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Seminar room 12… Where is it? Yuuta makes a sharp turn into the hallway filled with rows of seemingly identical looking seminar rooms.
It was his second year in this university but the new semester class venues were at a whole new building on campus. Curse the campus for being so huge. Yuuta looks down and checks the time on his phone.
11:58am.
He can’t afford to be late for his first class of the semester. As he continues to walk down the hallway, he catches a glimpse of a boy entering one of the seminar rooms, door closing. It was the only room there that had someone going in so Yuuta tries his luck and follows the boy, praying it was the right class.
Just as he steps into the room, the digital clock on the wall turns 12:00 and he hears the professor infront say “Welcome to Media Research Methods!”
The dark haired male heaves a sigh of relief, sinking down on whichever seat that was the closest to him.
Yeah, the research methods module that was required.
He settles, placing his bag down as he gets his laptop out. Yuuta looks up and realises the boy sitting in front of him had been the one who he followed, or so he figures. He remembers catching sight of light blonde hair.
He stares at the back of the boy’s head, oddly cute he thinks. His head round and his hair seems floofy-
Wait, what was he saying-
“To start off the semester, I’ll be assigning you a project to work on. So find a partner!”
Yuuta snaps back to paying attention to the professor as soon as he hears the word project. He groans internally, because he knows literally no one in this class.
Again, he finds his eyes coming back to look at the boy sitting in front of him. Yeah, the one whose head he thought was oddly cute that caught his eye.
The boy was still seated, merely looking at the other students in the room pair up. Yuuta sees a chance and he takes it.
Okay, guess I’ll just ask him.
He taps him on the shoulder.
“Hey, do you wanna partner up for the project?”
Now, Yuuta wasn’t sure what the boy looked like since he only saw him from behind so when he turned around, he didn't expect to see someone so…
Pretty.
The boy had piercing purple eyes, soft bangs falling over his forehead. While the colour of his eyes does seem slightly overwhelming, his gaze wasn't cold, just blank. The sides of his mouth were tattooed, small swirls of circles.
A small smile forms on his lips.
“Sure.”
Yuuta doesn’t pick up the hesitant glances thrown at him from the girls in the room, but they don’t approach him after seeing he had partnered up with someone else.
Least to say, Yuuta was quite a popular one as much as he dislikes it. His looks make him stand out, he guesses. Not that he would call himself handsome but having had a long break before university, he seemed to have grown much taller, shoulders broader.
His features are more defined and his hair has gotten longer such that he often push back his hair till he got it trimmed.
That was more than enough time for people around the campus to start noticing Yuuta more, but of course, the boy knew nothing about it.
Not till his classmates were inviting him to parties or for drinks.
Still, Yuuta was never the type to go to such events. He’d rather be scouting new sites for photo taking. Even now, after this class, he was going to a new spot he had stumbled upon to get some photos.
The class wraps up, and they were given a timeline to work around with for the project. The boy turns around, facing Yuuta again and he asks.
“Are you free to discuss it now?”
Oh. Oh. Right, the project. Yuuta had already stood up, long tripod stand bag slung over his shoulder.
The boy looks up at him, curiously looking at the bag Yuuta was carrying.
“Oh- oh yeah sure. I can do now.”
Guess I’ll just go to the site another time then.
The dark haired boy rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, and he notices the boy was still staring at the bag he was carrying. He sits back down, placing his bag carefully.
“I do… photography on the side. It’s a tripod bag.” He explains, seeing the boy so intrigued.
He snaps back at Yuuta at that, lips forming an ‘O’. He nods.
“Cool. I’m Toge Inumaki. Inumaki is fine.”
“I’m Yuuta. Okkostu Yuuta. Nice to meet you, Inumaki-kun.”
Toge gives him a knowing look.
“I know. Heard about you.” Toge says unabashedly, resting his chin on his clasped hands.
Yuuta freezes for a split second before he clears his throat, slightly flustered.
