Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

What is the first thing you think of when somebody mentions family to you?

Stereotypically, you think of a nuclear familial structure. Happy parents, happy children, all content within each other's walls. Mutual respect between children and adults, with their wishes and ambitions always being respected.

Now, to say Touya Aoyagi envied that would be an understatement.

To his father, Touya was just a vessel to fulfill long lost ambitions under the guise of talent. A puppet tied up by strings, controlled until the strings could no longer withstand the weight of expectations. Once the puppet fulfilled its use, it was promptly discarded.

Cruel, right?

That was just his upbringing. Though, at times, he questioned if his experiences were real or just an attempt to seek pity.

Rather than mutual respect, what had festered in the Aoyagi household was mutual hatred. His father hated his attempts to break free, and in return Touya despised the way he was chained down. Somedays, in his distant childhood, he felt obliged to make classical music feel the hatred it caused him. But the melancholy tune of the crying piano always snapped him back to reality - the piercing pain in his chest always became too much to bear.

So, when people asked Touya "what is your father like?" , the same responses followed:

"We're quite distant because of his work."

"He works a lot, so we don't speak much."

"Ah, it's complicated".

That usually prompted people not to ask further. No use prying into the personal business of someone who clearly does not want to speak further.

Yet, what was nothing more than a quick topic of small talk for most, would hover over Touya's brain like a thunderous cloud for days at a time. Always striking him with lightning at inconvenient times, and always triggering panic in situations he needed to have sense.

Sometimes people told him to forgive.

Don't they get it?

Forgiveness is out of the question when your childhood was destroyed in front of your very eyes, by the one who was meant to guide you.

It had been days since the current thunderous cloud had taken residence in Touya's mind, and today was the day Touya feared it'd unearth his deepest anger.

After all, today was the first time he came face to face with his father during these moments.

A moment of eye contact made them both freeze, as Touya found his shoulders rose to the same level as his ears. A moment to assess his fears took place, and he released all tension chaining him to the floor. A moment to walk past his father, to accidentally bash his father’s side as he stormed away.

“Touya.” 

“Yes, father?” Angered by the inquisitive response, Touya’s father grabbed him by the arm, forcing Touya to face him.

“Face me when I address you! I know you are recently in a phase of rebellion, but have you forgotten how to be polite?” His hand became attached to Touya's arm, forcing Touya into internal distress.

“...I apologise.” Forcing short-lived eye contact that made him wish to claw his eyes out, Touya stepped back slightly. An illusion of composure, rather than outward anger.

“Where are you heading in such a rush? To go see those friends of yours?”

“Yes, Akito and I were going to go to a café in town, and-”

“It was rhetorical, Touya. I don’t actually care for your freetime, so long as you’re not occupying up my space.” His hand detached from Touya’s arm, and Touya instantly clasped his free hand to the now free space. A grimace fell upon his face, one unlike him yet simultaneously long overdue.

“...if you don’t care for me or my time, why do you continue to keep me under your roof?” A mumble escaped his lips, instantly releasing pent up frustration from years of cowardice. Such a burning question had been long etched into his mind, and he had begged for answers as he had also begged to feel loved. Now, he was on his way to get both things he had begged for as a child.

“What?!” A gasp followed by a snarl, as his father nearly hissed at him from sheer rage. “You are ungrateful. You are so, so, ungrateful.” As the anger began to rise through his body, his father became red. A fire, growing darker and choking you more and more. And, with a fire, you expect loud screaming to follow. “After everything I did for you as a child, after I raised you and put all my effort into giving you those clas-”

“The classes of your old passions that you locked me to.” Touya spat those words into the face of his father, a man he had never recognised nor trusted.“I never had a say, father, not once did you ask for my opinions. I was lonely, I was isolated, I was sad. Yet you say you put all your effort into it? Does it truly take so much effort to care for your child?” His classmates always told him parents were compassionate. If parents were truly so compassionate, would they chain you to the piano keys and drain you until you appeased their needs? Until you met the expectations of those before you? Aren’t they meant to care, aren’t they meant to love you? 

Touya’s father had never loved him.

He had seen love in people’s eyes before - Akito, Tsukasa, Saki, An and Kohane…

All his father held in his eyes was hatred for the once small boy stood before him.

“Don’t tell me how to raise my own child, you were fine until you met those people.”

“You mean I made friends, after you always forbid me from doing so?”

“Don’t speak back to me.” A sharp slap cut across Touya’s cheek, grazing him and throwing him back completely. His rhythm had been interrupted, and with eyes stinging from tears, he grit his teeth and bit back a sob. “If you truly hate living under my roof, Touya, then leave. I don’t need to call you a son if you refuse to behave like one!” 

Tears began to rain down Touya’s stinging cheeks. 

Initially not from pain.

From relief.

Then dread.

And then, finally, from pain.

Many thoughts ran through his mind.

Would he be safe, would he be free, would he be himself finally? This could’ve been a lie. An angered statement in the head of the moment. A dazed Touya approached the staircase, watching his every step to ensure he didn’t fall. Heavy body, heavy mind, heavy responsibilities. Nothing would be the same again after this, and he knew that, he really did. 

Fear shouldn’t be an option, yet it still consumed his soul. He still had so many possibilities to consider. Not to be so impulsive, not to be so sudden - isn’t that the advice he would give to someone like An? So why did it now apply to him?

In truth, he had no idea if his father was entirely serious - but, assuming he meant it, Touya approached his wardrobe. 

Years of memories, captured in photographs, teddies, and clothes. Trophies collecting dust on his shelf sang prayers, for they would finally see the light once more. 

In a way, he was packing his younger self’s heart. The younger self that never had a say would now be able to spread his wings and fly free. His childhood was one that received pity. People looked at him differently, seeing him only as the scared child who had no freedom. Eventually, he grew to dodge the topic of his childhood, so people did not infantalise him when he had clearly grown far beyond that phase.

Yet, that was exactly how he saw himself right now. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so sad. A scared child, about to step into the real world. With nowhere to go, nothing to really do. Such terrifying freedom would always be the better option - who would willingly choose to be imprisoned by your ‘family’? 

With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and packed things that held sentimental value. Every trophy he’d earnt with his dear partner, the one who gave him a chance regardless of his past. Akito had always been there for him, and the many trinkets around Touya’s room proved just that. Alongside that lay small gifts from Kohane and An, like plush toys or pins; An had given him a trans flag pin once, without him telling them about his identity prior, so he cherished it while questioning her intuition. His wardrobe was stacked with t-shirts from shows, whether from participation or just spectating. 

Everything meant something in this room, apart from the room itself. It belonged to someone who no longer existed. And soon, it would belong to no one at all. 

After packing everything, he went to approach the door and bid farewell to his room. Before meeting the door handle, the door slammed open, throwing him back slightly from shock. His breathing grew in speed, only worsening once he saw who was on the other side.

“You’re really leaving us?” His mother, who's running makeup scarred her once porcelain face, glared at him. For a moment, Touya thought she was genuinely upset, and he let go of the bag's handle. Such a short-lived, fleeting sense of hope, instantly morphing into a suffocating regret. 

He couldn’t breathe.

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

He couldn’t breathe.

Help

Help

Help

Help

Help

Help

Help

Help

What was she saying? He couldn’t hear anything she was saying. He could hear the rage. It flowed through his body through the floorboards and made him want to cry. He was crying. God, he was crying. But he couldn’t make out a word. It all went around his brain the wrong way, a scratchy noise that threatened to snap his skull in two. He didn’t even realise he’d clasped his hands to his ears so they wouldn’t bleed, until she threw him back and he tried to catch himself. Tears stung, the rage stung, his chest was blowing into a large balloon and she had the pin ready to pop it and leave him open and barren. 

“Do you even love us?” Was the first thing he heard through the shouts, and it made his entire body ache. Not from the question itself, but rather the blades disguised as words thrown towards him prior.

And, in honesty, Touya had no idea how to answer the question. Neither response would appease her - ‘yes’ would be called lies, ‘no’ would receive more screams. 

So, in a desperation to escape, he grabbed his bag, after a few attempts to grasp the handle, and burst out the door behind her. Hopefully the screams wouldn’t follow if he ran down the stairs fast enough, catching himself as he skipped a step and nearly fell down them all. 

Things were said as he desperately put on his trainers and burst out the front door in a panic. Things he wished to never hear again, from voices that made him want to claw his ears out.

Panickedly flinging his bag over his shoulder, he continued to run in any direction, though he was unsure as to which. His body pursued an unknown destination, for his mind had no sense at that moment in time. People were judging him. Quite frankly, Touya didn’t care. 

As long as he got far far away.

Eventually, after running, he wiped his eyes to see where he had taken himself to.

It wasn’t too shocking when you consider his options, yet he stared at the Tenma house in shock. Fear consumed the very core of his soul; he hadn’t spoken to either parent in ages, who knew if they’d allow someone who was now a stranger to reside with them? Though his fears outweighed his hopes, Touya swallowed down the nerves and approached the door, blinking rapidly to hide his tears.

Knock, knock.

“Hel-” Saki opened the door slowly, only to freeze when she saw a crying Touya grasping a bag with both of his hands. “Aoyag- Touya-kun…?” Without a thought, he collapsed into her arms and began sobbing. “Onii-chan! Quick, come help!”

To Touya, Saki’s arms felt like home, as did Tsukasa’s gentle tone that followed.

Finally, Touya knew he’d be safe.

Chapter Text

A few hours passed. A heavy atmosphere had woven into the air, with Saki, Tsukasa and Touya all sitting on the sofa together. No eye contact and no words spoken. Yet, with a clock going tick tock tick to the tune of racing hearts, words seemed necessary to stop the silence.

Sometimes silence is the most deafening sound of all. It’s definitely not one you need when alone with such dreadful thoughts.

“So, Touya-kun…” Saki mumbled, aware of the silence she’d receive in response. After his emotions became too much and he broke, Touya now found himself to be a statue. Many heated blankets embraced him, with his usual coffee in his hands - not too much milk and one sugar. On one side of him sat Tsukasa, who lay a hand on the arm his father had left a mark on, and on the other sat Saki. Saki took the speaking role; Tsukasa feared if he spoke, he’d start crying. By this point, a storm had brewed outside, matching the growing storm in everyone’s minds.

After a pause, Saki tried again to reach Touya, for she feared his mind had snatched him away.

“Touya-kun… We’re happy to have you stay overnight, if that’ll help?” Her voice, nothing more than a whisper, eased the tension consuming him. As he lowered his shoulders from his ears, Touya gave a small nod. “That’s good. You don’t have to talk if you’re not ready to do so, okay? Take it easy, and rest for now.” With a pointed gesture towards the stairs, Saki went to grab pillows. A pause. Unsure about what to do, Tsukasa stroked his thumb against Touya’s arm, trying to offer affection. In response, he rested his head on Tsukasa’s shoulder, who nearly gasped from shock.

No words spoken, yet thousands heard.

Tears began to sting at Tsukasa’s eyes. Desperate to sob and scream his adoration for the younger boy, he adjusted his arm so he was holding Touya.

This young man who had withstood so much, yet always ensured his senpai and his family were okay. This young man had woven himself into Tsukasa’s heart, making him view Touya like his dear younger sister. He had always been a part of Tsukasa's family, to a point he referred to him as such to his friends. But, he had no idea how the other boy felt about this, so he tried not to mention this feeling to him.

At this moment, Touya needed a family. Even if the familial feeling was not reciprocated, Tsukasa would happily take him in as one of his own.

He had wanted to for years, after all.

“Touya…” A shaky voice unlike Tsukasa left his mouth, making the other boy's head perk up out of worry. “...I’m sorry, it might not be my place to ask, but… was this involving your father?” For a moment, Touya paused, processing the intuitive question with an unreadable expression. He then leaned forward, and sharply exhaled all his prior dread. As Tsukasa furrowed his brow, trying to decipher this behaviour, he sniffled and nodded a few times.

Oh, would you just look at him. Crying, again.

His father would call him unsightly.

Well, he always called him unsightly… rather than a perfect student in classical music, he had diverged his path to become a street musician alongside his partner Akito. Divergence, not due to lack of talent, but rather disinterest, would always be frowned upon. His father just couldn’t process the fact that his children were not all duplicates of his childhood.

How sad, how his father still remained so vocal in his mind, despite all the attempts to run away from him. Ghosts of your past will always haunt you, huh? Especially those with an agenda to drag you down with them.

“Oh, Touya…” After shuffling closer to the younger boy, Tsukasa gently rubbed his back. “It’s okay. I told you so many times in school, didn’t I? I’m your senpai - you can rely on me in these situations.” His voice wavered, and he covered his mouth with his spare hand to try and muffle the incoming sobs. “You can trust me.” After the reassurance set in, he nodded a few times and sat up, wiping his eyes to look into Tsukasa's. With their eyes meeting after a beat, Touya found himself questioning if he were drowning.

Surely he was, as the waterfall in Tsukasa’s eyes drew him into a point of no return. Seeing his saviour cry, the one who always put on a brave face and claimed to protect Touya like a knight…

Well, the tears returned quicker than they’d ever left.

“Hey, guys, I’m ba-” Saki returned through the doorway, only to witness the unfolding scene and drop her collection of pillows in shock. “Oh, geez guys, I was gone for 5 minutes at most!” She rushed to shove tissues in both of their faces, only to have Tsukasa angrily shove them back at her.

“Oh, stop you! You.. you’re meant to be looking after your health, such sudden movements are dangerous! Hey, stop, stop!” He protested, only to have his face wiped like a child. Touya noticed how he squealed like one too, and chuckled slightly. This laugh prompted the siblings to freeze, turn to Touya at almost the same time, and stare wide-eyed. Worried about what to do in response, he just stared back.

“Hah, oh Touya!” Saki’s laughter filled the room, engulfing everything in a warmth that freed Touya’s soul from its pain. “You’re so silly. C’mon, it’s late, let’s get you to bed.” She hummed as she approached the pillows she’d so carelessly discarded. As she dealt with those, Tsukasa got off of the seat and pulled the many blankets back over Touya.

All the blankets were patterned or colourful, like something you’d expect from a young child’s bedroom. Then again, this was the Tenma house, with a theatre troupe leader as the eldest child. Yet, all the patterns and colours, so reminiscent of youth… it felt as if he were glimpsing into the childhood he never had. His childhood was black and white. That was the truth. But this? These things were so needed throughout his growing years that he found himself clinging to the edges of the blankets. Maybe if he held onto them long enough, his inner child would be appeased.

“Touyaaa, choose a pillow! I know you’re not fond of some textures and stuff as they can majorly stress you out, which is why I grabbed as many as I could, so you could be as comfortable as possible!” Returning with an armful of pillows, Saki thrust them into Touya’s arms, as he picked through them all.

“...Saki, are those mine and our parents' pillows too?”

“Yeah! And mine too! Gotta treat our guest well, y’know!”

“Well, as much as I adore you Touya, you are not having my pillow!” Tsukasa snatched an orange pillow from Touya’s grasp; theatrics bled into his everyday behaviour, which added to his charm. Though, the ‘charm’ would certainly be questioned by some people, like Akito or An. Eventually, after a while of indecisiveness, he chose a pillow and rested his head on it. Tiredness quickly snuck up on his weary soul, and he succumbed to slumber swiftly.

Not even a second after the siblings left the room, they both looked each other in the eye.

A burning question upon both of their lips.

If telepathy were real, it would explain the upcoming situation far better than any logic.

...well, it would have done.

“Saki, can we keep him?” He whispered. While he meant to prompt a serious conversation, what ended up leaving Tsukasa’s mouth was something completely idiotic. An unsurprising turn of events for the world's future star.

“...what?”

“I didn’t mean that!! Well, I did, but not worded like that, and, and…. AAAAAA-” Consumed by shame, Tsukasa acted on reflex, and decided to scream to release the stress. Once again, unsurprising when you remember this is Tsukasa Tenma… theatrics certainly did bleed into his everyday life.

“...would you like to try again now that’s out of your system, onii-chan?” Unspoken prayers echoed in Saki’s brain, practically begging that Touya lay undisturbed.

“Yes, let me try again! What I meant waaaaas… do you think he can stay for a while? Just a little while?”

“Oh, god, I thought I was the only one hoping that.” Her eyes flickered to the front room once more, as she sighed and ushered Tsukasa closer to the stairs. “We could ask him in the morning, but I have no idea about most things. I mean, our parents are out and unaware, and we don’t know the full story…”

“But he clearly needs somewhere to go! Why else would he be at our door with a bag, so late at night?!” Tsukasa protested, desperate to keep Touya close. To keep Touya safe. As the siblings began to walk up the stairs together, Tsukasa started waving his hands around to communicate his feelings of worry.

“I want him to stay too, but we will need to ask our parents, okay?” Saki stopped at the top of the stairs, staring down at her panic-stricken sibling. “I know you’re worried, onii-chan… I am too! Let’s just wait til morning…” Shuffling over to her room, she mumbled one final thing about the topic, only for herself to hear, “I really hope he can stay.”

Although his worries left him restless, Tsukasa followed in his younger siblings steps, and approached his room. He hoped Touya would sleep well, and he hoped Touya would be able to stay. A deep sigh left his lips as he opened the door, and turned to his younger sister.

“Rest well, Saki. I love you!”

“I love you more, onii-chan!”

As the moon reached its place in the sky, the chaos of the night came to a close. Everyone in the Tenma household fell asleep under its watchful gaze, hoping the moon would protect them from future chaos.

The storm would be long gone in the morning, right?

Chapter Text

With the chirping of birds to announce a new day, Touya groggily opened his eyes and sat up. In a place it took him a moment to recognise, prompted by a background buzz he hadn’t heard in years, he remembered last night.

Oh, god, last night.

He hadn’t intended to be so… emotional. I mean, yeah, you should express your emotions and it had been something he always intended to improve on doing. Just… he hadn’t intended to be like that right off the bat. 

How embarrassing, really.

(Though, if you were to ask the Tenmas their opinion, both would insist how proud they were of their dear Touya…)

Taking a moment to process his surroundings, Touya noticed all the pillows strewn across the floor, which he assumed was his doing. He slowly went to grab one, only to recoil in shock from the weird texture he was met with… yeah, it was definitely his doing. Eyes shifting to the ticking clock, he realised the time: 9:43am. His head hurt. His heart hurt. All he wanted to do was lay back down, succumbing to a gentle slumber that eased all his pain for an indefinite time…

“No…” he mumbled half of his internal pep talk, telling himself how he can’t go back to bed. 

It came out more like a ‘nnnn’, as he flopped back onto the pillow he awoke on and closed his eyes once more. Sometimes you just cannot beat the body’s needs, even if it's not your personal wish.

“Touya, I see you trying to sleep again!” In an instant, Tsukasa rushed over and leaned over the sofa, startling him awake once more.

“Ah… good morning, Tsukasa-senpai.” He mumbled, sitting up again and brushing down his shirt slightly. In truth, he had no idea Tsukasa had been in the room. It explained the background noise though.

“Tsukasa.”

“Huh?”

“You’re under our roof now, so it’d be odd for you to maintain the formalities, Touya! You can just call me Tsukasa.” ‘Or, if you would prefer, onii-chan!’ was on the tip of Tsukasa’s tongue, but he held back out of sheer shame. The boy still used the ‘-senpai’ honorific, throwing such things at him when nothing had been officially established would probably be too much for him to handle.

“Ah, then good morning, Tsukasa-sen…” Catching himself quickly, Touya swallowed back the honorific and offered a soft smile to Tsukasa, making eye contact for the first time that morning. “Tsukasa.” He grinned back at the sound of his name.

“That’s better!” Gently ruffling Touya’s hair, the other boy became incredibly aware of his bedhead. He often woke up with a bad bedhead, due to the constant restless nights. Although he usually tamed it before school or going out, a few times he had been lazy in the past, and everytime Akito would do his hair for him while softly tutting under his breath. “Would you like some breakfast, Touya?” It finally occurred to him that the background noise originated from the kitchen, with the kettle’s hissing and the pans fizzing.

Wait.

“...Tsukasa, have you just left the pan unattended…?” A wide-eyed stare from Tsukasa served as a response. Then, although it seemed anatomically incorrect, Tsukasa’s eyes widened further and the colour drained from his face.

As if his surroundings closed in on him, becoming a tunnel for the lost, Tsukasa’s voice drained away as he bolted towards the kitchen. 

Panic, panic, panic! 

Crash, crash, crash! 

As if the kitchenware were affected by the hysteria, everything seemed to smash into the floor. That led Touya to investigate for himself; whether concern or curiosity drove him towards that door would remain unknown.

Warily looking in the kitchen, at the source of the chaos, he found himself greeted by disarray of the highest level. Kitchenware strewn across the floor, as if their attempts to run had been thwarted by the evil cloud of smoke circling above them all. He nearly expressed his shock at the lack of a fire alarm’s screaming… only for it’s screeching to pierce through that thought as if he were a cartoon character with a thought bubble. Instinctively slapping his hands to his ears to drown out the noise that made his hair stand on end, Touya decided that was the best time to leave Tsukasa to his own devices.

He’d be fine.

Probably.

Defeated, Touya staggered back to the sofa. His phone lay on the table, untouched since the night before - he hoped no one had desperately tried to reach him last night. As he reached for his phone, he dug in the bag he’d brought for his soundproof headphones, and his sensory issues practically sung their joys when he found them near the bottom. Plugging them in, he chose the last song he had been listening to, assuming anything would be better than this .

But when a classical piano greeted him rather than the beats he anticipated, he skipped with lightning speed and scowled. Why, past Touya? Why would he do this?

Finally, with the noise gone and the situation unfolding in the next room (presumably) being resolved, Touya checked his phone.

9+ missed calls: Mother

Mother: I hope you realise what you’ve done, Touya, y...

Yeah, no thank you. Instantly swiped away and ignored.

Akito <3: yo man u good? U disappeared

Akito <3: reply to me bitchass

Akito <3: man i know ur not sleeping rn u stay u…

Akito <3: TOUYA

Oops. Akito might kill him if he doesn’t reply. Either that, or he’ll somehow manifest himself beside Touya, just to tell him he’s a bitch for not replying.

Touya: Akito, hello 

Akito <3: HEKLO

Akito <3: HWERE WERE YOU

Touya: It’s a long story, I can explain next time I see you! :)

Akito <3: dw i can read more than a sentence

Akito <3: i know u think otherwise of me

As amusing as ever, Touya couldn’t help but chuckle at Akito’s attitude.

“Heyyy, who you texting, Touya-kun? Your boyfriend?” Instinctively locking his phone and hiding it to his chest, Touya jumped and almost threw his headphones off. He turned behind him, just to see Saki grinning at him. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I’ll judge! You haven’t even seen me when I’m texting Shiho-chan… though, I kinda hope you don’t, as it’s seriously embarrassing…” She twirled her hair at the mention of her partner, only to realise what she had done, which resulted in her slamming her hands down to her sides. Both of them were blushing messes at the thoughts of their partners, which morphed into shared laughter.

“Yeah, I was texting Akito…”

“Ooh, wait, I think I know this one!” She placed a hand to her chin and dramatically hummed, only to give up after a few seconds and sigh, “Wait, no I don’t. I don’t really know any boys.” Touya chuckled and sat upright. He hadn’t even noticed how his once defenseful position had completely dissipated.

“He’s my partner, both musical and romantic. He has ginger hair, a yellow streak near his fringe, and he’s really quite nice when you get to know him.” After a pause, he quickly added, “But if you ever see him, you can’t tell him I said the nice part. He gets annoyed when people say that, because he likes his tough guy vibe.” A chuckle escaped Saki’s lips as she grinned.

“Oh, my Shiho’s like that! Sweet, but acts all cold and tough.” She grit her teeth and placed her fists together dramatically, as she said in a deep voice, “‘I’m so scary and tough, I’m just so much cooler than you all, grrrr…’”. At this point, Touya couldn’t breathe from his laughter, which made Saki’s act fade away as a soft smile replaced it.

“Hmm? Now, what’s going on here?” Tsukasa leaned over the sofa next to Saki, his face somewhat red from the disaster in the kitchen. Having been distracted by romance talk, Touya had completely forgotten about the kitchen drama, though Tsukasa seemed to have emerged victorious.

“We were just talking about some stuff!” Despite the confidence in her voice, Saki turned away from Tsukasa, almost in embarrassment.

“Hmm? I could’ve sworn I heard a certain person’s name pop up-”

“Nooo, stooooop!!” She shoved Tsukasa in the side with her elbow, to which he threw himself back and stumbled as if he had been fatally injured. How sweet. Their dynamic was truly the sweetest… Touya truly envied it.

“Ah, ah, I’m down, this star has crashed to the earth beneath it…” He sprawled himself out on the floor, with a leg kicked up in the air, only to spring up after a few seconds and almost teleport to Touya's side. "Ah, I've been meaning to ask, Touya! Are you and Akito… a thing?" Despite best efforts, the concern laced into his voice shined through.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't find it out sooner - Kamishiro-senpai's second conversation with me was about it." Tsukasa clenched his fist.

