Archive of Our Own

Toya was used to the cold in a way that most people weren’t.

When he said something like that, most people thought he was talking about the seasons and that he was comfortable walking in the snow or something like that. But that’s not what Toya meant at all.

Toya was used to the cold that came with a household full of cold, unending silence.

His brothers, when they were home, didn’t talk to Toya much, too focused on their music. His mother was silent more often than not, a ghost who haunted the Aoyagi home more than a woman of substance.

And his father…his father was the blizzard that Toya faced whenever he was home.

Some days, that blizzard came in the form of words instructing him on how to play the piano and violin. Other days it came in the form of harsh words of disappointment.

But the worst days…the worst days came when the blizzard became a weapon used against Toya.

It was never anywhere noticeable and Toya had grown so used to it that he wasn’t surprised anymore when his father’s anger turned onto him.

Things got worse when Toya quit performing classical music. They were still unseen by the people outside their home, with the occasional exception of Tsukasa.

Tsukasa, who always found Toya on his way to school and covered his face in makeup when needed. Tsukasa, who always had such sad eyes whenever he saw a new bruise on Toya. Tsukasa, who never said a word after Toya told him not to.

Toya was used to this after all. He’d lived this way his entire life.

There was no reason for Toya to think anything would change.

And besides, he was far too used to the cold.

Weekend Garage was different from the Aoyagi household. It was a place that Toya often thought of as summer to the Aoyagi winter. Shiraishi and Ken were both bright people and whenever Toya was there, Azusawa and Akito were as well.

Toya was certain it was the people that made Weekend Garage so comfortable for him. He felt calm there in a way he just…wasn’t at home.

“Oi, Toya. Stop daydreaming before you stab yourself,” Akito chided, bringing Toya back to reality. They sat in a booth in Weekend Garage with Shiraishi and Azusawa, sharing a cheese cake.

“Ha! Like you’d ever let him do that!” Shiraishi laughed good-naturedly. She leaned her head against her hand, causing her two toned hair to spill over away from Azusawa. “You two are as observant of each other as Kohane and I are!”

“I-I don’t know about that, An-chan,” Azusawa said, her cheeks bright red. “B-but I do think you and Aoyagi-kun are very good partners, Shinonome-kun.”

“Thank you, Azusawa. And you as well, Akito. I know you’ll always watch out for me,” Toya smiled. Just as he expected, Akito scowled.

“Not if you keep doing stupid stuff like that,” he grumbled. He took a pointed bite of his cheesecake and carefully chewed before he spoke again. “What’re you thinking about so much, anyway?”

Toya wasn’t sure how to even begin describing his thoughts or if he even wanted to.

Akito was his best friend, the brightest light in his life. How could he confess that Toya lived in perpetual winter with no end in sight? Akito already knew of his father’s distaste for his son’s love for street music and he despised him. How much worse would that animosity become if Toya told him everything?

Tsukasa’s eyes, so sad even though he tried so desperately to hide it, flashed through Toya’s mind.

No. He didn’t want anyone else to look at him like that, least of all Akito.

“I was just thinking about how much I enjoy these moments,” Toya answered aloud. It wasn’t even a lie and his small smile was genuine as well.

“I know exactly how you feel, Aoyagi-kun,” Azusawa smiled. “Even when we’re doing something as simple as eating cheesecake, I still get this warm feeling in my chest. Like I belong here, with all of you.”

“Kohaneeeee!” Shiraishi cried, latching onto Azusawa and causing the girl to cry out, her cheeks somehow an even brighter red than before. “That was so sweet, I could cry!”

“P-please don’t, An-chan!” Azusawa yelled.

“Are you alright, Azusawa? Your face is turning alarmingly red,” Toya questioned, concerned.

“I-I-I’m fine, A-Aoyagi-kun!” Azusawa squeaked. Despite her words, her cheeks turned an even brighter red, something Toya had thought impossible.

“Oi. Stop messing around. Once we’re done with this, we need to get to work. We won’t surpass RAD WEEKEND just by being friends,” Akito scolded, glaring at each of them in turn.

But Toya could see the opening he’d left and it was far too tempting to ignore.

“So you admit you see us as friends,” he grinned. Akito’s glare became a knife, but Toya felt no fear.

Akito would never hurt him, not after the one instance Toya had goaded him into it.

“Ah! He’s got you there, Akito!” An grinned. “You think we’re frieeeeeeeends!” She giggled almost maniacally in the face of Akito’s annoyance, unrepentant. Her courage was unmatched, something Toya was helpless against admiring. An sobered up eventually, once Akito had finished the cheesecake in sullen silence. “You are right though, we should practice. Dad! We’re heading out now!”