“Good things, I hope?"
“Yeah,” A small teasing smile rests on Toge’s face.
“Good things.”
-
They get the general outline of their project out, and a timeline to work with till the submission date which was the end of the semester.
Surprisingly, Toge was more outspoken than Yuuta thought. The boy seems so quiet and aloof, but he guesses he’s the kind to warm up once you get to know him.
His voice is soft, quiet but his words are always firm and full of certainty.
The discussion went by rather smoothly, with more similar opinions rather than contrasting ones. Their views and thoughts on how to approach the project seem to constantly align.
Upon agreeing on the outline they had come up with, they decided to meet again after a week.
They connect well together, Yuuta realises.
It was easy, falling into each other’s pace.
Every now and then, Yuuta’s eyes can’t help but to trail from Toge’s eyes to his cheeks.
The tattoos at the side of his mouth were so pretty and Yuuta likes them.
Toge Inumaki is pretty.
It’s the second time Yuuta’s telling himself that.
Pursuing photography as a passion of his has always made him drawn to things that he finds pretty. It gets him wanting to snap a photo of it so that moment lasts.
Right now, it’s probably something about Toge Inumaki.
“Then I guess we’re good to go. I’ll see you again next week after class?”
Yuuta wonders if the tattoo swirls mean anything. It was a shape of a circle, lines from the corner of his lips connecting to them. Oddly, he thinks it fits him. The tattoos on his face.
“...Yuuta?”
Yuuta belatedly realizes Toge had leaned forward, face closer to his. He tilts his head, waiting for the other boy to respond.
“Y-yeah. Let’s meet again next week and gather our resources. Sorry, I just really like your tattoo,” Yuuta mumbles the last part, averting his gaze.
Toge’s eyes widened slightly, not expecting that statement at all.
“Oh. Thanks.”
He breaks into a soft chuckle, and Yuuta isn’t sure why but he feels hot. He hopes his face isn’t red.
-
Afterwhich, Yuuta finds himself looking at Toge unknowingly during lectures. Of course, he pays attention to lectures but as the professor drones on and on, Yuuta loses focus and he ends up finding himself looking at the boy in front of him.
Thinking about it, he wonders why he hadn’t seen Toge during his first year. However, Yuuta quickly shakes that thought away.
He hardly noticed other students afterall, besides his classmates and the few friends he had. It was often the photography club room, his dorm or somewhere photo worthy for Yuuta.
Casting that aside, he wants to get to know more about Toge now.
“Hey, I’ll go look up some sources in the library for a bit. I’ll come back in a while.” Yuuta says, realising they didn’t have sufficient resources at hand for the research section of the project paper.
They were studying in an empty tutorial room, having decided to work on their project after class.
Toge, who was working on the collaterals, nods simply, making a sound of approval whilst still staring at his laptop screen.
At the library, Yuuta managed to gather a few resources, having cross checked with Toge such that it would aid in their area of research. However, the last source which he found at the last minute before the library closed was left hanging in their text conversation.
He went back anyway with the resources he had found saved on their document and as he pushed open the door, Yuuta noticed Toge had somehow fallen asleep, laptop closed.
Yuuts checks the time.
Oh, it’s been 2 hours. Researching at the library took longer than he thought.
He feels slightly bad, it was nearing seven now. Toge must have gotten tired while waiting for him.
Yuuta gets closer, soft and careful footsteps taken as Yuuta doesn’t want to wake the latter. He figures Toge could sleep a bit longer before they pack and head back. They have been working hard on their project a lot recently.
The boy notices Toge frowning then, as the warm orange glow from the setting sun hits the plane of his face. Instinctively, Yuuta puts a hand out, palm hovering over Toge’s face.
As his palm casts a shadow over Toge’s face, the boy’s expression relaxes. Yuuta finds himself feeling relaxed too, dismissing Toge’s discomfort.
