Chapter Text
“So, you’ll be playing as Asahi.”
Melt shifted nervously in his chair, watching as Kana threw three sugars in her coffee, stirring as slowly as she spoke.
“And Aqua is playing as Yuuhi…” Kana brought the plastic spoon to her mouth, chewing it in thought. Melt laughed nervously and stared down at his own coffee, avoiding eye contact. She didn’t need to say it out loud. Melt already understood the point she was making.
Yuuhi and Asahi were lovers. The main couple in the popular manga, Dark Night’s Wrath, that was being adapted into the stage play that Aqua and Melt were in, at that. Meaning, Melt would find himself in several romantic scenes with Aqua.
He had yet to figure out how he felt about that.
“Good luck with that. Aqua is creepy as fuck when he flirts.” Kana gagged in an exaggerated manner.
Melt groaned.
Having seen a few clips of Lovenow, Melt agreed completely with Kana. Maybe the Aqua in Lovenow was charming to the girls who didn’t know Aqua personally, but as someone who had seen the real Aqua with his mask off, it creeped the fuck out of Melt. His smiles, his movements, his flirts… They all felt so painfully fake.
Yuuhi, Aqua’s new role, was nothing like that. Yuuhi was a man who struggled to understand love— that was, until he met Asahi.
In a way, it was a fitting role for Aqua. Almost too perfect, in fact.
Still, there was one thing that bothered him.
“My first kiss scene… And it’s with Aqua…” Melt slammed his forehead on the table.
If Melt was being honest, it certainly wasn’t the worst person to share his first kiss scene with. Yes, it was his first time kissing a boy, but it wasn’t like kissing boys was any different from kissing girls. Or so, Melt would like to think so. He would be embarrassed if he fucked up his kiss with Aqua during rehearsals, where everyone was watching them.
Aqua, however… was someone who Melt hadn’t spoken to in months. It may have even been a year, Melt wasn’t keeping track.
The note they left off on wasn’t exactly something Melt was proud of. They hadn’t exactly fought or anything, but it wasn’t a pleasant memory.
And certainly not a note Melt wanted to leave off on before kissing Aqua for the first time. Even if it was just an act.
Melt knew he should have reached out to Aqua’s during those months— he should have reached out to Aqua way before that. Back when they were in Tokyo Blade together, and their friendship bloomed.
Yet, no matter what Melt did, there always seemed to be some wall in his path, blocking him from seeing Aqua. Aqua would always be far from his reach, no matter how much Melt longed to reach for him.
So, like the coward he was, Melt tried to forget Aqua. Forget Sweet Today, forget Tokyo Blade, forget The 15 Year Lie— the movie that seemed to ruin Aqua’s whole life.
He knew deep inside how pointless it was. Melt’s entire life was changed by Aqua; he would be drawn by his light for as long as he lived.
And to think that most of Melt’s scenes would be with Aqua— the star he just couldn’t seem to get enough of…
Well, it certainly made him nervous.
Kana hummed, sipping her coffee. “It’s just for the play, right? It’s not like you guys are kissing for real.”
“I haven’t talked to Aqua since the incident.”
Kana choked on her coffee and sputtered. “What the hell?! You avoided him?!”
Melt forced out a laugh. “Maybe not exactly avoided him, but—”
Kana clicked her tongue. “And here I thought I was bad. You really are a mess, Melt.”
He knew that all too well.
“You need to talk to him again. Like, right before rehearsals start.”
Melt knew that as well. He knew, but actually doing it was a completely different story. He thought of it again and again. Pulling out Aqua’s number, and telling himself all he had to do was call. Say hello, ask how Aqua was doing. Say that he missed him, and how they should meet up again. They would set a date, and Melt would see Aqua again.
Such a simple script to follow, with only a few lines to say. But he couldn’t bring himself to call. He couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Melt didn’t even know why.
“Rehearsals start tomorrow, anyway.” Melt finally ended up taking a sip out of his own coffee, finding it too bitter for his tastes. “I’ll talk to him then.”
