Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A pounding beat. Flashing lights. A room packed to the brim with people, all clapping, cheering, calling their name. Akito’s feet hit the ground and he turns, throws out an arm, spins, ducks low and pulls himself back up again. Beside him, Toya does the same. They’re as perfectly in sync as the tempo of the song itself, and in a polished move they come to stand next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, and together they belt out a loud, powerful note that gives Akito chills despite the intense heat of the stage.

This is it. This is what life is, he thinks to himself. The song ends sharply, and there’s a mere moment of silence before the crowd erupts into applause. Akito waves, unable to keep the grin off of his face. This is what truly makes him happy. 

He turns to Toya, and he’s almost formed his name when Toya looks back at him, and then nothing else matters anymore. Toya’s smiling; not the usual, subdued smile he usually has, but a grin the likes of which Akito has never seen before. His eyes light up when he sees Akito, and his grin softens a little bit, and something in Akito’s chest starts to pound faster than the music ever did. It takes his breath away. More than the crowd, the stage, any of it, Toya is what enchants him the most.

Akito swallows hard. Uh oh.

On the way home, it’s almost like usual. It’s dark out, the sun long having set, and the air is cool on their skin. But they don’t feel it, still burning up from their live. Toya has their last song stuck in his head -- he never said it out loud, but Akito can tell when it happens, because Toya’s fingers move in little rhythmic beats as if he were playing piano on his leg, and he hums along very very faintly. Akito’s talking about how good the atmosphere was, and how they no doubt wiped out the other performers with their setlist. They walk side by side back to the train station, where they usually part ways, discussing plans for tomorrow. It’s almost normal.

Except it isn’t normal, not for Akito. Because when Toya laughs a little at a joke he cracks, Akito’s breath catches in his throat. When they turned a corner and their elbows brushed together, Akito lost track of his thoughts completely. He sees Toya under the glow of the streetlamps and is reminded of him under the stage lights, cheeks flushed with exertion and--

Akito brings up a hand to cover his face, facing away from Toya. The dark could have masked his blush, but he didn’t want to risk it.

When they say goodbye and part ways, Akito sighs with relief, but he finds himself counting down the seconds until tomorrow.

It takes Akito three days before he fucks up. 

Toya had invited Akito to come with him to the arcade after school, and naturally he’d accepted. It was Toya’s favourite place to go, so why wouldn’t he? Not like he had much else to do anyway. And so they’d left school together, Akito wrestling down those warm, tingly, and to be frank, fucking annoying feelings the whole way there. He’d never been glad to be in a different class than Toya, but now he knew that if he was in class and he had the ability to look at Toya instead, he wouldn’t be able to do anything else.

God, it was loud in the arcade, though. He really didn’t understand what Toya meant when he said the chaos of it all was “comforting”, but he could appreciate how the abundance of games and things to do helped keep him away from home for a few hours longer. And now he’s leaning against an arcade machine, watching Toya’s profile as he focuses intently on the crane game. Toya’s told him about all the precise things he does in order to get the prizes in no time, but honestly it’s too much for Akito to handle. He just likes the little smile Toya gets when he drops a prize into the dropzone, one he’s waiting for now as Toya rolls in another coin for his second attempt.

It’s full of stuffed animals, all of them mascots of some kind that Akito didn’t recognise. There’s cats, dogs (ugh), ducks, frogs and even little pigs, but he doesn’t know which one Toya’s got his eyes on yet. Akito watches as he maneuvers the crane with expert skill, completely silent. Toya bites his lip slightly, and Akito smiles. Cute , he thinks to himself.

What?

He doesn’t have time to unpack that before Toya’s fishing out a plushie from the exit tray at the bottom of the machine. He turns to Akito and shows him his prize - a stuffed tabby cat, with a little bell around its neck. “Got it.” he says plainly.

“O-Oh, nice, dude.” Akito curses himself for stuttering. “Good job. Although you’re some kinda genius with those games anyway.”

Toya nods. “It’s really not that hard once you understand it…” He looks at the cat for a moment and smiles. Then, to Akito’s surprise, he holds it towards him. “Here.” he says, nodding to Akito.

Akito blinks. “...What?” He pauses. “You want me to hold it for you?” 