"Agh, trust Rui to try and outshine me in this field…" No one had any idea what 'field' Tsukasa referred to apart from Tsukasa himself, as it referred to his brotherly role, that Rui often commented on due to his perceptiveness. In truth, his perceptiveness was probably the reason he figured it out before Tsukasa, for he had always been quite oblivious. "Nonetheless! I am incredibly happy for you, Touya! But. If he dares hurt you, know he won't be walking through the halls of Kamiyama for a while…" A deep, brooding voice unfitting of Tsukasa left his lips, which made both Saki and Touya furrow their brows with an awkward smile. The intimidation attempt had failed.

"It's okay, I doubt he would do anything like that to me…" Gently speaking, Touya faded out of his sentence as he processed Tsukasa's genuine concern, and spoke once more, "but, if anything happens between us, I'll come to you and rely on you."

"Good, good! That's my Touya!" He ruffled the younger boy's hair and grinned momentarily.

Then he stopped.

Almost as if a switch had flicked, Tsukasa's face fell and he straightened his back. Saki looked to Touya once more, who had similar confusion etched on his face.

The mood shift, which wasn't out of character but was still a cause for concern, left silence wafting through the air of the front room.

"...onii-chan, you okay?" A gentle mumble from Saki that shook Tsukasa back to earth. Loudly exclaiming a squeak, he looked Touya in the eyes, which made him sheepishly look away in response.

"Yes, I'm fine! I just…" He fiddled with his shirt and looked to the floor, as the confidence almost seemed to drain from him. "Touya… you don't have anywhere to stay for good right now, right?"

"No… why?"

"Would you like to stay here, like, permanently? You'd be allowed, before you worry! Our parents love you, and we always have a spare bed ready!" His eyes lit up, and he nodded a little too enthusiastically.

"Yes..! If you'd be willing to have me, of course…" He shuffled in his seat, wary his enthusiasm seemed off-putting.

"Well, Touya, of course we are! You're like, our honorary Tenma!" Saki giggled, and as she spoke she ran to pick up Touya's bag. "Now, let's unpack this, and we should go on a shopping trip this weekend to officiate things!" Both Tenmas cheered, and as he processed that he too was now a Tenma, Touya hummed happily too. Tears welling in his eyes, he glanced at his phone once more, just as Tsukasa tried to drag him up from his seat.

Touya: hey, are you free tomorrow? 

Akito <3: ofc

Akito <3: whatsup 

Touya: Thought I could tell you everything :)

Chapter Text

A new day began, with the sun at its peak. As if he were prompted by the sun's cycle, Touya had already departed to fulfill the previous arrangements he’d made the day before. Presumably, Akito would be meeting him at the café they often frequented, where Akito’s favourite pancakes were sold. Saki had bid him farewell where Tsukasa could not - he wanted to, however numerous calls from Emu at 6am on the dot cut that plan short - as she loaded the last of his laundry into the wash. 

As a result of the previous few days, Touya was now an official Tenma resident, and a warm welcome remained the top priority.

However, it began with confusion and revelations, as most big changes tend to bring. The Tenma parents, unaware of the unanimous decision they had been left out of, had a lot to be caught up on. Surprisingly, they were more than willing to let Touya move in. Well, in truth, it was not that surprising - the Tenma mother held Touya in her arms weeping, as she had always secretly wished to take him away from that hellspace called the Aoyagi household. They rushed to clear out the spare room, ensuring nothing would trigger his sensory issues, while Saki helped sort through the hastily packed clothes. 

In truth, Touya feared this the most, for he wasn’t officially out to Saki… he was out to Tsukasa, mostly from a school safety point of view, however he always reminded Touya how he was trans too, he was nonbinary, so of course he’d support Touya! Endearing as ever, the wonderful Tsukasa Tenma brought safety and love wherever he went. He’d done it since the two were children, after all. 

So, when Saki stumbled upon his binder, his nerves skyrocketed, anticipating a reaction uncharacteristic of her… only for her to nod and say “oh, Shiho has a binder too! I’ll text them later and double check about how to wash this!” and move onto the next crumpled up shirt. Although the fear had no reason, for Saki would never be unaccepting, Touya still sighed in relief. 

As for Tsukasa, he had instantly taken to caring for Touya, such as washing his tear-stricken face and bringing him clean pajamas. It made him feel like a child… but, in that way, the inner child who had never received that care finally felt noticed and wanted .

Ah, now Touya just had to relay this all to Akito… and hope he didn’t leave with half a pancake being spat at him in shock.

Akito <3: heeyeyey

Touya: Hi:)

Akito <3: r u there yet

Touya: No, are u?

Akito <3: nah lol

Akito <3: where r u then? We could meet halfwau

Touya looked up from his phone, squinting his eyes slightly as he made sense of his surroundings. Surrounding him were the busybodies of the streets, all rushing past each other with the presumption they’d somehow overtake the rest of the herd. The shining, shining buildings with advertisements glaring down at him, quite literally; the glare from the sun and the advertisements made him look back down in distress. People were staring, but when did they not stare? He wished they didn’t. But being born with such height drew attention, as attraction and intrigue towards anomalies would always be human nature.

Touya: ummmm

Touya: towncentre

Touya: its’ very busy though, will you be able to find me?

Akito <3: you underestimate me, dearest touya

Chuckling at Akito’s message, Touya typed out one final thing before moving from the spot he’d unintentionally glued himself to.

Touya: i cannot tell if you are threatening me or flirting with me

Akito <3: whatever u want it to be bb

His head perked up to scan the crowd, for he hoped ginger hair would be a clear way to find him - though, that involved hoping no other ginger haired people had decided to go out at this time. After a few seconds, he saw Akito looking around, and stood on his tiptoes to wave at him.
Why could he not see him?
His height seemed to be no help. Strange.

Eventually, after all hope drained from him, Akito locked eyes with Touya and waved at him excitedly, light flooding into his eyes. Weaving through the crowd, they met halfway, and it was evident neither knew how to approach this meeting. So, after a few seconds of awkward hand movements, Akito wrapped his arms around Touya and rested his head on his shoulder, as Touya melted into the embrace.
“I feel like it’s been years since I last saw you, but it’s only been a few days…” Humming after speaking, the shorter boy pulled away and looked up at his boyfriend with glee. “God, I’ve missed your dumb face.”

“Missed you too.” Gently kissing the top of Akito’s head, he looked side to side to ensure no one he knew was near and grabbed his hand. “Well, shall we go find somewhere more peaceful to talk?” Expectedly, Akito nodded, and they approached the café they frequently visited. 

Entering, being greeted with the same nod from the waitress as she inquired about 'the usual?', and sitting in a window seat. 

Common procedure, not so common reasoning. 

Akito shuffled in his seat slightly, turning to look at Touya, who unintentionally avoided his gaze in preference of a cat outside.

“So… what’s the deal, Touya? It’s unlike you to skip practice and just straight up ignore me.” Akito spoke gently, gaining the attention of his partner who began to fiddle with his jacket zip in response. “Well, unless your dad’s involved… wait. Was it something to do with him?”

“Hmm. Kinda.”

“‘Kinda’? Look, you’re the one who said a lot happened, now you’re holding information from me like it’s some secret…” He leaned back on his chair in quick defeat. This prompted Touya to begin laughing, as the waitress handed them their usual orders in silence.

“Alright, alright. Well…” Touya deeply exhaled and stared down at his hands. “Me and Father fought again.”

“God, again?” Slamming a fist to the table, Touya instinctively flinched. Only then did it click to Akito that it was not a good idea. “I’m not angry at you for it, it’s just… can’t he just let you be ?”

“Well, you know what he’s like - dictated two children to follow his every word, what’s a third?” ‘Every word’ was a statement shrouded in ambiguity, for Touya had rebelled against certain words regarding gender identity since he was born; his father inevitably gave in to that, for three musical sons were better than two sons and a ‘daughter’. “Anyway, we fought again a few days ago. And I…” Another deep exhale. “He finally kicked me out.”

Wide eyes, staring at the table, Touya, the table, Touya. Wider eyes, almost falling out of their sockets from sheer alarm.

“He kicked you out ?! What? Where are you staying?! Do you have anywhere to stay? Do you even have a change of clothes?!” Almost leaping from his seat, a flurry of questions, almost like a snowstorm, escaped Akito’s mouth as he struggled to comprehend the endless possibilities - in his eyes, Touya could have been staying on the streets! The streets were a temporary home for the music they performed, not in the literal sense!

“Calm down, you didn’t let me finish.”

“How can your voice remain so calm, even in a situation like this?!”

“Well, I can’t exactly control my tone well…” To this, Akito sighed as rationality re-entered his brain and he shuffled to sit properly (well, as proper as Akito Shinonome can sit).

“Yeah, I think I overreacted on that one…” He scratched his head as Touya sipped from his coffee, which was growing colder by the second.

“No, it’s okay, I should’ve finished.” As if it prompted the words, Touya once again sighed as he gently placed his cup down. “I packed a small bag before leaving, I don’t really think my father expected me to leave as willingly as I did. But then, I started running, and-”

“And?”

“I ended up at the Tenma household.” Not shocking information. Well, it shouldn’t have been shocking - the Tenma household had become a second home for Touya in his youth, alongside Weekend Garage with the other members of Vivid Bad Squad. 

Yet, Akito nearly choking on his food as he spluttered into a tissue would make you believe Touya informed him of the end of the world.

...then again, considering the one-sided rivalry between Tsukasa and Akito, it probably was the end of the world for him.

As the waitress panickedly ‘handed’ Akito a glass of water, nearly coating him in water instead, Touya shot up from his seat and gently pat Akito on the back. Poor decision. To retaliate, Akito grabbed his boyfriend by his shirt collar so their foreheads were touching as he spoke.

“You are living with Tsukasa Tenma, the upperclassman of my nightmares ?” Akito practically spat the words out.

“Yes, that’s what I said.” A small pause. “So are you going to stay this close to me or…? It’s not like I mind, but we’re getting a few stares.” Begrudgingly, Akito let go of Touya, who stood by his side with a little smile.

“Well… how did they respond to your arrival?” Putting aside his personal grudge against Tsukasa, the conversation continued as Akito took a bite of his food. Returning to his seat, Touya smiled once more as he thought of the hospitality he’d been offered.

“I’m living with them now. Saki-s… Saki even made a joke about me becoming a Tenma now.” To that, Akito mirrored the smile etched into Touya’s face. “I just… a lot happened, but I think I’ll be happy with them.”

“Yeah, I think you will be too.” Having finished his meal, Akito took his plate and Touya’s empty cup in one hand, offering Touya his other hand - he almost tore his boyfriend’s hand off with how enthusiastically he grabbed it. “I mean, if they make you upset in any way… well, let’s just say they’ll be answering to me. ” After placing the plates at the counter and bidding the waitress their thanks, the two left the café in a similar manner to the entry. 

The crisp breeze hit them both in the face, prompting Touya to close his eyes in shock from the bitter sensation. Over the horizon, the sun seemed to wish for rest, as it had begun lowering itself into the other side of the world - orange and pink hues reminiscent of the neon signs in shows had begun to paint the sky’s canvas. Similarly, puffy clouds turning to a darker shade began to tower over them both, spelling rain… and neither had a reasonable jacket for such weather.

“Were we really in there that long?” Akito grumbled.

“Maybe the sun was just tired.” Touya responded. To this, Akito squeezed his hand.

“Well, maybe that’s a cue for us to go home, if the sun’s that tired.” This received a frantically shaking head in response.

“Come stay with me for the night!” Realising the enthusiasm he’d spoken with, Touya took a verbal step back. “...well, if you’d like to.”

Mentally assessing whether spending time with Touya was worth having to see that blond thing for an evening, Akito came to a swift decision.

“Well, of course I’d like to. It’s the first time I think I’ve ever been able to.” With that, the end destination of Touya’s path was once again the Tenma household, but for much better reasons than the last time.

Chapter Text

“I’m home.” With the gentle click of an unlocked door, Touya and Akito slipped off their shoes to enter the Tenma residence, in slightly better fashion than Touya’s previous entrance. 

“TOUYA!” An instant echo through the hall, the two watched Saki slide around to the front door, as if she were on ice, and jump towards him in a hug. As he paused and processed the event that had just occurred, he returned the hug with attempts to match the enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Akito nodded slightly and let himself into the home, hoping to dodge the entrance of the unwanted Tenma… who happened to be turning the corner just as he stepped out.

“Ah, Touya! Welcome home!” Tsukasa cheerfully exclaimed, somehow missing Akito’s presence momentarily. Once the daggers from his eyes hit Tsukasa, he turned to greet Akito with equal cheer - “Oh, and Akito too! Welcome, I’m glad to see you and Touya as close as always!”. The genuine kindness only sharpened the daggers’ blades.

“Yeah, hi…” was the response.

“Oh, Akito? Isn’t that the guy you always talk about, Touya?!” Detaching herself from Touya, Saki locked eyes with Akito, whose face had turned from a grimace to a grin at this new information. "Hi! I'm Saki Tenma, Tsukasa and Touya's little sister!" Almost on cue, Touya's eyes widened as he realized what had just been said.

He was… Saki's brother now?

It felt natural, like it was always meant to be. Yet, part of his soul felt disturbed, as if he were intruding on something he had no part in. An intruder condemned to a life of imitation. 

After introductions took place, Saki and Tsukasa stepped aside to begin preparing food together. 

Well, 'preparing' was used lightly, for half the ingredients had accidentally been dropped on the floor in Saki's attempts to help her older brother. 

Nonetheless, food was being prepared. And with the food being prepared, Touya took a moment to show Akito around the second home he'd grown up in (that was now somehow his actual home, despite how unreal it felt). Gesturing to picture frames, all of the mini Tenma's faces grinning and shining, though the location was most often within the hospital Saki became accustomed to. For a moment, he paused, as he noticed a new frame on the wall - of Tsukasa and his theater troupe, all but Nene grinning as they showed off Rui’s numerous mechanics. Touya presumed Nene would have been smiling if it weren’t for Nenerobo smacking her in the gut. Further analyzing the wall, he became completely immersed in the framed worlds that could never be recreated yet still felt so present every day. He only snapped back to reality once Akito gently tapped his shoulder and hummed.

“You good? You’ve been staring at that picture for a bit too long.” Akito asked, standing by Touya’s side as he too looked at the photos.

“Ah… yeah.”

“Look, Kohane has that picture we took at Phoenix Wonderland that one time, right…? We could always go to the café and ask her if she can get you a copy.” Touya’s eyes lit up as he turned towards Akito, the thoughts he hadn’t hinted towards having been heard. “I’m just sayin’ this because you look like a lost puppy lookin’ at all these photos. I’m sure you could have one put up too.” As Touya nodded, Akito gave a soft smile and patted his head, unintentionally referencing the puppy comparison made previously. 

“I hope so… I was just thinking, as they have so many pictures up…” Akito lifted his hand off of Touya’s head and backed up slightly to allow his boyfriend to continue speaking. “It made me think how I don’t have any of these in my old home.” Previously shining eyes now glazed over, he looked to the ground and turned his body towards Akito. “Just made me feel a little sad, that's all.” 

“Hey, first off, that place was never your home. This has always been your home, just… not the one you spent most of your time in, if that makes sense?” He made an odd gesture with his hands and continued, “What I’m trying to say is, that place doesn’t matter. You have everything you need here.” Offering a hand to his partner, Touya took it graciously and gave a soft smile.

“Yeah. I have you, after all.” 

“Wh- you…!” Stammering at these words, Akito's face lit up with the heat of a thousand stars, and similar to that of such a nuclear reactor, he felt fit to burst. “Stop bein’ so cute, dumbass…” To this, Touya chuckled, and led him towards the staircase, just as Saki burst past, heading in the same direction. Upon seeing Touya, she skidded to a halt, and both her brother and Akito reached out to prevent her from becoming the latest wallpaper against the wall.

“You two! Are you… are you busy right now?!” Between desperate breaths, Saki exclaimed a question that made the two exchange a glance.

“No, Touya was just showing me around. Why, did something happen?” As Akito responded for them both, in his classic overly polite turn, Touya took to checking on Saki. Gently patting her on the back, she couldn’t help but hold the wall for dear life. Though she wasn’t meant to overexert herself, sometimes the energy within challenged the prescribed energy levels she was meant to use. So, as she fought for breaths, Touya transitioned from patting her back to holding her free hand, unsure as to what to do.

“Agh, god, give me a minute…” She let out a long exhale, as if a steam train had just emerged from the middle child’s lungs. “Okay! Hi!”

“Hi.” In sync, as always, Akito and Touya responded to the cheery greeting.

“Me and onii-chan were wondering if you guys could run to the shops and back for us! We uh… forgot the flour… for the panc-” At the mention of his favourite food, Akito’s eyes widened, though he himself was unaware of the way he lit up. “I mean! Very special and secret snack we are making for our established guest, yes!” As she had often been during their youth as well, Saki struggled with keeping secrets, especially if they were exciting ones.

It happened when Tsukasa was putting on a secret play for Touya as children after a horrible day with his father, though he pretended as if he hadn’t heard it, for her sake.

…and then there was the secret Valentine's mission with Emu and Airi that one time…

…and THEN there was another time where she accidentally gave away the secret birthday party she was hosting for Honami to Honami’s face and she then, in panic, accidentally texted Touya that she’d blown it rather than Shiho…

It was quite common. Not that it usually bothered anyone, because she always had the best of intentions. She just didn’t have the best of poker faces.

“Yeah, we can go and grab flour for the secret snack.” Trying to cover up the accidental reveal, Touya breezed over to Akito and smiled at him. “We needed to go grab something from Ken-san’s café anyway, right?” 

“Ah, yeah.” Akito turned to Saki and gave a small wave. “We’ll be back in just a moment, then!” Almost as soon as they’d gotten home from their date, they left again, this time in the direction of the shops. 

“You know, I’ll never quite understand why you put on that voice.” Was the first thing to leave Touya’s lips as they left the Tenma household. Significant time had passed, and the sky had been painted with numerous stars. Despite the celestial display enticing him from above, Touya couldn’t help but stare at his own personal star, who was readjusting his hood. He knew if he tried to voice such affections out loud, all words would leave him and he’d be left with just a small squeak. He had never been eloquent with verbal communication.

“What voice?” As he turned to face Touya, Akito’s face was embraced by the dazzling moon, his eyes sparkling in a way that made it clear why the sun chose to set earlier - it knew it would be no challenge for Touya’s love.

“The really fake, ‘nice’ one you put on when you meet new people.” He looked to the ground as he spoke. “I just think if they met the real Akito, they’d like you as much as I do…” Hearing this, Akito couldn’t help but break out into a grin, as his face mirrored the sunset they saw earlier.

“Hey, you… what did I say earlier, about bein’ so cute?” Nudging Touya lightly, his face fell slightly as he finished his statement. “But, I just think… People think I’m rude and that I’m a prick, they say I’m too intense. They think the same of Ena - cos, she absolutely is if you wake her up early, but that’s irrelevant… I guess I just don’t want to piss new people off, I at least want a chance to be seen as pleasant.” He sighed as he finished his sentence. Touya’s face fell to mirror his partner’s, and he thought of maybe grabbing his hand to reassure him, though he wasn’t sure if that would express what he intended it to. 

“Well, Tsukasa always told me as a kid… that you should never be what others want you to be. He meant that for my relationship with classical music, but I’m sure it could count for self expression too. After all, the real Akito is very cool to me. He’s really passionate and he always gives his all.” As he often did when trying to describe his dearest Akito, Touya began lightly flapping his hands in joy, as he was speaking of someone that made him so happy.

“Seriously, never thought I’d be overjoyed after you give me advice from that guy…” Akito scratched the back of his head, trying and ultimately failing to hide the rising heat throughout his face. For a redhead, you wouldn’t expect it to extend to his face, but Akito managed to surprise Touya more everyday. “No, but… thanks, love… god, that’ll never roll off my tongue right…!” Touya chuckled as they found themselves outside of the store.

“You’re welcome, my love. Shall we?” He outstretched his hand in a gesture of welcoming. “Tsukasa and Saki wouldn’t want us taking too long.”

“Gosh, all this just for going into a shop…” Despite his response, lighthearted in nature, he happily took his boyfriend's hands as they walked into the store. It was almost easy to forget their other agenda for their late night walk… though, maybe they were best left in their personal bubble of bliss.

Chapter Text

“I think that’s everything…” Approximately ten minutes after entry, Akito and Touya departed from the store, hands glued together as they often were. In his non-occupied hand, Akito held a bag of flour… and after Touya had looked at him with eyes exhibiting the brightest stars, an expression that prompted more terror than adoration, some cookies and coffee jelly too.

While they had been shopping, Akito had silently wished Len had not gotten his boyfriend hooked on coffee jelly. Although he was equally as attached to the virtual singer as Touya was, he had grown used to being the younger sibling rather than the caretaker of a younger sibling… and, if Akito were to be honest? He could understand his older sister’s frustrations.

Though, he hoped to never have such a thought again, for Ena would mock him relentlessly if she found out. Some things are best left unspoken… sometimes not for sake of the listeners wellbeing, but the speakers.

“Yep, we’ve got what Saki asked for…” Touya checked the time on his phone, still clinging to Akito, then put it back in his pocket as he turned to face his partner. As he did so, using the telepathic tendencies he had developed since he first met the other, Akito instantly understood what was on the tip of his tongue and spoke for him.

“You wanna go to Ken-san’s café to see if An and Kohane are there, right? Since they’re inseparable and all…” Saying that, Touya squeezed his hand and chuckled, silently critiquing the hypocrisy of such a statement. “I can head back to your place and let the others know where you’re at. Just so Tsukasa-senpai doesn’t have me sacrificed, as I’m sure he’d take my head if I lost you…” Once again, Touya laughed.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t be that dramatic about it all… he knows I trust you, so surely he’d trust you too, hm?”

“‘ That dramatic’? Touya, love. This is Tsukasa Tenma-senpai . He’s set fireworks off in the courtyard-” Touya quickly interjected with an ‘actually that was Kamishiro-senpai’, though it was ignored, “and he literally sprinted from our school to Miya Girls MORE THAN ONCE just to see if Saki was okay.” As he often did, Akito spoke with his hands, waving the one holding the back around, somewhat unaware of the possible flour-splosion that could occur at any given moment. 

It was sweet, really. Touya had always communicated with actions rather than words, due to an inability to express the words within his brain - ‘what use is eloquence in vocabulary when you cannot apply it to verbal communication?’, is something he often heard from his father, as his inability to express himself was another thing that prompted his father’s frustration. It’s not like he intended to struggle, but ignorance towards a struggle doesn’t miraculously make it go away as he wished he could have said.

Akito had been one of the first people to accept this, and to not question his struggles with socially acceptable expression. He knew Touya well, and rather than making an initial judgment of him being cold and emotionless and mentally pushing him into this box that had no correlation to the truth, he took the time to learn the way Touya expressed himself. Not everyone’s brains are wired the same - something you’d think would be common sense was something Akito had to remind others… and himself sometimes too, when he split on himself and could not offer himself basic kindness due to the instability he experienced at that moment in time.

So, as Touya had always done, Akito had begun to express himself through physical acts, too. Somewhat to offer Touya solidarity, and somewhat for comfort.

“Well, I personally think Tsukasa is perfectly fine as he is,” in his whirlwind of thoughts, Akito had temporarily forgotten the catalyst for said thoughts, and visibly cringed when the cause of his elaborate gestures was once again brought up by Touya, “but each to their own.” As his words trailed off, he brought Akito’s face closer to his, only to briefly pause as he thought about what he was doing. “Can I kiss you goodbye?” Their faces were inches apart, and Akito only stared into his boyfriend’s eyes for a millisecond before closing the gap and kissing him on the lips. He sacrificed holding Touya’s hand for his face, and he could feel the heat rising on his boyfriend’s face… though, there was definitely some ambiguity as to whether it was actually Touya blushing or whether it was Akito as well. After the expression of affection, Akito pulled away and couldn’t help but grin at his adorable partner, who had turned a red so vibrant that Ena would wish she could pour it onto a canvas if she saw it.

“You’re so adorable, dumbass.” All Touya could do in response was nod. As often stated, Touya was not one for words, though this time it was due to a certain ginger rather than his brain’s wiring. “I’ll see you in a bit, okay? Don’t be late, or Tsukasa-senpai won’t be listening to any form of reason…” He shuddered at the concept of not one but two Tenma’s panicking about the third Tenma’s whereabouts.

“Right. See you.” With a wave, they went their separate ways - Akito went the way they came, and Touya turned towards the streets, following a route all too familiar to him.

They say when you go down a path familiar to you, the time breezes by. 

Well, it was argued to be true by a psychologist, and they’re hired to understand people’s brains.

As Touya walked the path to the café he frequented with his groupmates, he internally agreed with this statement. He was the type to blast music in his ears as he walked, swiftly and with purpose, as he admired the cosmogyration of the stars above him. While he could not see the pace at which they spun and rotated around him, and the ways of which they lost their ability to shine, he always acknowledged their presence and the vast wonders of the universe. 

How strange, to think that the cosmos above him had long since burnt out, yet he looked up at them on nights where he had also burnt out and still saw them for their shine… pondering on the nature of the universe would not miraculously revive the stars, yet it still felt reasonable to respect what remained of the lost.

