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When will you know my heart? When will you know that I only have eyes for you?
I want to approach you little by little, though I’m afraid every day
Tokacchi tried his best to include Akira in as many “group bonding activities” as he could. The more opportunity for natural interaction the better right? (Despite Akira’s lack of outward expression, Tokacchi had the feeling that their new friend enjoyed these activities. He hoped.)
Group activities usually meant having everyone on board but today was a bit different.
“Akira-kun, over here!” Tokacchi waved, jumping up and down in an attempt to be more visible. Akira’s orange helmet bobbed on over from the sea of people crowding at the entrance of the park until the tan figure finally squeezed himself out between a set of excitable school girls, looking vaguely uncomfortable.
Akira adjusted his helmet and quickly stalked over to Tokacchi, sticking slightly closer than he usually would, “Tokacchi,” the man greeted briefly. He craned his head, searching, and looked at Tokacchi apprehensively as though he’d be asked to jump back into the crowd to go find the missing ToQgers, “Where are Right and the others?”
Tokacchi shook his head, feeling somehow deceitful, “Ah, actually today I was thinking we could hang out? Together? Just us.” Tokacchi stumbled over his words, attempting to clarify his statement in vain.
Akira stared down at Tokacchi blankly for a long moment before nodding slowly. “I understand,” he intoned gravely.
Tokacchi started, turning wide eyes at the other man (his heart felt like it had climbed into his throat; Akira knew?), “Y-you do? Are you okay with it? I mean if it’s too fast I think Kagura said she was free today and – “
“This isn’t the best place for me to die, though,” Akira finished, looking oddly apologetic.
Tokacchi took this to mean, “I’m not comfortable here,” in Akira-speak, and he let his breath out in a loud ‘whoosh’. “O-oh,” he said faintly, “Oh, no no, I just thought it’d be easier to meet here because it’s a big gathering place,” Tokacchi adjusted his glasses nervously and took a deep breath before reaching out to carefully take Akira’s hand. “Let’s go,” he said, and Akira nodded mutely.
(Akira didn’t understand and Tokacchi wasn’t certain if this was the better or worse thing.)
We’re still not that close, I’m still very shy toward you
I will take my time, hoping for the days to be with you
Tokacchi resisted the urge to wave a hand over Akira’s face to ascertain the other was still alive.
Akira stared down at the cat sitting in front of him, its fluffy, overweight behind parked in the cream sandwich Tokacchi had ordered for the two of them. The cat stared balefully back, gaze challenging the man to shoo it off. (Tokacchi hesitated to help, having already gotten a warning glare from the same cat a few seconds before.) If it was Right, Tokacchi thought briefly, an extensive fight would have broken out by this point, getting them banned eternally from all cat cafes ever.
As it was, Akira finally started extending his hand, slowly coming around to hover just above the cat’s head.
“Uhm, Akira-kun – “ Tokacchi attempted to warn, but the man simply raised a brow at him into submission. Tokacchi gulped and clamped his mouth shut.
Another cat pointedly crawled over Tokacchi’s legs and onto the table. Akira didn’t even turn to look at it.
The intense stare off between Akira and the cat (Mik-kun, the paw shaped tag read) continued for another long moment until finally the cat closed its eyes and craned its head, closing the distance between its head and Akira’s hand, and rubbing affectionately into the man’s palm.
Tokacchi sighed in relief, body sagging into his chair.
Immediate situation diffused, Tokacchi let himself relax as he watched a slightly deranged smile creep into Akira’s face as he continued massaging Mik-kun’s cheeks. (Miss Wagon’s theory about frowny-faced men smiling as a devastating effect was partially right – in the opposite way perhaps.) It seemed the other cats in the cafe took Mik-kun establishing permission for Akira to pet him as a sign. A smaller cat came over to nudge at the back of Akira’s hands, demanding attention too, and the cat that had stepped over Tokacchi draped itself over Akira’s forearm.
The idea to come to a cat café had been in Tokacchi’s mind ever since that incident with the Jack-in-the-Box Shadow. These kinds of places were the best for people who couldn’t own cats themselves, he’d read somewhere, so obviously this was the best place for Akira as well.
Watching the last of Akira’s arm disappear into a pile of fuzzy purring creatures, Tokacchi nodded smugly, congratulating himself for the good idea.
Wait.
“A-Akira-kun!” Tokacchi stood up in a panic, vaguely hearing Akira’s muffled laugher from under the cat pile. Any attempt at reaching in was met with sharp claws and warning hissing. Tokacchi considered leaving it – laughter meant Akira was fine… right?
Until Akira started coughing.
(Fur in this throat? Asphyxiation by cat affection was not a method of death Tokacchi had been expecting to prevent.)
Tokacchi threw all caution into the wind and jumped in.
One step, I may seem like a fool, two step, I may seem naive
But I want to hug you, step by step, I want to have your everything
Tokacchi winced as Akira very gravely put a pink bubbly Band-Aid over the scratches on his forearm.
“My sins have increased,” Akira said by way of apology and Tokacchi shook his head.
“It’s alright, Akira-kun, really!” Tokacchi bit back a yelp at the spray of antiseptic on the cut on his hand, “I’m just glad you weren’t actually dying in there. That would have definitely been worse.”
Akira stayed silent. Too long.
Tokacchi waited. Where was the usual line about dying and places to do so? “Akira-kun? Is something wrong?”
“Today… was an event?” Akira asked, staring straightforwardly into Tokacchi’s face, and Tokacchi blinked, uncertain what kind of answer the other was looking for.
“Uhm, I guess… you could call it that?” Tokacchi said, face flushing as he slowly pieced together the meaning behind Akira’s question. “It was… a date.” Tokacchi admitted guiltily, “I’m sorry, I meant to tell you, really but I couldn’t find a good way to say it – “
Akira’s brows furrowed into a dark face, and Tokacchi gulped. How was he going to make up for this now? Desperately, Tokacchi tried again, “Akira-kun, I – “
Akira lamented, “Even without my powers I ruin people’s events – am I truly destined for the dark?” in such a sad tone, Tokacchi paused.
“Eh?”
Akira looked at him forlornly, apologetic and self-depreciating all in one blow, and Tokacchi felt as though he’d taken a misstep somewhere. Backtracking, Tokacchi strung together Akira’s words and thought. (Hikari would have pieced this together immediately.)
Finally Tokacchi tried, “Akira-kun…. Nothing was ruined,” he insisted, looking directly at Akira, “Because the point of the date was to spend time with you.”
Akira stared.
One Step
And slowly a startled kind of comprehension dawned on his features.
Oh eh oh oh oh
“A… date,” Akira said slowly, as though trying out the word.
Two Step
Tokacchi nodded, trying hard not to look too hopeful even as a flush spread down his neck. “A date. With you, Akira-kun.”
Now hold my hand
Slowly, gingerly, a small smile spread across Akira’s face, “I understand.”
One step, as I look into your eyes, two step, I will hug you and tell you
That I’ll always be your man, step by step, I really love you
“This is truly my place to die.”
Tokacchi spluttered, “No that’s not quite right, Akira-kun!”
One step, when you’re tired and struggling, two step, till the end of this world
I’ll be with you by your side, step by step, I love you