Yuuta merely sat there and looked at Toge, not to sound like a creep but he was afraid he’d shift his hand.
Quietly, Yuuta’s heart falls into a state of ease. He has been talking a lot more with Toge lately and it always felt nice, being by his side. He feels at ease whenever he is with Toge.
That was something new, Yuuta figures. He usually had trouble being himself and feeling comfortable upon meeting someone new but with Toge, it all seems so familiar.
Yuuta stays like this for one more minute or two before the boy who was asleep stirs and wakes.
He peeks an eye open, and Yuuta slowly removes his hand.
Toge blinks, and he looks at Yuuta.
“Oh, it was just that- the sunlight was kinda in your face and you were frowning in your sleep so I…”
Yuuta fumbles with his words, a sheepish look on his face. He isn’t sure how Toge feels about him doing that.
The boy lets out a soft laugh and he looks at Yuuta, a small smile on his lips.
“Thank you, Yuuta.”
With the sunset hues painting the room a faint radiant orange, it casts an idyllic setting that perhaps only in dreams would have.
Seeing Toge Inumaki like this in this moment, Yuuta’s heart swells with a sickening sweet warmth.
-
As their project progresses, their relationship gradually progresses as well. Outside of the project, Toge would offer his help whenever he finds Yuuta looking confused at the end of lessons.
Whilst their schedules were fairly different other than having one same module, they’d study together whenever they happen to have the same free time.
As midterms were approaching, Yuuta has been studying more besides working on the project with Toge. He had been going over to the cafe opposite of the campus, just to get his caffeine fix and so he could focus on his papers.
He was here again after his afternoon class ended. Yuuta opens his laptop to get his work started just to see a certain familiar face reflected on his startup screen.
“Inumaki-kun?”
Toge comes from behind and grins, sitting down opposite of the dark haired boy naturally.
“Grinding for midterms?” He says, head gesturing to the huge cup of coffee on the table.
“Yeah, I’ve got a couple of papers in the coming week, it’s been a hell of a semester.”
Yuuta sighs, recalling the amount of work he has to do on top of assessments next week.
Toge nods in understanding, after all he had also been busy with assignments the past week.
He glances over the review papers on the table.
“Ah, I took this one last semester! If you aren’t sure of anything for this one, I think I could help. Statistics was fun.”
Fun? Statistics was the module he barely caught on. Yuuta doesn’t even know why he needed to do a stats module given that he’s studying media communication. Probably it had to do something with having a holistic education or some sort.
“I think… I’ll need a lot of your help on that.”
Toge laughs, sensing the meek response.
“It’ll be my pleasure to help, don’t worry.”
They settle on finishing up their own review first and Toge suggests going over to his place.
“We could order food for dinner and I’ll help you with stats?”
Going over to Inumaki-kun’s place? Yuuta’s eyes spark with interest.
Many have invited Yuuta to their house for parties or whatever but Yuuta had never been interested but now… he’s curious as to how Toge’s house looks like. He’d love to go over.
Agreeing on that, they work on reviewing their modules in silence, only rapid sounds of keyboard typing remain with many times of staring hard at the device’s screen.
Time passes and before Yuuta realises, the sky outside had already turned a pale blue, orange sun fading out under the horizon.
Toge closes his laptop, looking over at Yuuta’s instead.
“You done? Let’s go back to my place and do dinner first. I’m starving,” Toge grins, already packing his materials into his bag.
The dark haired readily agrees, and a small smile laces on his lips.
The other probably didn’t pay much attention to his words but it’s the way Toge always phrases his words. He’s so genuinely kind, with so much to give.
We could do this if you don’t mind.
I found an article we could add in our paper, let me know what you think!
I think you’re better than you think you are, Yuuta.
It was something Toge had said when he asked him to show him his camera and the kind of photography Yuuta does.
Yuuta had told the other he was nowhere good and that he still had much to learn but Toge merely dismissed it, scrolling through the photos Yuuta had taken in awe.