After all, though they no longer had fuel, they used what strength they had left to pass on the energy to shine to any spectators.

And, well, wouldn’t you shine too, if you were therefore honouring the wishes of celestial beings?

Cutting his internal monologue about stars short, and therefore proving the aforementioned hypothesis regarding time going fast, Touya found himself in front of the café. His heart began to race in a sense of dread, fearing An and Kohane weren’t here and his trip was for nought. 

But, with a sixth sense to sense her group members dread, An exited the café and stared at him as he stared in.

“Touya? Are you coming in or what?” At the sound of his name, he flinched, only to process An’s voice and calm down.

“Ah.. yeah. Sorry, I didn’t realise you could notice me.”

“It’s okay! You weren’t there for long, Kohane pointed you out. Come in, come in!” She ushered her friend inside, where he was greeted by a tired Kohane fiddling with her camera. How… Oddly perfect. “Would you like anything while you’re here, or is it just a quick pit stop?” As An unintentionally interrogated Touya, Kohane looked up, and waved at the two of them.

“Ah, Aoyagi-kun! It’s good to see you here… we’ve been so worried when you randomly stopped showing up to practice.” Kohane spoke softly. Her voice had always felt like such a contradiction to Touya, but in the best way possible. She seemed sweet, to a point people always assumed she was just a hollow ‘shy girl’. Although an assumption of shyness wasn’t exactly off (but it was absolutely understandable, new people are terrifying), she had one of the most powerful voices ever encountered in the field of street music, and her talent to make all heads in a room turn and acknowledge her strong presence was not one to ignore. An absolutely incredible leader… to dub his feelings towards her ‘envy’ would be incorrect, it was more… admiration. He admired her. And she admired and appreciated all her group mates, too.

“Sorry for disappearing all of a sudden… some stuff happened, and-”

“Okay, I don’t mean to interrupt you, but there’s no need to apologise in such a sad tone, Touya!” An cut through his words, commenting on a tone he hadn’t even realised was there. She patted him on the back and once again ushered him in her direction of choice, though it was just a few steps. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself if you don’t want to, it’s entirely your choice as to what you tell us. We’ll respect you either way!”

“Yeah!” Kohane chirped in agreement, and Touya remembered how comforting these two had always been, even if it were completely unintended.

“Although, it was kinda funny. Akito was full on panicking, he’d like… convinced himself you’d dropped off the earth! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in such a frenzy!” While An laughed at his boyfriend’s behaviour, guilt flooded through Touya’s bones; although he struggled to recognise his own expressions at times, he could feel his face fall.

“Hey, it’s okay… she’s exaggerating, I promise you didn’t upset Akito…” Whispering reassurance, Kohane seemed to pick up on Touya’s internal reaction and helped the temporary panic to leave his body entirely. “What brings you here so late, anyway?” Touya scratched the back of his head as he looked away from the two staring at him.

“Ah, it’s… embarrassing, but… Azusawa-san, do you have any photos of us as a group on your camera?” At the mention of photography, Kohane’s eyes lit up, mirroring the flash of photography.

“Yes…! I have that one from Phoenix Wonderland, that one time we went for my birthday, and I also have a few from after our shows…” As if her voice would run away without her, Kohane’s pace sped up at the mention of a passion of hers, only for it to quickly fade out when she noticed two pairs of starstruck eyes on her - Touya was starstruck as his goal could be achieved, and An was starstruck because she loved her girlfriend’s passion so much. “Ah, sorry, I started rambling…”

“No no, keep going, Kohane! You don’t have to go quiet for anyone!” Touya nodded in enthusiastic agreement, and gestured to the camera, allowing Kohane to continue speaking.

“Ah, okay…! Well, I have a lot of pictures of us as a group, and I have some of you and Akito too, if I scroll through…” With the assumption he’d been prompted to look, Touya stood behind Kohane and stared at all the photos she’d taken. Although some were interesting - like photos of Kohane’s snake wearing a hat reminiscent of hers - all he could notice was just how much An was in these photos. So much so, that he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

“Just like Saki…”

“Tenma-san…? What about her?” Oops. He hadn’t meant to mention Saki out loud.

“Ah, it’s just… your camera roll is so full of An,” hearing this, An melted into a puddle and Kohane almost did the same, “and it reminded me of my sister. She’s the same with her band, Leo/need, but I’m sure you know that. Aren’t you classmates with Hinomori-san from Leo/need?”

“I am!” She laughed and continued looking through her camera roll, hoping to find at least one picture of Akito and Touya. Almost instinctively, she had figured out his aim behind his query, and had no intentions to let him leave empty handed. “Though, I have to ask… what’s your phone gallery like?” Touya froze.

Ah, right.

The joys of hypocrisy.

Defensively grabbing his pocket, he realised how he’d been foolish to let his guard down for too long, and saw An unlock his phone with the password she’d seen him enter too many times. 

Note to self: do not let your friend see you enter your password which is also your birthday because she will use it against you to display your gallery of Akito and stray cats to the world.

“There’s so many cats in this gallery, y’know…” An flicked through it as Touya stood, mortified yet unable to reclaim his dignity in the form of his mobile device. “Ah, wait, there he is.”

The photo she viewed was one from the Kamiyama Festival, where Akito had stolen Touya’s phone and forced him to take a commemorative selfie with him. 

Touya had never been one for selfies. The initial assumption was that it was due to insecurity, though he would quickly assure the individual asking that he wasn’t insecure, rather… he saw no use in taking photos of himself, when he could take snapshot memories of things dear to him.

If Akito or Tsukasa were there, he would have told Touya off for not treating himself as something dear to him. 

But, if he had a choice of a gallery full of himself, or full of the ones he loves in a platonic, romantic or familial sense, he would always choose the latter.

Yet, as he stared at the selfie, where he gave a small peace sign next to Akito’s wide grin…

Yeah, maybe photos of him were nice, sometimes.

“This is so cute, what the hell… you guys are making me sick. Never speak to me again.” An gave Touya back his phone, and after a mini internal panic as to whether he’d just gravely offended An, she quickly added, “Wait, I was being sarcastic! I’m sorry if that stressed you out, Touya!”

“It’s okay.” He smiled back, staring at the selfie as he silently made it his phone lockscreen; the repercussions of such an unapologetically loving act would be faced once he returned home. “Azusawa-san, please can you get me some copies of photos of us? Any of us, it doesn’t have to be just the group or just me and Akito.” She gave an enthusiastic nod and noted it down on her little memory notepad. Touya had always meant to keep one of those… ah, but he’d probably forget it even existed, so all the reminders would be ultimately useless. Such is the dilemma of keeping a list for memory. “I’ll probably head home soon… Tsukasa might freak out.” At the mention of his upperclassman’s name, An and Kohane shared an understanding glance, but spoke no words about the presumed situation - if Touya wished to speak about it, he could do so on his own terms!

“Alright, see you later!” An chirped in return, as Touya left the café, and almost summoned a text from Akito in doing so.

Akito <3: dude i think ur brother mght actually kick me out if you dont get home soon

Akito <3: no rush but like my life might be on the line

Akito <3: just sayin

The hypocrisy he had, to critique Tsukasa’s theatrics only to put on a Shakespearian performance of distress at the first opportunity…

Touya: I’m on my way back now

Touya: if possible, please be fully intact when I get back

Akito <3: no promises . the pancakes mightve been poisoned man

As he liked Akito’s final text (and, according to him, final words), he plugged his headphones in once more and swiftly walked home, a smile on his face that he was unwilling to depart with.

Chapter Text

“Soooo? How did you meet our lovely Touya?” Saki hummed, staring daggers towards her brother’s partner with an element of theatrics that mirrored her other brother. As the subject of conversation made his way home, Akito had found himself face to face with two nightmares. No pinching could make this any less real. Which was probably the worst part .

However, to give Saki the benefit of the doubt, she wasn’t that bad once he got to know her and her character. A bubbly ball of energy - from what Touya had mentioned in brief, not wishing to disclose too much due to privacy, Akito figured it was to make up for lost years within childhood. However, no matter how polite and lovely you are, your positive energy is all for nought if it’s reminiscent of him . Unfortunately for Akito, the him in question was also staring daggers, although he seemed to enjoy every moment of the act. Neither of them had the malice to actually despise nor interrogate Akito, for anger was not something that ran through the Tenma’s bloodstream, however a theatrical performance for the ages was . And, unfortunately for Akito, anything that could resemble a dramatic script was instantly taken on board. Especially if it involved the classic trope of interrogating the ‘recently betrothed’ partner to their youngest sibling.

Their relationship was not recent (if anything, it was a little later than anyone anticipated), however the specific details were not of concern to these actors. Often dubbed poor conduct in the industry, it could be argued that there was an art to playing a role, and it didn’t always have to reflect reality.

That’s probably what that guy would say, anyway, with a dramatic pose.

“Um… we met through music. Has he never told you?” The words ‘he tells everyone’ tried to reach the tip of Akito’s tongue, but with a heavy air (for dramatic effect!) laying into him, the words could not escape his lungs, let alone his mouth.

“No, he seemed to have kept it from us, for the sake of this secret arrangement-!” Tsukasa quickly threw in the last phrase, an absolute lie on his side, which made Akito scowl. Dedication to an art shouldn’t involve neglect of the world outside of it! He often told Ena that, before she shunned him out of her room for disturbing her flow… she always listened and would later quietly ask him for a drink or some food. He externally stated a victory against her evil ways, but internalized her gratitude and intended to continue taking care of her, because he knew she would do the same for him if ever he needed it (albeit not as explicitly as he does).

“Okay, now we both know you’re just lying. What’s the real reason you’re interrogating me, Tsukasa-senpai?”

“Hey! I’m here too!” Saki frantically waved her arms above her head to attract his attention, dropping the ‘intimidating sister’ act entirely. Trying not to chuckle, Akito appreciated the clearing of the air… though why it was polluted in the first place was confusing, since there was clearly no aggression nor bad intentions.

“And Saki-san…”

“Just Saki is fine! Though, since you’re dating my little brother and all, maybe I should make you call me ‘Saki-onee-chan’…” Her grin mirrored her older brother’s in an uncanny way, sending a shiver up Akito’s spine as her words processed in his brain. Once processed, another shiver shot through him.

“Sure… I’ll consider it.”

“Oh my gosh, for real?! That’s so kind of you, it makes me feel so fancy… Does that mean I get to call you my little brother too?” At the mention of ‘little brother’, Mizuki Akiyama’s haunting spirit appeared behind Akito, piercing into his soul as he remembered just how they acted upon getting together with Ena. ‘Real close’... he could certainly tell by the fact they referred to him like a brother-in-law.

“Saki, my dear Saki! Calm yourself! We have not even given him our ‘okay’ to marry our dear Touya, so how could w-”

“MARRY?!” Saki and Akito screeched in unison, Akito turning a shade of red that could possibly be classified as a visual danger due to the vividness of it. His hands shook as he covered his mouth, entertaining the thought a little too much. Marry Touya… he certainly looked dashing in a suit, as that one stand-in event he partook in proved… and that event also caused an internal dilemma within Akito as he had to stop himself from asking Touya to propose to him rather than the woman in the event. While it would’ve added to the drama, it was not scripted at all. Rui would have entertained it, and An would have been entertained by it. There was a clear difference that he was not willing to allow. But, the past aside, a future with Touya as his spouse, making him his husband and waking to see him everyday…

“Sorry, am I interrupting something?” All three heads sharply turned towards the voice, a silent agreement in unison to not mention the previous topic. At the doorway, Touya stood with his phone in his hand, staring in confusion at the triangular formation of those closest to him.

“Nothin’! They were just… asking about how we met. Thought we’d leave it for you to fill Saki-san-” a whisper of ‘Saki-onee-san!’, only audible to Akito, made him blush deeper than humanly possible as he attempted to at least remain composed in his tone of voice, “-in…” 

“Yeah! You’ve never told me, Touya! I wanna know all the deets~” Tsukasa gasped at her use of a clipped word, though in an exaggerated manner that made its lighthearted nature clear.

“Alright, I’ll tell you… another time.” He walked over to his partner and his siblings, flashing an (attempted) mischievous smile to his disgruntled sister. 

This was his family, the ones who took him in because of who he was, not because of what he could do. It felt nice to have them all in the same place, and it was even nicer to know those he loved were grouped together because they loved him back.

“Ah, yeah, didn’t you say you’d leave Touya some pancakes on the side…?” Akito gestured to the side in question, addressing Tsukasa but catching Saki’s attention too. They both thought for a moment, then turned to look at each other.

“I’ll go grab it first!” Being the first to move, Saki bolted towards the side, though despite best efforts to get a head start her efforts were quickly thwarted by Tsukasa, who grabbed her by the wrist.

“While you are my dearest, most wonderful younger sister, as the oldest of us three, I simply must be the one to serve our dear youngest sibling!” Playfully, Tsukasa held her back in a hug, as she giggled in his embrace

“I’m your only dearest, most wonderful younger sister!” Was all she could muster to say before collapsing into a fit of giggles, leaning backwards into her older brother’s embrace.

“Exactly! And I love you so very much, just as I love Touya - our wonderful younger brother - so much!” He buried his head into her neck, making her laugh harder, and Akito scoffed at the adorable embrace. It was adorable, and the love these siblings held was as clear as day; however, all he could think of was, if this was he and Ena, she would’ve throttled him with no regrets and taken the food for herself. 

Siblinghood was something entertaining but also perplexing to analyze. Not that he was one for intense analysis.

“Are you okay, by the way?” Tapping Akito gently on the arm, Touya received a raised eyebrow in reply, as the one offering him such a response shuffled a little closer to him. Speaking again in a softer tone, he continued, “When I walked in, you were bright red. What did Tsukasa… what did Tsukasa-onii-san and Saki-onee-san say to you?” Although he had no intent to seem hostile, his tone came off harsher than intended, so he attempted to rephrase. “I just wanna make sure they didn’t say anything that would feel awkward to you, since I care about you all.”

“Well, it was nothing, but… what’s with the sudden ‘onii-san’ and ‘onee-san’?” Omitting the statement about deja vu that he initially planned on making, Akito smiled at Touya once more.

“Well, I had been thinking when I was walking back, and… since I am a Tenma now, and my brain has really processed and acknowledged this, I thought it was rude to refer to them by just name, since they’re my older siblings… they didn’t seem to mind so much but I still wanted to make sure I wasn’t being disrespectful, since they took me in…” Touya trailed off, only to suddenly remember his final point. “Also, it didn’t seem like ‘nothing’, though I’m sorry if I’m making a wrong assumption. I’ve just never really seen you that red.”

“You’re always so polite and formal, I kind of envy your manners…” He chuckled and answered Touya’s additional statement, “And yeah, it wasn’t ‘nothing’. It was just embarrassing…”

“You can tell me!”

“Well, uh… Tsukasa-senpai basically implied that we might get married someday, and although it was probably just a dramatic comment - as he always makes - it still made me think a little, and yeah. That bastard put stupid sappy thoughts in my brain.” Although the last sentence came out as a hiss, it lacked the usual malice Akito held towards Tsukasa; he’d never admit it, no matter the stakes, but he was softening to Tsukasa. Whether it was due to Touya’s closeness with him or the hospitality he’d offered to Akito, as his brother’s partner, was unanswered. Mostly because he didn’t know himself. And he didn’t really want to entertain the thought that he might like Tsukasa as a person now. 

“Would you marry me, Akito?” The words slipped out before he could think about it, and Touya quickly slapped his hand to his mouth. “In the future, I mean! We’re still kids and we have our education to worry about, and-” Erupting into laughter, Akito nudged Touya softly, as Saki and Tsukasa finally ended their ‘fight’ on the sidelines and chose to prepare Touya’s snack together.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so flustered, that was a sight!” As Touya struggled to look Akito in the eye, he smiled and wrapped his arm around Touya’s shoulder and moved him closer, whispering his next words, “I love you, Touya. If you still love me when we can legally get married, I’ll happily take you as my husband forever.”

“You act like I’ll ever stop loving you…” Quickly planting a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek, he shuffled towards the plate of food that his siblings so kindly prepared and thanked them for the kindness.

With his focus being on the food, he failed to notice both Saki and Tsukasa grinning at Akito, who had hoped they hadn’t heard or seen anything. 

They, in fact, did. 

It was the role of the older sibling to meddle, after all.

As he ate the pancakes they had prepared, having ensured they weren’t too sweet due to his palate preferences, his phone dinged on the side he’d left it on. Within a few seconds, Akito was by his side, handing him his phone gently.

“It’s An.” An? She never texted Touya privately. While she would absolutely blow up the Vivid Bad Squad group chat with mugshots of herself and her father, alongside random customer updates and the billionth Kohane love essay, she seldom texted Touya in a one-on-one dm. 

Unless it was urgent.

Warily, Touya opened the chat, as Akito peered over him. He had no intention of being nosy, however he had clearly caught onto Touya’s worry. 

So had Saki and Tsukasa, who both stared at Akito with a mutual stare of understanding.

Something was up, and the mood had shifted.

An Shiraishi: Hey, touya! I dont mean to worry you at all, chances are I’ve got the wrong end of the stick, but I thought you deserved to know what just happened in the café

Touya: what’s going on? Did i leave something with you by accident?

An Shiraishi: No, no! Not at all haha

An Shiraishi: We just had a guy come in, asking about you. 

Touya’s blood ran cold. The clock stopped ticking. 

He already expected what was coming next.

An Shiraishi: He wasn’t someone i recognised, which already concerned me, but then he said he was your brother??

Fuck. You had to be kidding. It was somehow worse than what he expected. 

An Shiraishi: I told him I didn’t know who you are, and he must’ve been in the wrong place, because I wasn’t sure

An Shiraishi: Obvs i don’t know everything and I could be misreading this situation, but I know you’re not particularly close with your blood relatives

An Shiraishi: you don’t have to tell me anything ofc, because i respect your privacy, but if you need anywhere to vent I’m always here

He raised a hand to his forehead and tried to regulate his breathing, for it had skyrocketed within seconds. His lungs were closing in. The walls were closing in. Everything was closing in and he was going to be trapped forever and ever under his father’s control and-

“Touya.” Tsukasa placed a hand to his back, as Akito and Saki stood to his left, both staring in concern. As Touya looked up at his older brother, his vision blurred through tears, and Tsukasa softly wiped his face with his other hand. “Breathe for me, Touya.” He guided Touya to ease himself, and eventually his heart rate slowed down as his breaths regulated. 

“He’s trying to find me.” Touya choked out in between tears. “He’s sent my brothers to find me. They went to Ken-san’s café. They’re not… They’re even meant to be here.” The three surrounding him shared a mutual look, and Akito quickly took Touya’s phone to reply to An as his partner sobbed into Tsukasa’s chest. Although he wished to offer Touya physical comfort too, he knew he would only overwhelm his partner, so he offered him aid in another way, instead.

Touya: hey, it’s akito

Touya: thank you for telling him and for doing what you did

Touya: I’m not sure how much more I can say, as I’m sure he’d rather tell you himself, but he’s been staying with the tenma’s as of late, so his family looking for him is a really bad thing

An Shiraishi: Oh god!! Is he okay?! I’m sorry if my message upset him!!

Touya: no, its okay! Its best that he knew anyway, so you really did the right thing by shooing his dickhead brother away and letting touya know

Touya: we’ll keep him safe, and I’ll keep you updated (on my phone ofc(

An Shiraishi: Stay safe, you guys!! I’ll be telling his family to piss off if they invade our street

An Shiraishi: You guys can always come here if you need it!! Discounts for Touya’s family, of course :)

A dark air filled the room, as they all understood what this meant, both for Touya but also the family that had been made - the safety was coming to an abrupt end. 

If Touya wasn’t unsafe under his father’s roof, he ensured no other roof he could go under would be safe.

This was only the beginning, it seemed.

Chapter Text

A little while after An's texts, Akito departed from the Tenma household, bidding Touya's siblings farewell at the door.

"Hey, Akito, wait." Saki hovered at the door, staring at her brother's boyfriend. He had one earphone in, but she had his full attention. "Please take of Touya for me and my onii-chan. We'll keep an eye out, of course, but he's usually with you a lot of the time. Keep him safe if we can't." Her voice small, she spoke softly and genuinely as the concern laced itself in her every word. Although she hadn't seen Touya's phone, she knew what the subject was due to his distressed reaction. 

It mirrored the night he burst into her arms, sobbing in a way she'd never thought she'd see. 

While she had hoped he'd never cry like that again, for she wanted to make him smile like he had for her, ultimately his father had more control than any of them liked to consider.

It stung a little, in truth. Touya had always wanted to make things at least a little better, even as children. Flooding vivid memories of Touya practicing little speeches to try and stand up to his father, as he sat at the foot of Saki's hospital bed, only to sigh in defeat and give her a teary hug as he quietly thanked her for listening… Saki always remembered Touya as a lonely kid who she saw as family, and she saw herself in his pain although it was not the exact same.  

He knew his father's behaviour wasn't right and he knew he was in utter agony due to his father, but a small part of him longed to just be treated as a normal son for once. 

However, when the father in question never saw Touya as human, let alone a son , it was hard to change his ways.

"It's okay, Saki-san. I'll continue to look after him." Akito gave a soft smile, more genuine than the 'nice guy' she'd initially met. "Take care of him for me too, okay? I know I don't have the same authority you do to make such a request, but… I really love him. That's my partner and he deserves a loving family."

"I can tell you love him a lot, and I hope you know we love him too." Saki leaned against the doorframe and yawned, her eyelids low as she offered Akito a reciprocative smile. "Our Touya, he's really brave, isn't he?"

"The bravest and strongest guy I've ever met." Upon saying that, Akito gave a small laugh, quickly cut short by his ringtone blaring through his headphones. "Crap, I forgot about Ena…"

"That's your older sister, right?" Saki laughed as he frantically unplugged his headphones and attempted to compose himself enough to pick up.

"Yep… I forgot to text her, so I'll answer this and head off. See ya." Giving an awkward wave, Akito headed off towards his home as Ena's angered screeches echoed through the streets. As Saki watched him leave, Tsukasa peered from behind her. A hand fell upon her shoulder as the two shared a knowing look. 

“Is he… alright…?” Saki mumbled, still staring at Akito as he wandered off. Though she knew he’d be fine, especially considering the late nights that Vivid Bad Squad grew accustomed to, part of her still thought to watch out for him. Partially for her brother, but also partially to ease her own fears about it; Vivid Bad Squad may be acquainted with the night, but the night could also offer a home to those they’d rather not encounter. The moon serves as both a guide but also an accomplice to some of the late night crimes… a witness who doesn’t speak, who wouldn’t say a word if Touya’s ‘family’ got to Akito before he got home.

“He went to bed early, though he was still shaking…” Tsukasa heaved a deep sigh before speaking once more, “I don’t know what to do.” Offering a ‘hm’ in high intonation, Saki managed to claw her eyes away from Akito as she shut the door gently. Although her focus was on her older brother, her eyes instinctively turned towards the staircase that separated her from the younger brother that indirectly tore her heart into shreds. “We took him in… to protect him… what if they still get him back? What if we lose our Touya?” 

Throughout their childhood, as if he were the protagonist of a children’s tale of hope and fantasy, Tsukasa had always protected his siblings. Whether it involved scaring away nightmares with a magical spell of peace and wonder, placed upon their foreheads in the form of a kiss, or if it were for something more serious, like the dread of losing him… he’d always speak to them with a puffed out chest, broad smile, and a booming voice that scared all the horrible monsters looming in their heads again. Surely, they believed, he could scare away the horrible monsters in the real world too, the ones that infiltrated their homes and shackled them to things they didn’t want to do, places they didn’t want to be. All they wanted to do was be held by their dearest family, without a fear of it being the last time. As such, he promised. He promised to protect them - a knight in shining armour, unsheathing his blade and getting into a fighting stance for all who needed it. A smile equivalent to a shield, lowering the enemies defenses as he boosted the morale of the allies he fought for, the ones he loved.

So, to see this knight crumble in premature defeat at an enemy he’d always sworn to demolish… to see his smile - his shield - fall flat in favour of a quivering lip and teary eyes…

Without thinking, Saki wrapped her arms around her brother, who weakly returned the embrace as he allowed himself to cry just that little bit. 

It’s okay, it’s okay, you can cry. You’ve been so brave, so wonderful. So please, let me protect you for once, my wonderful knight.

Unspoken thoughts from his dear younger sister resonated within Tsukasa’s chest, as an implausible telepathy rendered him weakened; sometimes weakness is not inherently a flaw, rather a sign to rely on others and to allow yourself time to grow, for we as people had always been destined to work in communities. So, the star lowered himself from the sky a little, as he held his younger sister with the same clinging grip as a child. 

He had always been afraid to lose both of his siblings, albeit in youth he struggled to realise why he felt the same towards Touya. Hugs became a way of casting a magical spell - please don’t go, please stay with me. 

Please stay strong so I can hold you like this once more.

Sometimes, childhood fears haunt us well into our growth, and this proved true for the brother always living in fear of loss, even when he had no understanding of why this loss would even happen. Things had been improving - Saki had been well, although monitoring of her state was natural, and he’d finally been able to take in Touya. He saw Touya and Saki smile so brightly under his care! They laughed at his jokes, his poses, they even began to introduce their loved ones to him as their loved ones!