“Bye! Have fun!” Ken called back, as kind to his daughter’s friends as he was his daughter.

Toya’s heart ached in a way he didn’t dare describe. He followed after his team and entered Sekai with them at just the playing of Ready Steady.

“I’m home,” Toya called out as he entered the Aoyagi household that same night. Not that there would be anything called out in response. On a good day, his mother could say ‘hello’ in the softest voice possible. But on a bad day, all she could do was sob.

“You’re late, Toya.”

Toya froze, feeling the winter ice lash against his skin.

“Good evening, Dad,” he whispered, facing his father head on. Because for all that Toya has bent under the weight of this blizzard in the past, he would not bow so easily now. Bowing meant returning to classical music, it meant giving up his friends, giving up Akito…

And Toya refused to do that.

“I have let you run wild since our last argument. I have allowed you to fully experience this world of…so called ‘music’. But it is time to set this nonsense aside. Our family concert is coming up and you must participate,” his father stated in that tone of voice that demanded obedience. As a child, Toya had caved without much of a fight, too scared of what would happen if he said no.

But Toya wasn’t a child anymore and he was certainly not a simple snowflake.

Thanks to Sekai, thanks to his friends, thanks to Akito…Toya was an avalanche.

“No, Dad.”

“What was that?” his father questioned. His voice sounded like a frozen lake cracking, like a symphony reaching a crescendo before the percussion crashed down. He wasn’t actually asking a question. He was giving Toya a chance to change his mind.

But Toya would not take it.

“I said no, Dad. I am going to continue performing with my team, singing the music that I love. And I refuse to play classical music ever again. I’m sorry, Dad, but I will not change my mind.”

It felt freeing to say those words, to let the avalanche roar as it wished. Toya imagined Akito would be proud, would throw his arm across Toya’s shoulders and say he was amazing.

But Toya knew the other shoe had to drop eventually. He could see his father’s eyes icing over, see the blizzard turning his countenance into something far stronger than Toya’s measly avalanche.

He was under no illusions that he could win an argument with his father.

Toya was used to the cold.

He expected the first swing.

When Toya’s mind caught back up with his body, the Tenmas’ front door was opening and he was staring up at Yuriko, who stared down at him in horror. She was in her pajamas and looked disheveled. It must be so late.

“I’m sorry, Yuriko-san, I…”

Toya’s body gave out on him then and he fell to his side at Yuriko’s feet.

“Asuka!” she screamed. A second later, Toya felt her fingers, calloused from years of playing piano, running through his hair.

Footsteps rushed towards them and Toya wasn’t surprised to see that Tsukasa and Saki had joined their father in waking up and rushing down the stairs.

Toya’s mind was spinning. Everything hurt and he could barely focus at all. He thought he saw Saki running away, but he couldn’t be certain. He did see Tsukasa kneel alongside him, taking him into his arms as if he’d break if Tsukasa let him go.

Toya was so tired, so weak, that he couldn’t help himself.

“Oniisan…”

Everything faded to darkness.

When Toya woke up, the first thing he noticed was the smell of hand sanitizer. It was a smell that lingered in many of his memories of visiting Saki in the hospital, few as they may be thanks to his father’s paranoia that Toya would catch whatever Saki had.

The second thing he noticed were the hands.

One hand held each of his own and a third was brushing through his hair. They anchored him to his body, a place to rest instead of drowning in the snow covering his entire being.

So Toya knew when he opened his eyes that he was in the hospital and the Tenma siblings surrounded him. When he blinked away the spots clouding his vision from how bright the room was, he could see he was correct. Saki held his right hand while Kanade held his left and Tsukasa was running his fingers through his hair.

Yuriko and Asuka were nowhere to be seen.

“Tsukasa-senpai…?” Toya whispered. His voice was hoarse from disuse and his body ached all over. He was pretty sure he had a black eye, but he couldn’t quite remember just what state the rest of his body was in. Given the look in Tsukasa’s eyes, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“Good morning, Toya,” Tsukasa greeted him, his voice soft and shaky. Tsukasa should never sound like that. Tsukasa was the sun that made the Tenma home spring, Saki and Kanade the flowers that bloomed under his careful light. Tsukasa was meant to be bright and loud and noticeable.

Toya couldn’t help wondering how bad he truly looked if Tsukasa sounded so unlike himself.

His voice seemed to have woken both Saki and Kanade, as Saki shot up like a jack in the box while Kanade rubbed her eyes slowly.