What do you mean nowhere good? These are amazing, Yuuta!
This one’s pretty.
Toge stares a little longer at the shot. It was at a secluded area of the beach near the coasts.
The foreground was a vast blue, shadow of the day casting on it as the sky got darker. The background paints colours of dusk, orange pink blanketing most of it.
As he places the camera back into the palm of Yuuta’s hands, Toge says with a light tone but his words are firm.
Have more faith in yourself, silly.
It startles Yuuta’s heart and he finds himself wanting to trust himself more, just as Toge had said.
-
They walk to Toge’s apartment, Yuuta figuring out now that Toge stays close to their campus. That was why he didn’t apply for dorms. No wonder he felt like he hadn’t seen Toge around before.
As spring approaches, the winter cold seems to be bidding its farewell but ever so slowly, still clinging on. The night temperatures were still relatively cold, much lower than in the day.
Toge visibly shivers, hands immediately going into his pockets searching for warmth. He was wearing a rather thin t-shirt tucked into black jeans. He chastises himself for forgetting his jacket today. The only thing keeping him warm was probably the beanie on his head.
Concerned, Yuuta reaches out and grabs Toge by his arm. It pleasantly surprises Toge, for Yuuta hardly initiates whenever they are together.
They stop, and Yuuta wordlessly strips off the hoodie he was wearing.
“Wear this Inumaki-kun. You’re freezing, god. Your hands!”
Clearly, Yuuta wasn’t thinking how he was being so upfront but Toge- Toge likes this side of Yuuta.
“But you’ll be cold, you don’t have to- we’re reaching in a while anyway-”
“No, I’m not gonna let you freeze even for just a while more. I’m not cold, don’t worry about me.”
Toge looks at the boy in front of him and Yuuta’s unfaltering gaze on him, pushing the hoodie into his hands insistently.
He knows he won’t be able to fight him anyway, seeing Yuuta so earnest so Toge takes the hoodie, a subtle smile on his lips.
It’s times like these where he finds Yuuta cute.
Toge pulls over the hoodie, murmuring a soft thank you. It’s slightly big on him, of course, Yuuta was much taller than him. Toge pulls the sleeves over his hands, soft material warming him up and he soaks up the warmth.
It took all of Yuuta’s willpower to not hug Toge right there and then. And that’s when Yuuta realises all he wants is to have Toge in his arms. They satisfy their hunger with pizza being delivered and Toge helps out with Yuuta’s review on the module.
As they work through the notes and practices together, Yuuta nods in understanding when Toge explains and points out what could be done better.
Yuuta listens to Toge, and he asks him to repeat once again sheepishly when he tunes out, too focused on the spaces between them.
Toge was so so close, head leaning towards his as he looked over the screen of questions and notes. He doesn’t seem to mind but Yuuta does. Or he tries to but his heart refuses to.
The constant heartbeat fills his ears and Yuuta can’t calm his heart down. This close, Yuuta could see how long Toge’s eyelashes were, and how pretty his tattoo is up close.
He wonders if he could cup his cheek, ghost his fingers over the side of his lips, trace the outline of the swirls. Engrave it into his memory.
“I think you’re pretty much ready for your mid-term, you got most of the questions after I explained it, also I think for the mid-term you can just focus more on the later topics… Yuuta?”
Yuuta blinks at the call of his name, and Toge turns his head to look at him instead of the lit laptop screen.
Oh. Oh.
Yuuta doesn’t know how he ended up being so close to Toge’s face but their eyes meet. Of course they do. He’s met with a deep violet hue, and it’s nothing but beautiful.
Neither of them break the building tension in the air somehow, letting it rest upon them instead.
Even with this close of a distance, Toge didn’t seem to be uncomfortable. He merely looks back, as if waiting for something to happen, waiting for Yuuta to react first perhaps.