So why did fate have to be so cruel and reopen a healed wound?

“We won’t lose him, onii-chan. So many people are going to look out for him, so nothing will happen.” Saki mumbled into his chest as she gently rubbed his back, the same rhythmic motion her mother had always done for her before they left for the day. In return, Tsukasa sniffled and squeezed her a little hard. Just as he had always done when they were children.

Akito <3: Touya my love, is everything ok ?

Ding, ding.

Another unanswered text. 

This time, it wasn’t deliberate ignorance; rather, a feeling of inability. A numbing sensation throughout Touya’s body made it so all he could do was cry, staring up at the ceiling that seemed to want to fall down upon him. Trap him further. Caged, as if he wasn’t allowed to grow beyond the cage of classical music and the surname that bled into his skin, redefining him as everything but a Tenma.

He was a prodigy. A talented musician who could manipulate the frameworks of music itself to appeal to whichever genre he wished to pursue. He was intelligent in studies. Excelling in everything he put his mind to. He was everything you’d ever want a perfect child to be, especially as he befit the ‘seen not heard’ talk of generations long ago, something his father still upheld despite how these views had long since become obsolete.

So why, if he could be all these things that everyone deemed so good - if he was this amazing prodigy with talents galore - why couldn’t he be the things he wanted to be?

Why couldn’t he be normal? Happy? A Tenma, a member of a family that loved him? Why couldn’t he be the perfect son, why did he have to defy everything about a ‘perfect son’ from the moment he was born?

What led to these imperfections, what prevented him from being who he wanted to be rather than the hollow shell filled with the ambitions of his blood relatives?

Why did everything go back to what his fucking father wanted, even when he finally had a chance to begin anew?

Shallow, irregular breaths escaped his chest as he gasped for some sense of stability, even when everything closed in and drowned him. If he wasn’t drowning in expectations, or in reputational damage, he drowned in a sense of disappointment. 

The truth was, he was disappointed in himself. It wasn’t his fault, he knew that, and he tried to remember everything Tsukasa and Saki and Akito had told him. But, when blinded with tears that stung him and blinded him of sense, all that he could do was succumb to the echo of failure ringing in his ears.

Between gasps for air, a desperation to regain the stability and to regain his cool head that he was often credited for, Touya gripped onto his phone, shining above him in a blinding light as he tried to read the numerous dinging notifications that Akito bombarded him with. 

Blinding light…

Without a thought, something uncharacteristic of Touya, he shot up and swiped away Akito’s notifications. He’d reply later, when emotions weren’t clouding his every sense of logic - while Akito had long encouraged Touya to be more expressionate, when the expressions started to form without Touya’s permission or awareness as to why , it was too overwhelming to work with. Since arriving on the Tenma’s doorstep, if there was one emotion Touya had become better at expressing, it was a suffocating sadness that rendered all his senses useless in favour of weeping like a child. 

Maybe he was just appeasing the child that would be punished for crying.

Or maybe he had gotten incredibly sidetracked in his own thoughts once again, allowing a potential spiral to grasp onto him before he could really stop himself.

That blinding light… he needed to visit them, maybe only for a little while. They said their doors were open whenever they were needed, so surely a seat would be open for him to take it?

Who knows.

Such was the wonder of the mystifying sekai, the one that drew him in as his pressed play on the ‘Untitled’ song he pinned to his files.

And, as he felt blinded by that familiar light once more, he silently prayed that the little ones would be there to greet him, as they often were at unannounced moments in time. 

They often wanted his company, so naturally, the feeling became reciprocated. Right now, he needed as much ‘family’ as he could get… although, he had his doubts about whether that was reciprocated.

Chapter Text

Click, clack. Tick, tack. Kick, kick.

Every second that passed was another of restlessness and anticipation for Len, sitting upon a café stool and staring into an empty glass. Every ticking second vibrated against his skin, and every buzzing noise cycled in his brain. 

He had been told not to go and visit Akito or Touya yet - the adverb was a crucial element of the statement, yet in his state of impatience, was the element he had omitted entirely. Impatience had become second nature to him, a feature both charming but also infuriating depending on who had the honour of handling him.

And for the exhausted Meiko, who made him his second glass of juice (she feared caffeine would increase his jitters, something he protested against yet indirectly proved), she wasn’t sure which one she felt towards the younger boy.

It wasn’t like he was verbally kicking up a fuss and trying to escape the café, which was something his twin Rin had attempted. Although Kaito had attempted to aid his partner by lifting Rin up and carrying her away over his shoulder, he ended up hitting his head on the doorframe on the way out, so the situation resulted in Kaito and Rin sitting and sulking together behind the bar. Rather than this attempted protest that resulted in casualty, Len was doing something far more noticeable - he was quiet . He had chosen to sit, kicking his legs back and forth due to his excessive energy, and just stare in silence at everything around him. In an attempt to make himself seem smaller, his presence was eerily hard to ignore.

“Len, honey, would you like a cookie?” In an attempt to ease his sad eyes, Meiko watched his eyes glaze over with tears as he gave a small nod. Although he tried to hide it, his bottom lip had begun to quiver, and his grip on his shorts had intensified. “Darling…” Meiko’s tone softened as she placed the food and drink in front of him. For a moment, his eyes flickered up towards the food, only to quickly fall back to the floor, as if he were captivated by the swinging of his legs. A quick step around the bar led to her sitting next to him, placing a hand to his back and stroking her thumb up and down as he reached out to sip his juice. “What’s on your mind?”

“I’m really worried, Meiko… “ With a hitch in his voice, Len spoke with a hushed tone, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear him, “I can just, like, sense something. You know? When you get that really horrible feeling in your chest and everything feels wrong .” In an attempt to symbolize the feelings, Len placed his drink down so he could begin making dramatic hand gestures around his chest. Eventually, he opted for squeezing his hands into fists rather than shaking them around, to a point they shook in a way that mirrored his trembling arms. Meiko nodded, and continued to stroke his back, hoping it would ease his worries.

“I know, love… Sometimes that dread and anxiety isn’t actually reflective of what’s going on in the world, but still, it’s worrying when you don’t hear from those you love, and you love those two a lot, don’t you?” Len gave a small nod and allowed his shoulders to fall from his ears.

“They haven’t visited me in days, and I started getting this anxiety a couple days ago, and it just… hasn’t gone away!” His voice increased in both volume and speed as he frantically put words to his thoughts, “We’re meant to be here, to represent their feelings and stuff, right? Surely that means something is wrong! And if something’s wrong, we’re their guides, we’re meant to help, and-”

“Len, baby, breathe for me.” After staring into her eyes for a moment, blinking away the tears that burnt into his eyes, Len attempted to follow her breathing guides. In… and out… In… and out… In and out… Although it took a few cycles, he got to a point where the ground did not feel as far and the ceiling did not feel as if it were closing down upon him, and he snatched his eyes away from Meiko’s glare as the tears began to trickle down. 

Technically speaking, his assumption of being able to feel their feelings may have not been the entire truth, but he had been born from a connection to these two older boys. It had gotten to a point where he was not a ‘guide’, but rather a friend, a companion, and then family. There are theories that say that you can sense when things are going wrong with those you love, that your fears and anxieties are interconnected on planes of existence that we may not be able to entirely comprehend… surely, this was the case? Or at least it had some link to this unexplainable sense of concern for the older boys who had taken him under their wing, helping him grow beyond what he had been created for?

“I just… I’m scared. I don’t know what I’m scared of , but I’m scared, Meiko.” Having been momentarily lost in the depth of his thoughts, he hadn’t noticed that she had returned to being behind the bar, offering him a few tissues from a pack. “I just hope Touya or Akito come back soon.”

Ring, ring, ring!

The door flung open. All heads turned in unison. There may have been a theatrical cue, although it seemed more likely to just be coincidence. A few blinks welcomed the realization of this coincidence. One that may have been too good to be true, for both their sakes.

“Tou… Touya!” In an attempt to greet the older boy, Len tried to not throw himself off the chair, only to catch his foot on the base of the chair. Rather than meeting the warmth of Touya’s embrace, he instead met the cold, hard floor. Head first. “Ow…” Despite attempts to drag himself up, making numerous groans of agony in the process, a gentle hand hoisted him back up to a standing position before he could do so himself; the aid was welcomed, as it came from the one who indirectly caused the accident. 

“Are you okay, Len…?” Touya mumbled, staring down at the young boy who possessed an unreadable expression. Was he mad, upset, hurt, or even worse…?

The answer, as was often the case for anxious assumptions, was none of the above - it was glee, as his actions spoke instead of his facial expression.

“Touya! I missed you so much! Where have you been?!” Len flung his arms around Touya, squeezing the life force out of him to make up for the time separated. After a brief pause, Touya returned the embrace, though with much less vigour than the younger child; it required energy he mentally lacked, though that didn’t mean that he didn’t want to return such vigour. In a similar fashion to Meiko’s prior embrace, Touya stroked Len’s back with his thumb, as he tried to bury his head in the crook of the boy’s neck without injuring his own in the process. 

“I missed you too, Len.” A soft, hushed tone…

Wait.

Alarm bells rang in Len’s brain. No sooner than that feeling of dread’s return.

“Touya… Are you okay?” Trying not to startle him, and ultimately failing, Len pulled away from the hug as he took a moment to process Touya’s expression. He had gotten better at expressing himself in recent months, but this? 

His quivering lips, shaking hands, dark shadows under his eyes that seemed to drain the colour from his face entirely… not to mention his weak smile, perhaps in an attempt to convince himself moreso than the virtual singers, and his puffy eyes…

This was the easiest he’d ever been to read. 

And strangely, it was the worst thing in the world.

Not because he was expressive, but rather, what the expressions entailed.

Just what had fallen upon him since they’d last spoken?

The last time Len spoke to Touya, he had been in a bookstore. Len helped him pick a book to read, and he remembered this so clearly, because Touya had promised to come back in a day or two so they could read the book together. He didn’t feel malice for the forgotten promise, in fact, it was partially what prompted such a deep concern; Touya had never been one to forget a promise. Matched with the underlying dread that consumed his every action, Len had guessed something terrible had come up.

Being right was not something he had hoped for this time.

After a brief pause to compose himself, so the tears did not flow again, Touya replied.

“No. I’m not doing okay, at all…” In a way that eerily matched Len’s prior state, his voice hitched, as he tried to prevent himself from breaking down entirely. He didn’t want to break in front of Len. Not when Len saw the world in him.

“That’s okay, Touya. Would you like to talk about it?” Len reached out and grabbed Touya’s hands, clasping onto them in the hopes he’d know he wasn’t alone.

“I don’t… I don’t think I know anymore.” That was as far as the act of composure could last. The words escaped his lips, and with them, tears escaped his eyes. He sobbed, and he sobbed. All strength left his knees, as he fell to the ground. Yet, despite all strength in his body leaving him, and despite all attempts to appear strong to this boy who held so much admiration for him… he still clung to Len’s hands, afraid that if he let go, he’d lose another part of himself. 

For a moment, all Len could do was watch. Words may end up acting as gasoline rather than water on a fire, and he remained wary of Touya’s boundaries regarding physical comfort.

Was he shocked? Yes, for he did not expect it to be this bad.

Was he losing admiration for Touya, or respect, or any of the other fears Touya held? No, for it was the complete opposite.

Touya and Akito were the strongest guys in Len’s life. They held passion that surpassed anything else he’d encountered, their talent and determination always shined throughout their work, and their care for each other left Len’s heart a little melted every time. They were cool. They were the EPITOME of coolness.

However, being ‘strong’ did not mean ‘hiding everything’, at least in Len’s eyes. 

Perhaps the strongest thing Touya had ever done was admitting he wasn’t doing okay and allowing himself to sob in front of others.

Because that was always okay too.

“Touya… it’s okay, it’s okay.” Unhooking his left hand from Touya’s, he ran a hand through the older boy’s hair, moving a little closer to him as he did so. Tears ran down Len’s face as he spoke once more, not trying to hide his worry, “You don’t have to pretend you’re okay. You always help me out when I’m having my problems. I want to help you with yours.” By this point, they were both crying, though Len’s sobs were far louder than Touya’s.

“Len… do you still have that book from the other day…?”

“Yeah, I do. Why?” Using the hand that still clung to Len’s, Touya pulled himself back up, as he stopped himself from mustering up a smile to hide his dismay. He’d been told that it was okay, so why give into the first response to something, when you could make a more logical second response?

“Can we… sit and read it a little? I think we both need to calm down, just a little.” 

“You didn’t forget our promise!” Len’s eyes sparkled with glee, as the brightness radiating from his eyes seemed to evaporate both of their tears. As he bounced over to the bar once more, he dragged Touya with him, gripping onto his hand with the intention of never letting go. “Meikooo, can you please grab the book I asked you to look after?” She nodded and walked towards the space where Kaito and Rin had since fallen asleep in each other’s arms, but not before placing down two milkshakes and a plate of cookies.

She had seen it all happen. She was bound to do so, considering the previous situation with Len. Yet, despite being dubbed the most mature of the virtual singers, she purposefully chose to not disturb. 

Silently, she had always thought Len to be the best fit when helping Touya, and by extension, Akito. Sure, she could support the boys when they needed it - the numerous times Akito came to rely on her instantly flashed to mind. Yet, in a way, Len knew the best way to get to their hearts and to offer them relief in a way they felt comforted by. He would drag Akito to play football with him when his rage was bubbling beyond human capacity, knowing that the distraction and the source of physical relief would ease his stress while also offering the release of joy through exercise. And when it came to Touya, surely the present example served enough proof that he knew their hearts.

Family is not just those you live alongside, nor is it just those you share blood with.

Family can come in all shapes and sizes.

Even if it involves the virtual world.

“Here you go, boys. Make sure to go to bed at a decent time, though. Both of you!” 

“We will!” Len chirped, unaware of the soft smile Touya gave him in response to such a chirp. Before the two settled down, Touya ran a hand through Len’s messy nest of hair. In retaliation (but only after an eager grin), Len stood on the tips of his toes to return the favour. Rather than achieving his goal, he overestimated his ability to balance and fell once more.

This time, however, Touya was there to catch him.

“Careful, you…” As he spoke, the younger boy clasped his arms around him, clinging on as if it were for dear life. Questions stirred within his brain, and he thought to verbalize at least one. “Are you okay? You keep clinging onto me, and it’s not bothering me, but…”

“Touya.”

“...yes?” Len detached himself from Touya and stared at him with absolute determination. Although he recognised the intensity, Touya also recognised how he couldn’t maintain that eye contact, and sharply looked away.

“Can I… can I call you ‘onii-chan’?” He said it. “Oh god, I said it.” As if performing a trust fall, but arguably in the wrong direction, Len threw himself backwards and ran to the other end of the café to face a wall, attempting with desperation to hide the growing red on his face. Where Touya had previously been difficult to read, Len had always been easy to read, which caused issues in scenarios such as this.

Seriously, why do virtual singers turn so bright red? They’re virtual , so surely laws of human emotion shouldn’t apply!

Yet, as his face flushed with the heat of a million — a billion? — suns, he left all questions regarding virtual singer logic aside.

“Hehe…” Touya chuckled. He laughed! Len quickly spun around to appreciate how he made Touya laugh, only to remember how he’d made him laugh, and he quickly spun back around to face a wall. “Len, look at me.” 

“Sorry, Len isn’t home right now. Um. Beep boop, I’m malfunctioning!” He spoke in a robotic voice (although questions as to how robotic his voice already was sprung to mind), in a frenzy to disguise his reaction, only to make it far more obvious. “Oh, god, I’m saying such stupid stuff right now…” A grumble and a huff from Len made Touya chuckle once more, as he walked over to Len, tapping him on the shoulder in the hopes he’d look at him.

Lucky for Touya, he remained easy to gain the attention of.

“You know, I… I’ve felt similar towards a ‘friend’ recently. In terms of considering them family rather than friends.” Len nodded, despite pouting at his own reaction. “Do you… see me as an older brother?”

“Yeah… You and Akito, you’re like… you’re like my really cool older brothers! But it’s… it’s a little weird to go around asking someone ‘oh wow can I call you onii-chan’, isn’t it…?” 

“I don’t think it’s weird.” After sweeping some of his fringe from his forehead, Touya planted a gentle kiss on Len’s forehead, hoping a physical message of family would offer the reassurance that he feared his tone failed to. “Now, don’t we have a book to read together?”

“Y… yes!” After a few frantic nods from Len, they took each other’s hands once more, and returned to their seats.

For a moment, Touya was met with the blissful thought that no matter what, family would be his to choose. He’d done it again, and again, and again, and every time it felt safer than the Aoyagi name bestowed upon him by blood.

He just had to hope his blood relatives were willing to change their definitions.

After all, they had proven extreme reluctance during this current attempt.

Chapter Text

Stillness ran through the Street Sekai for what seemed to be the first time in days. A soft hum from a whirring coffee machine ran through the café, summoning the start of a new day.

Technically speaking, the sekai itself did not cycle through ‘day’ or ‘night’, as the everawake digital world reflects the notion that it can be any time, anywhere in the real world. However, as the virtual singers began to learn the routines and patterns of those they watched over, they began to adapt their schedules to construct their own definition of time. 

Akito would often visit early in the morning to exercise or train his vocals, depending on his prior mood, which Rin and Len would always aid with. This would run for an hour or two, until he ran to his phone in a whirlwind of frenzy due to fear of being late for school… which he almost always was, especially as his numerous piercings took a while to put back in after a game of football. It had gotten to the point An had once visited before him, pleading the twins to not entertain his urge to train in the morning as it always ran on for too long. This led her to become late herself in the midst of pleading with two reluctant 14 year olds. As for Kohane, she would visit after school, either chatting merrily about the events of her day to a curious Luka and Kaito, or she’d be rushing to an open space to practice her vocals. Although the Kagamine twins did love to train with Kohane, especially Rin, they often spent these times having a drink of coffee or tea as they waited for the latest arrival of the four - Touya, who always visited during the night where he did not return ‘home’ straight away. Sometimes it was just to check in, to have a coffee and a chat with Meiko, and sometimes it was due to events similar to the previous night… living in a hostile household never did wonders to his mental health, unsurprisingly. As such, Meiko always left out snacks for when he visited and just needed time to calm down and ease the storm within his head before bed, preventing the lightning from striking and causing horrific damage to all around him.

Some nights were more difficult than others. Panic attacks and outbursts came hand in hand with these nights, as much as he wished this was not the case. Every so often something would break. That ‘something’ was almost always Touya’s spirit, though there had been a few shattered glasses or cups. He didn’t mean to. 

It isn’t going to be easy, holding things when you’re shaking and your entire body just wants to run, run, run away, get away from everything and make the path you take hard to pursue. Staying put when every limb in your body has adrenaline coursing through its veins is just going to make your body release that adrenaline in any means possible.

Therefore, great fortune fell upon everyone’s spirits when last night was not as severe as some others had been. 

Though, if it were to have escalated to severe levels, that would have been okay too. Just as long as the night ended with him comfortable and well.

“Touya… wakey wakey, darling.” Meiko shook him gently, hoping not to disturb him but still send the message that he needed to wake up. As was the common routine for Touya after a night like the last, he had accidentally fallen asleep in the sekai. Len had been the first to fall asleep; he had curled up in Touya’s arms, reading the book along with him as he ran a finger across the pages, and in that process managed to doze off. Although Touya had not intended to fall asleep, sleep had also gained a grip upon his soul and his drooping eyes (that he could not clamp open if he tried) shut for the evening. After a brief pause - and some stirring in his sleep, shuffling around slightly - Meiko shook him once more, with slightly more vigour than previously. This sent a message through to his sleeping subconscious, leading him to stir some more. His eyes, in all their reluctance to leave the world of dreams, opened with a fuzz to his vision. 

All he could see were fuzzes of red, brown and yellow surrounding him. However, sight was the last of his focuses as the smell of coffee flooded all his senses, clogging up his nose and his brain. He clamped his eyes back shut and hoped he could drift back off to sleep for 5 more minutes. Unfortunately, the smell he would usually welcome if not for the time of day reached his throat, jerking him forward as he choked on the bitterness.

Coffee didn’t possess a bad smell, but he didn’t wish to drown in its bitter embrace upon waking up.

“Onii-chan… don’t… do that…” Just as groggily as his older sibling, Len shuffled upright and clung onto Touya, aware of what was occurring in the awake world yet choosing to keep his eyes and brain within the dream world. Despite his hands feeling uncomfortable, as if awakening had made him hyper aware of the fact he possessed bones and skin, he gave Len a small pat on the head and leaned back.

“What’s the time?” Meiko chuckled at his groggy state and walked over to the counter to check his phone. One of the many mysteries was how phones still read the clock of that person’s time zone within a sekai. Questioning the logistics was not on the routine for today, however.

“It’s… 7:32am, according to your phone!” She projected her voice over to Touya, who groaned once more in absolute discontent of having to wake up early. “Are you not particularly fond of mornings, perchance?”

“It’s 7am?” Was all he responded with, making Meiko laugh once more as she took a nosy peek at his messages. It wasn’t as if Touya couldn’t get up early, and he had the willingness to do so, as long as it was on his terms. If he didn’t want to wake up early, he would kick up a fuss and spend the morning crawling back into bed every few moments. Akito had found amusement in this when he had stayed over one time, although all amusement was swiftly replaced with endearment when he had Touya clinging to him, sleepily begging him to come back to bed for 5 more minutes. In that moment, with his boyfriend’s arms wrapped around his waist, his face pressed up against his back as he placed little kisses against his back… Akito’s heart had truly been the closest it’s ever been to bursting.

“You know, Akito was texting you all night…” At the mention of his partner’s name, Touya shot up and tried to approach Meiko, only for his legs to nearly give way. No amount of excitement could make his tired body instantly work. Begrudgingly sitting back down, Meiko held out his phone for him to take—well, almost accidentally snatch in his anticipation. 

Akito <3: good morning sunshine :) if you need anything today, let me know, okay?

Touya: Thank you honey, I love you so much<3 

Touya: I’m sorry I didn’t respond last night, I was so overwhelmed

Akito <3: hey, its okay!! Didnt bother me at all lol

Akito <3: just want u to be okay, so stay safe and take care lov

“You know, it’s kind of cute how you have a heart next to his name in your contacts!” At this comment from Meiko, Touya felt all the blood in his body rush to his face, embarrassment consuming his entire self.

“It’s…”

“Oh, no, don’t worry! You act as if I haven’t seen all the silly romantic stuff that you guys do, both when your partners are around but also the stuff you do and say when they’re not there to hear…” Touya’s ears pricked up at the concept that Akito not only spoke about him when he wasn’t there, but also that it was ‘silly’ and ‘romantic’ stuff, “Oh, and I’m just telling you now, that Akito of yours is an absolute hopeless romantic when he wants to be…” The heat glowing from his face could have melted everything in a 100 mile radius. His ears seemed to prick up further than humanly possible, as his eyes sparkled with unmatched glee, to an extent Meiko could have believed his irises had been replaced with sheer glitter at how they shone. 

Best part was, he wasn’t even fully aware he’d reacted in this way. He only relaxed a little, lowering his shoulders and his chin, when he remembered to check his phone once more. He’d been so excited to text Akito he forgot other people existed. His boyfriend just had that sort of power.

An Shiraishi: Hey, touya! How are you feeling today?

Touya: I’m ok, thank you for checking in

An Shiraishi: of course!!! 

An Shiraishi: Have you spoken to Tsukasa-senpai today?

Shit.

He’d forgotten entirely about Tsukasa and Saki, so caught up in his own world.

He frantically shot a reply back to An, not paying enough attention to her response. 

Touya: No, why?

An Shiraishi: Ah, well, I think you should! You’ll be thanking Kohane for the idea hehe

“I… I need to get home. If I’m not there when Tsukasa-onii-san and Saki-onee-san wake up, they’ll-”

“Hey, it's okay! If you need to head back, then head back. Wouldn’t want to worry your siblings at all.” Giving a reassuring grin, Meiko gestured towards Len with a slight movement of her head, “Although, you should probably say goodbye to this sibling of yours, too.” Ensuring he opened the tab with the ‘Untitled’ song, Touya placed his phone down beside him and stood up so he could properly say goodbye. 

Watching his little brother slowly descend from his position of sitting up, only to curl up on the sofa where Touya had sat cuddled with him only seconds prior, Touya couldn’t help but break into a small grin. His heart seemed to melt, watching his dear sibling seem so relaxed upon being in his presence. However, he seemed… barren, almost, sleeping without a blanket or cover of sorts. What if he got cold? Coldness was not an issue in the sekai, however it was of concern to a sibling, almost to a concerning rate.

This was his first time being an older sibling - is this what Tsukasa and Saki felt towards him? An overwhelming sensation to protect and care for the younger one in the hopes they’ll be just a little happier?

After a brief moment to consider his options, Touya took his hooded jacket off; it was the one he often wore in performances, one Akito had picked out for him. The fact that he had a boyfriend so fashion literate, yet one kind enough to offer that expertise in the form of picking out outfits for him… gosh, Akito was wonderful to him. So, hoping to share that wonder with someone else dear to him, he draped the jacket over Len, watching him smile a little in his sleep in the process. He looked comfortable. Happy. Loved.