Toya laughs a little, quietly, and shakes his head. “No, dumbass. It’s for you.”

Akito can’t really find the words. He just sort of stares at Toya, unable to speak, until Toya continues talking. “I know you don’t really… go for these kinds of things,” he begins. “But, well, I can’t keep it at home, and I wanted to thank you for coming with me today.” He smiles, like he’s laughing at a joke only he heard. “Also, I thought it kinda reminded me of you.”

Akito wonders if Toya can hear the way his heart explodes.

As he numbly takes the plush from Toya, all he can hear is his own pulse in his ears. All the feelings he’d been bottling up over the last few days come rushing back to him in one huge wave that knocks him flat, emotionally. He squeezes the plush tight; he knows that he’s blushing. Toya’s looking at him different, he need to give him a response, to say something like “thanks, man” or “that’s really nice of you”, but he locks eyes with him and his mind goes blank and all he can say is--

“I love you,” he blurts out.

Oh, god.

Akito vaguely hears Toya call his name as he hightails it out of the arcade.

He thinks he might get in trouble, with the cry of frustration he lets out as he flops face-first onto his bed. 

Akito rolls onto his back and stares at his ceiling. Dragging his hands down his face, he sighs. “What am I doing .” he groans. Distantly, he hears his phone ping, but he ignores it. He’s too busy reliving the same five minutes over and over again in his head, and beating himself up for it.

“I love you.” It was true. He hadn’t realised it until he said it, but he knows it’s the truth. The problem is so does Toya, and that’s where it all becomes a mess. He can’t even imagine what it’s gonna be like the next day. They couldn’t ignore it, there’s no way Toya would let that happen. They would have to talk about it. The mere thought of it brings the hot flush of embarrassment right back to him, and Akito curses loudly. His phone goes off again, and he throws a pillow at it. It does nothing, of course, but when he looks over he sees a little fuzzy face lying next to his bag. The cat plush looks back at him. It’s mocking me , Akito thinks. The bastard . 

And maybe I deserve it. He laughs out loud. Must take a really fucking stupid guy to fall for his best friend .

Akito rolls over on his bed, away from the plush’s gaze, and his phone.

Somewhere by the train station, Toya’s call goes through to voicemail.

Chapter Text

Not being with Toya at school is... strange. The kind of strange that’s unsettling, that leaves him with a pit in his stomach. It reminds him of when they fought, bringing back a whole mess of feelings to his already muddled emotional state. 

The weird part is, Toya hasn't looked for him. Yes, Akito’s been avoiding him, but after he woke up and found two missed calls from him, he’s been half expecting a confrontation all day. He's sure that if Toya really wanted to he could find him, no problem. The school is only so big, after all. And that was somehow even worse. He eats lunch alone, feeling on his back the looks of his classmates no doubt all thinking the same thing ("Where's Aoyagi?"), and after the last class of the day ends he realises that if Toya hasn't sought him out, Akitos going to have to be the one to initiate the conversation.

And wow, he doesn't feel ready for that at all. 

As much as he hates to admit it - He needs advice. 

And so, after making sure Toya has already left, he waits outside the front exit to find his new unsuspecting confidante. It doesn't take long for him to spot her. 

"That sounds awesome!" An says to her phone, absently playing with a lock of her hair. "Can't wait to hear it." 

Akito approaches her and taps her on the shoulder. "Shiraishi." he says. She looks at him and nods, then tilts her head in a 'what is it' sort of gesture while the person she's calling talks to her. Akito jerks his head, indicating he wants to speak with her, and An gets the hint. 

"Okay, I've gotta go now. I'll be there tonight. Love you, bye!" She hangs up and her tone abruptly shifts from the excitable one she was just using. "Wow, you look even more like shit than usual. What happened?" 

Akito grits his teeth. "I... need some advice from you." 

"Advice?" An gives him a self satisfied smirk. "Oh, have you finally recognised me as the superior musician?" 

"Shiraishi." he hisses. "You know I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't serious." 

An instantly becomes more mature. "Did something bad happen?" 

"I..." Akito looks around at the dozens of schoolkids milling around. "I’d kinda like to discuss it more privately." 

