Archive of Our Own

Summer

It was one summer afternoon when Leo returned to Japan from Europe. He showed up without saying a word to anyone. And the only reason Tsukasa knew he was even back in Japan was because he saw Leo in front of the school gates. 

“Suo! Uchuu~⭐︎” Leo smiled as he offered Tsukasa his signature pose. 

“Leo-san, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Italy. Don’t tell me you were deported,” Tsukasa said. 

“Hey! That’s mean! What makes you think I would do something to get deported?” Leo asked with an incredulous tone. “I came rushing here as soon as I got off the plane! Be nice to me, Suo!”

Upon closer inspection, it did seem like Leo wasn’t exaggerating since Tsukasa noticed a couple suitcases a little ways away which he could only assume belonged to Leo. No one else would think to come back to their former high school as soon as they step off a 15 hour plane ride. 

“I can think of several reasons at the top of my head,” Tsukasa replied. “But I’ll assume since you’re not accompanied by anyone right now that you returned by normal means.” 

“Of course I did! The entire reason I left in the first place was to build a good reputation for Knights outside of Japan. If I get deported that won’t do Knights any favors,” Leo smiled. An expression Tsukasa hadn’t seen since spring and seeing it now made him realize how much he missed it. “Not to mention, you would chew me out if that happened.” 

“I certainly would have,” Tsukasa agreed. “Now, for what do I owe your visit? I assume this isn’t just for pleasantries. Otherwise you would have gone home to see Ruka-chan first.” 

“Ah, what was the reason?” Leo asked himself out loud before he let out a laugh. And while he couldn’t be completely sure, Tsukasa felt like there was something Leo was hiding from him. The way his eyes darted for a split second suggested to Tsukasa otherwise about Leo forgetting about why he wanted to rush and see him. 

However, Tsukasa wasn’t going to press Leo for answers if he didn’t want to share them. He had faith that when Leo was ready, he would privy the information. For now, he would just be patient. 

“Were you waiting for me long?” Tsukasa asked, deciding to change the topic for now. 

“Not sure. I was composing most of the time I was waiting for you,” Leo replied. “Oh! But I did see Sora!” 

“Harukawa-kun? He left right after classes ended for Switch unit activities… that was close to two hours ago! Have you been here this entire time? Leo-san, why didn’t you call me? I wouldn’t have spent so much time at club practice had I known you were waiting for me.”

“I wanted to surprise you. If I called you then it would have ruined the surprise, Suo. Get with the program.” 

Tsukasa sighed in defeat knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument, “Since you waited all this time for me, it would be rather rude of me to call my driver to head home. Unless you wanted to come over?” 

“I wouldn’t mind going to your place but that’s not the reason I came here,” Leo replied. 

“So, then you do remember why you came here,” Tsukasa said. He may have decided not to press Leo any further with questions regarding why he was here but that didn’t mean Tsukasa wasn’t going to take any opportunity given to him to tell Leo how he knew Leo was withholding information. 

“Let’s go to the beach!” Leo said suddenly which took Tsukasa off guard. He expected Leo to divert his attention but he didn’t expect him to ask to go down to the shore. Tsukasa really ought to know better by now to expect the unexpected from Leo Tsukinaga. Him being here in front of Tsukasa was proof enough of that fact. 

“What about your stuff? We can’t bring all these bags down there. They would be too difficult to maneuver on sand.” 

“We can shove them at the auditorium, it’s right there. Practically everyone is gone so no one will take it.” 

“That’s not the point, Leo-san,” Tsukasa replied but before he could protest any further, Leo had already grabbed his belongings and pushed them towards the auditorium. 

Unable to let Leo do this all on his own, Tsukasa took one of Leo’s bags and helped him carry it to the auditorium. The two of them had some catching up to do so he supposed it wouldn’t be such a terrible idea for them to walk along the beach. 

Fall 

No matter how many times he sees it, Tsukasa could never grow tired of the fall foliage. All of the different colored leaves was truly a sight to behold and he made it a point to see it at least once every autumn. This little tradition of his was something he had usually done alone (save for one of his servants accompanying him) but this year he found Leo by his side as he observed the trees. 