Such a feeling did not feel so alien anymore. Especially as he’d been able to recognise it in another.

After doing so, Touya turned to grab his phone and to log back into the real world, the one where he hoped his older siblings would not be in a panicked frenzy as to his location. 

Click. 

Flash!

“ Sakiiiii , can you please go wake up Touya?”

“On it, onii-chan!” It seemed as if the universe had sympathy for him; the timing of the return was perfect, and nobody had noticed his absence throughout the night.

In his old home, he seldom visited the sekai in his own home. Vigilance was all he ever knew, and although he couldn’t be monitored as severely outside of the Aoyagi household, his parents still tried to exert control over him and his positions within the home. Visits to other rooms of the house almost had to be timed in a schedule to not warrant investigation from his ‘concerned’ mother, to a point that when he went round Akito’s for the first time and Ena inferred that he could help himself to snacks whenever he wanted them, it was as if an entire other world had opened up to him. Although Touya enjoyed routine, such a schedule had always left his chest in unrest, a feeling of dread seeping in and denoting his every organ’s functions to nothingness. 

In hindsight, such control seemed like a norm when it was all he knew. To a point that not being observed throughout the night initially seemed absurd, until he realised how liberating autonomy was. His previous lack of autonomy was absurd. But not uncharacteristic of his old home.

“ Gooooood morning Touya!” Almost sending the door off its hinges, Saki graced Touya’s bedroom with her presence, and rushed to welcome the creeping sun’s entry into the room via opening the curtains. “Let’s let some light in, and-” She turned to face her younger brother, only to see him closing in on himself.

He’s not entirely sure what set him off. It may have been the door’s opening. Or it may have been the sharp thrash against the wall, with the intensity to shatter the wall beside it. All he knew was his chest was tight, his eyes were blurred, and his stomach was clenched into a ball that made him ache from head to toe. Everything was blurring. Past and present became an amalgamation. 

He had thought he’d gotten over that .

“Touya…?” As if lead glued her to the floor, Saki’s usually peppy steps were replaced with slower, more collected movements, gradually making her way to Touya. “Touya, was it… Did the way I opened the door remind you of something bad…?” Sharp intuition - something both of the Tenma’s shared when it came to their family’s feelings, even if there were attempts to mask it. Her hands hovered over his upper arms, hesitant to offer him that physical comfort in case it carried further trauma in this state. As she did so, her eyes flickered downward, and she noticed the way he was clutching himself, turning himself as small as possible, perhaps in the hope he’d turn invisible… it made his knuckles white, a colour that eerily matched his face. Colour had been drained from him. And, in her focus on his physical state, she almost missed how he gave a small nod to her question. “Do… do you want to talk about it? I’m sorry that I reminded you of such memories.” For a moment, his mouth opened. Only for it to clam shut when he realised how that would be impossible, especially at such a moment. So, to express the words that would not form, he simply placed his head on her shoulder. In an instant, she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a way that mirrored his first night.

Eventually, his arms wrapped around her, though with less strength than her embrace.

After a moment of having the little life left in him squeezed out of him, in the classic Saki fashion, he drew the outline of a heart on her back.

It’s okay.

It’s not your fault. I know you didn’t mean to.

The unspoken words hung in the air for a moment, until Saki pulled away from the embrace.

“You… you remember our codes…” Her tone soft, to a point they gently brushed against Touya’s cheek like a small kiss, she squeezed him for one final hug.

Non-verbal episodes such as these were common in situations of stress. Sometimes they were prompted by reminders of the trauma he’d experienced, and other times they were caused by overstimulation - whether it were due to excessive noises, smells, or even just people in general. Nobody close to him had ever thought ill of Touya for these, they simply wished to find ways to make his experiences easier. For some, it involved him typing or writing his thoughts if he had the spoons for such communication. However, Saki had established a code with Touya as children. 

Drawing outlines on each other’s skin with their fingers.

Touya’s favourite had always been the heart. The heart offered reassurance, care, and love. 

Even in moments where speaking felt physically impossible, even if he wanted so desperately to communicate the whirring thoughts in his head, he could send a message of love to his sister. And she’d always send one back. 

They had stopped using this code as they grew up, mostly because of the different paths they took. They both thought the other had forgotten.

Yet, as the outline of a heart felt etched into both of their backs, they shared that unspoken reassurance of the memory.

“ Heyyy , Saki! Touya! Can you both come down, please?” Having hugged for a few moments, allowing the pressure within the air to dissipate, Tsukasa’s booming voice echoed from the staircase.

“Oh, god, I forgot he was sending me to grab you…” Saki hopped on the spot for a few moments, flapping her hands as she did so. “Touya, will you… be okay? If you don’t feel ready to come down yet, you’re under no pressure to. Onii-chan will always understand if you need a minute.” After a moment to ponder his options, Touya shook his head and grabbed Saki by the hand, leading her downstairs at a slow pace. At the bottom of the stairs stood Tsukasa, hands on his hips in a display of pride.

He had something planned.

“Well, well, well… good morning, my dear siblings! I have a very important announcement to make before I welcome you to the table where my wonderful home-made breakfast awaits you!” With exaggerated theatrics, Tsukasa tilted his head back slightly with a wide grin and puffed his chest out.

“...he was frying eggs this morning and nearly burnt them. Our father instantly ran for work to avoid the house burning down.” Saki whispered to Touya, who chuckled at the mental image that was created. Tsukasa always had good intentions, but his executions could be the opposite. Especially if it was first thing in the morning.

“Hey! Saki! I told you not to tell him!”

“Sorry, it just slipped out of me… like how one of the eggs slipped out of your hand onto the floor…” With a teasing tone, she mimicked his puffed out chest of pride, only making Tsukasa’s hairs stand on end.

“ Sakiiiii ! When did you get this cheeky?!” Although he attempted to feign a tone of frustration, the act quickly fell apart for he could not even pretend to be annoyed at his sister. A smirk broke out of his fake frown, and eventually the three of them all fell into hysterics. “Gosh, you both distracted me! Tut tut tut!” Through his laughter, Tsukasa attempted to put on a tone of discontent, only for it to come out like a giggle.

“You’re terrible at pretending to be mad, you know that right, onii-chan?”

“It’s because it’s my dear baby siblings… I cannot be mad at such angels…!” Once again striking an ostentatious pose - one that mimicked angel wings this time - he took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now! I called you both down so early because I have a! Very important announcement to bestow upon you both!” After unfolding his hands to perform jazz hands with vigor that would put a wonderhoi from Emu to shame, he bestowed his announcement upon his siblings. “We’re going to Phoenix Wonderland today! As a family!” Both Saki and Touya gasped, and they turned to face each other with stars in their eyes. 

“Well, why didn’t you tell me this before, onii-chan?! I need to go get dressed!” Saki ran back up a few stairs, only to quickly stop and turn to Touya, “Touya, come with me! I’m doing your hair!” He swiftly nodded and followed his sister upstairs, as they both giggled like small children. 

As they both departed to the realm of their bedrooms, Tsukasa stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching over them both as he heaved a deep sigh and his shoulders dropped. A small yet radiant smile crept across his face as he tilted his head to the side slightly, and mumbled to himself, “I’m glad to see you smile again after last night, Touya. I hope today can ease your mind a little.”

Chapter Text

No matter how many times Saki and Touya went to Phoenix Wonderland, it still gave the electric thrill of deja vu.

Stretching as far as the eye could see sat ferris wheels that reached the heavens with their rising carriages, carrying the dreams of children to the stars - even adults felt their ‘childish’ dreams rise with them. Our souls have long since been said to share the construction of stars, and when you are above everyone, feeling your hands thread through the atmosphere’s edge… becoming one with the stars you stemmed from does not seem so implausible. Even when you return to the ground, it feels as if you are floating, and the buzz of the crowd gravitating towards the next object of interest will simply drag you along with it.

However, their favourite part had always involved the plush mascots. Having taken a great liking to Fenny-kun in her youth, Saki instantaneously gestured towards the nearest stand, adorned with the icon of the park itself. For a moment, Touya and Tsukasa shared eye-contact - not out of reluctance to let her go, rather the opposite.

“Come on guys, I haven’t been here in so long!” She spun around in an exaggerated manner, her grin as dazzling as her outfit; she had chosen to wear a cream woolen jumper a size too big for her, with a pink plaid skirt underneath that matched her cane. Having accessorized this cane with numerous stickers of bunnies and kitties, it was always her first choice to bring on long walks. “And, since we have Touya here, it’d be a waste for him to not use his skills, riiight?”

As if it were his cue, Touya turned to face Tsukasa with eyes made of stars.

If one sibling with sparkling, large puppy eyes wasn’t effective enough to persuade Tsukasa Tenma of all people, surely two would be fatal?

“You… you two are evil, fiendish beings!” Stepping back with an elaborate stomp stomp , Tsukasa scanned his younger siblings with a quick glance before slapping a hand to his chest and loudly exclaiming, “But I! The Tsukasa Tenma of the Phoenix Wonderland! Shan’t be so easily swayed towards giving my wallet away!” Clenching the hand on his chest into a fist, Tsukasa performed an elaborate act of being stabbed with an invisible spin, only to stumble back a few steps and loudly gasp for air.

Gasp, gasp! 

Oh, how the crowd’s gaze fell upon this blossoming star, barely holding himself up to stand with such a fearsome blade formed by pleading eyes, impaling his chest!

The shock, the horror!

As Touya and Saki shuffled closer together, watching this elaborate performance with their mouths agape, wondering what his next move would be… Tsukasa outstretched his arms, holding himself up with one foot in front of the other as he raised his chin slightly. 

“I! Shall not give you fiends my money!” Spinning and spinning back towards his siblings, Touya quickly outstretched his own arms to prevent an inevitable collision, only to awkwardly catch Tsukasa in a hug. Noticing how his brother's breaths were frantic due to the sudden movements, Touya allowed him a moment to catch his breath as he clung to his upper arms for dear life. 

He wasn’t related to the Tenma’s by blood. 

Taking one look at the differences in their hair tones gave that away almost instantly. 

But, gosh , did he feel like he inherited his terrible spatial awareness from Tsukasa. Especially at this moment - an endearing trait, yes, but also a terrifying one when a Tenma hurricane comes whirling at you with no signs of stopping.

“Well, if we bought you a donut at the stall near the Fenny-kun would… Would you perhaps give us fiends a little money? Please?” Upon saying fiends, Saki tilted herself back as she exaggeratedly placed the back of her free hand on her forehead. She made sure to drag out the word, enjoying the theatrics a little too much, only to hop back up to standing upright almost as quickly as she tilted herself back. Touya made sure to nod enthusiastically, hoping it would play to their advantage.

Tsukasa looked them up.

He looked them down.

Up.

Down.

Up!

Down!

“Well… I may have to consider it further…” speaking slowly, his eyes then fell upon the mini crowd that had formed - naturally, the star brought in gazing eyes, “...but!” Leaping back, and nearly throwing Touya onto his back in the process, Tsukasa’s volume fluctuated as did his exaggerated movements. “Do not think you can win me over with sweet treats , you adorable yet conniving little sister of mine!”

“Oh? Are me and Touya-” She hooked an arm around Touya’s, dragging him close as she began to speak with a higher pitch, “not the sweetest treats to ever grace your existence, dear star?” Though Touya struggled to figure out what to do with his facial expression, he placed a hand on his heart and blinked a few times, playing along with the role of a conniving yet (hopefully) successful sibling.

“I… I…!” After making a high-pitched squeak, Tsukasa collapsed to his knees, and spoke in a deep, deep voice, “You win today, young ones… But do not get so hopeful just yet… for I… I…! Ack!” Shooting his eyes wide open, his hands shot to his chest and clenched onto it as if he were trying to rip his heart out. Touya’s eyes shot between his two siblings. 

Was he okay? 

It was so sudden! 

Had they gone too far?!

Just as his breath hitched, the panic rising through him and rendering him frozen, Tsukasa shot back up as if nothing happened.

“Are you-”

“I am fine! My show is over!” He outstretched his arms to embrace his siblings, only to notice how Touya had retracted his hands in a state of anxiety, and he hushed his tone as he quickly added, “Hey, hey, that was all an act! I’m sorry that I scared you a little, but I’m okay, I promise!” Sibling-mode went into overdrive as he stumbled on his words, eventually opting to take one of Touya’s hands and place it on his chest. “See? I’m okay.” Just as Touya’s breathing began to stabilize, a quiet apology spilled from his lips.

“I… I’m sorry, I should have realised, I-”

“Hey! There’s nothing to apologise for, okay? I get how that must’ve spooked you, given how sudden it was, so I promise I won’t do anything like that to you again.” Tsukasa’s tone had entirely softened, dispelling the crowd but drawing his family closer to him. While he was a theatrical person in everything he did, he had been doing his best to learn when to approach things softly. Sometimes it involved words, sometimes it involved holding his little brother’s hand to his chest to reassure him of his health and to express his apology - whatever worked best in the given scenario.

“My, my… a moving piece, from start to end. Bravo, Tsukasa-kun, and bravo to your younger siblings for their improvisation!” A familiar voice beckoned the attention of the three Tenmas, making Tsukasa squeeze Touya’s arm in glee. Approaching them was Rui Kamishiro, beaming a welcoming smile as he slowly clapped.

“Ah, Rui! I wondered how long I’d have to stall before you arrived…” Uttering the last sentence under his breath, much to the amusement of Rui, Tsukasa embraced his friend with open arms. Not much longer after the hug, Rui gave Tsukasa a peck on the lips, and turned to Saki to offer her a similar peck on the cheek, both of which were received with grins. 

“Ah, wait… Aoyagi-kun, would you be comfortable with me greeting you with a kiss on the cheek?” Touya blinked at Rui for a few seconds, having been blissfully unaware prior to today that this was something Rui did; to offer the benefit of the doubt, he didn’t spend much time with his siblings and Rui, and if he did, Rui was already there. 

“...yeah, sure. Thank you… Thank you for asking beforehand.” Rui’s face lit up as he gently cupped Touya’s face in his, planting a small kiss on his cheek before moving his hands to hold Touya by the shoulders.

“Of course! Wouldn’t want to make anybody uncomfortable, especially not Tsukasa-kun’s little brother~.” To this, Tsukasa rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion, only to tap Rui on the shoulder a few times. 

“Hey, you remember Emu’s plan, right?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here, my dear.” He flashed Tsukasa a quick smile before turning back to a confused Touya, flashing him another smile as he did so. “Shall we begin, then?”

“...huh?”

“Oh, gosh. Don’t tell me you didn’t tell them.” Quickly averting Rui’s gaze, Tsukasa made it clear that he had, in fact, forgotten to tell Saki and Touya something.

“What’s going on?” Saki looked at the two older boys, confusion etched upon her face as she tried to make sense of their codes.

“Saki, you’re gonna come and help me with something for a little while. And Rui’s gonna look after Touya for me. Only for around half an hour!” Both Touya and Saki’s brows furrowed in sync, making Rui chuckle slightly.

To put it bluntly, Touya was baffled. He’d been told a family trip - he presumed family alluded to him, Tsukasa and Saki. Not that Rui was bad! He knew how much Wonderlands x Showtime meant to Tsukasa, so it wasn’t out of the question to presume they also felt like family to him. 

It was just… a little difficult to comprehend the sudden change.

While he often dealt with sudden changes, those were in atmospheres he anticipated to involve sudden change. Sometimes he thrust himself into those changes due to the volatile nature of these atmospheres. Yet, in the one scenario he didn’t anticipate sudden changes of any form…

“Aoyagi-kun, look at me.” Rui tapped Touya on the shoulder a few times, bringing him back to the fuzzy reality. He had lost himself in anxious thoughts, and while not processing his surroundings due to confusion, Saki and Tsukasa had since left. He didn’t even get to say goodbye. His throat felt clogged, and his hands were shaking, and his eyes were bleeding with tears, and- “Aoyagi-kun, please, look at me.” His eyes flickered up to face Rui, unable to properly focus them due to his stress. 

Rui had been told that this happened sometimes. It wasn’t exactly an unusual concept to him - in fact, he knew exactly how it felt, being thrust into a situation he wasn’t emotionally prepared for. Changes in plans were understandably distressing, and he had promised Tsukasa that he would help ground Touya if ever he had an episode. The high-stress of everything surrounding him lately had made him extra susceptible to these meltdowns - he just never realised how bad it’d be until he was in the middle of one.

“Aoyagi-kun, I know it may seem like… redundant advice, but please try and breathe for me. Breathe in, and breathe out.” He demanded no talking, no explanation as to why this happened - all he asked was for him to breathe. It was difficult. Given the horrible, tight knot in his throat, breathing wasn’t exactly the easiest task in the world. Despite that, he did his best to mirror Rui’s breathing, following the older boy as he guided him to a quieter spot in the park. As they sat down on a bench, Rui clasped his hands together and smiled at the younger boy as he spoke softly. “Take as much time as you need. I get it - I have these meltdowns too, so I tried to do what I ask others to do with me.”

Touya couldn’t speak due to his state, but as his breathing began to regulate, he knew he didn’t have to. Rui got it, just like his siblings did.

Quietly, he felt a little ashamed for how frequent these emotional outbursts had been as of recent. He knew it was okay, it was understandable, it was expected considering the vast changes in his life. Yet a tiny part of him felt horrible , creating a swirling vortex of shame in his stomach at how he had been behaving. Hurling insults and cruelty at him, shaming him for the one thing he had always hoped to improve on - expressing emotions. Granted, these emotions were not deliberately shown, but the sheer expressing of them was all he had ever hoped for. And everybody had treated him so kindly, he finally had people welcome his emotions!

So, why was his brain so cruel?

It begged for the ability, then shamed him for it.

In a way, that tiny part of him mirrored his father.

That imagery was all it took for him to ignore its cruel control over him.

“Are you feeling any better?” After five minutes of silence, Rui spoke up, receiving a small nod from Touya in response. “That’s good. I’m glad.” Touya opened his mouth to ask a question, only for nothing but air to escape. “Don’t force yourself to talk yet! It’s always difficult after something overwhelming, so I don’t want you to feel like you have to. Are you wondering what we’re doing?” Staring at Rui in disbelief for a moment, perplexed in regards to his intuition, Touya gave another nod. 

In response, Rui hopped up from his seat, offering a hand to the younger boy as he tilted his head slightly. It took a few seconds for Touya to stand up - he required a quick click of the back as he stretched - but he eventually mirrored Rui’s hop in a smaller fashion, holding his hand as they walked.

“Today, I will be looking after you while my dear companions in Wonderlands x Showtime - and your sister, of course - prepare a surprise for you. It’s been a difficult few days, understandably so, and we received a desperate call from your friend Azusawa-san, pleading with us to help you.” Touya’s mind flashed back to an unread message from An - you’ll be thanking Kohane for the idea hehe - and pieced things together instantaneously. “By that look on your face, you’re figuring it out.”

An had told Kohane about the customer situation, and presumably Akito’s texts through Touya’s phone. 

Kohane had decided to contact Emu, asking for her help with the theatrics due to Touya’s fondness of Wonderlands x Showtime’s shows.

Emu then contacted the rest of the group, naturally including Tsukasa, who planned on performing a show later on in the day.

And right now, Tsukasa, Saki and (presumably) Emu and Nene were…

“Ah.” Touya made a small gasp that somewhat resembled a word, as Rui chuckled.

“Ever the intelligent one, dear Aoyagi-kun~.” As he spoke, he let go of Touya’s hand, turning his back to the park as he stepped a few steps ahead. “Now, shall we go explore, while we wait for the magic to happen?”

Chapter Text

As Rui and Touya stepped towards the park, their eyes fell upon the fluctuating crowd that seemed to clear the way for them. Some people rushed towards food stalls, hand-in-hand with a young child. The child would be displaying a smile of gold as they looked up at their guardian through squinted, happy eyes - whether their squinting was due to the luminescent sun that watched over them or due to their grins taking over their entire faces remained unknown to all but them. Other people, those either without guardians or without people to guard, would make way for the rides, phones in hand as they etched their memories into the virtual world.

Thus, with everybody else having their minds occupied, a path with numerous splits opened up for the two boys. Rui glanced at Touya with his lips curled upwards, waiting for him to make the first move. After a moment of searching, Touya’s eyes met Rui’s, sparkling and dazzling in a way that mirrored the numerous lights above a well-lit stage. A scene familiar and welcoming to Rui, drawing him in and making his smile grow as he followed the younger boy's strides into the park. Whilst they weaved through the crowds - a route as complex as untying a knotted thread when it came to how to navigate it - Rui started a small conversation.

“So… where are you heading to first, Aoyagi-kun?”

“I’m going to find something related to Fenny-kun.” Rui blinked a few times as he remembered Saki’s adoration of the little mascot, something she had gushed about often with Emu, only to chuckle slightly.

“Are you going to purchase a little toy, or are you going to win one, is the question? We do have little stalls where you can shoot at toys to win them.” As they made their way through the crowd, the population of the crowd seemed to skyrocket. They had dived straight into the heart of the park, with all the games, in the middle of the day. An expected crowd population, but a frustrating one when you’re trying to navigate it without stepping on an infant's foot and accidentally enraging everyone due to the strangled sobs you cause. So, Touya stopped for a second to turn to Rui, offering his hand so neither party got lost in the avalanche of people. As expected, the offering was graciously and swiftly taken, with Rui squeezing Touya’s hand to reassure him of his presence as they continued walking.

“Saki-onee-san pointed out a stall where you can win a Fenny-kun when we walked in, though that one has become really busy since we walked off… I’m seeing if there’s anything similar.”

“Fret not, Aoyagi-kun, you are talking to one of the coordinators of the entertainment aspect.” Stepping in front of Touya to take the lead, Rui did not hesitate for a moment before dragging Touya towards a quieter part of the park. The buzz of people, though it was infectious and part of the fun, did tend to turn into a buzz of pests if you were stuck in their suffocating hoards for too long. 

How lucky , as it seemed they had narrowly avoided the shift! 

As the tugging on his arm ceased, Touya stopped next to a triumphant Rui, who stood in front of an unmanned stall. Rui’s hands fell upon his hips - though the reason for his triumph slipped over Touya’s head - and he nodded to himself.

“There are a few of these stalls, unmanned as the staff is either not present or they’re off on a break.” As he spoke, he raised his leg onto the front of the stall, making a dramatic stomp as the back of his coat blew backwards from the impact. “Some may say it’s an odd practice to keep these stalls accessible to the public, but really, I believe it to be a sociological experiment.” Grasping his hands on the roof of the stall, Rui hoisted himself up to a standing position, using his grip to twirl himself around to properly face Touya. Though the stall held his weight with no issue, he had to slightly squat in order to not bash his head against the roof of the stall. “Will people have the integrity to leave the stall untouched, respecting the fun of the other park inhabitants, or will they be overcome with the urge to take what they wish was theirs?” A laugh escaped Rui’s lips as he grinned, leaning further down to nearly touch Touya’s forehead with his own, “People are fascinating sometimes, are they not?”

Now, to say Touya was baffled would be a severe, severe understatement. 

So many thoughts flurried through Touya’s mind, a blizzard of questions and potential answers, all of which remained unlinked and ultimately unanswered.

First - what was he doing?

Second - was he allowed to do this?

Third - does he have the means to excuse his actions if he’s not allowed to do this?

Fourth - are there financial implications?

Fifth - what if he falls and breaks his ankle?

Sixth - how did he spin himself around so majestically, without smacking his head?

All this in his head… yet, as his expressions (and ability to make them, especially at will) remained the greatest source of confusion in his current affairs, all his face did was slightly scrunch up as he stared at Rui blankly.

“...is that safe, Kamishiro-senpai?” Slipped from Touya’s lips. After a moment of brief consideration, Rui gripped onto the roof of the stall and dangled himself down to the floor, now standing behind the counter.

“Probably not! But what is fun if not with a little thrill?” Touya stepped closer to the stall, watching over Rui as he rummaged beneath the counter. “Don’t worry, really - the worst thing that could happen to me for doing this is getting a bit of a scolding from Emu’s brothers. I’ve had the police chase me before, so I’m not worried!”

“You’ve… You’ve what?” Touya’s voice trembled in response as he almost hissed out, “When did you get in trouble with the law?” As he replied, Rui shot up from his squatted position and he handed Touya a wooden rifle, intended for the game but incredibly off-putting given the conversation context.

“It was quite the while ago! And, besides, sometimes you’ve got to have a little entanglement with the law. Rile them up, be the nuisance that makes their day end on a sour note.” Another laugh left Rui’s lips, though by this point Touya found himself giving a small yet sly grin back. Rui had always been an enabler of chaos, as long as nobody got hurt - this seemed to just be another day for him. “So, would you like to try your hand at winning one of these for your sister?” A swift nod signalled for Rui to step out of the way, as Touya steadied the hand grip with his non-dominant hand. 

He was not exactly experienced with rifles, but he had played enough fighting games to recognise how the protagonists held these guns - while his heart sided with cutesy role-playing or puzzle games, he could absolutely blow someone’s brains out in a fighting game if they asked him to play with them. 