She nods. "Alrighty. Let's hop into the Sekai, then."

Akito makes a noise of agreement. She leads him around the school building to a secluded area, and pulls up the music player on her phone. Shortly after, their vision goes white and the scenery changes. Akito’s surprised at how used to it he got over time. 

An swings open the doors to Meiko’s cafe cheerfully. "Hey, guys~!" she calls out.

The cafe is the same as ever. It’s early afternoon, but it’s becoming autumn time, so there’s a hint of an early sunset in the light streaming through the windows. Miku is keeping Meiko company today, it seems. She’s sitting on a barstool with her own cup, chatting away to the smiling woman as she wipes down the bar counter. They break off their conversation as Akito and An enter, and Meiko smiles warmly at them. "Welcome back, you two. Take a seat anywhere you like." 

"Thanks as always!!" An takes Akito to a table near the centre of the cafe. He sits down, more than a little grateful for the absence of people.

Miku arrives at their table, waving around a menu. "I'll take your orders for today." she says with a smile. “Thought it’d be a nice change of pace.”

"Akito'll have a cheesecake." says An, before Akito can even speak. 

"I can order my own food." he grumbles.

"You were gonna order the cheesecake anyway though." 

Miku laughs. "So, what's your order?" she asks Akito. 

"... Cheesecake and a soda." he admits. 

"I'll just have a coffee." An thanks Miku, who leaves to pass on their order. She turns back to Akito. "Alright. So, what's the deal. Why are you coming to me for advice." 

Akito sighs. I can't believe I'm doing this. "So... A few days ago, I had a sort of... epiphany."

"An epiphany? Like, you used your brain?"

Akito gives her a cold stare."Sorry, sorry." she laughs. "Continue."

"I had this epiphany... and it freaked me out, a bit. I panicked, so I kept it to myself... I didn't know how to explain it. But then, yesterday, it all just sorta... spilled over."

An squints at him. "Akito, you're being a little too vague? What actually happened."

Akito groans, looking past An and into the near distance. "I told Toya I loved him." 

A bang sounds out through the cafe from the force of An slamming her hand on the table. “No fucking way!” she yells in disbelief, her eyes wide. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.” Akito has his head in his hands now. “This is… Talking about this with you is more embarrassing than the actual event itself.”

“So what did he say?” An asks, almost frantic. “Did he react?”

“I dunno.”

“You don’t know?”

Akito sinks further. “I took off.”

“YOU RAN AWAY?” An shrieks. “Akito, what the fuck?”

“I PANICKED!?” Akito retorts, his ears burning. “What was I supposed to do? I just… blurted that shit out, unintentionally, and maybe also made Toya really uncomfortable!”

“So you left without hearing what he had to say?”

Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad . “...Yeah.” he admits

“I hate you sometimes.” An drags a hand down her face. “Did you talk to him today?”

“Nope. I sort of avoided him, and he didn’t look for me.”

An sighs. “This is sounding really familiar, you know.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me.” 

“Sounds rough, buddy.” chimes in Miku, carrying a tray with their orders. She sets it down on the table, and Akito tries to hide the excitement he feels upon seeing the cheesecake.

“Yeah. Thanks, Miku.” An takes a drink of her coffee, leaning back in her chair. “What’re we gonna do with you, Akito.”

Miku laughs, pulling up a chair and taking a seat between them. “You should talk to him.”

Akito pulls his soda towards him and takes a rather angry sip. “Were you listening the whole time?”

“Most of it.” Miku leans on the table, arms crossed. “It’s just not like you to run away from your feelings like this. What going on?”

Akito chews his lip. “I dunno…” He pauses. “I think… I just really care about Toya. I don’t…”

“You don’t want him to run away again.” says Meiko, leaving her place behind the bar to wander over to their table. “Right?”

He rests his chin on his hand. “Yeah. No matter what, I…” I want to be by his side .

An hums. “You really should talk to him this time. Call him or something, tell him how you feel.” Her tone turns teasing. “Tell him again about how you don’t want anyone else but him, and how he’s the best partner you could ever have~”

“Ugh…” Akito shovels cheesecake into his mouth. “Can you please shut up about that? I didn’t realise you were there.”

