Chapter Text
Tokiya says, “I’m HAYATO,” and the world stops spinning.
It doesn’t take Otoya by surprise like it probably should; it’s not like he hasn’t had his suspicions. Tokiya is good at hiding things, but there are only so many jobs that he can have after classes, plus there’s always a weird abundance of purple glitter on their carpet, so either Tokiya was hiding a side gig as a stripper or he was lying about HAYATO.
There is so much pain in Tokiya’s eyes as he says it though, and it makes Otoya’s stomach churn. He wouldn’t consider he and Tokiya close—they’re roommates, but they don’t spend much time with each other—but he had thought that if things were really that bad for him, he would have said something. There’s also the traitorous thought that asks him whether he actually knows Tokiya at all. What does he really know about the man after almost an entire year of living with him? He’s got very little family interaction (he has met Tokiya’s mother once, and although her entire visit seemed awkward, she was kind), he eats healthy like it’s a compulsion, and . . . what? He has an incredible voice? He’s always held Otoya at arm’s length.
Otoya looks at Tokiya and realizes he doesn’t recognize the man in front of him.
He swallows down the acid that rises in his throat and ignores his own emotions. He’s good at that, right? He’s been doing it for as long as he can remember, keeping peace at the orphanage. They’re all stressed and angry, and none of them are thinking clearly. Attacking Tokiya for the million things they technically have a right to be upset about (Otoya has to remind himself to breathe again) isn’t helpful. They don’t have time for this, not if they’re going to get a piece together in time to debut. “We’re just all here to sing, right? It doesn’t matter if he was HAYATO; he’s here now.”
Tokiya’s gaze turns hopeful as he looks at him, and Otoya forgets to breathe, just for a second. That’s probably the first time he’s seen Tokiya look at him with his brows not knitted together in irritation. There’s already something different about him, and Otoya doesn’t know what it is. He’s kind of a sucker for punishment when it comes to trusting people too many times, but something tells him that Tokiya isn’t going to let him down for this. Maybe he’s wrong, and the old Tokiya just seemed so put-together and trustworthy that it’s bleeding over into now, but the feeling is strong enough that he overrides his brain.
He glances at Haruka, who is smiling at him warmly. He knows she’s fond of Tokiya, and he trusts her judgment. There’s a reason she chose to include Tokiya in this group too, and it’s not just because he has the voice of some divine creature.
The others, on the other hand, look like they’re going to be harder to convince. Syo’s brows are halfway in his hat as he stares at Otoya indignantly. “You’re just going to let this slide?!”
Otoya blinks. “Let what slide?”
Ren snorts. “This is our only chance. He’s already shown he doesn’t care. Why should we let him drag us down?”
Sure, their practices have been a little disastrous without Tokiya there, but he wouldn’t say that’s been dragging them down. Masato seems to have the same idea, because he gives a matching snort. “Don’t exaggerate, Jinguji. I don’t think Ichinose-san’s absence has been the entire problem.” He looks at Tokiya evenly. “And you’re going to dedicate all of your time to . . . whatever this group is?”
They really need a name, Otoya thinks as he sees Masato make a general hand movement towards all of them.
“Yes. I have retired from being HAYATO. As of today . . . I am Tokiya Ichinose.” There’s a waver in his voice that Otoya doesn’t expect.
“Then Otoya-kun’s right!” Natsuki exclaims. “He’s not HAYATO anymore, he’s just Tokiya-kun!”
It’s kind of funny how the A Class has rallied around Tokiya, but his own classmates keep staring at him like he’s personally insulted them. Luckily, Haruka steps in then, looking between Syo and Ren pleadingly. “Just give him one more chance,” she begs.
She’s probably got the best chance of all of them to succeed with just begging, but when it doesn’t seem to make either of them budge, Otoya takes a deep breath. He knows how hard Tokiya works, and he’s making a gamble here, but he has a feeling that he’s right. “Why don’t we all try singing together?” he suggests. “Just one time through Mirai Chizu? You can sing okay, right?” he asks Tokiya.
Tokiya nods.
Ren and Syo stare at him, but after a moment, Syo sighs. “Fine, fine. Let’s try it one time.”
Ren is outnumbered, and he’s got Masato staring at him too, so he gives in after another minute of subbornness.
It only takes a moment to get set up with their music stands in a circle, and when they start, Tokiya’s voice winds beautifully with theirs, just as Otoya had predicted. It sounds so much better than it had with just the five of them. It sounds less empty, somehow, like Tokiya is the dominant seventh in the chord. His voice completes their sound.
Otoya glances over at him as they sing the last part of the final chorus together. Tokiya’s expression is gentle, and Otoya hopes that his voice is infused with every bit of hope he feels right now. Maybe he doesn’t know Tokiya yet, but he wants to. He wants to feel like he knows Tokiya just as well as any of the others standing in their circle.
They’re writing their map to the future, and Otoya wants to make sure Tokiya is written in his.