Perhaps after a few respawns, though. 

After a moment of figuring out what he was doing, he placed the rear of the rifle in the pocket of his firing shoulder and gripped onto the pistol grip. Rui’s gaze laid firm upon Touya as he readied himself for the first shot towards the target, his sights set on the large and yellow Fenny-kun that seemed to stare right back at him. A perfect gift for Saki, and hopefully an easy target.

Bang!

Narrowly missing his first shot, Touya huffed in discontent.

“Ah, you were so close, Aoyagi-kun… If it helps, you can talk to me. Ask me anything. Let your mind drift away, and the shot will come to you naturally…”

“Forgive my rudeness, but how will that help? Surely I need to focus to land the shot?”

“Do not have such ill faith in the action protagonists of our time!” Touya chuckled slightly as he steadied himself to place another shot, licking his lips due to the tense atmosphere. Perhaps he’d try and dabble in the art of an action protagonist, even if it were only for one shot.

“Can I ask you a question, Kamishiro-senpai? I’m sorry in advance if it’s invasive.”

“You may indeed.”

“Are you and Tsukasa-onii-san dating? I am completely aware this may be the wrong conclusion entirely, though it would be wrong to say I’m not curious.” Blinking a few times, Rui leaned onto the counter and rested his chin on his right hand as he rhythmically tapped the counter with his left hand. Luckily for him, Touya’s gaze was fixed firmly on the Fenny-kun whom he was having a staring contest with, so Rui’s grin remained off of his radar.

“No. We’re not. We did date, once upon a time. Thought we would try it out, see how we both liked it.” Touya’s eyes shifted to Rui momentarily, not out of confusion, but out of curiosity. “Tsukasa-kun broke it off after a month. Said it wasn’t me - insisted on the manner - but rather him, and how he didn’t feel any romantic attraction to me. Or anyone.” Touya took another shot and mumbled a ‘sorry’, both to Rui and also the poor tiny orange Fenny-kun he had just blinded with his misled shot. Quickly squatting down to pick up the plush toy, Rui continued his story as he brushed the dirt off of the toy’s face. “I was the same, in truth. We both came to realise we were aromantic - each other’s awakenings, if you will. So since then, we just decided to do all the things a romantic couple would do, but without any of the romantic connotations. Technically speaking, it’s a queerplatonic relationship, although it leans far more platonic than anything else.”

“Queerplatonic… I’ve looked into those relationships before.” Touya mumbled. “Forgive me if it seemed I assumed you were dating… I asked out of curiosity, because I know not to assume everything is inherently romantic, but I know how it can sound.” Another cork flew from the gun, shooting the yellow Fenny-kun directly in the face. This one did not plummet to the ground right away, allowing Rui to hook it off the wall and place it upon the counter with more grace than its tiny friend.

“You’ve looked into them?”

“Yes. I’m asexual, I wanted to learn more about these things… Although Akito and I are romantically dating, we have had conversations about our lack of certain types of attraction.” As he spoke, Touya lowered the rifle and gave Rui a small smile, “I’m just… really happy to find out I'm not the only person in the family on this sort of spectrum. Thank you for telling me about this, although… is Tsukasa-onii-san comfortable with you-?”

“Oh, yes, of course! I’m surprised he hasn’t told you any sooner, he does love to make jokes about it…” Rui took the rifle from Touya and placed it underneath the counter, and turned back to the wall to quickly unhook a small blue Fenny-kun. “Thank you for listening to my little story.”

“Of course. I like listening when other people tell me about their lives.” Although he spoke with a soft tone, it faded into concern once he noticed Rui stacking up a trio of Fenny-kun’s with no intention to pay. “Also, are we going to pay for those…?”

“Consider it a treat - a little Tenma Fenny-kun family, see?” He gestured to each one as he referred to them, “This tiny little orange one that had quite the fall from grace is Tsukasa-kun, the large yellow one that resembles the sun is Saki-kun, and this little blue one with quite the beady eyes is you! Now, if you give me a moment to bag them so you can go carry them to your siblings…” As Rui did what he said he would, Touya felt a sudden jolt of paranoia creep up his back. An overwhelming need to turn around and check behind him took over all his senses.

Look.

Just look.

You have to look.

So, he did.

He warily peered over his shoulder, his ears ringing and his heart pounding, begging to be set free. His body had gone stiff. Only his head could move, and it did so in a way that made his neck ache and his ears ring even louder.

Such a physical reaction, with his body stiff and every internal organ pleading for release, was one that he only experienced when his parents were around. 

Granted, he had episodes of paranoia and distress. As he had proven that day alone. But those, despite how odd it was to say, felt more… comfortable. His body felt free to express emotions he had previously treated like a blockage in his system, regardless of his mental say in the expression, and in those moments he did not feel like he had to hide any semblance of life in order to be accepted. He could sob, crave another person’s embrace and cling to them like a terrified child, and it could be okay.

But right now?

It felt as if his mother’s judgemental, harrowing gaze had burnt into his skin, rendering him completely frozen.

Oh, how he prayed his body was just playing up for no reason.

Unfortunately for him, he was met with his mother’s back turned to him as she seemed to be pleading with a staff member. About what was clear. She had opted to investigate Phoenix Wonderland, similarly to how one of his brothers had invaded Ken-san’s café… and unluckily for Touya, his mother, arguably the most difficult of all to face and deal with, had been the one to guess his location correctly. He could argue with his father and shun him away if the situation called for it. He lacked a connection with his brothers. 

But his mother?

The mother who would cup his face in her hands, nuzzle his cheeks with her nose as she wiped his face, baked him cookies for his birthday every year, and always buttoned up his shirts regardless of his age? The mother who once had a voice so soothing, yet now her voice seemed to resemble nails on a chalkboard? The mother who he truly thought felt remorse at his leaving, only for her to grip him by his collar and spit venom in his face, her true colours showing?

Touya had always, always wanted a connection with either of his parents. Where his father was cold and brushed him off, gripping his wrists and demanding for his puppet to work effectively, he always thought his mother had welcomed him in.

He had only recently considered the trapping nature of her embrace. 

And even with that in mind, it’s difficult to quell the internal sobs of a young boy who just wants a mother to love him.

“Kamishiro-senpai.” Gaining feeling in his body once more, he rushed over to Rui with a trembling voice and a quivering lip. Oh, how he hoped his inner child would hush for a moment.

“Hm?”

“We… we need to find Tsukasa-onii-san. Now.” It instantly clicked for Rui. “Please. She’s going to find me.” 

“Oh, Touya, you naive fool.”

The passing wind seemed to murmur in a mocking tone.

“She already has.”

Chapter Text

“Touya…?” A whisper fell from her lips, with the same softness as the first snowflake to fall in winter. Standing a fair distance away from the two boys, Touya’s mother turned her head to face her child as if it were her first time ever laying eyes upon him. 

In every way, she resembled him. Her greying blue hair, cut to her shoulders, had since abandoned its neatness in favour of an unkempt mess. Numerous stray strands fell upon her face, framing her as a picturesque portrait of distress. Her eyes, the same piercing grey that Touya had inherited, locked onto him in a way that seemed to encapsulate him, shutting out the rest of the world entirely. 

After a never-ending moment of eye contact, one that seemed to drag on, and on, and on, and on, dragging the masses away as the world closed in and the sun grew dimmer… her bag slipped from her clutches, spilling out her phone and her purse that had since become a storage device for year-old receipts. With legs that seemed to lift her off of the ground, she rushed over to wrap Touya into a hug; as she was shorter than him in stature, it took minimal effort for her to hook her arms around him in a way that didn’t involve his movement. 

Yet, funnily enough, his arms instinctively lifted up to return the embrace, a mellow familiarity seeping into his skin.

“Oh, my boy, my sweet boy…” As she spoke breathlessly, she lay her head upon his chest to re-envelop herself in the thump, thump, thump of his heartbeat - though it had become more of a thumpthumpthump , panicked and desperate with a failed rhythm, it still eased her soul. Meanwhile, Touya stood as if he had been turned to a statue: motionless, his expression enigmatic as he attempted to mask his inner fragility. Cracks in his very being began to surface—whether he liked it or not—in a similar fashion to a tragic work of art. 

Created to replicate the interpreted beauty in a way that could crumble as easily as the very beauty standards they were formed upon. 

After allowing himself to process the encounter, for his brain had clouded over with questions that would ultimately remain unanswered due to his mother’s nature, she detached from his trembling body and turned to Rui with a smile made of ice. While Rui had no real awareness as to what Touya’s mother was like, he had quickly figured out that she was not one to antagonise due to Touya’s panic. 

“Hello, young man. Would you happen to be one of the entertainers at this park?” A smile coated in ice and a toxicant serving as a voice, Rui’s eyes lingered upon the outstretched hand as a shiver crept down his spine. Some of the most intimidating people were those who could feign normalcy so well, that you don’t even know you are tangled in a venomous spider’s web until they set their fangs into your neck; by that point, most of your internal systems have long since shut down and defense is out of the question. Rui had always been fascinated by insects, by arachnids and by creatures often outcast due to their appearance. However, he began to understand Tsukasa’s fear of insects just a little with his internal comparison of Touya’s mother to a venomous spider. Nonetheless, he took her hand with both of his, mirroring her smile a little too well.

“Yes, I am Rui Kamishiro of Phoenix Wonderland. You are…?”

“Why, it’s a delight to meet you. I am Touya’s mother, and I was just inquiring with one of your staff members as to his whereabouts, you see.” As she spoke, she grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him closer, making him desperately claw at the sleeve’s fabric; he hoped Saki would understand if there was a tear or two, given the context of his clawing. “He’s going through a little bit of a rebellious teen stage, and he seems to have been staying with other people for a while. I was just trying to come pick him up, however I was met with aggression from your staff for my honest inquiries.” She lowered her eyes and looked upon Rui with discontent. “Please may you deal with your staff’s ill manners?” It wasn’t a question. 

Now, Rui couldn’t leave Touya. If not because of his own moral compass and his complete disagreement with familial control, he felt shattered looking up the evident distress that had morphed Touya’s face into someone unrecognisable from the sweet boy shooting plushies with a wooden rifle moments prior. In every way, he had shrunk in on himself.

Yet, he couldn’t stay, either. If he were to linger, to refuse this woman’s request, she would call for him to be removed from the setting entirely. 

“Of course. I will be just a moment.” Despite every logical bone in his body and every brainwave in his skull telling him no no no no no , Rui turned his back and quickly walked over to the nearest member of staff. He prayed, if nothing else, he could get Aoyagi-san escorted off of the premises if he made the staff aware of the abduction of a minor against their will. While he would probably be questioned for his interference given their blood relations, such a reliance on ‘blood’ being synonymous with ‘family’ had led to so many terrible things being brushed under the rug in so many homes. He wanted to help Touya break free from this, and he hoped this decision would make sense in Touya’s eyes.

Unfortunately yet fortunately for Rui, nothing made sense in Touya’s eyes anymore. He was still quite hung up on why his mother was even here - yes, he knew the logical reason and he believed it was somewhat foolish to hope that his family wouldn’t investigate this place as well as Ken-san’s café but… why?

She was the one who had texted him that night.

Mother: I  hope you realise what you’ve done, Touya, you foolish child. 

To be perfectly honest, Touya had never anticipated to open the full message - he had accidentally opened it when trying to open the Vivid Bad Squad group chat the night it happened to spectate some random selfie competition An and Akito had at 1am, and his exhausted brain lacked the logical thinking to prevent himself from indulging in curiosity.

Mother: You have abandoned us, your only family, in a pathetic little act of teenage rebellion. Do you truly believe you will be accepted anywhere other than here? We are your family, we have done nothing but want you to be happy and safe, yet you spit that back in our faces as if we haven’t done everything for you. 

This part had made him laugh, in his sleepy state. ‘We have done nothing but want you to be happy and safe’... he’d expect more truth from a rock.

Mother: I cut your hair when you asked me to as a child, and I gave you all of those treats for your birthday despite the financial implications it had on me. I am a stay-at-home mother after all, and I have done everything to make you feel accepted and appreciated in this household. You are nothing but an ungrateful brat. 

The ‘financial implications’ bit had baffled him - he had to reread it numerous times, because he knew finance was of no issue to his parents. Especially given the money that his brothers often sent, either physically or through the form of gifts. And as for the fact she weaponized the basic human decency of providing for her child, especially in his transition? Logically, he would have stopped reading by that point in sheer disgust, though he was curious as to how she could further dig a grave for herself.

Mother: Do you really not recognise how hard we’ve tried? Were we just not good enough for you and your standards? Do you really think you are grown up enough to survive out there, and do you truly think other people will accept you as openly as we did? You will suffer out there and you will crawl back to us, sobbing. I hope you realise your mistake soon, there’s still a chance to turn around and come back to us. 

Yeah, the text message had really not been worth reading at 1am, the same night he had run away from home… After all the tears he had cried, and the whirlwind still flowing through his brain, he just remembered staring at his phone blankly and sighing into his pillow.

Oh, how he wished he could go back to that blissful ignorance of her words, rather than being face to face with her.

Having entirely spaced out, watching Rui walk off and talk with a member of staff with numerous pointed fingers towards him and his mother, he had just… forgotten to listen to her. 

Not that he wanted to. 

He was unbelievably grateful that his brain had blocked out what he presumed to be a monologue about ‘love’ and ‘care’, structured in the same backhanded way of her message on the night. It was probably better that he had reminisced on that message - at least then she wasn’t trying to be a perfect mother.

“So, shall we head home?” Those words instantly brought Touya back to the realm of listening, much to his discontent. He looked down at her, at the way her hand still gripped onto his shoulder with the intention of injury rather than gentle care. Her tone had since lost its feigned sweetness, opting for a demand hissed bitterly. Eyes piercing into his skin made him truly realise that she knew very well the power she had over him, with just a simple tone of voice. She knew the way that her voice made his skin wish to peel, how his ears rang in a desperate attempt to tune her out, and she knew how he would turn non-verbal due to the stress consuming his very being. 

Case in point - his throat was clogging up, as if icicles formed within his throat and pierced his neck. He feared if he tried to open his mouth, it would tear into shreds.

So, rather than speaking, he tried to communicate his discontent in a way that she would understand; he turned to her and shook his head violently, before shoving her away from him. In her disbelief, she stumbled back and looked at him with a blank stare. It only took a few moments before her face contorted into something unrecognisable.

“You…!” Fists clenched, she stormed towards him. All he could do was step back into the stand. Go away. Go away. Go away. Please just let me escape. Please. Please. Please. Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease .

“Aoyagi-kun…!” Rui’s voice jolted through his ringing eardrums, though it seemed to be effortless, for his mother raised her hand with the evident intention to slap him. 

He was scared. 

Trembling. 

Everything seemed to blur. 

He couldn’t tell whether he was crying or if his brain was just trying to block out her face. Her horrible, contorted, unrecognisable face. 

Probably both. 

Time slowed down. As if it were a cruel punishment. 

Oh, you ran away a few days ago? Feel every millisecond of your mother’s wrath. 

Watch her turn into a monster from the nightmares you would have run into her room for as a child. 

Watch her become everything she swears she could never be. 

Because she cares so much .

Yet, despite this, her hand never seemed to reach him. When his eyes finally refocused, stinging with red hot tears, they flickered to her arm. Somehow, in a moment that had been entirely unknown to Touya, he had gripped onto her wrists with such strength that their arms had remained stagnant in the air (if you ignored his trembling desperation and her violent vibrating). All she could do was stand. Staring with bulging eyes and small pupils. They say your pupils expand when you look at something you love. Having the opposite occur and the truth be spelt out so cruelly… ah, what a rotten cherry on top.

“Aoyagi-kun…” In between desperate grasps, Rui clawed his way between the two and tore his mother off of him. She still stared directly into Touya’s soul with eyes from hell, even when two security guards hooked her arms behind her back and prepared to escort her off of the premises. 

“Touya… Touya, please, please, baby.” After a quick blink, her entire facial structure seemed to change, as feigned remorse etched itself into her every feature, “I’m your mother! I would- I just wanted you back, I’ve missed you so much.” As she struggled against the security guards, her voice quivered. “Please…! Please, please, please!” Rui and Touya both stared over at her, as Rui used his body to shield Touya from her gaze; he remained frozen with his back against the stand, unconsciously using most of his body strength to remain on top of the counter. 

“Ma’am, we’re going to have to-”

“ That’s my son! ” She shrieked like a banshee, making both of the boys flinch in terror. “Touya, please. You know your dad just wants you to be happy. He always has. Please, son, come back to us.”

Oh, how frustrating these words were.

Part of him really wanted to believe it. That tiny, scared child inside of him really wanted to believe that his dad loved him. That all of it was for his wellbeing - acts of kindness, misconstrued by ulterior desires. 

He had tried to understand his dad. If it weren’t for how everything had unfolded, perhaps they could have reached a point of understanding.

Or perhaps he was daydreaming, creating a fantasy world.

If it was truly love, would he have forbidden him from social interaction at a young age? Caged him in, made him into a puppet to perform his father’s dreams? Convinced him that friendship and interaction would just taint him, that going out and having fun with kids his age was worthy of punishment through yelling and raised hands? Not once allowing him to explore himself, almost deciding the very school he went to and the classes he would have to dedicate his whole sanity to? Yelling at him every morning, muttering insults under his breath into his tea? 

All this?

For talent ?

Fuck talent. Fuck terrible executions of ‘good intentions’.

You do not birth a child to morph them into what you want them to be. You birth a child to let them navigate the world as they see fit. And when that child rebels? You shouldn’t use their very identity against them to try and bring them back into their little cage, as if basic human respect is a right to be revoked and not a basic human need .

Yet, if you were to ask Touya, all he’d want is to sit down and talk to his parents on a level they’d understand. Gain their perspective and perhaps compromise.

Funny how the brain works, is it not?

“Aoyagi-kun, she’s out of sight now. She shouldn’t come back for you.” Blinking back into reality, he turned to Rui, who had turned paper white. “I’m… I’m sorry, for leaving you, I-” Touya instantly shook his head, and despite how weak his body felt, pushed himself up to stand. He stood level with Rui for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around Rui, his arms clambering up his back as he tried to hold him close. It only took a second for Rui to return the embrace, understanding that Touya needed it.

Tap, tap, tap.

Touya tapped his index finger into Rui’s back. Unlike Saki, he had established no code with Rui, though he hoped the intention would be understood nonetheless.

“You don’t have to thank me. I didn’t do anything at all.” Rui chuckled as he lay his head upon Touya’s shoulder. “At least, I presume that’s what you were trying to say.” Touya quickly nodded, making Rui chuckle once more. “Now, I don’t mean to disturb the moment, but…” He pulled away from the hug and stepped back, offering his hand to Touya, “I do believe the show is reaching the end of its preparation. Shall we take a slow walk?” Once again, Touya nodded, grateful for the unspoken understanding. He grabbed the bag of plushies that had been dropped in his panic, swiftly making sure none were harmed, and took Rui’s hand with the other.

They had a show to attend, after all - with none other than Tsukasa Tenma as the star!

Chapter Text

Things were going bad.

Oh, things were diabolic! Atrocious, horrific, heinous! The moon may as well crash down now, turning the world to debris upon impact! Even that may be easier to fix than this !

“EMU! LEFT!”

“RIGHT?”

“NO! NO, EMU, LEFT!” Losing his footing with the ferocity that he threw his arms with, Tsukasa stumbled over. Throat hoarse - as if he had carelessly dragged a cacti through his pharynx three times over - and arms sore. All while Emu seemed to follow her own personal compass, going the complete wrong direction. Tsukasa was sure he could hear buzzing of some form. Perhaps it was his heart, preparing itself to explode and rid him of this distress. Or maybe it was Nenerobo malfunctioning in the background, seemingly morphing into a microwave rather than an intelligent robot. “EMU!”

“YEAH?” Looking down from the stage, she plopped a stereo down as if it weighed nothing. Flooding the floor with a rumble equivalent to an earthquake. A strangled scream left Tsukasa’s mouth as he threw himself to his knees.

In truth, from an outsider's perspective, all that was wrong was the placement of a speaker. Emu had attempted to fix it, but alas, Tsukasa’s perfectionism led him to a point where he nearly lost his voice trying to get it in the right place. Glancing eyes from Nene burnt into his back, as he could sense her asking herself why doesn’t the idiot just move it himself ? 

Oh, how he loved that girl, but oh, what a fool she was.

Being a star requires training of the mind, soul, heart and voice! To meticulously perfect your ability through your providal of varying emotions, all at the drop of a hat if the script so desires it! Performing with a trembling voice as you gasp for air, throughout a monologue that metaphorically depicts the protagonist descending into madness!

…it, unfortunately, did not require arm strength training. Just looking at the speaker made his arms want to snap in two.

“How long does it take to move a speaker…?” Approaching Nene with a bag of cookies in her hand, Saki gestured to Tsukasa and Emu with her cane. Shoulders that quickly shot up and down answered the question for her; the reason failed to reach Nene, the initial spectator, just as much as it did Saki. “Want one?” She shook the cookies in Nene’s face.

“Aren’t those for Aoyagi-kun when he arrives…?” Nene shrugged her arms and leaned against the wall. 

“Well, yeah, but… I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you had just one~” Stretching out her last word in a hopeful attempt to entice Nene, Saki watched with glee as the other girl took a cookie and raised it to her lips.

“Thanks… Where did you get these?” A small bite. Gingerbread, huh? She had no idea Touya liked gingerbread.

“I have my contacts…” In other words, they had been pre-prepared by Emu for today after receiving Kohane’s plea for aid, and Saki had been the first to find the stash. “Anyways, aren’t they so yummy?”

“Have you already had one?” As she spoke, she broke off a crumb of the cookie and fed it to a stirring Nenerobo - Rui had warned Nene not to touch her while he was gone, for he intended to perform special effects during the show. While Nene had her concerns about the effectiveness of the show, for Tsukasa had spent the vast majority of his time decorating rather than telling everyone to rehearse, she trusted the two boys' judgment. Though she’d rather die than say it to their faces.

“Correction, three.” Spluttering from Nene voiced her shock before her side eye did so, “I had to make sure they were safe for my baby bro, okay?”

“Aren’t you like, a week older than him?”

“He’s still my baby brother! And yes, he is amazing and independent and I trust him with whatever he does! But like… taste testing is a lifelong sibling thing, you know? You can’t grow out of the ‘taste tests’!” Listening to that excuse just reminded Nene of Rui. Growing up an only child alongside somebody that feels like family is bound to have a few annoying sibling-esque memories attached. Unfortunately for Nene, the annoying memories seemed to outweigh the endearing ones. Oh well… she deemed them endearing in their own way.

“Does he like gingerbread, then?”

“He and onii-chan baked some for me when I was in the hospital.” Another side eye from Nene, though it was one with curious rather than judgemental intention, led Saki to elaborating, “He used to come over our house a lot for ‘piano lessons’, but our house was the only one he could really be a kid in. It got to the point onii-chan would ask to visit me or to bake or even go to the park when he knew Touya was visiting, just so he got some time to be a kid.” After that, Saki’s lip quivered a little as she mumbled to herself, “I really thought onii-chan had forgotten this. His memory does have its bad moments.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing! Just thinking out loud!” Swiftly shoving a cookie in her mouth so she no longer had to think, Saki stared over at her older brother for a moment. While his memory was gradually improving and his ability to recall parts of his childhood had rapidly increased with Touya’s presence, Saki couldn’t shake the fear that he’d someday forget all the memories that kept her going.

Oh well.

At the very least, he had remembered their old childhood traditions.

That had to count for something good.

“Yay! We did it!” Thud! The speaker hit the floor once more.

“EMU! IT’S WONKY!” Thud! Again! Tsukasa took a large step onto the stage and pulled himself onto it, after momentarily flailing due to overestimating the distance.

“Huuuh? But it’s in the right place, see? Does it matter if it's facing the left a little?” To taunt Tsukasa, she moved it a little further left. What she ended up prompting was an eldritch screech bursting through Tsukasa’s open mouth, as her eyes instantly flickered to the windows; the pitch alone could probably make them burst into a million itty bitty pieces.

“PUT. IT. BACK.”

“Aww…” Despite a pout, she moved it to sit the way he wanted and walked over to him. “But it’s fun when you go all like waaargh aggaaaghgh !”

“Please, repeat that?”

“Waaargh aggaaaghgh?”

“Nevermind.” He folded his arms and turned to Nene and Saki, who wiped the crumbs from their lips as if they had been caught doing something felonious. “YOU TWO! ARE YOU READY?”

“WHAT?” Shouting back, Saki giggled.

“Don’t egg him on or anything. I think he’s the source of my chronic migraines.” Plopping the last of her cookie in her mouth, Nene walked towards the stage’s steps.

“Oh, but he’s so fun!” That statement nearly made Nene stop in her tracks to dramatically turn and face him, only for her to realise she would be just as bad as the man she had just blamed for her migraines. Besides, she believed he could be fun. On a good day. If he wasn’t in earshot to hear her say that. He could never hear her say that. Any time it had happened before, she simply chose to ignore.