Their foreheads were almost touching, and absolutely nothing was going through Okkotsu Yuuta’s brain other than the want to close the gap between their faces and kiss Toge.
He wants to kiss Toge Inumaki.
Oh god. He likes him? He likes him.
Yuuta reaches out, hand cupping the side of Toge’s jaw and he does what he had wanted to all along, ever since he met him. He ghosts the pad of his fingers over the tattoos on the boy’s cheeks, a careful touch.
Toge’s lips curl into a smile, and Yuuta’s thumb accidentally brushes against his lips.
His heart stutters.
The touch breaks the trance Yuuta had been in, coming back to his logical senses. Senses that tell him not to overstep boundaries yet to be surfaced.
He lets out a soft gasp when Yuuta realises what he had been doing and he flushes a bright red. He didn’t mean to go so far, not when he’s unsure of the other’s feelings about this. About them.
“O-Oh I-” Yuuta stammers, an explanation nowhere found in his mind but he’s attempting to save himself. He pulls back almost immediately after, giving Toge space but Toge leans in, into his space and the boy catches his hand.
“Inumaki-kun-”
It happens so quickly, a fleeting kiss on Yuuta’s cheek and Toge leans back. He doesn’t say anything, only a small playful smile on his lips.
Yuuta’s face goes unbelievably red, mouth agape. His brain stops processing, only remembering how soft Toge’s lips felt on his cheek, even for just a split second.
“I think we’re done for today, you got them all down right?” Toge says nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t sneaked a kiss on Yuuta’s cheek.
“Y-yeah. Thank you, Inumaki-kun.”
Yuuta merely goes along with it, save the confusion and embarrassment. He bet his face is still red.
He kissed him. He kissed him first, when Yuuta had been wanting to do it.
Yuuta shuts his laptop, packing his materials back into his bag. He needs a distraction, anything really, to keep himself from thinking about the kiss Toge gave him and kissing Toge right there and then.
It was fairly late, and so they decided to call it a day, Toge seeing Yuuta off at the door. The short but first kiss seemingly long forgotten but as Yuuta steps out of the apartment, he turns back and he takes Toge’s hand.
He doesn’t want it to be forgotten, looked over. He wants Toge to know he probably wants him as much as he does.
The kiss was already a stepping stone towards something more with Toge, Yuuta thinks. It may have been like a light breeze, often sudden and it’s quick to end but something lies more to it.
It’s Toge offering something more to Yuuta as well, a mutual feeling and that… that makes his heart flutter.
Toge looks at the boy, tilting his head.
“Did you forget to take something?”
A flustered expression morphs on the boy’s face, but he shakes it off. Yuuta looks at Toge, expression soft but the hold on his hand tightening ever so slightly before he lets it go.
Pleasant warmth spreads in Toge’s chest, and his lips threaten to break into a huge smile.
Yuuta has been utterly kind towards him, and while he had known him because he had been quite a popular one on campus, getting closer to Yuuta was something else.
It was so easy, being with him. So easy to fall in love with him.
He makes Toge feel like he could be anything and everything.
Toge wanted nothing more than to be his and he catches onto the little things between them.
He notices the soft gaze in his eyes whenever he looks at him, the embarrassed look when he blurts out compliments without even thinking. The resolution in his words when he expresses care towards him.
Toge notices it all and how could he not fall deeper into the love that he gives?
As Yuuta waves a goodbye, a see you tomorrow! , Toge couldn’t wait to see him again already.
The moment they had just now comes back into his mind and he chuckles to himself. Yuuta looked like he had something to say although he chose to say nothing instead, only holding his hand for the briefest moment.
The warmth from his hold lingers on Toge’s wrist.
-
Days go by, and they fall into a routine. Since that day, Yuuta has been walking Toge home after their last class together. They stay in empty classrooms after classes as well, working tirelessly on their project together.
While neither of them brought up the kiss, the subtle touches and actions make up for it. It was as if words weren’t what they needed the most at this time.