She laughs. “Seriously though. I think Toya’s the type that needs reminding about these kinds of things. And if I’m right, he’s not gonna be weirded out or anything.”

He knows she’s right. About the first half, anyway. He’s worried about how Toya will react, but he knows he needs to say something. 

As if sensing this, Meiko walks over to Akito’s chair and wraps her arms around his shoulders. “It’s okay to be nervous.” she says, and if it weren’t for the soothing tone to her voice Akito would have gotten mad about being coddled. “Feelings are complicated, but it’s best to be honest about them sometimes. He already knows how you feel; all you need to do is talk about where to go from here. And you already know what you want, don’t you?”

Akito, despite himself, leans back into the hug a little. “I wanna keep singing with him. I want to be his friend, and… also more.”

“So tell him that. He cares about you too, remember. He’s probably more than a little worried about you right now.” Meiko lets him go and pats his shoulder. “Go and see him.”

“Go, go!” An chants, grinning. “You got this!”

“Let us know how it goes.” adds Miku. “You’re always welcome here.”

Akito, to his own surprise, finds himself smiling. He’d never had many friends outside of Toya, so the feeling of having so many people supporting him… it makes his chest warm in a way he can’t describe. “Thanks, guys.” He takes a breath, and pulls out his phone. “I’m gonna go back, talk to him, and… see how things go.”

“I’ll go back too.” says An. “I told Kohane I’d meet her at WEEKEND GARAGE later tonight.”

“See you guys later.” Miku waves them off. “Also, I’ll finish your cheesecake for you.”

“At least save it for me.” says Akito, not entirely joking. He hits pause on Ready Steady, and the feeling of being sent back to their world comes over him.

“Bye, you two!” Meiko waves, and she smiles. “Good luck, Akito.”

Akito smiles back as the cafe fades away.

Kohane swings her legs under her chair, scrolling through her social media feed as she waits in a corner booth of WEEKEND GARAGE. An isn’t supposed to arrive for another half hour, but she’s come to like hanging out here by herself. Besides, the drinks are tasty, and Ken-san is always really nice to her.

The door chimes as it opens, and for a moment she thinks it’s An arriving early. Excitedly, she looks up at the incomer, hoping to see her, but is instead greeted by another familiar face. “Aoyagi-kun?” 

Toya, alone, approaches her table when he hears her call his name. His expression is usually unreadable, but today Kohane can see lines of worry etched into his face. She immediately puts her phone down on the table, and gestures for him to sit down. “Are you okay? D-Did something happen?”

He sits down across from her, timidly, and gives her a weak smile. “Azusawa-san.” he greets, wringing his hands. “Is it okay if I ask you for advice on something?”

Chapter Text

Toya scuffs the pavement as he walks. It feels like rain might come, but he doesn’t mind that much. He’s too busy thinking about other things.

Like a burning blush on his best friend’s cheeks, and a certain three words that he’d only ever hoped to hear.

Toya runs a hand down his face. As much as it should make him feel happy, he’s only filled with worry. Relationships feel foreign to him still, romantic ones even more so; he has no idea how to navigate the current situation. 

Azusawa had been some help, though. 

“He... is really important to you, right? I think you should talk to him.” she had said, timid with her speech. She was clearly as out of her element as Toya was. 

"But I… I don't know how to approach him." Toya sighed. "Maybe I'm still just a coward." 

"N-No, not at all!" Kohane insisted. She traced the rim of her cup with her finger. "I think it's normal to be nervous… I was really nervous around An-chan for the longest time." 

Toya was quiet. He still wasn't convinced. Sensing this, she speaks up again. "But, I think that Shinonome-kun is a really forward person. I think… that he probably wants to talk to you too. So he won't be quiet forever. He came back for you before, right? I think he'll do it again." 

At that, he paused. She had a good point. Akito might have conflicting feelings at times, but if there's one thing he could say, it's that he acts on them. Even if it takes him a while to figure out how he feels, he won't avoid the problem; that's not who he is. 

Although his nerves aren't entirely settled, he has hope. Akito must be dealing with a lot of emotions right now, so the least that Toya could do for him is to give him the time he needs to sort through them all. Believing in Akito is something Toya is very used to— he just needs to trust that Akito will come back to him eventually. 