Kana tsked. “Don’t come crying to me if it doesn’t work.”
“Like hell I would.” Melt replied, knowing he absolutely would. Since the two of them became friends, Melt and Kana often went back and forth about their troubles. In fact, Melt thinks that Kana is the only one who would hear him out if he had a problem— which was kind of sad, when Melt thought about it.
“Anyway,” Kana rolled her eyes and reached for her bag, pulling out a book. She dropped it on the table with a thud. “Have you finished this one yet?”
Melt winced. He definitely didn’t. “It was too hard.”
Kana let out an exasperated sigh. “Is anything not too hard for you?!”
Melt merely laughed nervously in response. He listened to Kana as she rambled on about the book— and about how stupid Melt was.
Back when they were in Tokyo Blade’s run together, Kana had learned about the unfortunate truth of Melt’s terrible reading skills, and that the only books he ever really read in his free time were mangas. After that, she had been sending him book after book for him to read.
It was a pain, really. He could barely understand half of the Kanji in the books Kana gave him, and often found himself googling every word he came across. Although, he would like to think that his vocabulary did improve since then, even if his grades in Japanese class were still horrid. Kana, however, insisted his Japanese was still at the level of a grade schooler, and that she couldn’t imagine why they ever let him graduate high school.
Even as Kana spoke about her stupid books, the look of disappointment in her eyes never left. She gave Melt a look that told him he should have talked to Aqua. Just a little bit. How this wasn’t going to end well at all.
Melt couldn’t blame her one bit. He was disappointed in himself as well— really, what was he thinking? Did Melt even think at all? Then again, this thought process was nothing new to him. Being disappointed in himself had become a hobby for Melt since Sweet Today.
Before parting ways, Kana patted Melt on the back, with a whisper of:
“He’s doing better lately, if you were wondering.”
That was… nice to hear, at the very least. Melt most definitely wondered— he wondered about Aqua nearly everyday.
He wondered all the way home. Wondered how Aqua had been doing all of those months that Melt was a complete coward and failure of a friend. Wondered if Aqua hated him— or maybe even forgotten about his whole existence. Wondered about the kind of face Aqua would make when Melt saw him again.
Would he smile, as he did when they were young and foolish on the sets of Tokyo Blade?
Or would he greet Melt with a bitter and hateful expression for running away like a coward when Aqua needed him the most?
In all honesty, Melt deserved the second one. No matter how much he longed for the first option. Longed to see Aqua’s imperfect, but beautiful smile again.
Melt came home to an empty house.
He had gotten used to it a long time ago. He couldn’t remember the last time he cared— middle school, perhaps? Maybe even later than that, in his first year of high school when his mother threw excuses after excuses as to why she couldn’t be home for his birthday.
It was fine like this, Melt thought.
It was fine.
Melt flicked on the lights, brightening up the living room that often felt way too big for only one person. It was a house meant for a family, after all. He sighed as he collapsed on the couch.
Having graduated high school, Melt was at a complete loss of what to do for his future. Would he go to university? Find a job outside of acting? Surely, that was the reasonable choice for Melt. Although he had improved as an actor, and played many roles worth noting, the sins of his past still haunted him.
Sweet Today’s failures clung to his shoulders and would never let him forget. It was all too often that people only remembered him for the foolish mistakes he made at fourteen years old. Nobody wanted a failure of an actor who ruined an entire show’s name to be on their cast list.
The Internet would never let him forget, either.
Really, Melt couldn’t blame everyone’s dislike for him. He knew, more than anyone else, how terrible he used to be. He knew how being cast as the protagonist of a popular manga adaptation without any acting experience gave him a dangerously big ego— to the point where he was convinced he was better than everyone else on that set.
To think that he thought he was better than Aqua once.
What a fool.
