Chapter Text
When Io left after a significantly shorter amount of time than yesterday, again he left his tablet behind and Ryuu cheered inwardly. He got up quickly and rushed to the other side of the table, last minute doubts popping up into his mind, but he waved them away with determination. He was going to do this.
He grabbed the tablet and tapped in “RyuuZaou”, his fingers fumbling for a whole different reason this time. Once the screen blinked, Ryuu quickly found settings, general, then password, re-entered “RyuuZaou”, and then substituted it for his own equally emotional phrase. He also checked off “Show password” since this plan wouldn’t quite work if all Io could see was dots. Once he finished, Ryuu shut off the tablet, put it down back where it was, and went back to his own seat before Io returned.
As the sound of footsteps approached, Ryuu glanced over at the chair opposite of him; this time, it was pushed in as it was when Io had left. Ryuu smiled before the door even opened, and met Io’s fond gaze with one of his own.
“Smiling again, I see.” Io murmured happily. He pulled out his chair and sat down, never once looking away from Ryuu. “Still not telling me what’s got you in such a good mood?”
“Nope! You’ll find out eventually.” Ryuu replied, playfulness written in every syllable.
“Oh, will I now? And when is eventually?” Io shot back, equally as playful.
“Soon.” Io laughed at that, and Ryuu had to fight back the urge to act upon the sudden affection that welled up at the sound.
“Why all the secrecy? Is it a bad reason?” Io asked, already reaching for his tablet. “Would I not approve?”
Ryuu remained silent, but Io still caught on.
“You’re making that face you always make when you’re up to no good. I’m guessing I won’t like this.” Io sighed. “I wonder what I’m in for. Please, at least promise me it’s not about some gushy new crush you have.”
“Can’t promise that” Ryuu thought, the irony not escaping him before he asked “Why?”
“Because, I think the last time ended just badly enough that the cashier at the convenience store is going to be permanently suspicious of me since I kept coming back every five minutes for tissues.” He shook his head solemnly, seemingly grieving the loss of the cashier at the convenience store’s trust.
Io tried to keep his sad face on as he looked back to Ryuu, but the puffed up pout he was met with broke his will and he laughed again. Unamused by Io’s jab at his own melodrama at that particular rejection, Ryuu himself remained quiet and continued to pout.
“Ryuuー,” Io begged through the last giggles, "Please, just tell me!”
“I told you, you’ll find out soon! And, by the way, don’t tease me about that crush! It was a big deal for me, she totally broke my heart, you jerk! Anyway, shouldn’t you be getting back to your stocks Mr. “kept going back for one box at a time instead of buying a bunch at once like I told him to”?” Ryuu protested, though he was far too happy to really be upset. Honestly, he enjoyed the teasing. It gave him a warm, pleasant feeling. However, Io was taking WAY too long to just open the damn tablet; Ryuu had an agenda here, and he was getting impatient!
The mention of his stocks reminded Io that Ryuu was not the only thing that mattered to him in the world. He turned back to his tablet, begrudgingly giving up on his pressing after giving Ryuu a look that he knew meant “I’m gonna find out soon whether you tell me or not.”
That, too, was pretty ironic.
The excitement (and anxiety) returned and settled in Ryuu’s stomach as he watched Io type out what used to be his password. It got more intense when he saw Io’s confused face and watched him re-type, Io obviously thinking he had made a typo. When Io looked up at Ryuu, lips parted as he started to speak, he saw the smug expression adorning Ryuu's face and blanched, then blushed brightly, realizing that perhaps his secret password wasn’t quite as secret as he’d hoped.
“Is this brilliant scheme what’s had you so giddy?” Ryuu nodded. "Is changing my password really that exciting?” Io asked, his voice wavering. Ryuu felt a tiny pang of sympathy at Io’s anxiousness but he grinned wide anyways.
“Sorta. It really is brilliant though, huh? I’ve got a lot more ideas like it too though, so you’ll have to watch out, or you’ll never be able to obsess over your stocks ’n’ stuff again! You’ll actually have to unfuse from your tablet. Terrifying, isn’t it Io?” Playing it cool and acting smug (which he was, under there, somewhere) helped Ryuu keep his calm. He might have been blabbering a bit, though.
“Yes, I’m shivering in terror.” Io said blankly. "Now how long will I have to wait until you’re willing to tell me what my new password is?”
“I dunno…” Ryuu answered in faux contemplation. “A while, probably. I’ve finally got leverage, I don’t wanna let it go.” Upon seeing Io’s face drop he added, “I’m not heartless though! Pass me your tablet and I’ll type the password in for you.” Now was the time.
After a short pause crammed with contemplation, Io leaned over and handed Ryuu the tablet across the table, and just as Ryuu thought, he didn’t quite lean back, giving him an unnoticeable but clear view of the screen. If Ryuu hadn’t been looking for it, he wouldn’t have noticed. He blessed Io’s sharp wit and himself for remembering it, and also the fact that he remembered to set Io’s tablet to show the password as it was being typed.
He was probably blushing but he managed to write it out and after a split second, unceremoniously thrusted the tablet directly in front of Io’s face (just to be sure he could see it clearly) because knowing Io he might think he was seeing things and dismiss it, which would be terrible because Ryuu’s embarrassment levels were reaching all-time-highs he might not recover from. There was no way he could repeat the stunt.
Io, on the other hand was stunned speechless. In plain, neat text, across the password bar on the screen before his face, were the words he’d sometimes daydreamed about hearing from Ryuu’s mouth.
“I love you too"