“Toya!” Saki cried. Her grip tightened on his hand. “How are you feeling, otouto?”

“I…” Toya tried to speak, but his voice wouldn’t cooperate.

“One second, Saki. Let me get him some water,” Kanade offered. She grabbed the cup on the nearby table and held it up for Toya to drink, her free hand still clutching on to his own. If Toya’s mind was any clearer, he would have smiled at the care Kanade was showing to both him and Saki, something that had slowly become natural since she first came to live with the Tenma family.

“Thank you,” Toya said once he’d finished drinking. Kanade smiled at him, a gentle thing, like the first clear note of a violin. Her grip tightened. “I’m alright, Saki-san.”

“Alright?! Toya, you were covered in bruises and bleeding!” Saki protested. “Mom was so scared, she couldn’t even call the ambulance!”

“What happened?” Kanade asked, so soft Toya barely heard her. “I don’t want to speculate what could have done this to you, but I want to hear it from you.”

“Toya.” Tsukasa’s voice called to Toya and he looked up, meeting the eyes of his guiding star. “Tell them.”

It wasn’t an order, but a request with the option for Toya to refuse. A spring breeze in comparison to a winter storm. Toya simply couldn’t remain silent, not with how worried all of three of them looked. He had no doubt Yuriko, Asuka and Tsukasa knew the answer, but Saki and Kanade didn’t. The explanation was more than owed to them.

“It was my dad,” Toya confessed. He looked down at the blanket covering his lap, not wanting to see the horror and pity fill the girls’ eyes. Tsukasa’s fingers still traced through his hair, anchoring him and giving him the strength he needed to keep going at the same time. “He doesn’t approve of my team, he never has. He wanted me to quit because the Aoyagi family concert that’s held every five years is coming up. It would be an embarrassment if I wasn’t there, the only Aoyagi who left classical music behind. I refused and…”

Toya couldn’t finish his sentence, had never been able to finish it. Saying it would make the winter even worse, suffocating him under piles of snow until nothing of Toya remained.

“It’s not your fault,” Tsukasa stated. His voice cut through the snow piling on top of Toya like a ray of sunlight in spring, warming him and melting the snow at the same time. “You did nothing wrong, Toya.”

“Tsukasa-senpai…” Toya whispered. This was the boy who’d saved him when Toya himself hadn’t seen a way out. This was the boy who unknowingly led him to Akito, to Shiraishi and Azusawa. Tsukasa had never lied to Toya, had in fact given him so much that he could never return the favor, never say thank you enough to cover just how much Tsukasa had given him.

Tsukasa was the only person who could say something like that and Toya believed him.

“What’s going to happen now?” Toya asked, fear entering his voice. Kanade’s hand tightened around his.

“Asuka-san is contacting a lawyer and Yuriko-san the police,” she explained. “They’re worried about what would happen if you went back there.”

“I don’t blame them. Aoyagi-san has always been scary,” Saki admitted, her shoulders trembling. “But…what if Aoyagi-san protests?”

“I don’t know,” Tsukasa admitted. “Aoyagi-san has a lot of power, it’s the reason nobody knew about any of this. He’s a star in the music world, and for good reason, but that sparkling image will make him much more difficult to defeat. Mom and Dad may have to sue him.”

“For what?” Toya asked, confused. What could Asuka and Yuriko possibly sue his father for?

“For you!” Saki answered. “You’re our little brother, we won’t let anyone touch you like that ever again! We’ll fight until you come home with us, promise!”

Toya couldn’t understand what they were saying, because they couldn’t be serious. The Tenmas were going to fight his father…for him? It was impossible to imagine, even more so for it to become reality.

Toya couldn’t hope, not when his father was involved.

All he could do was keep going forward.

He looked outside the window of his hospital room. He could see Yuriko and Asuka arguing, Yuriko infuriated and Asuka attempting to calm her down. Further down the hallway, Toya could see a spot that he knew was his father, approaching the Tenmas and the hospital room in which his son resided.

Toya couldn’t hope, so instead he laid back down and closed his eyes.

He was surrounded by spring…but he knew it was only a matter of time before winter returned.

After that first day when he woke up, Toya was allowed very few visitors, especially anyone related to the Aoyagis and the Tenmas. Clearly, the argument that had occurred that first day had been bad enough that the hospital had barred them all from Toya’s room. Not that Toya heard the exact argument, his father and the Tenmas had made certain that they were far away from him and his…friends’ ears.

Toya didn’t mind too much. He didn’t want to believe in Tsukasa, Saki and Kanade only to have that fragile hope crushed under a blizzard.