Aqua’s performance quickly changed Melt’s opinion on him. A performance that only lasted a few minutes, but felt like an eternity to Melt. Not only did Aqua get into the character perfectly, but he managed to get Melt, who had never acted seriously in his life, to follow and act along.
Aqua, who had only known Melt for a half a day, somehow knew how to push all of his buttons so he would fall into the character, playing into Aqua’s hands perfectly. If it had been anyone else, Melt would have surely gotten pissed. To think that some boy who played a minor role could act like that around Melt.
Yet, there was something about Aqua that didn’t make him react that way. He was drawn to Aqua— completely dazzled by his light. Aqua had grabbed Melt by the arm and forcefully pulled him into the world of acting. Melt, who previously couldn’t give a shit about acting, suddenly became completely obsessed with it.
Along with a fascination for the boy who dragged him into it, the boy who Melt was convinced was a star in human form.
Aqua, despite being dragged down by many struggles of his own, always seemed to be a step ahead of Melt. Even in academics— Aqua applied and got into university, despite already being a famous actor. Not only did he get into university, but he was studying to be a doctor. Why the hell he wanted to be a doctor was completely beyond Melt.
Aqua and his twin sister were still famous around Japan. Many actors spent years trying to get the level of fame that Aqua received— and Aqua got his when he was only sixteen. There was no reason for Aqua to study as a doctor. Hell, Melt wasn’t even sure if Aqua could become a doctor. Surely it was distracting if you went to the hospital and the person taking care of you was one the most famous actors in Japan?
Even so, Aqua continued to study to be a doctor.
And from the sound of it, he seemed to be still one of the best students in class.
Really, when he heard about Aqua’s successes, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated he couldn’t do the same.
Melt found himself pulling out his script for Dark Night’s Wrath, reading over the scenes between him and Aqua over and over again. Could he really do this role?
What if Aqua really did hate him? Would Melt be able to say those words of love and affection, while staring directly into those beautiful galaxy eyes, knowing that their owner hated him so?
Melt groaned, slapping himself in the face with his script several times.
He was overthinking it. Probably. Most likely overthinking— Melt really hoped so, for the sake of the play. If there was anything that Melt feared more than anything, it was for him to make another failure of a great performance. Just as he did with Sweet Today.
Melt went to bed that night with knots and rocks in his stomach. He didn’t bother with dinner, out of fear of it not sitting well with his stomach. He couldn’t afford to get sick and miss the first cast meeting— not showing up for the first rehearsal would give him a bad name. Make him look like he wasn’t taking it seriously— just like Sweet Today.
He would surely feel better the next morning— all of his worries clearly came from lack of sleep.
————
Melt did not feel better the next morning. In fact, he felt even worse than he did the night before. His anxiety weighed him down like a bag of bricks tied to his ankles, and he didn’t feel well rested in the slightest.
Rehearsal was going to be hell, he realized.
He was lucky that they were only doing introductions and a read through of the script. If it had been anything physically active, Melt would have died on the spot. However, reading in general was not Melt’s strong point. Not to mention how his eyes were so tired he could hardly focus on the script on hand.
He was officially fucked.
As if it couldn’t get any worse, his biggest fear still remained. Seeing Aqua again.
He desired it as much as it terrified him. It consumed his every thought as he got dressed. It followed him as he walked all the way to the rehearsal hall. It screamed loudly in his ears as he walked down around the building, trying to find the right practice room. He braced himself to see Aqua at any moment.
Aqua had been waiting just outside of the practice room, with ocean eyes that stared at the door blankly.
Kana was right, Aqua was doing better.
Melt could tell by looking at him.
His skin seemed to have so much more color in them, no longer looking like a corpse. His eyes, although still dull, carried more light in them than before. The circles around his eyes were less dark than they were before. He almost seemed… well rested, in a way. Definitely an improvement from when Melt last saw him.
At that moment, Melt felt all of the weight from his anxiety and exhaustion fall away, filled with so much relief at the mere sight of Aqua again.
Aqua turned to him and the air suddenly left his body.
