this crab deserves a firework all on its own!”

Yuji and Subaru turned just as Driftwood appeared, waving an oversized sketch like a battle plan. The blue kittoms fur was damp and his eyes almost glowed with manic excitement. Behind him trudged Red, dripping seawater, his expression the picture of suffering.

“You dragged me into the reef,” Red muttered, tail heavy.

“It was heroic! That crab nearly snapped my paw clean off-” Driftwood declared, puffing out his chest. “This is the least the Faire can do.”

Yuji covered his smile with his paw, while Subaru simply shook his head. “They’ll make you a crab firework if only to shut you up,” Subaru said dryly.

Driftwood gasped. “You think so?”

Red groaned, but then he was already being dragged along once again as Driftwood had to tell more elnins about his idea. 

 Subaru shook his head, faint amusement flashing across his eyes.

Then he lowered his gaze to Yuji again. The frail, soft-spoken elnin had smudges of charcoal on his paws, a crease of focus in his brow and a look of quiet delight whenever he glanced back at his page. Subaru thought he’d never seen anyone more radiant than Yuji when he was imagining something gentle for the world.

“Show me your last one,” Subaru said quietly.

Yuji hesitated, ears tilting forward a little. “It’s… silly.”

Subarus paw brushed against his. “I want to see it.”

Yuji bit his lip, then turned the parchment. In the corner was a large, rough circle, filled with loops and streaks. Not an elegant sketch - almost childish, rushed. But it had heart.

“It’s… us,” Yuji admitted. “A firework that bursts in two colors, white and purple. They twist around each other before fading together. Like… like a dance.”

For a long moment, Subaru said nothing. His paw tightened gently over Yujis. Then his voice, low and steady, reassured Yuji: “Not silly. Perfect.”

[...]

When the fireworks began, the whole of Yggdrasil seemed to hold its breath.

The first explosion was a cascade of golden stars, spilling across the humid night sky. The crowd gasped. Kittoms shouted and pointed. More bursts followed - greens, blues, crimson blossoms that lit up the sky and sea below until even the waves sparkled.

Yuji leaned into Subarus side, paws resting lightly on his chest. “They’re so bright,” he whispered, wonder in his voice.

Subaru hummed, wrapping his tail around Yujis back. “Mm.”

One firework scattered above them in pale green arcs. Long streaks, soft and swaying, drifting like kelp in the tide. Yuji gasped.

“That’s mine!”

Another followed; a burst of tiny black and white rings, scattering in flecks across the night. The Pomu. The kittoms on the dock jumped and squealed, chasing the fading sparks with paws outstretched.

Yujis eyes shone. “They really made them.”

And then - at the very end - a burst of white and violet spiraled together, looping before fading into the shadows. Not perfect, not neat, but close enough that Yujis breath caught in his throat.

Subaru glanced down at him. The joy in Yuji’s face…the soft awe, the tremble of his smile, it was worth every long night, every guarded moment he’d spent at his side.

Yuji whispered, “They’re dancing.”

Subaru bent his head, pressing his forehead gently against Yuji’s. “Like us,” he murmured.

The fireworks thundered overhead. The sea shimmered below. And for a moment, the world was only the two of them.

[...]

The show ended with the crowd bursting into applause. Driftwood leapt onto Reds back, proudly declaring that he’d seen “at least half a crab” in one of the bursts. Red groaned again, before trudging towards the food stalls. 

Yuji closed his sketchbook slowly, tucking it against his chest. His paw slid into Subarus without a word. Subaru squeezed once, firm and sure.

The Faire bustled around them, alive and glowing. But Yujis smile was soft, private, just for Subaru.

“They really listened,” Yuji murmured.

“They always will,” Subaru said quietly. “At least, I will.”

And beneath Yggdrasils endless branches, among lanterns and laughter, they walked side by side into the celebration.

Together.