He wasn’t in the hospital very long anyway, and Tsukasa gave his excuses to Akito, who passed them off to Shiraishi and Azusawa. Toya felt terrible for the lies he was telling through proxy, but he couldn’t let them know. Not yet.

When Toya was discharged, it was Asuka who picked him up, a gentle smile on his face. They were silent as Toya got into the car and it was only when they were driving that it broke.

“You must be confused, Toya-kun,” Asuka said, an apologetic tone to his voice. Toya remained silent, with no answer forthcoming. “Yuriko and I have been preparing for this kind of situation for years. I can’t say we were ever hoping for something like this, but we knew what we should do. We simply didn’t have enough evidence before.”

“And now?” Toya whispered, not daring to hope. Hope was a flower, so fragile that a single misstep or breeze could kill it.

“Now, I believe we can no longer wait,” Asuka admitted. His eyes, so much like Saki’s, never left the road. “We have loved you like you were our own son for years, Toya-kun. We would be overjoyed if you were able to join our family and we are willing to fight for you to make that a reality. You won’t go back to him so easily.”

“And where am I going now?” Toya asked, terrified of the answer. He didn’t know how this sort of thing went. His only experience with an adoption of any kind was the peripheral knowledge he had of Kanade’s and she had lived in her old home before the adoption was official.

Toya didn’t want to be alone. If he couldn’t stay with the Tenmas, he’d beg to stay with the Shinonomes if he had to.

“Home, with us,” Asuka stated firmly and without hesitation.

Toya felt his entire body relax at those words. When he entered the Tenma home and saw Saki rushing up to him, he practically collapsed into her arms and whispered a single word.

“Oneesan.”

Saki wasn’t the only one sobbing that day.

Toya honestly should have expected the ambush as soon as he stepped foot on Kamiyama High School property. But he had thought he was safe as he walked in with Tsukasa, that they’d meet up with Kamishiro and Kusanagi and then split up to their respective classes.

Akito and Shiraishi clearly disagreed.

Faster than Toya could blink, his teammates had grasped onto his arms and pulled him into an empty classroom.

“We have fifteen minutes,” Shiraishi reported, ever the dutiful hall monitor.

“Toya, what happened with you?” Akito asked, his eyes narrow as he stared Toya down. He was looking for any hint that Toya was lying because he knew Toya just as well as Tsukasa and Saki. Perhaps even more.

“Yeah! We had practice and then you just vanished while Tenma-senpai delivered your excuses. Did something bad happen?” Shiraishi added, her eyes concerned.

Toya didn’t want to lie, not to these people who saw his love of singing even before he fully did.

“Yes,” Toya confessed, looking down at his school shoes to avoid their eyes. “I…don’t want to explain the details, but it involves my father. I…the Tenmas…Tsukasa-oni-senpai’s family is suing my parents for custody.”

“Wait, suing?!” Shiraishi cried out, shocked. “Does that mean they’re trying to adopt you?”

“Yes.” Toya nodded, still avoiding their gazes.

“What did that bastard do?”

There was a dangerous note in Akito’s voice, one Toya only heard whenever he spoke of his own father. But this time, it felt much worse.

Toya dared to glance up. Akito’s eyes were blazing with fury.

“Akito-”

“What. Did. He. Do?” Akito demanded, his teeth clenched so hard that Toya was shocked they didn’t break. Toya couldn’t speak, couldn’t even look away. All he could do was stare…which gave Akito the chance to study his eye. His hand reached up and even though he saw it coming, Toya still jumped when Akito’s gentle touch rested under his eye.

The single touch made Toya feel a buzzing under his skin, the same way he had when Akito had thrown his arm around his shoulders. He fought to keep his blood from rushing to his cheeks, focusing instead on Akito’s anger.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Akito swore. He whirled away then, as if he were going to go and face Toya’s father right that moment.

“Akito!” Shiraishi shouted. She jumped forward and latched onto Akito’s arm, stopping him. “You can’t do that! Look, calm down already! Toya said the Tenmas are suing for custody, you don’t have to do anything!”

“Did you forget who Toya’s father is?” Akito snapped. “He’s got a lot of power! Against people like him, there’s nothing you can do legally!”

“So your answer is to kill him?!” Shiraishi exclaimed.

“It’s better than sitting around and waiting for Toya to get stuck there!” Akito roared.

Akito’s words encapsulated all of Toya’s fears, but at the same time…he wanted to fight them. Akito wasn’t frozen in fear. He was ablaze in fury, ready to face the blizzard that was Toya’s father all by himself if it meant Toya didn’t have to go back.