It doesn't make the wait any less painful, though.

Akito’s nervous. That doesn’t happen often. Or at all, really. There’s no room for those kinds of indecisive feelings on stage, and he doesn’t really care much for the opinions of others any more outside of that. But outside of this imposing block of apartment flats, somehow more polished and cleaner than his own, he feels sweat on the palms on his hands, sticking to the back of his phone as he hovers over the ‘send’ button.

He had never returned Toya’s calls from that night. He realised this as he opened his messaging app on the way to Toya’s home, the cold hard stare of missed call (2) glaring back at him, cutting in harshly below the last texts they shared with each other.

They’d never go back to how they were before those missed calls. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe...

He reads over the message he’s typed, unsent as of yet, as if looking again will change what he’s written. 

can i call you right now?

The little cursor at the end of the sentence blinks back at him, prompting him to add more. It took him so long to come up with just this much, though; he doesn’t want to stand out here until the sun goes down, staring at his phone. With a deep breath, he hits send.

Almost instantly, the message is read.

Okay

Before he can give himself the chance to doubt, he’s already hit the call button. The dial tone seems far too loud, screeching into his ear, even though it’s not pressed to his cheek fully out of fear. His throat feels too dry, so dry that he’s worried that if he opens his mouth the words might not come out-

“Hey.”

It’s difficult for him to detect anything in Toya’s voice. Maybe a little breathless, but it’s hard to say. “Toya.”

“Akito?”

He hears it that time. Toya doesn’t show his emotion plainly, but Akito knows him better than most, better than anyone. He recognises how his voice shakes with nerves, like it had when they first held a live together. It makes him feel a little better, knowing he’s not the only one.

“I… we should.... I need to talk to you.” 

Toya makes a noise of agreement, staticky down the phone.

“I’m outside. Your place. We could, uh. Take a walk.”

There’s a beat. “...Okay. I’m coming down.”

The line cuts off, and Akito’s able to breathe again.

It’s not long before the door to the complex opens and Toya steps outside. He’s nervous and there’s tension between them, but Akito can’t lie in that seeing him again after two days is like a breath of fresh air. There’s an instant sort of comfort you get when you’re with someone you know, and with Toya it was even more so.

He meets Akito’s eye, and he can see the way he swallows, unsure. “...Hi.” he says, after a moment.

“Hey.” Akito nods to the corner of the street. “I’ll buy you a drink. It’s kinda cold out.”

Toya gives him a small smile, and follows him down the pavement quietly. They’re probably both brimming with things they want to say, but it’s not until after Akito’s handed Toya a hot coffee and gotten a soda for himself that one of them speaks.

“I snuck out.” Toya admits quietly. He cups the coffee in his hands as he walks alongside Akito, the two of them wandering on autopilot down the street. “My father thinks I’m in my room.” He breathes out, and his breath rises like steam. “...He wouldn’t have let me.”

“Are you okay with that?” Akito asks. He knows Toya doesn’t abide by his father’s rules anymore, but still... “He’s gonna chew you out.”

Toya sort of shrugs. “He does that anyway.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “Besides, I... wanted to see you.”

Akito bites back the guilt that creeps up inside him. He doesn’t want to be the reason for Toya’s scolding. He doesn’t want to be the reason anything bad happens to Toya at all.

A bit late for that , says a voice inside him. He ignores it.

They belatedly realise that they’ve come to a park. With the sun having started to dip below the horizon, there’s not many people around, leaving it derelict. Akito gestures to a bench, and they sit. The weight of the conversation they’re about to have hits them, suddenly. There’s a long silence.

“Akito.” 

He shouldn’t jolt at that, but he does. He opens his mouth, building himself up to begin - how would he even begin, where does he start - but it’s all for nothing when he looks up at Toya, and the words don’t come. The park is pretty in the near-sunset. Toya is even prettier. His eyes, usually a light grey, seem to reflect the warmth of the sky, and they’re trained directly on him. But it’s his expression that gets him. His eyebrows are furrowed slightly, and he’s chewing his lip, and something about it tells Akito that he already knows the answer to what he’s about to ask.

