Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Ah- fuck! Damn it!”

Masayoshi woke with a start to the sound of Goto cursing up a storm. A million thoughts ran through his mind simultaneously, but all of them had the same core theme- is he alright?

Jumping out of his futon, Masayoshi ran to the living room, and skidded to a halt. There, he found Goto sitting on the floor, face scrunched up, seemingly in pain. He was grabbing his foot, and biting his bottom lip so hard, Masayoshi was worried it would start to bleed.

“Goto-san! What’s wrong?!” Masayoshi rushed to Goto’s side. But insteading of responding verbally, he merely pointed at something on the ground beside him. Masayoshi leaned over Goto to get a closer look. Oh... oops .

Laying on the floor was a now-broken figure of Red Axe. It wasn’t hard to figure out exactly what happened. Internally, Masayoshi cried a little bit. That figure was a vintage, and had cost way more than he would normally spend. But Goto’s wellbeing was far more important than any figure (no matter how expensive). Shaking his head to dispel his thoughts, Masayoshi helped Goto to his feet, and brought him over to the couch.

“Come on, let me see. You’re not bleeding, are you?” The figure was made of plastic, but the axe was still pretty sharp. 

Goto shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. But... what the hell, Masayoshi? Why was that even on the floor in the first place?” He glared at Masayoshi with borderline animosity. 

Masayoshi looked away, refusing to meet Goto’s eyes. “I’m really sorry, Goto-san!” The truth was, he really didn’t know how it got there. “I could have sworn it was on the display case... I have no idea why it was on the floor. Unless...” Masayoshi gasped, and grabbed Goto’s hands. “Goto-san, do you think maybe the will of the universe is starting a new adventure for me, where toys can come alive?”

Goto stared blankly at him. He had no idea how Masayoshi had come up with such a preposterous idea (not to mention, the whole ‘will of the universe’ thing that he kept talking about for whatever reason. He didn’t really get it.) But seeing Masayoshi looking so wholly convinced of the idea that toys were suddenly going to gain sentience and wage war on humanity brought about an unwilling surge of affection within him. It grew, and grew, and grew so much that he couldn’t contain it any longer. Goto began to laugh, the pain in his foot receding.

“God, you’re such a dumbass,” Goto said between fits of laughter. “This isn't some cheesy cartoon, you know. Don’t worry, the toys aren’t coming alive.”

Masayoshi pouted. “Well, we all thought aliens and monsters would never happen, but they did!” But even he knew that yeah, it was just a little bit far fetched. The universe had promised him peace, after all. Goto’s laughter was contagious, and soon Masayoshi was joining in. The two of them sat there, the whole atmosphere becoming light with their mirth. 

Abruptly, Goto sat up straight. “Wait a sec.” He thought back to the events of the previous night. Masayoshi was at some late-night photoshoot in another city, and didn’t get home until almost 2 in the morning. Goto had planned on just spending the evening with a relaxing book, but was quite rudely interrupted by Mari barging in. And of course, where Mari went, Moe and Mizuki were sure to follow. They had brought alcohol, since Mizuki had just turned 20 a few days prior. Goto knew he probably should have scolded the other two for underage drinking, but he was way too overwhelmed to even think of it. The trio managed to coax him into having a drink, which turned into a second, and a third, until he was having trouble thinking straight.

Vaguely, he seemed to recall Mari messing around with the display case that housed the start of Masayoshi’s new collection. He probably should have stopped her, but he couldn’t even stand up without swaying dangerously from side to side. It would’ve been a struggle just to keep his balance, let alone stop Mari’s antics.

“Goto-san?” Masayoshi poked his cheek, snapping him out of his thoughts. “What were you thinking about?”

“I think I know how the figure got there.” Goto sighed. “Mari and company were over last night while you were out, and I think she did something to your display case.” He gestured to where the case stood, and Masayoshi noticed that indeed, a lot of the figures were in different positions than how he had originally placed them. “I’m guessing that one fell out, and nobody noticed.”