And it was his words that gave Toya his strength.

“I won’t be stuck there,” he said. His voice was quiet, but it cut off both Akito and Shiraishi instantly as they stared at him. “I trust Yuriko-san and Asuka-san. They will do everything to get custody of me and I will do the same, as will Tsukasa-oniisan, Kanade-neesan and Saki-oneesan. When this is over, I will not be a part of the Aoyagi family. So please…I ask for your support, Akito, Shiraishi.”

Toya bowed, but before he could even complete it, a hand hit him on the back.

“C’mon, there’s no need for that!” Shiraishi grinned. “Of course we’ll support you! We’ll be with you every step of the way, we’ll even testify! Kohane too! Right, Akito?”

“You’re not gonna give me a choice,” Akito sighed, though it was obviously all for show. His eyes weren’t burning nearly as brightly as they were before but calmed to the soft light of a bonfire in autumn. They warmed Toya through, making him feel safe. “But yes, I’ll help you.”

Toya smiled, about to thank them, when the bell rang.

“Shit! We’re late!” Shiraishi yelled.

For all that Akito made Toya feel as if he could do anything, that strength was quickly crushed when Akito wasn’t by his side and Toya was forced to take reality as it was.

Nothing made that more obvious to him then sitting down with the lawyer the Tenmas had hired to represent them.

“Aoyagi-kun,” the lawyer, Matsunaga, said. She was a sharp, severe looking woman, with her auburn hair pulled back into a tight bun and a simple but professional business suit on. “My understanding of this case leads me to believe the Tenmas have a moderate chance of winning. However, that’s without taking into account your family’s attorneys. So I’m going to ask you a series of questions, alright?”

“Yes.” Toya nodded. His spine was as straight as possible, as if he were sitting at the piano bench instead of in a conference room.

“Good. You are going to be required to testify in front of the entire courtroom. Do you believe you can do that?”

“Yes.”

“It will be a difficult series of questions of a very personal nature, and those are only mine. Your family’s attorney will also question you thoroughly. Do you believe you can handle this?”

“Yes.”

“Even if those questions are attempting to trick you into saying something to support your parents?”

Toya paused at that. He…hadn’t considered that, in all honesty. He’d been prepared to testify, given the fact that it was his life they would be debating over. But what kinds of questions would his father’s attorney ask? What would they try to trick him into saying? What would they try to trick Tsukasa, Kanade and Saki into saying?

What would they try to trick Akito, Shiraishi and Azusawa into saying?

Toya knew how powerful his father was. There was little doubt that he had the best attorney possible putting his case together.

“Do you think they’d really do that, Matsunaga-san?” Toya asked, softly.

“Undoubtedly,” she stated without hesitation. “This case is more than about your wellbeing to your family. It’s also about their reputation and if your claims are substantiated, if the Tenmas are granted custody over you, then their reputation is in ruins. And considering how well known your name is in the classical music world, it’s entirely possible the entire Aoyagi family will be blacklisted.”

Blacklisted.

It was the worst word for anyone who had a career that consisted of being paid from performance to performance. They didn’t have annual salaries like people in more traditional occupations did. And even if his father was well off, Toya knew that having the entire family blacklisted would eventually ruin them.

And not just for his father, but for his brothers and his mother too.

And Harumichi Aoyagi would play every single trick he could in order to prevent that.

In other words, despite the possibility they had of winning, Toya was most likely going to return to his father’s house.

If he didn’t, the rest of his family would suffer even worse.

Toya couldn’t really follow along with the rest of the meeting. He felt sick to his stomach and couldn’t hear a single word Matsunaga said. Everything just became a cacophonous blur, a symphony with far too many instruments to differentiate them all.

The next thing he really noticed was the pale green walls of the Tenmas’ guest room. It was the room that Toya had slept in every time he’d spent the night at the Tenmas’. Unlike his room in the Aoyagi household, this room was a pale green with touches of pale blue here and there, which made it feel far more welcoming. It was pretty barren, but that made sense for a guest room.

When Toya next blinked, he found himself curled up on his side on top of the bed and Kanade crouching down in front of him. She had a notebook in her hands and she pushed it closer to Toya so he could read what she wrote down.

‘It’s too much, isn’t it?’ She was smiling softly when he glanced up. Toya nodded, unable to move his head much more. Kanade’s smile, somehow, softened even more. Instead of saying anything else, however, she pushed herself to her feet and left.

Toya didn’t have to wonder where she went for long before she returned with her headphones and laptop in tow.