Or, as much by his side as Leo could be when he was sprawled out on the ground as he composed what Tsukasa could only assume Leo would consider his next masterpiece. 

“Leo-san, would you please stand up? You’re being a nuisance to everyone around us by composing in the middle of the walkway as you are. I thought you were getting better at not composing at any moment when inspiration hits you,” Tsukasa said as he let out an exasperated sigh. 

Despite Tsukasa’s protests, Leo continued to hum a tune as he scribbled some notes down on his music sheet. Seemingly lost in his own little fantasy musical world. 

Knowing that Leo could no longer hear him, and wanting to explore the rest of the park, Tsukasa began to wonder if he was better off leaving Leo here on his own or to find a way to drag him along. Since this was normally a trip that Tsukasa took on his own, it was quite rude on Leo’s part to be holding him up as he was. Especially since it was Leo who begged him to allow him to come along after he pestered Tsukasa about what his weekend plans were. 

And while leaving Leo on his own sounded tempting, Tsukasa knew he couldn’t actually do that. Because leaving Leo to his own devices was inviting disaster and who knows where Leo would run off to if Tsukasa decided to go ahead on his own. There was no doubt in Tsukasa’s mind how more time would certainly be wasted if he had to spend his afternoon looking all over the park for Leo. 

“Leo-san, since you begged me to allow you to come along, I expect you to listen to what I say more. I will not tolerate such inconsiderate behavior so please get up.”

Despite what Tsukasa said he knew it was falling on deaf’s ears as he watched Leo continue to compose without a care in the world. Finding himself getting increasingly frustrated, Tsukasa stomped over to Leo and made sure to block his light in hopes that would distract Leo enough to give him some amount of his attention. 

“Leo-san!” Tsukasa called his name once more but all Leo did was let out a grunt in reply before waving him off. 

Now Tsukasa found himself completely vexed. He would no longer allow Leo to dismiss him as he has up until now. 

“Leo-san, this is my last warning. Get up or I will drag you by force,” Tsukasa said. 

“Uh huh,” Leo replied. And while Tsukasa was glad to have a response, it was clear Leo said it only to get Tsukasa off his back and did not take him seriously in the slightest. 

After giving Leo five more seconds to get up on his own and seeing how the other had no plans on doing so, Tsukasa then walked around over to where Leo’s legs were and grabbed him by the ankles before dragging him off. 

“Ack! Suo, hey! What are you doing? I was almost done. Let me go. My inspiration is drifting away!” Leo yelled as he gripped his music sheets in order not to lose them. 

“I warned you, did I not, Leo-san? You are being a nuisance for everyone around us composing in the middle of the walkway as you were,” Tsukasa replied. He did not care how much Leo complained or thrashed about. 

“I get it. I get it. Let me up. I’ll walk properly. I promise,” Leo whined as he tried grabbing the ground in order to make Tsukasa come to a halt. 

As punishment, Tsukasa thought to keep pressing forward and dismiss Leo’s request, just as the other was doing to him before but that was hardly proper behavior and admittedly rather petty, so Tsukasa decided to abide to Leo’s request and came to a halt and allowed him to stand back up on his own. 

“Have I made my point, Leo-san?” Tsukasa asked, to which he got him a disgruntled pout in return. 

“You’re a tyrant king, Suo,” Leo grumbled.

“I wouldn’t have to resort to such methods if you had listened to me from the start,” Tsukasa replied as he watched Leo attempt to wipe off any dirt that remained in his clothes. For the most part, Leo was successful with only a few stains here and there which remained on his hoodie.

However, Leo did miss the dirt which covered his face and just as Tsukasa was about to bring it up, Leo cut him off. 

“And all my inspiration is gone now. How are you gonna make it up to me now, Suo?” Leo asked as he shoved the music sheets into Tsukasa’s hand. Clearly one of Leo’s ideas of making it up to him was to hold onto his latest work. For the best since Leo was more likely to lose the papers and then complain when the sheets inevitably go missing. 

