Work Text:
Click-Click, Click-Click, Click-Click.
A soft yawn escaped Toya's lips as he turned over the next page. This new book he got the other day was quite interesting, he loved reading mystery novels and trying to unravel the case as he read, but it was a tough task when he found himself so comfortable, laying on his partner's bed, the pillow being quite soft, although it was never tidy, with sheets falling off the edge.
Pit-Pat, Pit-Pat, Pit-Pat.
He took a moment to glance at said partner, who sat just a few steps away, staring at a blank sheet of paper with a frown. One hand holding his head, as the other held a pen, switching between pressing its tip and quickly tapping it againts the desk.
STAY GOLDEN, one of the most important events to take place on Vivid Street, was just a month away, and An and Akito had gotten to work, with her making the demo of the song while he was in charge of writing the lyrics and rounding everything up. Toya felt bad, he and Kohane would always have to leave all the work to their partners, and it pained them to not be able to be of much help. The four of them were part of Vivid BAD SQUAD after all, it wasn't fair that only half of the team was doing the heavy lifting.
Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.
The ginger's frown only seemed to deepen as he started anxiously moving his feet and chewing on his pen, with a deeply concentrated look in his eyes. It was the same exact thing he did whenever he didn't know what to answer on a test.
"Akito, is everything ok? You are fidgeting."
Upon hearing his name, he got out of his trance, looking at those deep gray eyes he loved so much, eyes that glanced back at him full of worry. A tinge of embarassment formed on his chest, for how long had Toya been staring at him?
"Oh, yeah, don't worry I'm fine, just..." A heavy sigh followed as he tried to put his feelings into words. "A bit lost on what to write, you know?"
"Hm... I see..." He pondered for a bit, before an idea quickly crossed his mind. He made sure to mark the page he left off and closed the book, carefully placing it on the nightstand. "Why don't you take a break?"
"I wish I could, but the event is just a month away and we still don't have the song ready, I have to finish it as soon as possible so we can get to practice and see if it needs any modifications or-"
"Akito." Toya was quick to cut off his partner's rambling, he knew that if he continued talking he would just go on and on about how his efforts weren't enough and compare everything to their rivals. "Come on, a few minutes won't make a big difference, and you won't go anywhere if you just keep on running in circles, will you?" He tapped lightly on the bed, inviting Akito to lay next to him with a smile.
"I... Guess you are right... But just a few minutes, no more than that." He let go of the pen and walked up to the bed, his heart racing a little. He was quick to lay down, hiding his face on Toya's chest as a means to hide the heat rapidly spreading on his cheeks, letting his eyes flutter close, while the other man limited himself to holding his lover close with one arm and a triumphant smile as he used his free hand to playfully mess with the shorter one's soft hair. Truth is, Akito loved this kind of proximity, being close enough to Toya to hear his heartbeat and smell the faint scent of perfume he always had, but his pride would never let him admit it.
"Now, will you tell me what's actually going on? I know there's more you didn't let on."
It took him a few moments to start speaking. He wasn't the type to open up about his problems, and though he had started to change that, it was still hard for him to talk about his feelings with his teammates or family. But Toya was different, maybe it was because of how much time they had shared, but he felt comfortable talking with him, safe when he was in his arms. His lover's arm caringly carressing his back put him at ease.
"Last time we won largly because of Kohane and her sudden improvement at the time of performing, but this time... Many talented people like Tono will compete, and others like EVER have certainly improved a lot." His arms tightened, deepening the embrace. "I'm just worried that I- That we won't be enough... That's why I need to make the song in a way that lets us all shine the way she did last time."
"Hey, we've been working incredibly hard every day, practicing from sun to sun, especially you. Look at me." Toya shifted his posture to separate himself from Akito, cupping his face with both of his hands, gently tracing his thumbs on his cheeks, looking straight into those olive eyes that enamoured him even more every time he saw them. "You are amazing, Akito. Your voice is like music to the ears, and your dedication both for our group and music in general is admirable, the sole fact that you got so worked up about this is enough to show how much you care. Vivid Bad Squad would be nothing without you, I would be nothing without you. Your encouragement inspires the rest of us to do better, and just as our rivals improved, so have we. I'm sure you'll come up with an amazing song and we'll do great." He finished off his statement by planting a soft peck on Akito's nose, followed by a reassuring smile.
The words made him feel a lot better, Toya always knew just what to say to chase his fears away, and, for a brief period of time, his mind was at ease, savouring the moment as he leaned more into his lover's hands, relishing at the soft touch of his fingers. But there was still a sharp sting aching on his chest, doubt. As much as he tried, it still ate away at the deepest corners of his mind.
His gaze escaped Toya's, saddened to have that stupid side of his that constantly put him down, that didn't let him fully trust his beloved's words. "I... I know... But I just can't help feeling nervous, as if everything that could go wrong will, no matter how much I try..."
The taller man understood the situation his partner found himself in, feeling that he wasn't good enough, for them, for this whole event. They had already gone over this, but he knew just how deep rooted Akito's insecurity was, back when they had first formed BAD DOGS, when they went against Arata, even when it came to their relationship, he felt as if he didn't deserve being with him. Toya wished he could make it go away, make him see himself the same way he did, as a talented singer, a loving boyfriend, and an incredible person.
Then, an idea popped on his mind. If he couldn't get through to him with words, then there was something else he could try. He used one of his hands to catch some lose strands of ginger hair, locking them behind his ear, letting it linger for some seconds as he took in the sight of his partner, God was he beautiful. Without wasting any more time, Toya finally leaned forward, closing the small gap between their faces as he held his lover close by his waist.
Akito felt his whole face burning up to the tip of his ears, initially too stunned to do anything, as he was usually the one to initiate a kiss, and if it was Toya he would almost always ask before doing so, but he quickly came back to his senses, the knot on his chest finally coming undone as it was replaced by the fuzzy feeling of pure love. He closed his eyes, relishing on the moment, imitating his lover's position to deepen the kiss. Any traces of that doubt and anxiety were completely gone, his mind too busy thinking about Toya and the lips currently pressed on his. That was the effect his partner had on him, the sheer amount of emotion present on each one of their exchanges, it was like another kind of language that only the two of them knew how to speak.
When they finally pulled away, a few seconds went by with them just staring into each others' eyes, cheeks completely flushed, as if they still hadn't realized what had happened, before releasing the tension with a shared chuckle.
"Thank you, Toya, truly. I would be so lost without you, I think I'm even ready to start writing some lyrics!"
"Heh, I'm just glad to see you smiling again, Akito, it suits you." The man couldn't help but smile as his beloved's face reddened once more, he loved teasing him like this. It was as if Akito could never get used to this out of the blue compliments, opting to hide his face once again, this time on his boyfriend's neck.
"God, Toya, you can't just say things like that..." Both his ginger locks brushing his face and his soft breath against his skin sent ticklish shivers through his body, making him squirm a bit. "Oi, don't move so much, I'm comfortable like this."
"I thought you were going to start writing the lyrics for the song."
"Well, I could, but to be honest..." A yawn escaped his lips as the shorter boy put his arms around his boyfriend's torso, snnugling against him. "I just want to stay like this a bit longer..."
Toya smiled fondly as he watched his lover quickly fall asleep, it was truly a heartwarming sight. He felt lucky to be the only one who ever saw this softer side of him. In one swift move, careful not to wake him up, he managed to bring the blankets closer with his feet, finally getting a hold of them to cover their bodies with.
"Goodnight, Akito."
He let his heavy eyelids finally shut close, sure that both would have nice dreams, protected from any nightmares or intrusive thoughts by their tight embrace.