Kanade didn’t say or write anything else. Instead, she gently placed the headphones over Toya’s ears, plugged them into her laptop and pressed play. Her latest composition started right away and Toya felt his entire body fall lax.

If he focused on the music, he could feel his body once more. His fingers twitched against the blankets he was lying on top of, the softness grounding him.

It was a sloppy movement, but Toya made the sign for ‘thank you’ anyway. Saki had insisted they all learn to help Kanade communicate on the days she couldn’t. He was grateful for it now, knowing he didn’t have to break the silence that Kanade had filled with her music just to let her know he appreciated it.

Kanade’s sign in response was just as sloppy, but she included one sign that Toya was slowly but surely coming to recognize.

‘Otouto’.

When Toya next woke up, Kanade was gone and a note was left on the bedside table. When he grabbed it, Saki’s loopy handwriting greeted him, saying that she and Tsukasa had gone to school while Kanade went to school online and visited her father at the hospital. When he checked his phone, he found it was far too early to expect anyone to be coming back soon.

But even despite that, Toya’s skin crawled at the idea of being alone, at the thought of just what will happen when he takes the stand, what will happen when this is all over.

He didn’t think of anything at all when he pulled up Ready Steady and hit play.

Since learning about Sekai, Toya had been extremely curious about how exactly it worked. It seemed to have perpetually sunny weather, so he had thought the changing of seasons shouldn’t effect it.

Toya should have known it wasn’t as simple as that.

When the white light cleared, he found himself standing outside Crase Café and there was no sun in sight.

Instead, thick gray clouds covered the sky, giving the usual cheerful Sekai a melancholic feeling. The snow falling to the ground only increased this feeling.

But even still, Toya didn’t shiver. He was used to the cold.

“Toya?” Meiko’s voice broke him out of his thoughts and he turned to find her opening the café door, watching him. She stared at him silently for a moment, her eyes all too knowing, before she smiled. “Why don’t you come in? I have a coffee ready for you.”

“Yes, that sounds…nice,” Toya agreed. The snow was sticking to his hair even after he entered the warmth of the café. Even now, he didn’t shiver. “Thank you, Meiko-san.”

Meiko prepared his coffee quickly and soon, Toya was sitting at his usual seat, drinking his usual blend. The familiarity of the routine soothed an agitated part of his soul and he sighed in relief.

He glanced out the café window, seeing the snow piling up on the ground.

“The court day is soon, isn’t it?” Meiko asked. There was no expectation in her voice, only a casual question.

“Yes,” Toya confirmed, glancing at Meiko. She was cleaning the counter, not even looking at him.

“If you’d like to talk about it, we can,” she offered.

“I just…don’t know how to explain it,” Toya confessed. To himself, he wondered if this was how Kanade felt, as if the words were too difficult to piece together, even if the feeling she wished to convey was there, just under the surface.

“Hmm…Oh, I have an idea,” Meiko smiled. She stepped out from behind the counter. “Would you mind waiting here for me?” Toya barely had a chance to respond before she was making her way to the back of the café.

Meiko wasn’t gone for long, just long enough for Toya to finish drinking his coffee, when she came back into the main area. But instead of going back to the counter, she stayed at the door, holding it open.

“Come on, this way!” she called.

“Meiko! I can barely see!” Len complained and though Toya couldn’t see him, he could hear him stepping forward shakily.

“Just follow the sound of my voice! You’re almost there!” Meiko encouraged.

And indeed, Len was close, because seconds later he stepped into the café proper. And Toya finally got a look at just what had been blocking his vision.

Len held a keyboard.

Toya’s fingers twitched at his sides as Len carefully set the  keyboard up on the small stage in the café. He could barely look away until Meiko’s hand landed on his shoulder.

“If you can’t explain it in words, why not in music?” she smiled, oh so gently, as if she knew how much she was asking of Toya. She probably did.

“Yeah!” Len cried excitedly as he jumped off the stage. “I want to hear you play, Toya!”

“I…” Toya couldn’t think of a single word to say. He’d sworn off playing the piano and violin forever, refusing to play classical music ever again.

“It doesn’t have to be classical!” Len exclaimed. His voice cut through Toya’s thoughts like the first clear note of a flute. “You could play anything on the piano!”

Toya’s breath caught in his throat, the thought having never crossed his mind.

Slowly, he approached the stage. His movements were so slow, so hesitant, that Toya wasn’t even sure if he was actually moving.

But sure enough, his fingers eventually brushed against the familiar black and white keys. This was the instrument that had brought him so much pain, through his father’s strict teachings.