As Tsukasa neatly folded the papers and placed it in the inside pocket of his blazer, he reached out to his trouser pocket and took out a handkerchief and handed it to Leo in exchange. 

“You have some dirt on your face, Leo-san. Please use this,” Tsukasa said as his lips began to curl upward. It was hard to stay mad at him when he looked so ridiculous. “Shall we go shopping after this? Your current unkempt appearance is my fault so I’ll buy you some new clothes.” 

“That doesn’t bring the inspiration back,” Leo replied. 

“No, but I won’t traverse the town with your current appearance either so if you want me to make it up to you, let’s go buy you some new clothes,” Tsukasa explained. “It’s not a bad deal for you either, Leo-san. You get a new outfit at no expense of your own and I’ll listen to what you have to say about helping you find inspiration. That’s within reason, of course.”

Leo gave what Tsukasa said a bit of thought before grinning and suddenly grabbing the handkerchief out of Tsukasa’s hand, “Alright, I’m gonna run up your credit card then, Suo.”

After quickly wiping down his face, Leo shoved the handkerchief in his pocket before grabbing Tsukasa’s hand and dragging him along. 

“Leo-san?!” Tsukasa exclaimed when Leo suddenly jerked him forward and back towards the park. “Where are we going? Don’t you want to go shopping so we can search for your inspiration?”

“Inspiration is everywhere, Suo,” Leo replied with a grin. “Besides, you wanted to check out the leaves and stuff, right? Everyone is gonna be too busy looking at the trees to notice the dirt on my shirt so let’s spend a bit more time here. Maybe the colors will even spark inspiration again!”

Tsukasa couldn’t stop himself from smiling as Leo continued to press forward and tugged him along. 

“When you put it like that, how am I to say no?” Tsukasa smiled as he picked up his pace to walk alongside Leo. 

Winter 

“Suo! Hey Suo. Get up. Look, it's snowing!” Tsukasa heard his name being called as the person tried to shake him awake. And in Tsukasa’s half asleep state, he reached over to his side, and grabbed a pillow before smacking the person who was trying to wake him. 

“Wake me at a more reasonable hour,” Tsukasa grumbled as he rolled over and went to go back to sleep. Or, at least he attempted to go back to sleep but the other had a different set plans, and not that long after Tsukasa felt the sheets come from underneath him and he quickly found himself on the floor, letting out a yelp from the sudden impact. 

Tsukasa’s eyes shot open immediately as he scowled when he saw Leo grinning over him. 

“Suo, c’mon check out the snow. It’s really building up out there,” Leo laughed as he went to pull Tsukasa up off the ground and drag him to the window. 

“Leo-san, what on earth are you doing here?” Tsukasa asked. 

“What are you talking about? You said I could stay the night. Did you forget? Or did you hit your head so hard that you have amnesia now?” 

“No, I recall saying you can spend the night,” Tsukasa replied. “Leo-san, I mean what are you doing in my room? We said our good nights to one another and you went to the guest room, so why are you in my room now at… 2:26 AM?” 

“Oh, I couldn’t sleep, so I was composing but then I saw the snow starting to come down so I ran here immediately.” 

“And this couldn’t wait until morning why? The snow isn’t going to melt by the time the sun is up.” 

“Inspiration doesn’t wait until morning, Suo!” 

“I am not in need for inspiration, Leo-san. That’s you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to sleep,” Tsukasa said as he went to turn around to make his way back to his bed. However, he came to an abrupt halt when Leo suddenly grabbed his arm. 

“Suo, you can’t sleep yet. Let’s go outside,” Leo urged. 

“It’s 2:30 in the morning and you want to go outside? Why can’t this wait until the sun is up?” 

“I already told you, inspiration doesn’t wait.” 

“And I told you, I don’t need it. Now give me a proper reason,” Tsukasa demanded. He was too tired to be playing games with Leo like this. He was finally having his long anticipated day off tomorrow, so he wanted to sleep in a bit and spend his day relaxing, but Leo (for some reason Tsukasa could not fathom) didn’t seem to be too keen on the idea. 