How could he have forgotten? Forgotten those eyes that he was so drawn to. Melt was a fool for thinking he could avoid Aqua. For thinking he could live without Aqua. No matter what, he would always find himself drowning in Aqua’s eyes once again, desperate to be let into the walls that Aqua had built around himself.
Melt had been so caught up in staring into Aqua’s eyes, he had completely forgotten to speak.
“Uh—”
“You look like shit.” Aqua interrupted.
Melt sputtered. The first thing Aqua had said to him in a year, and it was insulting his looks.
He opened his mouth to argue, but his stomach interrupted with a loud growl. Melt covered his face in embarrassment. He had skipped dinner the other night, and completely forgot about breakfast. No wonder he felt so terrible that morning.
Aqua, however, seemed humored by this.
“So that’s why. Skipped breakfast on the morning of the first cast meeting?” Aqua fished out a granola bar from his bag, throwing it in Melt's direction. “Here, catch.”
Melt barely caught it in time. He stared blankly at the bar for a few moments. Of course Melt had to go fuck up, making Aqua clean after his mess. When would he ever escape this never ending loop of events?
“Thanks…” Melt said awkwardly, as he fumbled to open the wrapper. The gleam of amusement in Aqua’s eyes disappeared.
“It’s a pleasure to work with you again.” Aqua replied simply, in a tone that was far too professional for a talk between friends. Then, he walked into the room without sparing him another glance.
Melt sighed as he watched Aqua leave. He was expecting it, but it still stung. Maybe Aqua really did hate him after all.
As he always did before the start of the first cast meeting, Melt stopped in front of the door, and took a deep breath. No matter how many shows he did, the nervousness that clung in his chest never really went away. Each time he walked in, he expected the looks of disappointment and disgust from the other cast members. Eyes that said: “Oh look, the failure from Sweet Today.”
Melt gripped the handle. Then, with another deep breath, he pushed the door open.
Kana was already in the rehearsal room, chatting with Aqua. She turned as he walked in, smiling and waving. Aqua noticed him as well, turning and walking away. Melt pretended like it didn’t upset him.
“Hey! Melt!” Kana called Melt over.
Melt waved back, using that hand to high five Kana’s when he reached her.
“This is nostalgic—” Kana sighed happily, flipping through the pages of her script. “I haven’t been in a stage play since Tokyo Blade.”
Melt blinked in surprise. “Really?”
He had never really checked up on the things that Aqua and Kana did, but since Sweet Today, he always imagined the two doing so much more than him. Starring in amazing performances over and over again, while Melt lagged behind.
Kana shrugged. “Never been much of a stage actor, after all. There was also a point where my schedule was full of idol work.”
“Oh, right.”
Melt had completely forgotten Kana was an idol at some point. All he knew was that she was in a group with Aqua’s twin sister, Ruby, who had grown to become the face of B-Komachi.
Melt hardly talked to Ruby much. They acted together in The 15 Year Lie, but that was about as far as their relationship would get. The last time Melt had seen Ruby wasn’t a pleasant memory, either. He wondered if she was doing better, as well.
“Eugh,” Kana groaned in disgust, breaking him from his thoughts. “She’s in this play, too?”
Melt looked over to see who Kana was scowling and sending all of her negative energy at, finding Akane talking to Aqua. Really, Melt could barely understand the weird relationship that the two girls had. Everytime the girls would look at each other, they would stare with such passion and hatred as if they had been enemies for the past several lifetimes.
Back in Tokyo Blade, he assumed that Kana didn’t like Akane because she had a crush on Aqua. Akane and Aqua had been in a relationship at the time, and Kana was clearly jealous. Even an idiot like Melt could figure that out. However, Kana mentioned not being interested in Aqua a while ago, saying it was a love that would never work out.
Then again, the two seemed to be rivals in acting as well. Melt wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know the full story behind Kana and Akane’s difficult relationship— it would give him a headache if he thought about it too much.