It was the look in their eyes, the ghost of their touches. The smallest things when they’re least expected.
The gentle touch Yuuta gives when the wind messes Toge’s hair and he fixes it, running his fingers through Toge’s soft hair, making it neat again.
Or when Yuuta walks Toge back home and he makes sure to walk on the side closer to the roads.
Toge notices it all and gradually, it carves a space beside Yuuta. A space where Toge feels the safest and that’s where Yuuta is, whenever he’s with him.
It happens when they were walking back again, although Toge had tried to stop Yuuta from coming back with him.
The term was coming to an end and with that being said, more time had been spent on campus, deadlines of assessments drawing closer. Today, they had sat together to finish the report and it was close to seven when they finally completed the main parts, conclusion left.
Yuuta had classes since eight in the morning so he must have been tired but he had insisted to walk Toge back to his apartment, despite Toge’s constant no you don’t have to Yuuta, it’s been a long day for you and your dorm is just right here-
Of course, Toge doesn’t win against him (When does he ever?) and they walk back home once again but it’s slightly different this time. Yuuta didn’t speak much, only deciding to walk close by his side in silence.
It was only when Toge rubs both of his arms together that Yuuta stops, taking off his hoodie again just like the first time they had walked back together.
“You forgot your jacket again, didn’t you?”
This time, Yuuta merely gestures Toge to take off his bag for him to slip the hoodie on him, making sure he’s covered and warm.
“Thanks, Yuuta.” He murmurs. Toge pulls the sleeves such that it covers his hands. It’s warm and soft, and it smells pleasant. Like how Yuuta is.
They continued walking, but before Toge took another step, he felt a hand grabbing onto his.
Yuuta holds Toge’s now warm hand in his, and he looks at him with an unreadable expression but the expression in his eyes is soft.
Toge prays Yuuta doesn’t sense his rapid heartbeat and he masks the surprise he felt, playing it cool. A small smile plays on his lips and Toge holds his hand back, hands clasped together.
The walk back was quiet but it was laced with comfortable silence, feelings laid out right in the palm of their hands.
Eventually they get to Toge’s apartment and it was time to part. The sun had completely gone down, only a glint of orange pink remained in the dark blue sky, moon rising.
Toge loosens his grip on Yuuta’s hand, wanting to part but Yuuta tightens his hold instead. He doesn’t let go of his hand, as if he had something to say and he did.
Toge looks at him and before he could question him about anything, Yuuta blurts out.
“I like you.”
Those very words lay heavy in the air. Their feelings had remained unspoken for the longest time and right now, their hearts were trembling.
While it was like a missing piece to the clockwork that made everything click, (their lingering touches, ever so heartwarming gazes) it was also a shift in their relationship.
That makes the world where it was just the two of them spin .
“What?”
Toge just had to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
Yuuta visibly swallows. He’s nervous but he said it.
“I…like you, Inumaki-kun.”
“So will you be my-
Yuuta doesn’t get to finish because Toge’s falling into his arms, and he catches him naturally as if the shape of his space had always been the shape of his embrace.
“boyfriend?”
“Silly. I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn’t want to be yours.”
It comes slightly muffled, and Yuuta feels the boy (now boyfriend) burying his face into his shoulder.
The quickening heartbeats in sync with each other was already enough for Yuuta to know how Toge felt about him.
Yuuta thinks he might just die from embarrassment and love for Toge if he questions about that brief kiss he gave him so he chooses to keep it as a moment just for himself.
“I’m yours.”
Was all Yuuta had to hear and he let out a shaky sigh of relief.
And I’m yours.
Toge leans back, smile playing on his lips.
“O-okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then,”
It seems like after Yuuta had confessed, he had been stripped of his ability to speak but he gathered himself together.