“I want to go outside,” Leo replied. 

“This late at night? Are you insane?” Tsukasa asked. “Actually, please do not answer that. Leo-san, it’s late and cold. And knowing you, you’ll forget about how much time passes and end up catching a cold from being outside for too long.” 

“That’s why I wanted you to come with me. Suo would get me to come back inside before it’s too late.”

“It’s already too late,” Tsukasa said curtly. He couldn’t believe how Leo, quite literally, dragged him out of bed simply because he wanted to go outside and play. It was moments like this that made it really hard for Tsukasa to believe that Leo was two years his senior.  

“Grrrr. Fine then Suo. I’ll just go and make a snowman by myself then,” Leo huffed and went to make his way to the door but then Tsukasa quickly grabbed his hand in return. 

“Absolutely not. We have the day off tomorrow, but we’re busy with work the day after next. I cannot have you getting sick because you wanted to play in the snow this late at night,” Tsukasa chided. “The snow will be there in the morning and we can build a snowman then. You don’t actually need to be physically in the snow for inspiration, now do you?” 

“But sitting in the guest room while watching the snow didn’t jiggle any creative juices either so the obvious answer is that I need to go outside and experience it for myself,” Leo stated. Tsukasa mentally noted to himself how dead set Leo seemed to be on going outside but there was no way he could allow it. It would cause them serious problems if Leo couldn’t do any of their idol work. No doubt he wouldn’t hear the end of it from Izumi either since the other was in town for a bit to do Knights work with them as well. 

“Let’s save for playing in the snow in the morning. If you agree to that then I’ll agree to stay up a bit longer with you and we can watch the snow fall together in the parlor with some hot cocoa. Does that plan suffice for you?” 

Leo’s eye immediately lit up at Tsukasa’s suggestion before he started to vigorously nod his head in agreement, “Suo is the best inspiration after all.” 

“Then let us head to the kitchen so I can fix up our drinks,” Tsukasa replied. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” Leo cheered as he started pushing Tsukasa towards the door. 

“Leo-san, I can walk on my own just fine. Please stop pushing.” 

“No way, you’ll take too long if I don’t,” Leo laughed. “Also, make sure my hot chocolate has some of those snowman marshmallows!” 

“Yes, yes. I’ll make sure you’ll have plenty of marshmallows and we’ll talk to your heart’s content~”

Spring 

“Here is good enough,” Tsukasa instructed his driver before getting out of the car. 

He has been away from home for a few days to take care of business matters relating to his family and before he could even make it home, Tsukasa noticed his phone go off. A message from Leo asking for Tsukasa to meet up with him as soon as possible. Leo wouldn’t go into details of what it was about over the phone even when he called him so Tsukasa found himself with no other choice than to meet at the designated spot. 

“I’m sorry to leave you with all my bags on your own,” Tsukasa said to his driver, but the other smiled and shook his head saying it was fine and to enjoy his time off before driving away. 

Tsukasa traversed into the familiar park not that far from Yumenosaki. He was surprised that Leo asked to meet up here rather than the ES Building but he would not complain. Yumenosaki was closer to home than the ES building was. 

As Tsukasa walked through the park, he noticed how the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. It was hard to believe it was spring already. The spring of his final year of high school. A lot has changed over the past two years since he started attending Yumenosaki and he was looking forward to his final year here too.

Now that he was a third year, he had no seniors at school anymore. Tsukasa would still see Leo, Izumi, Arashi and Ritsu for work with the agency but for the Knights at Yumenosaki, he was the last one from his first year still attending. It was a bit lonely when Tsukasa thought about it that way, but on the flipside, he was now an upperclassman that everyone would be looking up to. For the first years who join Knights this year, Tsukasa would be what Izumi and Leo were to him. Suddenly excited about the prospect of being the “onii-san” now, Tsukasa couldn’t help but wonder if his seniors in Knights felt this same pleasant thrum in their chests at the beginning of their third years. 

