Work Text:
The story of how Nayuta and Ren had ended up together was a bit of a weird one.
They weren’t really friends before.
The two of them saw each other from time to time: at lives, around college campus and sometimes when Nayuta would pass by the coffee shop where Ren worked part time.
Their encounters weren’t meaningful. They said hello, and went their own ways. Whenever Ren tried to strike up a conversation with Nayuta, the other would look pissed, probably feeling like it was a disturbance to his routine.
So Ren eventually gave up trying.
What Ren could never stop doing though, was sneaking glances at Nayuta when the other was around him.
Nayuta was beautiful, Ren thought. His hair was always perfectly messy, his stance always proud, and his eyes had a fiery passion to them that was always reflected in the red of his iris.
Anyone else would have looked at Nayuta and thought of how cold and angry he always looked. But Ren knew that inside of him hid a flame that only came out when he was on stage.
When he sang, his voice came out like his passion and energy were finally unchained. With the force of a tornado, it would sweep Ren up and keep him gripped in its vorex, but it wasn’t scary. It felt more like a much needed rainfall after a drought.
All of the feelings that Nayuta hid inside of him, finally burst out into the world for people to feel and understand.
And Ren understood.
Well, somewhat.
Ren had heard that Nayuta didn’t have much of a good relationship with his dad, and while he understood that was probably a big driving force for Nayuta, he couldn’t relate to it.
But Ren could relate to the feeling of being alone in this world, like being in the middle of a battlefield by yourself with only your passion to keep you going.
And while he had found a family in Argonavis, that did not mean he couldn’t vividly remember the times he felt so lonely even music didn’t seem like it was enough to bear the burden.
When Nayuta sang, Ren didn’t feel alone. Whatever was happening around him, he could get through, because he had a dream. He wanted to reach people with his dream. And he wanted to take Nayuta along with him.
One day, like many others, Nayuta was on stage, and Ren was watching him from the crowd. Ren could tell there was something off about the other boy. The spark in his eyes was missing.
Music started playing and everything seemed fine at first, but Nayuta’s voice sounded uncertain, like it was strained or painful.
Halfway through the concert, the singer stormed off, quickly followed by Kenta, one of the guitarists. The other guitarist, Reon, with an angry look on his face, stepped up to the mic.
“We’re sorry. Something happened and we won’t be able to continue the live. We hope you can forgive us.
Have a good night”.
And just like that, the stage lights turned off and the remaining members walked away, leaving the crowd confused and disappointed.
Ren couldn’t hold himself, and started walking towards the backstage area where he knew he would find Gyroaxia’s room. After pushing through the crowd, he stumbled upon Reon, standing in the corridor with his guitar still hanging from his shoulder.
“Nanahoshi. What are you doing here?”
“Sorry. I came to see the live and… I’m just worried about Nayuta. What happened?”
“Look, I don’t think he would want me to tell you. You should just go home. Kenta is dealing with him”.
Ren took a big breath and without really thinking said: “Can I see him?”
“Why? He’s not gonna want to talk to you”.
At that moment, they saw Kenta being pushed out of the room where he had presumably been talking to Nayuta, and the door slammed behind him.
Kenta quickly turned around and started banging on the door with his fist.
“You’re not going to make things better for yourself like this, Nayuta!”, he yelled, “I’ll be waiting for you at home!”
And just like that, he stormed off, ignoring Ren and Reon’s presence.
“This is exactly why it’s not a good idea to see him right now, Nanahoshi”.
“A-ah, you might be right”, Ren said, scratching the back of his neck. “But maybe I’ll try anyways”.
“You’re insane” Reon said with a surprised expression on his face.
“Guess I’ll just head home. Tell Nayuta to bring the rest of our stuff with him when he finally decides to come back”, he sighed, “If he even listens to you that is. I’ll see you around”.
Once Reon was out of sight, Ren stepped in front of the door and quietly knocked, almost scared to make too much noise.
“Fucking hell, Kenta! I told you to leave me the fuck alone” Nayuta yelled from the other side of the door.