Masayoshi frowned. “Mari was here? Why?” He and Goto might not be officially together yet (they had decided not to put a label on their relationship just yet, as Goto was still trying to heal from losing his girlfriend), but he could still get jealous. And though he knew Mari and Moe were perfectly happy with each other, Mari had also made it clear that she still found Goto very attractive in uniform. 

“Don’t get jealous, moron. They just wanted to keep celebrating Mizuki’s birthday with some drinks.” Goto ran his fingers through Masayoshi’s hair. “And don’t worry, Mari didn’t try anything. She and Moe were practically glued to each other.” It was kind of gross, really. He felt like a third wheel in his own apartment. 

“Oh... okay. I see. But wait, those two still aren’t 20 yet! How could you let them drink, Goto-san? You know that’s against the law!” Masayoshi glared at Goto. But he just laughed.

“I’d prefer they do it in a safe environment rather than drinking with strangers.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Masayoshi’s forehead, watching his expression melt away into one of quiet bliss. “Not everyone is as much of a stickler for the rules as you are.”

Goto stood up, flexing his foot to rid himself of the last vestiges of pain from earlier. “Now, let’s get this mess cleaned up. I can help you look for a new figure later, if you want. I am the one who broke it, after all.” He ruffled Masayoshi’s hair one last time, then got to work picking up the pieces of the figure off the floor.

Masayoshi smiled. 

Yes, Goto was definitely the most important.

Chapter Text

Dear Goto-san,

I hope this letter finds you well! Hidenori told me that he doesn’t send letters back home very often, so I wanted to write one in his place. It was a joy getting to meet you, before, even though the circumstances weren’t ideal. But I wanted to let you know that Hidenori is healing. He knows how much you love him, and he’s going to therapy every week. He’s shown a lot of improvement. He doesn’t send texts as often as before. So hopefully, next time he goes home for a visit, you won’t have to worry.

I have another reason for writing to you, besides just giving you an update on how your son is doing. The truth is, he and I are

the two of us have decided

I realized in the ruins of my apartment while trying to talk him down from killing a middle schooler that I am absolutely, totally, irrevocably in love with Hidenori and confessed to him right then and there and now we’re dating

Masayoshi put down his pencil, and groaned into his hands. Who knew that telling your boyfriend’s mom that hey, you’re dating her son, would be so difficult? Both of them had agreed that Hidenori’s parents deserved to know, but it looked like it was up to Masayoshi to break the news. Turns out, there really isn’t a great way to explain their exact situation. She’d definitely want to know how it happened, but the truth was probably too strange to tell. He groaned again, and turned to face Goto, who was sitting on the couch, watching a rerun of Neo Axe.

"Hidenori, why do I have to be the one to tell her?"

Goto glanced back at him. "Well, you don't have to be. But you are the one who volunteered to write the letter. I was planning on just telling her the next time I went home for a visit." 

Sighing, Masayoshi turned back to the letter. He volunteered, so he was gonna finish the job, no matter what.

The truth is, Hidenori and I are now in a relationship. With each other, I mean. Your son is the most important person in my life, and I realized not too long ago just how much he means to me. I know this may come as a shock to you, but please understand that I just want to make him happy. We're already living together, you see, since my apartment got blown up because of certain circumstances. We get along great, and he makes me be an even better version of myself. There's nothing I wouldn't do for Hidenori. That's how in love with him I am.

Hidenori says you won't be prejudiced, and I really hope he's right. It may be early in the relationship, but I really do want to marry him someday. And on that day, I would be eternally grateful if his parents were able to come, since my own are unable. I realize this is a lot of pressure to put on you in just a simple letter, but we're planning on coming for a visit in a few weeks. We just wanted you to know beforehand, and I was the one who wanted to break the news. 

Now that that's out of the way, I really do look forward to seeing you again soon. And I hope that you will be able to welcome me into your family in the future.

Best regards,

Hazama Masayoshi

Masayoshi held up the letter in front of him, scanning it for errors. 

"You done?" Goto asked from the couch. "Took you long enough. It can't be that hard to say."

"Hidenori, you don't understand! This is a matter of utmost importance! Our future together is at stake!" Despite this, Masayoshi frowned. "But... no, I can't send this. I give up. Let's just tell them in person."

Some things just couldn't be conveyed properly in writing.