Tsukasa smiled at seeing what he could only assume were some of the new first years at Yumenosaki running around the park together as he spotted the familiar blue blazer and plaid pants in the distance.

While Tsukasa was lost to his own train of thoughts, he suddenly found his vision obstructed by a pair of hands and someone standing behind him. 

“Suo, guess who~”

“No one calls me Suo, but you Leo-san,” Tsukasa said as he lowered Leo's hands and turned around to see Leo standing before him with a grin on his face. 

“I suppose you’re right. Wahaha~⭐︎” Leo laughed, to which Tsukasa could only smile in return as well as he looked down at the other boy. It had taken some time, but he has finally grown taller than Leo. It was rather exciting for Tsukasa since he was so used to being treated like the baby of Knights despite being the King for some time now. But now that he was no longer the shortest and has grown a considerable amount, there’s no way the others could continue treating him like a child. This was in his third year in high school now after all. 

“Now Leo-san,  what was so important that you requested us to meet up as soon as I was back in town?” Tsukasa asked. 

“Hmmm?… Oh yeah, what was it?…” Leo said with a pensive look on his face. 

“Leo-san!” Tsukasa exclaimed. He wouldn’t go as far as consider his time being wasted since he quite enjoyed Leo’s company. Perhaps he enjoyed it a tad too much these days but he did just come back from a long trip and would have liked to relax more before going out.

“I’m kidding, Suo. Jeez,” Leo grinned. “C’mon now, my memory has gotten better. I remember a ton of stuff on my own now too. You didn’t even have to call me to remind me of my work two days ago~” 

“Yes, and I’m very proud of you for it, Leo-san. Now seriously, what is it that you wished to speak about? You wouldn’t even give me a hint of what you wanted to say over the phone so I was honestly fearing for the worse. Though, seeing how cheerful and healthy you look, I suppose I was worried for nothing.” 

“Yeah, I’m as healthy as can be. Don’t worry about that,” Leo replied before grabbing Tsukasa’s hand and dragging him further into the park. “Follow me, I’ll tell you about it when we get to the cafe.” 

And this was how Tsukasa found himself being led around the town by Leo. Never once did Leo let go of his hand as they walked. A few times Tsukasa wondered if he should say something in order to let the other know how they were still holding hands. Tsukasa could only assume Leo was caught up in the moment and either paid no mind to it or simply forgot they were. However, against his better judgement, Tsukasa decided to say nothing and enjoyed the moment of the two of them together as they walked side by side. It has been a while since the two of them were able to spend time with one another. 

----- 

“My favorite cafe?” Tsukasa asked when they finally arrived. “Should I be concerned that you may have done something unforgivable while I was away so you’re trying to lower my guard?” 

“Hey! What kinda guy do you take me for?” Leo said as he puffed out his cheeks. “I just know you like this place a lot so I thought we should come here. It’s been a while for you, right?” 

“I’m sorry. You’re usually not this considerate so I was surprised. I am very grateful, Leo-san,” Tsukasa replied. 

“How do you always manage to insult and compliment me in the same sentence?” Leo asked. “What a bad habit you have, Suo. Guess we’ll eat some place else as punishment.” 

“I’m sorry, Leo-san. I didn’t mean it like that. Do forgive me,” Tsukasa apologized. He hadn’t meant to offend Leo but talking like this with him felt so natural. Back when Tsukasa was a first year, his seniors in Knights often commented on how he often gave back handed compliments and he has improved greatly since then, but for some reason he could never bite his tongue when it came to Leo. 

“I’m just messin’ with ya, Suo. It’s fine so let’s go in!” Leo teased as he dragged Tsukasa into the cafe. Much to Tsukasa’s surprise the cafe was completely empty. Usually during this time of day, the cafe was rather busy so it was rather unusual to see it devoid of any people aside from Leo, himself and the employees of this establishment. 

Even though it was strange, Tsukasa wouldn’t complain about spending time alone with Leo. It was almost as if they had a private event to themselves.  