“Saki-chan, quickly, quickly! We need to get on stage before Aoyagi-kun and Rui-kun arrive!” Frantically waving her arms towards Saki, Emu jumped up and down a few times in her designated spot.

“I’m coming as quickly as I can, Emu!” The moment her legs reached the top of the stage steps, Tsukasa ran past her to pull the curtain. He could only pray Rui remembered his cue to open it.

“Here we are, Aoyagi-kun.” With an outstretched hand, Rui gestured to the very stage that Touya looked upon with glee. The Wonder Stage. A colourful manifestation of whatever wonder bled into the script’s pages, leaking into the souls of the performers as they brought it to life. Oh, how he loved watching performances.

Especially when the performance was for him. For him . Tsukasa was too good to him.

“Hehe, I feel as if I am stargazing when I look in your eyes right now, Aoyagi-kun.” A swift turn towards the voice speaking led him to watching Rui’s trail as he approached Nenerobo. “Now, why don’t you take one of the front seats? Since this is a free performance, people have begun to pile in.” As his eyes flickered to the growing crowd, Touya felt a pwang of satisfaction that even a selfish show such as this had caught the attention of those visiting Phoenix Wonderland. His brother had such charisma to draw in a crowd no matter the intention of the play, after all. A smile crept along his lips as he made his way to the front of the crowd, fiddling with the collar of his shirt as he did so - the fizzing within his chest emerged as electricity in his fingertips, zapping everything as he stimmed. This was too exciting.

After watching Rui bring Nenerobo behind the curtain, indicating a near start, Touya found himself eavesdropping on a family that sat near him.

“They didn’t have a show planned today, as far as I’m aware…” A gruff older voice attempted to hush his screaming child, who made Touya’s ears burn in agony. While the excitement was endearing, and it wasn’t like loud noises always brought Touya to distress (hell, depending on the setting, it could actually be his definition of comfort), but the pitch that this child screamed at made his ears ring. 

“But daaaaad , it’s WONDERLANDS X SHOWTIME! You saw Kamishiro-san! I wanna watch! I wanna watch!” He wasn’t sure whether the ringing was the continuous screaming or just his ears at this point, although the enthusiasm the kid held when it came to supporting his older brother’s group did bring his heart some comfort. 

“Alright, I suppose we can sit and watch a little, can’t we, honey?” A softer voice, almost like honey, brought comfort to both the child and the father as they both settled down. Shivers flooded down Touya’s spine.

She sounded so similar to his mother.

“Alright, alright, everyone, if you could settle down for me, please?” Shattering the thoughts that attempted to flood Touya’s brain, he turned around to face Rui as he spoke into a microphone. Oh, it was like he could sense when distress wanted to consume him. Hell, Touya hadn’t even seen the curtains move. Similarly, the crowd quieted down, and Rui tapped his heel. “Thank you all for coming today, despite this likely being sudden. Your continued support of our theatre troupe means an immense amount to us, and before we begin, I have a message from our troupe’s leader as to the intention of the show.” The crowd buzzed with murmurs, and Touya leaned forward a little. “Ahem.” As Rui spoke, Touya could just hear Tsukasa in the words.

Thank you everyone, for attending today! We as Wonderlands x Showtime are dedicating to helping the world smile, and it just so happens that half of my world is sat in this very crowd today.

The murmurs increased, and Touya threw himself back into his chair as he covered his mouth. ‘Half of his world’... Tsukasa viewed him as part of his own personal world. Blinking away a flurry of tears didn’t stop them from flooding as his chest fluttered with the strength of a kaleidoscope of butterflies. What an honour it was, to have Tsukasa as his brother.

After a lot within our childhoods, I finally had the honour to officially welcome my younger brother into my family. Therefore, I thought a way to honour his arrival into our family name would be to reminisce on our dear childhood…

He remembered. Even if he didn’t hear what was coming next, he just knew what Tsukasa (well, Rui) was going to say.

Me and my lovely little sister had a play we would perform for him whenever he visited. Now, years after our first rehearsal, we would like to recreate that. I hope this play can resonate with all the families in the crowd, and please know to keep your family close to your heart. And, to my little brother Touya? Thank you for being my Number Two fan. Enjoy the show!

Applause erupted through the crowd, making the floor shake from the sheer ferocity of their clapping. Just before he took his place as the narrator, Rui shot a smile over to Touya, recognising the beam on his red face as a sign they had already succeeded in their mission.

“Once upon a time, there was a grand prince.” Props of horses and castles floating upon the stage, presumably moving along a conveyor belt, all while Tsukasa stepped upon stage. Since he had last seen Touya, he had changed his attire to that of a more professionally made version of his old costume. The tunic made of a cerulean fabric, hugged to his body by a leather belt brandished with a crown, had been fitted with a royal crest to symbolise his fictional family. A crown of dazzling jewels lay upon his head, suiting his shining personality well as it enabled him to reflect every shade and morph into a polychromatic dream only seen within a nebula. Similar to the sun, this star could create its own glow and challenge those that dominate the sky. Flowing behind him was a cape of a deep vermillion, though with notable yellow lining along the sides. The knot to keep it together rested upon his chest, and if Touya squinted, he swore he could still see the blanket that Tsukasa had used in his youth. “This prince had one mission to fulfill in order to become king.”

“I must slay the dragon!” Tsukasa proudly exclaimed. Classic children’s story plot, and as it had always done for him, Touya noticed the little child near him clapping in glee.

“His journey started off quietly. Unlike what the stories had told him, there were no witches, there were no riddles, nor were there ancient artifacts for him to accidentally unlock.” Hm? This plotline significantly differed from their childhood story, and Touya crossed his arms as he tilted his head. Meanwhile, Tsukasa marched along the stage, theatrically looking around with his hand upon his brow as he hmm -ed and erm -ed along the way. “However, when all seemed peaceful, he then encountered a young girl.”

“Please… somebody, help me…” A small whimper left Saki’s lips as she sat upon the stage, wiping her puffy eyes with the sleeve of a long torn dress. Though it was brandished with numerous pockets and stains, her flowing hair shielded the top half of her dress to a point Touya had to squint to try and see the rest of the costume. In all his focus on the costume, he failed to notice Nene’s attempt at eye make-up to resemble crying.

“Oh no, Daddy, what’s wrong with the girl?” Looking to the source of the noise, Touya watched the child shake their father in genuine dismay as to Saki’s state. Numerous other children in the crowd had a similar reaction, fit with gasps and alarm. In truth, Touya was equally intrigued as to what had happened to her character, and how Tsukasa had written it.

“AH! What has happened to you, young maiden?” In an instant, Tsukasa rushed over to Saki and raised her chin with his hand, wiping her face with her cape in a way that made her face scrunch up in disgust. “Was it a witch? A monster? A dragon ?” To each inquiry, Saki shook her head, sniveling as she shuffled in her sitting position slightly to face him better.

“No, it’s…” With a slow head turn behind her, she stage-whispered to her older brother, “it’s my family. They’ve never really let me outside before, they force me to practice fancy things all day every day.” Realising how the story shifted, Touya raised a hand to his chin and thought to himself; how, oh how, would the prince amend this fictional variation of his lived dilemma? He took no offense to the inclusion of his experience - he could only hope it would offer reassurance to the children in the crowd if the story ended well. “I just want to go out and explore! I don’t want to be trapped!”

“You see, this young girl had been trapped her entire life. Forced to be somebody she wasn’t, to play a role rather than to be a person. ‘Trapped’ was used both metaphorically and literally, for she had never stepped outside prior to today.” Once again, Rui spoke his lines, though Touya had reason to believe he was going off of his head rather than a written speech. Nonetheless, his eyes remained on Tsukasa, who comically stroked his chin to demonstrate his thoughts.

“Ah… I want to help, but…”

“Crowd, may I ask for your opinion to sway our prince? Do you want this girl to be happy and free?” Both Tsukasa and Saki momentarily glanced at Rui, further demonstrating how he was entirely running on his own mental script rather than pursuing the spoken agreement. In an instant, the crowd erupted into a chant, once Touya quickly took to joining in on.

Let her go! Let her be free! Let her go!

“What prince would I be if I were not to help somebody in distress?” Smiling at the crowd’s enthusiasm, Tsukasa threw himself to stand and outstretched a hand to Saki. “Come, dear maiden! I shall offer you a residence that you can stay in, to be free!” 

“Ah-!” One hand covered Saki’s mouth as she took Tsukasa’s with her other, and prior to speaking once more, she smoothed over her skirt. “Thank you for your kindness, good sir.”

“Stop right there!” Another cut in of dialogue made the crowd jump, as their heads whipped around to watch Emu and Nene step onto the stage in black clothing. Nene had tied her hair in a low ponytail, and Emu had sported glasses, while their clothes seemed to weigh over their figures as if they wished to eat the wearer. With a pointed finger, Emu continued in a deepened voice, “You do not have our permission to leave! You are our child, and we love you!”

“No! No, you do not!” Saki’s voice shot through the alarm of the crowd, and a few people began to prematurely cheer.

“You shall not stop this girl from living her own life, foul beasts!” In a booming voice, Tsukasa unsheathed his sword and poised it above his shoulders. His legs took off without him, rushing towards Emu and Nene as they both stepped back. Just as he twirled on his feet and prepared himself to lower the blade, a shotfire of a beanbag from Nenerobo plummeted into his stomach and sent him back a few steps. “Ack! I have been… mortally wounded…” Knees knocked into the floor, and desperate coughs rattled against his throat. Falling on his side, the sword fell from his hand; which most of the crowd were gasping in distress for his state, Touya momentarily included, he couldn’t help but be eased as Tsukasa shot him a quick wink before ‘dying’. He definitely got a few looks for chuckling.

“Come hither, child! Do you not love us?” As Emu and Nene took steps towards Saki, she took equal steps back.

“I…” Saki’s eyes flickered to Touya, and as she seemed to ponder her choices for a moment, she held out her palm firmly to her ‘parents’ in an attempt to freeze them. They quickly caught on, stopping mid-step, and Saki rushed to the front of the stage. What on earth was she-? “Okay, before I go back to that scene, I need you guys in the crowd to help me, okay?” Everyone nodded as Saki spoke with her hands. “When they walk past the prince, I need you guys to shout encouragement for me. I think it will give me the strength to scare them away, because I’ve always struggled with this alone.” Her eyes lingered upon Touya as she added, “But now I have people around me to help me, and I know I’m not alone anymore.” The two siblings shared a smile, which a lot of the crowd caught onto, prompting her to turn back to them and finish her statement before the gossiping started. “So will you help me?” 

It only took a second for the crowd to cheer in reassurance. Thumbs up from both her and Rui, and she rushed back to her position. Her palm faced Emu and Nene once more, clicking to bring them back to life. In truth, the moment Emu started moving again, it made Touya jump a little; how the hell did she do it like that? Once Nene’s foot grazed Tsukasa’s leg, the cheering started.

You can do this!

You are not alone!

Tell them to go away!

You are brave!

You are not alone!

Despite his efforts to join in, Touya heard the encouragement of the crowd and a choked sob left his lips instead of words. She had done that on purpose, hadn’t she…? Make a large group of people say the nice things you want to hear after a series of terrible days… he wiped his face a few times and grinned up at the stage, just in time to watch Saki defy her ‘parents’ through tears.

“I am not your child anymore!” She roared, the crowd roaring with her. “I am my own person, and I decide what I do! You cannot control me, and you cannot trick me with love!” Storming over to Tsukasa, she lifted the sword from his hand, stared down at it for a second, only to snap it over her knee. “I need no physical weapon to tear you down! All I need is to say one thing - you are nothing to me .” Spitting those words that Touya had so desperately wanted to say to his mother only a few minutes before, Saki grinned dramatically as her ‘parents’ fell to their knees, writhing in pain as they eventually hissed a goodbye to the crowd. Despite her death, however, Emu behaved in a similar way to Tsukasa as she waved to Touya. Wiping his teary eyes once more, Touya gave her a smile and a wave back.

“So, like that, the girl destroyed the very thing hurting her - her own family. She helped wake the prince up from his injured state,” realising that Rui was concluding, Saki’s eyes widened and she fulfilled his proposal, shaking her brother and pulling him to stand, “and together, they lived as family, doing whatever made them happiest in the moment. The end.” There came the flood of cheering and clapping. 

However, all Touya could see and hear was Tsukasa, right in front of him.

“Come up here, Touya. Join us on the stage so we can bow together.” Unlike his performer voice, his tone had significantly softened to gain his brother’s attention, who could only stare at him with streaks of tears down your face.

“No, no, I shouldn’t-”

“Don’t be so silly!” This time, Saki spoke up, who had also outstretched her hand to her little brother. “This show was for you. Sorry if it was a little on-the-nose, though, we wanted to change it a little and-”

“Thank you, guys.” With one hand in Saki’s and one in Tsukasa’s, Touya pulled himself up onto the stage and wrapped his arms around their shoulders in a hug. Due to his height advantage, it was easy to do so, and they quickly melted into his embrace. “I love you guys so much…”

“We love you too. You’re our perfect little brother.”

Chapter Text

“Soo? What’d you think?” Since the end of the show, the audience had become desolate to make way for the cleaning session. The ‘cleaning’ in question mostly revolved around cleaning each other up prior to the stage, for the props decorating the floor were not particularly difficult to remove. 

That in itself became an issue, though, for Emu had accidentally smudged mascara into Nene’s eye in an attempt to cleanse her face. 

Screams echoed through Phoenix Wonderland.

Moreso from Emu than Nene.

Therefore, Rui and Emu had leant over a sink with Nene, attempting to douse her eye in cold water and revitalize her vision. Burbling of piercing water splashed against the base of the sink, though such a noise was difficult to hear amongst the screaming. Whether the screams were for forgiveness or to express agony remained unknown. It all sounded the same. Scratching against somebody’s throat, clawing for emission from its confinement.

Leaving Touya, Tsukasa and Saki sat at the edge of the stage, dangling their legs off of it as Tsukasa helped Saki retie her hair into a low ponytail. Touya blinked a few times, reminding himself of Saki’s question as he pondered the response.

“It was incredible. Thank you.” 

“Well, obviously , onii-chan came up with the idea, but! I wanted to know what you thought of the story, more specifically. That part was more my idea… and I was worried it came off too strongly.” Her eyes flicked to the floor as she spoke small, “Sorry for not asking you about it before I acted.” Without thinking, Touya reached out to grab Saki’s hand. So many things he wished to expel from the back of his throat.

I just wish I was that brave.

I wish it were that easy, that I could just escape this shit through a fairytale.

Why can’t it be that easy?

Eventually, he mumbled, “It’s okay. It… made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

“The chants helped, right?” With a smile, Touya nodded and turned to the floor, “Yes! I knew it would work! I just… I wanted these messages to be vague enough so it could apply to us both, but that you also knew that it was meant for you. If I’m making sense.” He nodded once more and wiped a stray tear.

“I just… I wish it was that easy to accept those words, you know…?” Both Saki and Tsukasa nodded. As Touya continued, Tsukasa got up from his sitting position to make his way around to his younger brother, “Yes, I can hear them, and they make me feel better in the moment. But after all these years, actually internalising that I am brave or that I’m not alone is far easier said than done,” another deep breath, “I know that I am literally not alone. I have you guys, I have Akito, and Shiraishi-san, and Azusawa-san, but… it is so much more difficult to rid myself of this deep, internalised dread. I’m not sure how to else to phrase it, but-”

“Touya!” At the sound of his name, his head whipped up to face his eldest sibling. Tsukasa’s hands grasped Touya’s shoulders, and leaned in as he spoke slowly, calculating his words in a manner uncharacteristic of him, “I… I can’t say that I understand the intimate details of your predicament, but I can understand why you feel this way, considering your upbringing…” he dragged Touya’s head close to his neck, giving an awkward hug as he continued, “all we ask of you right now is that you do your very best everyday. Recovering from such childhood trauma and its impact isn’t going to be a quick click of the fingers, hm?” With a grin, understanding was reached.

“Gosh, Tsukasa-kun~ you sounded so much like me there, I truly believed I had walked out into a delayed success in my cloning attempts…” Emerging from the back of the stage, Rui chuckled. In an instant, Tsukasa rose to his feet, and strode over to Rui with a huff. Nudging Touya, Saki pointed a thumb behind them both, leaving the two siblings to watch Tsukasa’s ‘clash’ with Rui.

“I can be eloquent and empathetic, especially when I am talking to my younger brother! Do not infer I am otherwise incompet- ” Not listening to a word Tsukasa hissed, Rui wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his head into the crook of his neck. Tsukasa froze. Like, completely frozen up. His arms were still raised from where he had spoken with them, and his mouth agape, waiting for the words to exit from his preserved state.

“I know, I know, my darling Tsukasa-kun… Gosh, ever the defensive, hm?” As he began attacking Tsukasa’s neck with kisses, Rui nearly took himself (and Tsukasa) down to the floor with his stumbles. An acute siren broke free of the icy being known as Tsukasa Tenma. Leading to both Saki and Touya whipping their heads back around, facing forward and covering their ears.

High pitched noises.

Touya’s least favourite, unless it were in the context of Tsukasa’s eccentricity…

It seemed even exemptions such as siblings had their limits against sensory issues.

After a moment of ringing, Saki freed her ears from her clasped hands and nudged Touya. “They’re so embarrassing, right…?” 

“They’re not that bad… I’m sure Akito and I could be considered far worse.” Saki crossed her arms and shook her head. “No, I’m serious… Tsukasa-onii-san is constantly trying to push him away from me at lunchtime.”

“I think that’s just an older brother- well, specifically our lovely older brother thing. He tried to have Shiho sleep on the sofa once when they came over for a night… as if he hasn’t known them since they were a baby and he could trust us together…” To this, Touya let out a laugh; strangely enough, that is exactly what he could picture Tsukasa doing if Akito were to stay the night at their home. In the same breath, though, he could see Tsukasa tucking them both in after they went to bed and making sure they’re comfortable. Once, he stayed around the Shinonome household after a bad night, and he faintly remembered Ena placing her blanket over them both as they shared Akito’s bed. Not that she ever admitted it to him when he quietly asked, outside of his partner’s earshot. “Anyways, enough about your love life and Tsukasa’s queerplatonic partner!” Piercing through his thoughts, Saki threw herself up to stand. “Let’s go grab our stuff, shall we?”

“Of course. Should we grab him…?” A poised finger towards Tsukasa, who had since transitioned to facing Rui and cupping his face in his hands. The two were too lost in each other’s laughter to acknowledge Emu’s desperation to be involved in the embrace - laughter intoxicated them until they were rendered sloppy with their footwork and uncaring towards societal assumptions.

“Nah. Kusanagi-san will probably break the big huddle up when we’re ready. She’s always eager to separate her group mates when they start getting too affectionate.” With a waved hand, Saki ushered Touya backstage. “You’re gonna have to get used to that with onii-chan, by the way. I’ve gotten home from practice before to find Emu-chan draped across Tsukasa’s lap as they binge watch Pretty Cure .”

“It’s okay… I truly believe Akito and I will be worse.” Reaching for Tsukasa’s bag, Touya felt the end of Saki’s cane tap his spine and spun around to her beckoning call.

“Take this.” A plastic water bottle, filled to the brim with ice water. The bottle had condescension dripping from it, leading to Touya rolling his sleeve up so he didn’t have to directly touch the water droplets. While he hated wet sleeves, he despised liquids dripping down his hands. If you were to ask him why, he truly wouldn’t be able to explain it - whether it were the chills or the constant flow of liquid, or the way it seemed to stick to his hands and wetten his clothes in attempts to dry his hands… it just felt wrong . He did not like it, to put it incredibly lightly. “Also, are you bringing up Akito-kun as a pre-warning, or are you challenging yourself to surpass onii-chan’s embarrassing acts of affection?” As he took the drink, Touya stood for a moment to ponder.

“A… pre-warning, I suppose. I wouldn’t consciously take such a thing on as a challenge. Akito’s one of the only people I feel comfortable being affectionate with, so the extent that I’m close with him is entirely up to my pre-existing comforts that day…” Saki patted his back, ushering him back outside. A nod of understanding sufficed as a response to that.

In a way, Touya found it a little strange.

The thought of being physically close with ‘family’ had always sent shivers up his spine. Making his throat clog up in hopes he wouldn’t have to speak at all, as his skin seemed to gain new life and crawl up his bones. 

He could put on a smile as a child. Allow his mother to touch his shoulder prior to piano recitals. All to uphold that image. That fucking fabricated image, having researched the material of a nuclear family but lacking the live experience to replicate it effectively. 

A family as hollow as the hearts of the creators. 

So, yes, if it were for the sake of image, he could allow his mother to touch his shoulder. 

His father to guide his hands along the keys. 

His mother to forcefully tie the ribbon of a dress around his waist, despite his desperate pleas to dress masculine.

Perhaps the only suggestion from this list that they only took on, after a meltdown begging for them to respect his basic human autonomy, was the right to dress masculine. Only because that didn’t taint the ‘image’ - three naturally talented sons seemed to benefit their father more. It just took him far too long to learn to count.

Yet, considering all of this history? Considering the way his ‘parents’ touch made him feel, to a point he’d go in the bathroom and tear at his clothes, desperate to rid the feeling of their venom seeping through his clothes and skin?

Saki and Tsukasa always touched him, within respect of his boundaries. They would tap him to gain his attention, hold his shoulder when they spoke to him, or even tap him with their cane or hold his hand. 

For the first time in a long time, familial contact did not feel so itchy. In fact, he wanted to embrace it as he wanted to embrace them. Being held out of love rather than for the cameras beneath the eyes of an Aoyagi peer… warmth flooded his chest, and as he tuned back into Saki’s words to Tsukasa, he reached for her hand.

Receiving a squeeze in return, Touya knew she appreciated it as much as he did.

“Saki-onee-san?”

“Hm?”

“I have one more bit of feedback about your show that I forgot to mention.”

“Yeah, Touya?”

“I… I won’t let their intimidation get to me anymore.” Both Tsukasa and Saki whipped their heads up upon hearing this whisper. After realising what had been uttered into the air, Emu, Rui and Nene responded similarly; the stars forming in all of their eyes could have created an entirely new constellation. “Or, at the very least, I won’t let it drag me back to them right now. Perhaps the ‘getting to me’ bit can be resolved later on…” Just as Touya trailed his words off, Tsukasa used Rui as a booster, kicking him lightly and rushing towards Touya. Saki did the same, nearly dropping her cane, giving Touya only a moment to catch his leaping siblings in his arms. 

He failed.

The three crashed to the ground, a pile of Tenma’s on top of the stage dedicated to the newest member. Backs cracking against the rigid floor, and a few winces of pain emerging from pursed lips. For a moment, the rest of Wonderlands x Showtime contemplated helping them in their pain.

However, ever the impenetrable soul, Tsukasa seemed to flick back up, as if he were a roly-poly toy. Some would argue that he resembled one, too, though such comments fell on deaf ears.

“Ah, Saki! Touya! Are you both okay?!” He stared down at his two siblings for a moment, processing their state before screaming, “I’VE KILLED MY BABY SIBLINGS!” Another siren went off from within his voice box.

“No, I’m just… a little compressed, if you will…” Saki grumbled, patting the ground around her in order to find her cane. After finding it, she outstretched her arms and laid flat on her back. Entirely ignoring how she had slapped a hand to Touya’s face. “Onii-chan.”

“Yes, my dear, crumpled sister…?” His voice had entirely shrunk, as if his voice box had done so too. 

“Come here.” As he always did, Tsukasa listened to his sister’s beckoning call. A foolish, rookie mistake… swooping from below, Saki hooked her cane’s handle around his ankle and began to shake it gently - she did not want to make him fall, but in the nature of revenge, she at least wanted to kickstart that revenge. Surely an offer to bake with him and Touya later would suffice as an apology? 

“AH! AH, AH, RUI! NENE! EMU! HELP! HELP!” A second pause between each scream, he seemed to grow louder and louder. All while Rui, Nene and Emu remained entirely still.

“Ah, Tsukasa-kun, how the moon seems to rise… you won’t break your ankle, I promise~”

“THAT IS! NOT! REASSURING!” Further screaming. After his moments of trauma (and enough screaming to awaken the entirety of Europe, let alone Japan), Saki let her hostage free, and outstretched her hand to silently ask for his help. Despite his pout, he quickly hoisted her back up to stand, and checked if she was okay.

“Guys…” Touya mumbled. He feared he had turned invisible due to Saki’s attack. 

“Ah, Touya-!”

“Don’t worry, my little baby brother! I was just getting to you!” Quickly offering the same hand that he had helped Saki with, Touya was also hoisted up and checked for any injuries. “Apologies for that, you two… I believe I may have overestimated my strength… But!” A hand pointed behind him, sending daggers towards a bewildered Rui Kamishiro, “I believe he is to blame, for he was my speedboost!”

“Tsukasa-kun, my dear Tsukasa-kun… what have we discussed about you accepting the blame, hm?” Placing a hand upon Tsukasa’s face to prevent the resounding of sirens, Rui beckoned for Touya and Saki with his index finger. “Take care, you two. I believe you should get home quickly, to prevent your poor mother from worrying… from what Emu-kun told me from what Tsukasa-kun told her, she’s cooking Aoyagi-kun’s favourite?”

