Chapter Text
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"Geez, your hand is freezing, senpai!"
Akihiko glances beside him. They're walking past the shrine alone after school, judging by the angle of the sun. Her red eyes gleam in the light of the sunset. It's a captivating sight. It takes only a moment to realize that his scarf is billowing around her shoulders and only a second longer to realize she's holding his hand tight in her grip.
His face warms up.
"I guess it's a bit cold out, today," he mutters. He absently eyes the trees around the shrine. Shades of orange, red and gold dance along with the breeze. Was it really autumn already? He shakes his head and looks back at the worried crease of her brow. Her lip juts out in a pout when she's thinking--does she know that? Has he ever told her that it makes her look adorable?
"Maybe you should take your scarf back," she murmurs thoughtfully. "I'd hate for you to catch a cold..."
"What?" Akihiko hurriedly squeezes her hand in his and picks up the pace. Where were they headed? Home? Out to eat? Based on their direction, it could be either or. "No way. I let you have it for a reason," he huffs.
He glances back to find her raising an eyebrow. "Let me, huh?" She smirks back at him. He knows the look in her eye as they spark. Challenge. It never failed to make his heart leap in his chest. "As I remember it, I stole it from you when I kissed you," she muses.
Oh, did she now? His face burns as he tries to imagine it, imagine the look she must have had on her face when she took it. Had she been confident, or had she gotten halfway and then been shy about it? He beams at the way it plays out in his mind. "I let you have it," he insists. "Akihiko Sanada doesn't lose!"
She bursts into laughter and swings their intertwined hands back and forth. "My my, what a tough guy! What am I going to do with you," she teases.
She's got that mischievious smirk on her lips again.
His heart feels like it might burst. His mind races with a few possibilities of what she could do, but would he have time for any of them? What he wouldn't do to be able to stay in this moment forever...
He fought back the sadness swirling in his chest. He knew he couldn't. He shouldn't even want to. He still had things to do.
"Guess you'll just have to work me harder in Tartarus tonight, then," he taunts back.
"What? And miss our date tonight," she whines.
His heart stops. He looks back to find her dramatically tapping her chin in thought. She's smirking still. "I was looking forward to dinner tonight, but if you really would rather go pummel some Shadows in Tartarus..."
"I-I was only kidding," he stammers. "I'd never miss our date!" She slowly glances at him from the side. Her smirk only grows. "I... I love you, Yukine. You know that, right?"
He really means it. He never thought he would say such a thing, and yet here he was.
Yukine stops walking and pulls him to stand beside her. Her smirk is gone, but in its place is a rather sweet and gentle smile.
He thinks he likes this one more.
"I know, Akihiko." Yukine effortlessly takes his other hand in hers and holds them close to her. He only has a moment to let his cheeks warm before she brings their hands together to her chest. The way she squeezes them tight, like they might disappear if she didn't, only distracts him for a moment. The kiss she presses to his knuckles makes him lose his mind afterwards.
"And I love you, too," she whispers. Her voice is so quiet, he swears he might not even hear it over the breeze cutting between them.
He feels... so warm.
"I've got him."
His body starts to chill with dread. In the back of his mind, he can hear a long sigh.
Not now. Not yet.
"Why the hell are they packing Bufudyne in this block," Junpei whines. The voice is murky and shrouded, as if the junior is talking through a pool of stagnant water.
Akihiko's heart feels frozen in time. Yukine just holds his hands, oblivious to his sudden chill. She looks so peaceful, so content...
He doesn't want to lose her yet.
It almost physically hurts to take his hands away from her.
The disappointed pout on her face definitely does.
"...really should start being more careful about it," another voice sighs.
She's looking up at him. All Akihiko can think is that he wants to drown out the voices in his head.
He knows what happens next.
Her face is always so soft under his fingertips. The disappointed look on Yukine's face disappears in a sea of rosy cheeks.
Akihiko closes the space between them and presses his lips to hers to silence them. The sounds of shuffling ebb away under the sound of his own rushing heartbeat and the happy hum from Yukine--
--from his girlfriend--
He comes up for air with empty arms.
His body was iced over again.
Yuki looked down at him with his usual annoyed glance. His Evoker was pressed to his temple. He could just barely see the glimmer of his persona fading away.
He was starting to loathe the sight of Oberon.
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "You awake, senpai?"
Regretably.
Akihiko sighed and curled his empty hands shut. His body was sprawled out across the floor of Tartarus again. Yukari and Junpei watched him anxiously from the sideline. It takes only a moment to see the ice fractals still clinging to his sweater, and another to see that he was awake again.
Back to cold reality.
"I've got my eyes open, don't I," Akihiko grumbled. "Guess that means I'm up."
"He's back, boys," Junpei cackled. "Great to hear you pissed off at us again, senpai!"
"Speak for yourself," Yukari whined.
Yuki smirked down at him. "Good." He then walked away with barely a nod. Akihiko sighed and pressed his hands against the floor of the lonely abyss and pushed up.
He made his way back to his feet. His stupid hand puppets are back. He glared down at the twin Jacks with disdain.
"We still have progress to make," Yuki warned over his shoulder. "Keep your head on your shoulders, senpai."
Akihiko carved a hole in the back of Yuki's coat. Why did he always have to be so efficient? "Right." He glanced to his left to find the rest of his gaggle of juniors headed for the stairs.
He had just enough time to look behind him and wish that he could still see Yukine standing there beside him.
He tore his eyes away and pushed ahead.
"Let's get going," Akihiko muttered bitterly.