“U-uhm, it’s not Kenta. It’s Ren. Nanahoshi. From Argonavis, you know?”
“If Kenta sent you here or some shit, just fuck off. I have no time for this bullshit”.
“No, no, no one sent me here, I just wanted to talk to you”.
It was silent for what felt like a couple minutes, until Nayuta spoke, way more quiet than usual: “...The door is open if you want to come in”.
Ren was surprised, but he slowly lowered the door handle and finally let himself in.
The other boy was sitting on the couch, bloodshot eyes, and hands in tight fists. He didn’t speak or look at Ren.
“Is it okay if I sit next to you, Nayuta?”
He nodded, and Ren sat down next to him. Both of them stayed quiet for a while.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. But Ren wanted to say something, he just couldn’t figure out what.
So he did the one thing he knew how to do best. He looked at Nayuta. For a bit too long, probably.
“...What are you looking at”. Nayuta said, a hint of harshness in his voice.
Ren didn’t know what came over him, it was like he couldn’t control his mouth.
“You.
You’re beautiful”.
Nayuta almost fell off the couch.
“W-what the fuck, Nanahoshi”.
Ren felt a blush creep up his cheeks, “A-ah! I didn’t mean to say it. I mean- I mean it, but. I was just thinking that… And I…”
Nayuta brought a hand to his forehead,
“Bothersome”.
“That’s not really nice to say now, is it?” Ren said, a surprised expression on his face.
And then, a quiet chuckle came out of Nayuta.
It was the most beautiful sound Ren had ever heard, and he craved for more.
“D-did I say something funny?”
“Tch”. Nayuta quickly stopped laughing and didn’t say anything else, but Ren could see the little smile on his face. He felt really proud of himself.
After a few minutes passed, it was Nayuta’s turn to break the silence.
“I need somewhere to stay”.
Ren tilted his head, “Why? You should go home to the rest of Gyroaxia”.
“They’re annoying”.
Ren stopped to think for a moment, and then he came up with a plan. “I can let you stay at mine for tonight, if you want. But tomorrow you should go and make up with Kenta”.
“Only if you go with me”, Nayuta blurted out.
“I don’t think…”
“Damage control”.
Ren nodded, even though he wasn’t really sure what the other meant.
He helped him pick up the stuff his bandmates had left in the room and they headed out, quietly making their way to the Argonavis home.
---
“What the fuck is he doing here?”
“Ahh, Yuuto, he’s crashing in my room for the night... If that’s ok”.
Ren knew Yuuto wasn’t too fond of Nayuta, but he was really hoping that just this once that wouldn’t cause too much trouble.
Yuuto squinted his eyes and started walking towards Nayuta, pointing his finger at him.
“You better treat Ren well, alright? Or I will not hesitate…”
Nayuta scoffed, “Let’s go, Nanahoshi”.
Ren started walking towards his room, but not before turning towards Yuuto and mouthing “I’m sorry”. Yuuto just shook his head and turned around with an air of disappointment.
---
They spent the rest of the evening not really paying attention to each other. Nayuta had taken a notebook out of his backpack and was writing intently, while Ren just sat at his computer reading over a college assignment.
Although, if Ren had to be honest with himself, he had no idea what he was reading.
The idea that the Nayuta Asahi, leader of Gyroaxia, and overall most handsome person he had ever seen, that Nayuta Asahi, was in his room, made his head spin.
He was trying so hard to keep down the blush on his cheeks, but when Nayuta came back from his shower wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt he had borrowed from the other, Ren knew his cheeks were redder than any tomato had ever been.
“I-it looks good on you. The shirt, I mean. You can keep it if you want”.
Ren wondered if his blood flow had ended up somewhere else, considering his brain was letting him say such things.
Nayuta ignored Ren’s compliment, and quietly went on and sat on his bed.
“About that, uhm, you can sleep in my bed tonight if you want. I’ll just get some blankets and sleep on the floor so, don’t worry about it”.
“You can sleep in the bed, too”.
Ok, Ren was now definitely sure his brain wasn’t working properly.
“What was that?” he asked, trying to keep a straight face.