But this was also the instrument that had brought him to the Tenmas.

Without even thinking of anything, Toya began to play.

It began as a discordant melody, a winter storm that was unending in its ferocity.  The notes he chose were deep and dark, favoring the black flats and sharps to the white naturals. The beat was slow and steady, the neverending march despite the foretold conclusion.

But then, his fingers danced higher, a single middle C note interrupting the dark winter melody.

And slowly, the beat picked up as the notes climbed higher and higher. There were still traces of that dark melody in the chords, but they slowly melted away into a springtime that Toya had witnessed but never truly been part of.

But he wanted to be, so badly.

The melody went faster and faster, until it finally stopped and Toya was simply holding down two long chords.

One low.

One high.

Two paths he could take.

Toya felt his breath freeze in his throat and he wondered just how long he’d stand there when clapping startled him back to reality. He looked up, only to find Meiko, Len and Azusawa watching him.

“That was beautiful, Aoyagi-kun,” Azusawa praised. There were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

“Thank you, but…when did you get here, Azusawa?” Toya asked as he stepped down from the stage.

“Right after you started, I think,” Azusawa answered, wiping at her eyes. “I didn’t want to interrupt, not when it seemed so important to you.”

“Yeah!” Len agreed. “I could feel everything you were feeling just by listening! The fear, the terror, and the hope too! I was on the edge of my seat!”

“Indeed.” Meiko nodded. “I can see why you’ve been so torn up over everything.”

“Torn up? Is…this about the court case, Aoyagi-kun?” Azusawa asked, hesitantly. Since Toya had shared the news of the case, she was the one who most rarely brought it up, citing that she didn’t want to upset him when she shushed Akito and Shiraishi too. Toya had appreciated it then and he still did now, because she was giving him the chance to speak on it when he was ready.

“Yes,” Toya confirmed. “I’ve been…confused since meeting with Matsunaga-san. But I couldn’t explain it to anyone, not even myself.”

“I see.” Azusawa nodded, placing a hand against her cheek thoughtfully. “But…I don’t think you should be scared, Aoyagi-kun. I mean, the Tenmas love you and you love them. I think as long as the judge sees that, you’ll win.”

“Azusawa…” Toya whispered, once more unable to find the words to say. But this time, it was because nothing truly could encapsulate how grateful he was for her in that moment.

“Yes, and the truth cannot be so easily manipulated, not with so many to support it,” Meiko added, a motherly smile curling her lips. “I think you’ll be just fine, Toya.”

“That’s right! And when it’s over, Rin, Miku, Meiko and I will throw you a party to celebrate right here in the cafe!” Len grinned.

“Who said you could use my café?” Meiko questioned, causing Len to become very nervous.

Azusawa giggled and Toya found himself laughing in agreement.

“Thank you, all of you,” he said. His heart and mind felt as is they were in sync once more, with no chance of falling out of beat again.

“Kohane-chan, Toya!”

“Oi, what’re you two doing in here?”

Toya and Azusawa turned at the sound of their teammates’ voices. But while Azusawa called out in reply, Toya froze where he stood, all the breath in his lungs stolen away from him.

The sun had come out and the snow was glittering with the light it gave, warming Azusawa and Shiraishi easily.

But what left Toya absolutely breathless was the sight of Akito.

He was a bright spot of warmth, standing in the middle of the sparkling snow with a grumpy look that melted off his face into a smile.

He was beautiful. Just…beautiful.

Toya was helpless in the presence of Akito, he’d known that for a while now.

He just never expected it could become so much worse.

But even still…he didn’t mind it that much.

“Oi, Toya! You coming to practice or not?” Akito called out.

“Yeah! C’mon, let’s sing before you get stuck in a stuffy courtroom all day!” Shiraishi grinned.

“Yes! Aoyagi-kun, let’s sing!” Azusawa beamed.

“Yeah…let’s sing,” Toya smiled.

“Me too! I’m coming too!” Len cried, running out into the snow even faster than Toya. As soon as he did, however, he grabbed some snow and threw a sloppily made snowball at Akito. It landed on top of Akito’s head in a rather pitiful pile, but it made him look even grumpier than usual. Toya, Shiraishi, Azusawa and Len all laughed, unable to help themselves.

“Oi, Len.” Akito glared. “Run.”

Their practice took a bit longer to start that day, but Toya didn’t regret it.

The case ended up taking weeks to get through. The Tenmas had presented their case first, with a laundry list of witnesses, from Toya and his friends to the many healthcare workers who’d helped Toya in the hospital.