“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

Not once in his life has Akito ever felt stage fright, but he imagines that it can’t be entirely different to this.

“...The other day.” He breathes. “What I said… and how I said it, it’s… there’s…” He’s stumbling through it, unsure if he’s even coherent. “It wasn’t how I… I, I mean…”

As if trying to push him on, a familiar voice rings through his mind.

“He already knows how you feel; all you need to do is talk about where to go from here. And you already know what you want, don’t you?”

He’s already told Toya he loves him. He just needs to talk about what he wants. He knows what he wants.

Then what the hell am I doing?

Like a switch has been flipped, Akito crushes his empty soda can and throws it to the ground. Toya blinks in surprise, and Akito turns to him, eyes set stern. I’m not losing him again .

“Toya, I care about you. More than singing, more than performing, more than anything. You’re incredibly talented, you’re beautiful, and you’re so much stronger than you think you are. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. Every day since the day I met you has been so much better with you in it.”

He’s talking so fast, he can only hope that Toya is listening, but he doesn’t think he can stop himself now. His heart is hammering in his chest, and he finds himself sharing all these things that he never would— embarrassing things, things he swore he’d never say out loud, things he didn’t even realise he felt until he’d said them, hanging in the air between them.

“I told you before I don’t want to be with anyone else but you. It took me a while to realise it, but I finally know why.” He’s alight with adrenaline, and without thinking he reaches for Toya’s hand on the bench between them. 

The other boy startles at the touch. His eyes had grown wide as Akito kept talking and talking, and a brilliant scarlet had risen up on his cheeks. As if snapping out of a trance, he opens his mouth, tries to speak, but Akito gets there first.

“I love you Toya. I’m not running away this time. I wanna ask if I can be by your side.”

“Akito…” Toya sniffs, and Akito realises there’s tears in his eyes. He feels a rush of panic, he wasn’t used to comforting people when they were crying-- but Toya breaks out into a genuine smile, and he laces their fingers together. “Wasn’t I supposed to be the one asking that?”

Akito laughs a little. The tension that was previously there was gone. His hand in Toya's is shaking still, but it stops being noticeable when Toya gently squeezes his hand, as they share the first moments of this change. "I already gave you permission." Akito squeezes back. "I'm asking for yours now." Although, he realises with a warm glow, he might already know the answer. 

Toya is quiet, but this time not from indecision or anxiety. He looks more like he's letting everything sink in, letting Akito's words fully settle, taking them to heart. Akito watches Toya wipe at the corner of his eyes, and he wants to reach out for him so badly, but he'll let Toya make his move first. 

Cheeks red and eyes soft, Toya nods and says, "Yes. I want you by my side. And I…"

And then Toya grins . And it's so bright, so much brighter than the sunset, than any spotlight, it leaves Akito reeling. It's the sound of a bowstring humming just before the arrow sinks itself into Akito's chest—

".. I love you too, Akito. You… really are everything to me." 

And if he wasn't sitting down, Akito's sure his legs would've given out from the direct hit to his heart.

So An was right, after all . 

"Toya…" That's all that Akito manages to say before he can't hold back anymore. He's much more of a physical person than someone who talks; it's much easier for him to reach out his hand and hook his arm around Toya's shoulders, and pull him close into a hug that feels so much more intimate than any other they've ever shared. Toya lets go of Akito's hand and brings them up to his back, fingers curling into the fabric of his hoodie, and Akito can't help but smile when he feels Toya burying his head into the crook of his neck. Akito breathes in deep, and he can smell a little of Toya's shampoo. He's warm all over, his heart is racing, and he thinks that maybe if he listens closely he can hear Toya's racing too. 

Toya starts to laugh a little, sounding sweet in Akito's ear. "I can't believe you made me wait two days to say that back." 

Thankful that Toya can't see it, Akito blushes deeply. "... My bad. I was kinda a mess, wasn't I." 

"Yeah. You were." 

"Oi. You weren't supposed to agree." Akito chides him softly, no bite to it. Toya laughs again, and he decides that there's nothing he wouldn't do to keep hearing that sound. 