After placing their order, Leo and Tsukasa discussed various things together: what the two of them were up to while Tsukasa was away, some of Leo’s latest compositions, work they had coming up, amongst other things. However, Tsukasa could only assume none of the topics they covered was why Leo initially called him out here in the first place. But he figured Leo was probably waiting for their food to arrive that way no one would walk in the middle of their conversation. At least, Tsukasa could only assume it was something rather private. After all, Leo normally had no reservations about blurting out whatever came to his mind. And since Leo has taken a rather secretive approach this go around, Tsukasa’s curiosity was starting to get the better of him. 

When their waitress finally arrived with their food, Leo immediately began to dig in as Tsukasa took a few bites before putting his fork down. 

“Leo-san, I think I waited long enough. What is it that you wished to discuss with me?” Tsukasa asked. Leo looked up from his bowl of pasta as he put down his fork and took a sip of his water before putting the cup down. 

Tsukasa noted how Leo’s eyes went between his own and his pocket before he finally said something once more. “You know how I’m gonna go to university starting this spring too, right?” 

“Yes, congratulations once again, Leo-san. I was impressed to hear you were accepted into such a prestigious school and on a scholarship, no less,” Tsukasa replied. 

“Yeah, well I think I’m gonna start living on my own rather than at the dorms so that I’m closer to school.” Leo said and the statement caught Tsukasa off guard. Leo never mentioned even thinking about leaving the dorms until now and the semester was about to begin. 

“Will you be alright? The term is about to begin and you won’t be able to live there for free like we do with the dorms,” Tsukasa said with a tone laced with concern. It wasn’t as if Leo was obligated to tell him or receive his permission for matters regarding his personal life, but he did wish Leo would consult him first. He wasn’t known for making the best decisions on his own after all. 

“Uh… lemme rephrase that. So, I got an apartment and I won’t be living in the dorms anymore,” Leo admitted. 

“You did what now?” Tsukasa’s mouth went agape. He couldn’t believe that Leo had been apartment hunting on his own and never mentioned it to him once. 

“I rented out a place. It’s more convenient this way. You agreed with me earlier too! I’m better at doing things on my own without anyone else’s help so it’s not like you have to worry about me or anything like in the past,” Leo said. 

“Ah, no. Leo-san, that’s not my issue. I know you don’t have to consult me on life matters like this but it would have been nice to know ahead of time. If you made the choice to live on your own, I have faith that you’ll come to work properly,” Tsukasa replied. “This was all so sudden, so I’m just not really sure what to think.” 

“Oh well, that’s good. I thought you would be mad at me,” Leo sighed in relief. 

“Why would I be mad at you for something like this? I think it’s wonderful that you’re earnestly thinking about your future. As your friend, it makes me incredibly happy,” Tsukasa said earnestly. 

“‘Friend’ huh?” Leo repeated solemnly. 

“Leo-san?” Tsukasa said as he gave Leo a curious look. Had he said something wrong? Tsukasa didn’t think he said anything inherently wrong or anything which could be taken the wrong way. 

“No, it’s nothing, Suo,” Leo laughed. “Anyway, that’s what I wanted to tell you.” 

Tsukasa was sure he heard Leo mumble something else after that but he decided not to press the matter, “Well, I’m glad this really was all you wanted to discuss. I was concerned if you got into some trouble and may have needed some help but it seems like I really was worrying over nothing.” 

“Wahahaha, yeah, you do that all the time, Suo,” Leo laughed as he took another bite of his pasta.

As the both of them continued to eat their food on the plates before them, Leo filled the air with jovial conversation, just as he always has. However, as the conversation went on, Tsukasa couldn’t help but notice whenever Leo laughed his smile did not reach his eyes at all. Something was wrong for sure but Tsukasa wasn’t sure what it was. 

After the two finished eating, Leo insisted on paying for the meal saying it was a thank you for Tsukasa meeting up with him so last minute and just as Leo asked if Tsukasa was going to call his ride, Tsukasa shook his head. 

“Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow a bit more of your time, Leo-san,” Tsukasa said, to which Leo smiled before nodding. That smile, Tsukasa noted, reached his eyes. 

Leo offered for the two of them to go to his apartment, he was already moved in for the most part. Arashi and Madara helped him out some the other day when they were all finished with work so all Leo had left to do was make it feel a bit more lived in. 

“Your apartment is quite nice, Leo-san,” Tsukasa said as he took his shoes off at the genkan. 

“Right? I still have to set up my office so I can work on composing but otherwise I can eat and sleep here already. Last night was my first night here,” Leo replied. 

“Where would you like me to put the snacks, Leo-san?” Tsukasa asked. 

“You really didn’t have to stop by the convenience store to get stuff for me, you know. I have plenty of snacks here,” Leo said. 

“It’s proper etiquette to bring something over when visiting. Now tell me what you wish to do with these before I eat the entire bag of chips by myself.” 

“Jeez, you’re so pushy Suo. Just give them to me, I’ll put them in a bowl,” Leo reached out for the bag to which Tsukasa obliged and handed over to him. “Make yourself at home. I’ll join you in a bit.” 

Tsukasa nodded as he watched Leo make his way to the kitchen and Tsukasa pressed forward towards the living room. Leo had a surprisingly spacious apartment. He was a little closer to the outskirts of the city but even being out of center city, Tsukasa couldn’t imagine this apartment being cheap. Though, Leo did make quite a bit of money from his compositions so Tsukasa supposed he shouldn’t be too worried. It wasn’t as if Leo was a complete idiot. He knew better than to rent out an apartment if it was out of his price range. 

When Tsukasa arrived at the living room, he noticed that it was still rather plain. He was expecting Leo to fill up his apartment with a bit more of his eccentricities and what he would have found complete nonsense but perhaps it was still too early in Leo’s move to see any of that come through in his living space. Given enough time, Tsukasa was sure Leo was going to fill the apartment with furniture and decorative objects that screamed: Leo Tsukinaga lives here. 

For now, Tsukasa took a seat on the couch as he waited for Leo to return. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait too long, as Leo returned with a bowl of snacks and some drinks for both of them, placing the tray of food on the coffee table. 

“Did you wanna watch something, Suo?” Leo asked with a grin on his face. “I heard there’s a new show streaming online. When I heard the premise, it made me think of you and how you would probably like this sort of thing.” 

“Maybe later, Leo-san,” Tsukasa replied. Leo’s grin immediately dissipated once he heard the reply. 

“Then what do you wanna do?” 

“I would like to talk.” 

“Ah, but we did a lot of that already. At least, I thought we did. Did I imagine all of our conversations up until now up?” 

“Don’t worry, you remember correctly, Leo-san. We truly did talk plenty, but I would like to talk about what is bothering you,” Tsukasa replied and noticed immediately when Leo shirked away. “You have been acting weird since the cafe and it might not be my place to make you tell me what’s on your mind but I couldn’t go home in good conscience when I know there is something clearly bothering you, so I’m asking you this now, what is bothering you, Leo-san?” 

Leo couldn’t help but laugh which earned him a quizzical look from Tsukasa, “Is there something funny that I’m missing, Leo-san?” 

“No, no. Sorry, you’re right,” Leo replied with a grin. “I just can’t believe how observant you’ve gotten. Though I suppose you’ve always been like this. Carefully watching me since your first year.” 

Quickly, Leo’s expression became somber once more and Tsukasa could feel the amount of concern rising within him. Leo was never this… quiet. It was rather unsettling to see Leo in such a state. 

Concern switched to confusion when Leo asked Tsukasa to put out his hand. With no reason to not to oblige, Tsukasa complied with the request. And that’s when Leo reached into his pocket and placed whatever item it was in Tsukasa’s hand. 

“A key?” Tsukasa questioned. 

“Yeah, to my apartment. I wanted to give it to you earlier.” 

“What happened to not needing me to remind you of work anymore?” Tsukasa joked. “I suppose everyone else has a copy as well.” 