Toya had been questioned extensively by both Matsunaga and his father’s attorney, to the point that it had taken several days to get through his testimony alone. By the time he was finished each day, his throat felt drier than it ever had after he finished singing.

Matsunaga’s questions had been exactly what they rehearsed.

“How would you describe your living situation with the Aoyagis?”

“What caused you to end up in the Tenmas’ care?”

“Was this the first instance of violence you experienced?”

His father’s attorney’s questions, however, had been both expected and unexpected.

“Who provided you with everything you needed for the first fifteen years of your life?”

“What caused the rift between you and your family to open as wide as it has?”

“What proof can you offer to the court?”

Toya had been as deliberate as possible with his answers, but in the end, he had no clue how successful he was. When he was finally released from the witness stand, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The same thing repeated over and over again with each subsequent witness. It was almost monotonous, if it weren’t for the ever present knot of fear in Toya’s stomach.

Then his father’s team had their time to present their case, with witnesses ranging from Toya’s family to their own professionals, the people who had helped care for Toya as a child.

Matsunaga took her turn questioning all of them very seriously, poking holes in as many of the testimonies as she could. After all, only one opinion mattered in this courtroom, so all she had to do was convince the judge. Or at least, that was how she explained it to Toya.

Toya spent the nights following the days in court with the Tenmas, latching on to them when he had nothing else to trust in. Sometimes, the rest of Vivid BAD SQUAD joined them, even if Tsukasa annoyed Akito to death. They were all there though, the most important people in Toya’s life.

And he held onto them even more the day the case ended and the judge prepared his verdict.

“I have listened to both teams very carefully,” he stated. “And the decision I have made is made solely in the best interests of the child in question, Toya-kun. With this in mind, I reward custody to Tenma Asuka and Tenma Yuriko. Aoyagi-san, I regret to inform you that your parental claims over Toya-kun are now void. And Toya-kun.” The judge turned to him with kind eyes, almost like a grandfather. “I wish you the best.”

The gavel slammed down with a sense of finality.

“You did it!” Shiraishi cheered when their entire group met outside the court house.

“Congratulations, Aoyagi-kun!” Azusawa grinned, before her smile slipped away. “Oh, I suppose you aren’t Aoyagi-kun anymore, um…”

“Oh! This is the perfect time for you two to start using first names!” Shiraishi beamed. “C’mon, no more ‘Aoyagi, Shinonome, Shiraishi and Azusawa’! We’re just Toya, Akito, An and Kohane-chan now!”

“Don’t matter to me.” Akito shrugged.

“Are you alright with that, Kohane?” Toya asked, trying her name out. It was…nice, warm almost, to say her name.

“Y-yes, Toya-kun! Akito-kun!” Kohane smiled, her cheeks tinted pink with happiness.

“Ah, friendship! It’s such a beautiful thing to witness! And of course, you should all be honored to have a star such as I in your presence!” Tsukasa decreed.

“We didn’t ask your op-” Akito started to say.

“Toyaaaaaa!” Saki screamed, cutting Akito off as she latched onto Toya with all her strength. “It’s really real now! You’re my little brother!”

“S-Saki-oneesan…” Toya stuttered, slightly terrified that her surprise hug would cause him to fall. Thankfully, Tsukasa’s hand latched onto his shoulder blades, keeping him upright.

“She’s excited to not be the youngest anymore,” Kanade smiled as she joined them at a more sedate pace. “You can understand that, can’t you, otouto?”

“I do,” Toya smiled, returning Saki’s hug gently with one arm while holding the other one out for Kanade. She allowed herself to be pulled into the hug and now, all four of the Tenma siblings stood together on the court steps, finally all legally siblings.

“Alright!” Yuriko cheered. “Who wants to go get some dinner to celebrate? Asuka’s paying!”

“J-just like that?” Kohane stuttered in surprise.

“Haha, reminds me of my mom,” An smiled. “She’s always saying Dad makes the big bucks, so he should pay.”

“Exactly! You understand me, An-chan!” Yuriko grinned.

“I will happily pay for all of us,” Asuka smiled. “Now, is everyone ready to go?”

Toya looked around at them all. At his three older siblings, who all held onto some part of him. At his new parents, who smiled so proudly with tears glimmering in their eyes.

At An and Kohane, who had never believed any of this to be impossible.

At Akito, who made Toya feel invincible to everything except his smile.

“Yes,” Toya stated. “Let’s go.”

Aoyagi Toya had been used to the cold.

But now, Tenma Toya stepped into spring.