Unbidden, the desire he'd shoved way, way down out of sight rises back up again with such force that Akito almost trips over the words as they tumble out of him. "Can I kiss you?" 

The hands gripping the back of his hoodie tighten as if in shock, and if Toya wasn't so close to him, Akito would have missed the way his breath catches for a second. He loosens his hold on Toya, giving him space to pull back, and their eyes meet, matching royal flushes with expressions of surprise mirroring each other. 

"I think I'd like that." he breathes. 

Akito's surprised at how natural it feels, to close the gap and press his lips to Toya's. It's so easy, the way that they become accustomed to each other and how they fit together. Wrapping his arms around Toya is like coming home to a place he'd never been before, or finding a song that resonates with you so perfectly you can't help but be moved. He knows Toya, and Toya knows him, and as they part to breathe, he's overwhelmed by the joy of knowing that there's even more yet to learn. 

Toya rests his forehead against Akito's shoulder. Even hiding his face, the bright red on the tips of his ears betrays him. "... Thank you." he mumbles. 

Akito's brain is full of fuzz from the last few minutes, and he struggles to find the words. "No… No problem, man." 

Toya snorts, and after realising what he'd just said, Akito breaks into laughter as well. 

Maybe he'd get the hang of this eventually. 

He's not online thirty seconds before his phone is assaulted with texts from An, asking how it went. 

how was it

did you sweep him off his feet

DID YOU KISS

Akito sighs, but he's smiling. He flops back on his bed and reaches for a small plush cat, still with the arcade machine tag hanging from one ear. 

sure

He smirks, knowing that kind of reply will only set her off. He's proven right seconds later. 

??? ?AKGNDJF

i hate u so much just tell me what happened

He wants to annoy her further, being too tired to actually give her the full debrief she clearly wants, but he settles for something more simple. He pulls the cat closer to him, cuddling it. 

why dont you ask my boyfriend

The flood of messages after that are too numerous and fly by too fast for his worn out brain to even register. Once she calms down, though, it's better. 

u actually did it u madman!!! ngl im legit proud of u

thanks

the advice you guys gave me. it actually really helped

so i guess i owe u one? or sth

damn right u do!!!

btw i expect a full length report on my desk by monday. im not letting u off w that

yeah okay

also, me n kohane are at the sekai rn! i just told everyone the good news hope u don't mindddd

privacy is dead in the modern age

AKFKDKC don't be like that

everyones really happy for u!! look

Attached is a selfie taken by An over her shoulder, only half of her thrown up peace sign visible, with everyone else in the background. Kohane is sitting with a cup of tea, and she's happily waving at the camera; Miku is leaning on the table to get into frame, and she's smiling; Meiko's holding an empty serving tray to her chest, and she's giving the camera a thumbs up. In the corner of the frame, he can just make out Len, looking at An like she'd just grown a second head. Oh, yeah. Len wasn't there that day. He's got some catching up to do . 

All of it brings a smile to his face. These people he's come to know and care for, who all care for him too… they mean a lot to him, he realises. Who knows where he would be without their support. 

someone should explain everything to len

yeah he's shouting a lot. oops

lmao

and i hate being sappy and shit

but i appreciate u guys helping me out

so like. thanks

ofc dude! they love u

and i can sometimes sort of tolerate u too <3

mmhm. likewise

send my love to toya too. he has to deal w u even more now

fuck off

After their laughing fit, he and Toya had talked for a long time on that bench, neither of them wanting to be the first to say goodbye. Akito had shown him some stupid meme on his phone, and Toya had cracked up, and Akito was so… completely enthralled by him, he'd snuck a picture while Toya wasn't looking. And after saying goodnight to An, here he is looking at it now, a slightly blurry freeze frame of Toya, one hand coming up to cover his smile but not quite there, his cheeks red from the cold and his eyes full of mirth. It's probably one of Akito's favourite pictures in the world. 

When Akito walked Toya back to his house, he'd kissed him goodbye. Even thinking about it now, it still seems surreal to him. The idea that this could be their new normal is insane to him. That he could, in their every day, pick up Toya's hand to hold. After all that they'd been through, it all seems so stupidly simple. And maybe it is. 

Loving Toya feels like the most simple thing he's ever done.