“Nope,” Leo replied simply. 

“Pardon?” 

“Only two copies of a key to my apartment exist. I have one and Suo has the other.” 

Tsukasa could feel the blush creep on his face. The way that Leo said the last half of that statement, it definitely implied more but he was both too embarrassed to ask and didn’t want to insinuate anything himself in case he was wrong. 

“Suo, you get what I’m saying, don’t you?” 

“No, I don’t have the faintest clue,” Tsukasa lied. “Are you sure that-“ 

Tsukasa found his train of thought cut off when he felt another pair of lips on his own. At first he wanted to protest but he quickly found himself falling into Leo’s pace as he started kissing him back. It felt like they had been kissing for an eternity before Leo hesitantly broke their kiss and locked his gaze onto Tsukasa’s. 

“You get what I mean now, right?” Leo asked but Tsukasa remained still as he tried to process what just happened. And when Tsukasa offered no response even after giving him a bit of time to gather himself, Tsukasa could see the panic begin to set into Leo. 

“Did I misread the signs all this time? I really thought there was something between us. Ah, I’m an idiot. Sorry, Suo, you can give me back the key and forget any of this happened,” Leo said as he reached out to take back the key but that was enough to finally cause Tsukasa to snap out of his daze. 

“No!” Tsukasa said abruptly as he quickly drew his arms back and close to his body as he firmly gripped the key in his hands in order to prevent Leo from taking it back. It was only moments later that Tsukasa realized how embarrassing his outburst was and found himself blushing again. 

“I mean, no,” Tsukasa said as he straightened up his posture and cleared his throat. “Leo-san, you didn’t misread any signs. I was just shocked since it came out of nowhere.” 

“Oh, I’m glad then,” Leo sighed to himself in relief before reaching over and gently grasping Tsukasa’s hands and gently lowering them. “You don’t have to be so tense, Suo. I’m not taking the key back. It’s yours.” 

“Ah, yes, so it is…” Tsukasa replied as he attempted to regather his composure. 

Their feelings for each other were out on the table but the air remained awkward as silence filled the air. 

“So where do we go from here?” Tsukasa asked. 

“Um… I didn’t think that far,” Leo laughed, and Tsukasa let out an exasperated sigh. 

“This was your grand plan to tell me how you felt, was it not? Please put a bit more effort in planning for what you’re going to do after too,” Tsukasa lectured. 

“I did!” Leo exclaimed. “I rented out the cafe so it was just the two of us and I was gonna ask you to come over to watch something together and maybe order dinner but then you- ah. Never mind, that doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re here now and things worked out in the end.” 

“What I did. What are you talki- oh…” Tsukasa trailed off when he realized what Leo must have been referring to. He started acting weird after he called them ‘friends’ which is probably what initially discouraged Leo from saying anything when they were at the cafe. 

“Wait, did you say you rented out the cafe? Is that why it was so empty despite the time? I thought that was rather peculiar!”

“Oh, whoops,” Leo laughed, it seemed like he meant to keep that part a secret from Tsukasa. “I really wanted to make sure no one overheard us. If any of our fans walked in and heard our conversation they’d probably get upset if they found out we were dating.” 

“We weren’t dating then.”

“But we are now, right?” Leo replied coyly, to which Tsukasa could only smile in response. 

“That we are,” Tsukasa smiled as he placed a chaste kiss on Leo’s lips before he scooted closer to the other and laid in Leo’s arms. 

For a few minutes, the both of them enjoyed the comfortable silence. Tsukasa spent so much time pining after Leo, and knowing that Leo felt the same was rather surreal to him. Even if the execution wasn’t the most romantic, it was still delivered in a very Leo Tsukinaga way and Tsukasa could easily admit he preferred it this way too. 

“I think I would like to watch that show you were recommending before,” Tsukasa smiled as he looked up to Leo when he finally broke the silence. 

“Cool, let’s put it on now then!” Leo said as he reached for the remote and turned on the TV before giving Tsukasa one more kiss.