“She is?”

“Oops! I may have been told not to tell you that. No worries, though,” he took Saki’s face in his hands and planted a kiss on her cheek. As he turned to Touya, he swiftly picked up on what Rui would ask and nodded, receiving a similar soft kiss upon his cheek. 

“Kamishiro-san, just so you know, I’m perfectly comfortable with such a greeting unless I feel too overwhelmed…”

“Do inform me whenever that is the case.” Rui offered a smile as farewell, only to turn to Tsukasa and ambush him with a flurry of kisses on the cheek. A hand covered Touya’s curving mouth, and as he turned to Saki to see her response, he instead saw her furiously typing at her phone.

“Has something happened…?” He inquired.

“Oh, no, don’t worry!” Placing her phone back in her pocket, she tugged on Tsukasa’s sleeve, “Come on , onii-chan! Mom just texted me and told me dinner’s nearly ready, so what am I meant to tell her when we show up late? That you were too busy kissing your queerplatonic partner goodbye?” Offering Rui one final kiss, Tsukasa turned to Saki and readjusted his bag’s strap.

“No, you shall tell her that her wondrous star of a son put on the most monumental show for our dear Touya, and we had…” eyes flickering to Nene, he stuttered as he continued, “we had iss… makeup issues!” 

“I’m not your scapegoat, Tsukasa.” Nene spoke flatly. He almost seemed to hiccup upon hearing such a rebuttal, all while his siblings ushered him away with a hand on his back. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show though, Aoyagi-kun. See you in class.”

“See you, Kusanagi-san.”

“Bye bye, Aoyagi-kun! Have a wonderhoi dinner time!” Though he remained perplexed at her use of ‘wonderhoi’ as an adjective - the grammatical explanations behind that entirely failed him - he could admit that the joy carried in a single ‘wonderhoi’ was empowering.

“Goodbye, Otori-san… w-wonderhoi?” In an attempt to remind himself of the hand movements, he watched her rapidly catch on and begin spinning her hands at him.

“WONDERHOI!” Everyone giggled, and the Tenmas departed from the stage.

As they went to leave, Touya looked up at the moon.

How funny, how would it emerge right now, when he was still surrounded by his own personal solar system?

He tutted away his own thoughts as he followed their strides towards home.

Chapter Text

What a peaceful night. Arguably the first properly peaceful one in a long time.

Moonlight opened up a glistening pathway, creating an interstellar infrastructure along the streets of Shibuya. Air in the streets had been disturbed by the phenomena of the show, leaving the creation of luminosity in its wake; celestial bodies replaced lamp posts, twinkling in the structure of a line and following the strides of the Tenma family. ‘Tenma’ can translate to ‘Pegasus’ in English, and similarly to the inherent mystique of such a mythical creature, it seemed nonpareil wonder seemed to follow them wherever they went.

Perhaps, Touya thought, such wonder was just synonymous with being a Tenma. 

Tsukasa and Saki had always seemed on another plane - glowing in a way that made the street signs they passed turn to look. Even when they walked along a path currently reminiscent of the asteroid belt, still glittering due to glass reflections, the brightest stars seemed to be Touya’s siblings.

Yet, as he walked alongside them, and too felt the embrace of the stars, a supernova ignited within his chest. Warmth flowed through him. Even the tips of his fingers - one hand holding a bag of plushies, the other loosely holding onto Tsukasa’s hand - radiated heat, to a point Tsukasa squeezed his hand in response.

Would it be egocentric to assume he, too, had the right to walk among stars?

Or even that he had recently had his birth as a star? Joining the mystique and being more than just a husk of a neutron star, having attempted to bloom years ago but being shut down due to the overwhelming intake of pressure?

A smile crept along his lips, and as his eyes lingered on the shining streets, he allowed the bliss to flow through his body.

“Do we need to grab anything?” A pointed finger towards the shop, down an adjacent street to the one they were walking along. At Saki’s prompt, Tsukasa and Touya turned their heads to look down at it, and they pondered it for a moment.

“Hm… well, consider it this way: would you or Touya like anything for this evening? Consider it my treat!” In an instant, Saki clasped Tsukasa’s arm and took a large step to face him head-on.

“No! I was planning on treating you and Touya! So what do you want?” A fight over expressions of love through culinary treats ignited between them. All while Touya spectated, pondering the more obvious conclusion. His questions wagered more on whether they would be willing to hear, given the playful fight between them.

“Guys…” their heads turned towards Touya, whose spine seemed to tingle from self-consciousness, and he continued, “we could just all get something for each other? I could get something for you two, Saki-onee-san gets something for me and Tsukasa-onii-san, and Tsukasa-onii-san gets something for-”

“AH!” Piecing the obvious together, Tsukasa slapped a clenched fist into his palm, and heartily laughed to himself. The laugh echoed through his ribcage, making Touya’s eyes widen a little, all while Saki had a hand upon her chin in a thinking motion. “That is a far more sensible idea! Why didn’t we think of that?” He nudged Saki, who remained in a thinking motion, “Touya, always the voice of sense!” Another laugh, the purpose of such a laugh completely flying over Touya’s head.

“I think you were both just caught up in a form of competition… it isn’t that ground breaking of an idea…” Saki and Tsukasa shared a glance, and as Saki began to approach the store, Tsukasa placed a hand upon Touya’s back to guide him forward.

“We do that sometimes… we get so worked up in offering something nice to each other that we tend to forget there’s a way we can both get what we want, all while giving our intended kindness.” In a hushed voice, Tsukasa leaned towards Touya and tried to explain, “I’m surprised you were never dragged into these as children. It’s been happening as long as Saki could pick up a crayon and insist on giving me her masterpiece of scribbles.”

“You probably did drag me into things like these before, I was just… very confused.”

“You often were… it’s understandable, though, considering how different Saki and I are to what you grew up with.” With a smile, Tsukasa took a stride in front of Touya and stopped him in his tracks, gently holding his shoulders as he said, “But look at you now. I’ve had the honour of watching you grow up, not only into the most wonderful of young men, but you’ve grown into the best younger brother I could have ever been blessed with.” Tears simmered at the edge of his eyes, and in an attempt to blink them away, Touya found them trickling down his cheeks. “I know it is very unprompted to say, but I’m proud of you.” By this point, there were no longer attempts to blink them away. Allowing Tsukasa to pull him closer, he allowed the tears to spill as he bit back a smile.

“That was unprompted… but thank you.” Tsukasa swayed his younger brother a little as he held him. Laughter escaped Touya’s throat, bringing forth further tears, and Tsukasa couldn’t help but join in with the laughter.

“You know what we Tenma’s are like… entirely unprompted shows of affection, in the most elaborate way possible!” As he spoke, he unhooked Touya from his embrace. Just as Saki turned around from ahead, wondering the cause of the delay. Expecting the tying of shoelaces or something more logical, she instead found herself greeted by an elaborate pose from Tsukasa - his arm had been firmly raised, another resting on his hips, and his legs had been split apart with little care for balance.

Then again, it’s the Tsukasa.

Expect the elaborate, not the logical.

“Come on, you two! I want to get home soon!”

“Ah!” Nearly falling, Tsukasa swiftly turned to face his sister. “Coming, dear Saki! Do not fret!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not!” Offense fell upon Tsukasa instantly. He slapped a hand to his chest and groaned in agony, only to be ushered towards his little sister by his little brother. Not without a stumble or two, of course. For the dramatics!

The time spent in the shop, while short, had an eerie vibe to it.

Truly, that was the best possible description. 

For starters, one of the lights flickered to its own rhythm, disturbing Touya greatly. Saki attempted to steer him in a way that would not make him face the flickers, and if passing near it was necessary to progress to the next aisle, she asked her siblings to cover their eyes and run with her around the corner. The effort to not alienate or critique Touya for his disturbance, while perplexing, made him feel comforted. After all, the few people in the store did not focus nor comment on his increased stimming (and even if they had , he would simply explain how it's a sensory aid and not a threat to a literal bystander)... rather, their focus was on Tsukasa.

The first corner.

Saki yelled go, and as she and Touya giggled at their attempt to evade the flickering, Tsukasa had… other ideas.

There had been a collision. Then a collapse. Then half the shelf's content collapsed with him.

So, to put it in brief, Tsukasa had been sent outside. Apparently he was a ‘menace’ and a ‘threat to his surroundings’, according to the bystanders. The employee who had unfortunately witnessed the collapse was just… exhausted, and although the Tenma’s frantically offered their aid to either pick it up or either take on a day of work to make up for the complications upon this poor worker, they insisted in a hushed tone how his employer would kill them for allowing exterior aid. Plus, Tsukasa’s offers of aid had slowly escalated into screaming, and it came off more threatening than helpful after a while. The intention was there, though!

So, Tsukasa had made sure to put extra money in Touya’s pocket to offer as an apologetic tip - if he couldn’t make up for his misdeed due to expulsion, he could at least ensure the worker got a bit more money for their efforts.

Eventually, they reached the till, bought the desired desserts - Saki wanted microwaveable pastries and chocolate, Tsukasa wanted sour candy and gumballs, and Touya had bought himself grapes and a box of mini brownie bites - and Touya placed them in his bag. While he wasn’t fond of overly sweet things, for simply the smell made him itch in distress, he thought Saki and Tsukasa would enjoy them too. As for the grapes… Well, it was a nice snack as he sat and read at night. 

This would be the first night he could do this in a while! Gosh, just the realisation made his heart race in excitement. He’d missed his reading, and apparently, Tsukasa had a shelf of mystery novels that Touya had been hoping to borrow for a while. Surely, if they accidentally landed in his room, it wouldn’t be too bad, right…?

Books aside, the remaining Tenma siblings paid, and offered the employee three doses of a tip - considering the time of night, and the more pressing issue of products being ‘shelved’ on the floor, it seemed only fair that this employer would be given a form of apology. In return, he promised to put in word to prevent Tsukasa being banned, because he wasn’t that bad of a customer usually. Neither Saki nor Touya had even considered banning, but as they left, they made sure to inform him.

“Ban me ?!” Tsukasa shouted, only to be angrily hushed by a passing elderly woman. “They wouldn’t… Well, actually, it's a logical decision to make, but!” Entirely ignoring the previous hushing, Tsukasa began to yell, “I am a valued customer! And I am! Very polite!”

“Can you be quiet , young man?”

“Sorry…” Touya spoke on Tsukasa’s behalf. “Come on, Tsukasa-onii-san… let’s get back, before you get banned from the entire neighbourhood…”

“I SHALL NOT BE SILENCED!” This time, both Saki and Touya hissed through their teeth to silence him.

“Usually, I would join in, onii-chan, but it is very late! If we get done for being a public disturbance at night, I don’t think Mom will take kindly to it!” Hearing this, Tsukasa clammed his mouth shut. Their mother was not strict - in fact, she embraced his passionate actions, and when she wasn’t working to financially support her children’s ambitions, she attended his shows - however, she would not stand for her son causing public disturbances. He’d likely write personalised apology letters to every home, and while it would be his own choice due to guilt, she would encourage the personalisation to the final letter. 

Having silenced Tsukasa, the Tenma’s approached their home.

Upon reaching the door and opening it, Touya found himself being ambushed with a comforting smell. He couldn’t entirely figure out what it was, due to the amalgamation of smells, he knew he would enjoy it. Just as he took his shoes off, with the intention of investigating and sorting out his recent purchases/winnings, the Tenma mother appeared in front of him.

Now, in honesty? He still couldn’t bring himself to refer to the Tenma mother as his mother. His ‘mother’, a cruel woman laced with poison, did not fit the semantics of the word, yet he clung to the word. Perhaps it was just a plea for a rotten apple to be ridded of its toxins, despite the flocking of flies towards it.

“Touya, darling? May I have a word?” He hadn’t really spoken to her properly outside of his first day of arrival. To give him the benefit of the doubt, it was not at all intentional avoidance - they just did not have overlapping free time. So, despite her embracing of him on the day of his arrival, he couldn’t help but shy away from her eye contact a little. 

“Of course…” Readjusting his posture, he handed the bag that had etched markings into his fingers to Saki, who rummaged through it. Though he had since followed the Tenma mother, watching her eyes sparkle through his peripheral vision made him feel at ease - she had received the gifts and realised the intention behind them.

Eventually, they reached… his room. Placing a stray hair behind her ear, she opened the door and beckoned her hand for his entry. Having been a spare room, his room remained plain, spare a few plushies and items of Akito’s across his room. While he preferred plain decoratives as they appeared pleasing to his eyes, he did desire a few trinkets… Though, the question remained fresh in his brain. Why his room? And, evermore, what did she intend to say?

“Sit down darling, if you would like.” He nodded, and sat on the edge of his bed. After shutting the door behind them both, she sat beside him. “My husband is currently dishing up our dinner, but I’ve informed him we both may be a little late, because this is the first time I’ve been able to properly speak to you since you moved in.” After a deep inhale, she asked, “You do… remember me, from when you were a little boy, right?”

He had to think. Not because he didn’t remember her - the opposite, in fact - but rather of how to respond.

What was he to say? That she had remained etched in his brain as the first adult to not only treat him as a child, but a young boy? He remembered how she had offered him some of Tsukasa’s old clothing to take home when he had expressed extreme discomfort with dresses, and how she would gently comb his hair before they would practice the piano. How she always had tissues near the piano, in case he got upset or frustrated. Though tears never spilled, his face would always scrunch up in the tiniest of crevices, and she would gently wipe his face to prompt giggles rather than sadness. Sometimes she would take him, Tsukasa and Saki to the park. Sometimes she would take him and Tsukasa to visit Saki in the hospital. Not once did she ever isolate him - whenever he came for piano, she made sure he could exist outside of classical music. For that, he had always been grateful.

Yet, all he said was, “...yes, of course. You were always… very kind. I’ve been meaning to thank you for years.” To admit what had just crossed his mind would be an attempt to unlock a vault within his throat, containing the words from his mind not yet linked to his lips. They would never get out. At least, not the way he intended.

“You don’t need to thank me, love.” She placed a hand on his, stroking his hand with her thumb as she continued, “I… always wanted to take you in as my own. I know that is odd to think of another child, especially one from another home, but I could tell you were unhappy with the Aoyagi’s. I was acquainted with them through business. As people, I despised their attitudes… all fake, as if they were adhering to Victorian standards.” Hissing her words, Touya’s eyes widened; he had not expected this to emerge from her , yet knowing even somebody as kind as her felt the same way validated his worries as to his attitude towards them, “And when I saw how you behaved with them, compared to my little ones? Oh, I just wanted you to embrace that smile and freedom. I’ve always been of the belief that kids should remain kids, and choose their own paths. You were never allowed that privilege, and I am so sorry.”

Oh, the tears began to form. His throat seemed to clog up, and in an attempt to swallow his growing dread, he made a little hum.

She didn’t need to apologise.

They did. But such a thing wasn’t in their dictionary.

“It’s okay… you did all you could, given your position as my piano teacher. I’m just grateful you allowed me to spend time with Tsukasa-onii-san and Saki-onee-san.” Gripping his hand a little harder, her voice wavered.

“I should have done more, though… Every day when you went home, I would think to myself, ‘why didn’t I say something? Why didn’t I offer for him to stay the night, or something that would allow him more freedom?’. But your parents were very rigid souls, and despite my subtle suggestions, they would insist on keeping you on the seat of the piano.” Another deep breath. “Besides, you don’t have to be grateful. I’m grateful you kept my little ones company, especially during a tough time in their lives - with Saki’s health, we were all worried, yet I always remember her brightening up whenever you visited and read her a story you and Tsukasa wrote. She would sit and ask me, ‘When is Touya coming again?’, because you allowed her to experience small things she missed while in the hospital.”

It was so much. Too much, even. He wiped a few tears, and watching the Tenma mother do the same, he knew these feelings had never been admitted prior to today.

In retrospect, it made sense. While their experiences could not be interchangeable due to the different factors, and by no means did Touya wish to compare his experience to Saki or even Tsukasa’s, he pondered on what the Tenma mother had said.

They all enabled each other to have segments of a childhood that they desired most.

For Saki and Touya, that involved the experiences. Even considering the limited time, and in Saki’s regard, her health and physical position, they got to do something. Read together, create stories, sing little tunes and lullabies, play with each other’s hair, watch a show… he had always, always felt gratitude for those experiences, despite the limited time he had with each one. In what could be dubbed a self-centered oversight, he hadn’t even considered what it meant to Saki, too. Gosh, his heart swelled in gratitude that she had further opportunities now.

And when it came to the collective? They all resolved one thing. Loneliness.

Whether siblings by blood or circumstance, their bond was unmatched.

“And, if I may continue on a slightly different, perhaps lighthearted point…” Interrupting his chain of thought, Touya looked up at the Tenma mother in anticipation, “since you are a Tenma now, we need to discuss your residence here as well. Naturally, we will figure out things as this progresses. But let’s consider the setting first…” She unhooked her hand from Touya’s and panned it across the room slowly, his gaze following her moving hand, “would you like any specific decorations?”

“Hm…” Accepting the subject shift as a means to clear his throat, for doing so when tears were rising through his system would result in a choking hazard, Touya pondered. “I’m not too sure yet…”

“We can always dedicate a day to shopping for these things, in case there’s any wallpaper or flooring you would like fitting.” Standing up, she approached one of Akito’s tossed shirts and lifted it up, “Also, since you do have that boyfriend of yours, I suppose we must consider a slightly larger bed in case he stays over…” At the inference towards Akito’s existence, Touya threw himself to sit upright, trying to ignore the growing heat flowing through his cheeks. “I don’t mind him staying, by the way. I’d quite like to sit down with him over a hot drink and meet him properly, though… from what Tsukasa and Saki have told me, he’s quite the interesting character!”

“He’s… He- I-”

“Touya, my lovely, I’m only teasing. He’s your boyfriend, so he is more than welcome to treat this home as his second. I want a mention at the wedding though~” This was the second time a member of the Tenma family had inferred he and Akito would get married someday. If Akito were here, he would have since stood up and frantically taken to defending his honour… but since Touya was the one to hear this suggestion, all he could do was sit and ponder the concept of marrying his beloved. While he did not wish to forcibly confine himself and Akito to societal expectations, the concept of a big ceremony to declare to all the people he loved about how much he loved his partner… well, to say it seemed invited would be an understatement. Perhaps he’d have to ask Rui about creating a mock marriage between him and Akito, to be wed in all terms but legal. Rui had made his discreditment of the law clear before, anyway.

“Oh!” As if his train of thought continuously crashed into her wall of speech, the railway path intentionally causing this collision every time as this was a conversation, she spoke once more, “One more thing about you living here, and do forgive me for how embarrassing this may be, but it's normal and necessary!” Oh no. “Now, Touya… you are a growing boy, and sometimes, boys have periods-”

“N-”

“I am just saying , if ever you need pads, or stacks of chocolate, as well as a warm bath or a day off school due to pain, I won’t judge! They are difficult to handle, and-”

“ Mom .” The word just slipped out. They both paused - the Tenma mother, in the middle of speaking with her hands, and Touya, who had covered his reddened face and visibly scrunched into himself. His breaths unstable, he seemed to try and wipe the red off his face, though it felt more like melting his hands on the radiated heat.

“You called me mom.” Looking at her through a side eye, Touya did not dispute the referral. Yes, it had been a slip of the tongue, but it felt… right. “If embarrassing you with normal bodily functions is what I need to do to get you to call me mom, then-”

“I… I don’t need the period talk.” The word turned to air, too embarrassing to outright state, and he noticed a smile through his slightly split fingers upon his face, “But thank you… for not treating mine like a taboo subject.” Okay, so it was embarrassing. It made him physically recoil. But, considering his previous treatment of his puberty (being misgendered ‘on accident’ and being forced to hide away the fact he had a body at all), it didn’t… entirely feel wrong? 

‘Some boys get periods’. 

He had never really heard it stated like that before. 

After a lifetime of being left out of such a conversation - while the topic was still horrific - he felt grateful that his lived experience was not a singular one.

“Darling, your existence is never a ‘taboo subject’ to me. I know it may be… uncomfortable to hear about these things, but that’s always the first step to normalising what is a normal occurrence, hm?” After a moment to think, he nodded. “Anyway! I apologize, but you can’t say I didn’t pre warn you!” To this, he chuckled; he could truly see Tsukasa in his mother.

His actual mother.

It felt so right.

“Thank you… for everything.” After the words fell from his mouth, he pushed himself up to stand, and outstretched his arms a little. It only took a moment for her to realise what he meant. As she hugged him, he felt embraced with a rose-scented perfume, as well as a soft fabric. His arms made their way around his mother, and he repeated it in his head a few times.

His mother.

His mother.

The Tenma mother, his mother.

If you speak of it three times, surely it sticks?

However, due to being closed off from the rest of the house, the moment was swiftly interrupted.

A door flung open, and through the gap peeked Saki and Tsukasa.

“Guys! Your food is getting cold!” Saki spoke first, her voice trailing out as she realised what was happening. “Oh my god. Can I join in with the hug?”

“Why would you ask such a thing, Saki?” Playfully critiquing her inquiry, Tsukasa nudged his sister and whispered, “They’re having a moment. I think they needed it.”

Sure enough, they did.

Shortly after his siblings departed from his doorway, his mother pulled away from the hug. 

“I’m going to go eat now, my dear. Would you like to join now, or-?”

“I think I’ll sit in here for a moment.” While not stating his intention, she figured it out swiftly - he needed to think. So, she left him, and after a moment of pure isolation, he pulled out his phone.

He could think after checking the 99+ messages from the Vivid Bad Squad group chat. Not the most practical of solutions, given his cold food, but sometimes opening his phone to An’s forehead with an insulting caption towards Akito was what his brain needed.

Akito <3: an i am just saying that IM lens favourite so like. Get fucked

An Shiraishi: NAHHHHH SHUT UP BRO

An Shiraishi: HIS FAVE IS LITERALLY YOUR BF 

An Shiraishi: BEATEN BY YOUR OWN PARTNER LMFAO

Akito <3: BRO DON’T MAKE ME BRING UP YOUR STUFF WITH KOHANE I WONT HESITATE

An Shiraishi: Go on pussy.

Ah. Even better. They were arguing . The betterness was laced with sarcasm, for the record, for the little ‘read by Kohane Azusawa’ in the corner made Touya wonder just how much she had witnessed.

An Shiraishi: omg wait pause

An Shiraishi: dickhead your bf is here

Akito <3: TOYUYA

Kohane Azusawa: Touya! Hi! :)

An Shiraishi: hey dude! :D

His presence having been acknowledged with such kindness (apart from the… Akito dickhead comment…) made his heart swell a little.

Touya: Hey guys :)

Kohane Azusawa: I’ve been meaning to text you all day! How was the show that Wonderlands x Showtime put on for you? I hope it was a good suggestion, I was worried I was overstepping my position but I wanted to make you feel better and I know you love their work a lot!

Touya: It was lovely, thank you for suggesting it 

Kohane Azusawa: Oh, I’m so glad! Also, about those photos you asked about the other day, I’ve managed to process and print them and now I have them on the specific photography paper! Would you like frames or do you have some at home? I always have spare frames, whether it’s for the walls or with backings on them, to place on your bedside table or something!

An Shiraishi: omg hes gonna have a picture of akitos ugly mug next to his bedside table i bet

An Shiraishi: i love you touya but i cannot forgive you for liking THAT

Akito <3: SHUT YPUP YOURE SO FUCKING RUDE

Akito <3: I HOEP KOHANES SNAKE EATS YOUR HEAD OFF

An Shiraishi: DONT BRING COUNT PEARL INTO THIS

An Shiraishi: COUNT PEARL ISNT THE REASON YOURE UGLY

Touya: Guys. Can I please reply to Azusawa before you start arguing again.

An Shiraishi: yes sorry </3

Akito <3: of course babe

An Shiraishi: lol 

Akito <3: can you be quiet for once in your life

Touya: Anyway, Azusawa, I am not sure about our frame situation but i believe we have a few spare ones. One for the bedside table will be lovely though

Touya: I’ll meet with you at some point so we can discuss this a little easier 

Kohane Azusawa: Of course! I don’t mind that at all, I’d be more than happy to do so! :)

Touya: :)

Touya: I’d love to stay and chat but i need to go eat dinner 

Touya: Speak to you all later <3

Akito <3: BYE I LOVE YOUUUUUU

An Shiraishi: BYEBYEBYE TOUYA ILYY

Kohane Azusawa: Enjoy your meal! :)

Closing his phone, he placed it to his heart.

The traditional perception of ‘family’ and its meaning was, quite frankly, bullshit.

He had a family in the Tenmas. Family in Vivid Bad Squad. Hell, he even found a family in the Street Sekai.

Tradition did not make his heart feel this at ease. Tradition did not embarrass him with classic parent conversations, all while they embraced him. Tradition did not welcome him into their home without a second thought after he rushed there in the rain.

Touya had found a family.

He had found acceptance, love, comfort.

Turns out it had only been down the street, after all this time.

He was so grateful to be a Tenma.

Touya Tenma… what a beautiful ring to it.