“ I said , you can sleep in the bed too”, Nayuta said, a hint of anger in his voice.
Ren was screaming so loud inside his head. He had to use all of his willpower to not start jumping around like an excited puppy. So he just cleared his throat, relaxed his shoulders, and sat down in bed next to the other.
“Do you want me to turn off the light now, Nayuta?”
“Yeah”.
And so he did.
---
It had been about an hour since him and Nayuta had laid down next to each other in bed, and Ren was sure he was never going to fall asleep. He was way too excited, and scared, and giddy at the same time.
He was just laying there on his back, awkwardly, unsure what to do or which side he should lay on.
His eyes had gotten adjusted to the light a while ago, but he hadn’t found the courage to turn and look at the other boy yet.
He tentatively turned his head a few degrees towards Nayuta and then he realized-
Nayuta was laying down on his side. Looking at him.
Ren gathered up his courage, took a deep breath, and finally laid down on his side as well, facing Nayuta.
They looked at each other for a moment. Nayuta’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness and Ren loved how soft he looked with his head resting on the pillow and messy hair all over his face.
But Nayuta looked sad. All of that passion and energy that fueled him seemed to be gone.
“Hey”, Ren whispered, “Are you okay?”
His question was followed by silence, and Ren accepted he might not get a reply. So he settled for just looking at the other boy again.
But after a few minutes, Nayuta decided to speak.
“Do you wanna know why I left the stage today?”
Ren nodded slowly, keeping his eyes focused on the other boy.
“I had an asthma attack a few hours before we went on stage. It wasn’t too bad but it was enough to rough up my throat”, he stopped and let out a shaky breath.
“Kenta was the only one that knew about it, and he didn’t want me to go on stage, so he told the rest of the band and they all tried to convince me it wasn’t a good idea”.
Ren looked at him with a sad expression, wanting to reach over and put a hand on his shoulder, or anything which could bring him comfort. But he decided against it.
Soon after, Nayuta began speaking again.
“I could barely keep singing while I was up there. That’s why I left.
Asthma is ruining my whole fucking life”.
Ren didn’t know what to say. There was no way he could understand just how much this was affecting him. But his expression was so sad and devastated, and Ren didn’t want him to think he didn’t care.
So he scooted over and attempted to hug Nayuta, who seemed to jump at the contact.
Ren quickly moved away.
“Sorry if that made you uncomfortable”, he immediately said.
“I want to comfort you but I don’t know how”.
“Bothersome”.
Nayuta was the one to move closer and hug him this time.
It was such an odd position since they had both been lying in bed, but it was weirdly pleasant. He could feel Nayuta’s hair tickling his cheek and his chest rising and falling with every breath.
Ren finally gathered his thoughts and spoke up: “I can’t even imagine having a condition that holds me back from doing what I want to do most, but all I know is that you’ve always shown that you can do anything you want, regardless of it”.
He stopped for a moment, feeling Nayuta’s body tense up. He released from the hug and went back to looking into his eyes, their faces too close for comfort.
“It’s okay if you need a break sometimes. You’re not a loser for needing a break. And if you feel like a loser, I’ll always be here, cheering you on.
I hope you know how amazing you are”.
Ren had no idea where all that courage had come from. He assumed the desire to cheer the other boy up had made his worries dissolve.
He suddenly felt Nayuta’s hand gently fall on his cheek.
“You’re too nice for your own good, Nanahoshi”
As they laid down, still looking into each other’s eyes, Nayuta brought his hand on the back of Ren’s neck and slowly closed the gap between their mouths.
Nayuta kissed Ren with unexpected gentleness, and Ren, passed the initial surprise, kissed him back, placing his hand on the other’s shoulder.
When their mouths separated, Ren saw a small smile on Nayuta’s face and smiled back at him, his happiness so vivid it could light up the dark.
Still smiling, Ren curled up into Nayuta, who didn’t try to fight it, and instead just placed his hands behind the other’s back.
The most quiet of whispers reached Ren’s ear.
“I hope you know how amazing you are, Ren”.
And just like that, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, their warmth keeping them safe.