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Aichi was bright. Blindingly so. Everywhere he went, he touched the hearts of others with his sunshine, and one by one made their lives better just for his presence in it. That’s how Toshiki felt about him, at least.
Aichi had always had a grip on his heart, no matter how much he tried to deny it. The seeds planted when they first met, Toshiki had thought them dead. But no; playing against him for the first time, against this scrawny, timid thing that had kept the card Toshiki had given him all those years ago, those seeds saw light again. And those seeds began to grow, even as Toshiki wished they wouldn’t, hacking at the roots in fear. Fear of letting himself care, of getting too close. He didn’t want Aichi to leave him. Not like Ren had.
But it was fruitless. He’d kept himself away to stifle the growing feelings inside of him, but seeing Aichi at his peak, shining his brightest, the buds bloomed in his chest, straining to catch more of his light on its petals.
He’d never felt anything like it. Not even before his parents died. Not even the powers of psyqualia could come close to the tidal wave of emotion that crashed over him whenever Aichi looked at him. He made his heart race and his words feel clumsy and stupid, ending in awkward half-encounters where Toshiki cursed he’d ever spoken. It wasn’t until he poured his heart out to Taichi that he could put a name to these feelings.
Love, he’d said.
He hoped the feelings would die. He didn’t want them to go, but at the same time he desperately wished for them to disappear. It’s not like he could ever act on them either way. Aichi is far, far too good for him. Aichi is kind, and Toshiki is not. Aichi is warm and gentle, and Toshiki is anything but. They’re rivals, and perhaps even friends, now, but that was all. Not anything more, and never would be.
That all shattered when Aichi saved him from himself.
It was dizzying to think about. Through the sheer force of Aichi’s love for him, he’d freed him from the curse that bound him. He hadn’t known what it was at the time, but love was the only word for it. All that time he’d thought himself alone, unsuited for others, an existence that would only bring those around him pain. Yet there Aichi stood, ever at his side, not letting him out of his sight for even a moment. When had he gotten so stubborn? Toshiki hadn’t noticed. Maybe he was always like that. Aichi had been growing in his absence, and he could see that now. Brighter than he’d ever thought possible, and strong.
From that moment on, Toshiki knew those feelings would never disappear. Centuries could pass and he would still look at Aichi with that gentle gaze, yearning to hold him close. He’d do anything for him; even go to the moon and back. A joke made in poor taste, but the truth all the same. Aichi wasn’t the only one that could be stubborn. After everything they’d been through together, there’s no way he’d let Aichi suffer on his own, content to leave all his friends in ignorance that they’d ever felt his light at all. He couldn’t let that happen, so he didn’t. He brought Aichi back to him, this time for good.
With every battle won and their past firmly behind them, their mutual feelings found space to bloom and grow further, and it wasn’t long before Toshiki had worked up the courage to finally take his hand. And Aichi had taken his, with a smile more brilliant than a thousand stars, and whispered his love into Toshiki’s shoulder. His cheeks were red, up to the tips of his ears, and Toshiki was hardly any better. They’d known it was bound to come to this, but that didn’t stop them from being awkward teenagers, still shy about the more intimate things that came with romance.
Toshiki learned how to love, and more importantly, he learned how to be loved. He opened himself up to Aichi and let him in, and Aichi gave himself to Toshiki in return. They’d been through too much at this point to hold back even a little, knowing their time together was precious. This resulted in much groaning from their friends around them, but they’d always laugh it off. Everyone knew how much they meant to each other, and would never really get angry whenever Toshiki would press a kiss to Aichi’s cheek around them. He just never wanted Aichi to forget how much he loved him. And he never did.
Even when the time came for them to part, a plane ticket in his hand, they knew they’d see each other again soon. After all that had tried to keep them apart, what was a bit of physical distance? What was a flight over the ocean, in the face of their endless love for each other?
Toshiki ran a thumb over the ring on his finger, smiling to himself as the miles between them grew. No, nothing could break them apart now. Never again.