He gently cups his lover’s face, his warm eyes reflecting in Toge’s purple ones. Yuuta’s hands gingerly slide down towards his jaw, nearing his neck before he closes the gap between their faces, lips pressing against Toge’s forehead.
The night breeze carries a mellow whisper.
“Have a good night.”
-
As the term draws to a close, it gets busy with more assignments and studying. While they weren’t able to go on actual dates, the study and lunch dates make up for it.
For Yuuta, as long as he could spend time with Toge, nothing else really mattered. They spend long days at their usual coffee place studying if they weren’t on campus having lectures.
At times it does get tough. Yuuta sighs, head in his hands. The amount of workload was getting to him and he feels he’s fucked.
Things get tough, but he gets reminded over and over again that he wasn’t alone because he feels a hand over his.
The hand brings his hand down, intertwining their fingers together.
It’s a small gesture, but it fills the whole of Yuuta’s heart.
Toge was still reading his lecture notes, focused but he had Yuuta’s hand in his across the table, thumb rubbing over his hand comfortingly.
Yuuta looks back at his report assessment, feelings of dejectedness having been replaced by a newfound drive.
They get around submitting their research report. Needless to say, Yuuta and Toge got the final part done pretty quickly. They do one last check through before Yuuta’s cursor hovers over the submit button and he looks at Toge.
“Ready?”
The boy nods, and click!
Immediately after, Toge flops on his bed, letting out a sigh of relief.
“We’re finally done with the semester, god.”
He feels a slight sink in the bed, Yuuta coming up to attempt to fit himself and Toge in his super single size bed.
Toge giggles when Yuuta presses himself against him, snuggling into his welcoming embrace. Guess he doesn’t see it as a problem at all.
“Toge.”
“Hm?”
“There’s somewhere I want to bring you to.”
Toge perks up at that. He glances at Yuuta, tilting his head.
“Will you go with me tomorrow?”
“Always.”
-
Yuuta doesn’t tell Toge exactly where they were going, and Toge doesn’t question either (He trusts him anyway and surprises are fun) .
Toge hears the crashing waves before he sees the deep blue. They get down the car, walking towards the beach.
“Wait… this place looks so familiar, didn’t I see it somewhere?”
Toge frowns for a moment and then he remembers.
“The photo you took!” He whips his head to Yuuta, knowing smile on his face.
“You seemed to like the place when I was showing my photos to you and it was also one of my favourite sceneries I have snapped a photo of so I figured we could come here…together.”
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Toge says, quiet but Yuuta catches them anyway in the midst of the tides crashing against the shore.
They walk along the waters then, day winding down as the tides begin to come as low intensity waves.
Reaching near the end of the long stretch with seemingly less people, Toge walks slightly further ahead, hand letting go of Yuuta’s.
He dips his feet into the incoming waves, kicking midway. Ripples and splashes form before they dissolve away and it happens repeatedly.
Now Yuuta is back, but with Toge that is, there’s something about it that makes this moment more special than any other.
Yuuta takes up his camera, looking into its viewfinder. He adjusts such that Toge was in the centre of it, and he snaps a shot.
Toge must have heard the click because he turns around then, and beckons him over.
When he thought the photo he took here was the prettiest in his collection, he thinks this. This photo he just took would be the prettiest ever, with no doubt and he’d safekeep that moment in his heart.
He approaches Toge as he settles his camera back down, slung on his neck. What he didn't expect was his boyfriend pulling him in suddenly for a kiss, warm touch on his neck, soft lips against his.
Even so, Yuuta readily responds, arms easily going around Toge’s waist and he deepens the kiss until they break, needing air.
Toge laughs, eyes curving into a crescent-moon like and Yuuta is so in love.
Yeah, I could totally get used to this, Yuuta thinks before he’s going in again, capturing his lover’s lips into a sweet kiss.
Everything about this seems like a dream but Yuuta knows for sure. This isn’t a dream, for the warmth in his arms never felt so real. The warmth and light Toge Inumaki has shone in his world.