Introductions started before he could linger on the top for any longer. Aqua stood in between Kana and Melt, ignoring the teases that Kana whispered to him.
Melt was somewhat jealous of Kana’s relationship with Aqua. They seemed to be close friends— Melt wished he knew Aqua to that level. Kana always told Melt he needed to man up and talk to Aqua, because Aqua will definitely not reach out first.
Melt knew that. He wondered if this time, he would actually build the courage to talk to Aqua outside of rehearsals.
One by one, the cast told their names, agency, and role they would play. Many of the people in the cast were people who Melt had never worked with personally, but he recognized their names and agencies. He bit his lip anxiously each time he heard a big name. Why Melt, who still felt like just a beginner in the industry, was given one of the main roles out of such an impressive cast was beyond him.
“I’m Hoshino Aqua.” Aqua’s voice cut him out of his thoughts. “From Strawberry Productions. I’ll be playing Yuuhi. Pleased to work with everyone.”
Aqua bowed at the end of his introduction, before turning to Melt. Everytime Aqua’s eyes met Melt’s, time seemed to stop. Melt stood there, staring back at Aqua for far too long. He inhaled deeply as he noticed the silence in the hall, everyone waiting for him to speak.
“Uh—” Melt stuttered. “Right.”
He turns back to the circle of cast members, some who giggled at him. “Narushima Melt. I’m from Sonic Stage Productions and I’ll be playing Asahi.”
He bowed as well. Melt sighed of relief as the introductions continued, and the attention drifted from him.
“Real smooth there.” Kana whispered.
“Fuck off.” Melt hissed, sticking out his tongue.
Aqua shifted around, clearly annoyed to be right in the middle of their argument.
The first script read through went… just as well as Melt expected, honestly. Although Yuuhi and Asahi were rivals at first— Yuuhi in particular not being too fond of Asahi, the romance tension between the two was obvious since the first few chapters of the manga. As the stage play version had less time to develop their relationship compared to the manga, it was obvious the two would be lovers right from the start, even when Yuuhi wasn’t too fond of Asahi.
However, there was little to no romantic tension when Aqua and Melt read their lines. They could say the words just fine, but it lacked the feelings necessary. The fact that the two of them had an awkward relationship before the play was painfully obvious— Melt was very aware of the looks the other cast members and the director gave them.
Melt really wasn’t surprised when the director pulled the two aside and lectured them to get closer.
“Look,” the director ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. “It doesn’t matter if guys hate each other or whatever the hell is going on between you two— in this play you are Asahi and Yuuhi.” He pointed at the script, as if it somehow helped argue his point. “Asahi and Yuuhi are lovers so you play as lovers when on stage.”
Melt drowned in his own embarrassment. Even when he considered himself to be just a rookie actor, he knew that already. It was the basics of being an actor. He knew that when he stepped on stage, it wasn’t about Melt Narushima anymore. It was about whatever role he was casted as. Besides, it wasn’t his first time starring in a romance.
He turned to Aqua, who’s facial expression didn’t change— did his face ever change at all? Still, Aqua avoided eye contact, staring blankly at the floor. Melt liked to think that Aqua was just as embarrassed as he was— just to make him feel a bit better about the situation.
“Look over the script together and figure it out.” Advised the director, leaving the two to sit alone together and figure it out.
Aqua and Melt sat in an awkward silence for what felt like an eternity to Melt.
“What a terrible way to end the first rehearsal.” Melt broke the silence first with his sulking.
Aqua said nothing in response, staring out into space. He did that often, never seemed to be fully engaged in whatever happened around him. Melt stared at Aqua, wondering about what seemed to consume his every thought.
“Well,” Melt thought to himself. “No better time than now to man up and ask Aqua to hang out.”
“Aqua.”
Aqua seemed to snap from his thoughts and turned to Melt.
“Do you wanna go to karaoke with me?” Melt asked. “To practice lines.” He added quickly.
Aqua stared at him blankly. “Karaoke… for practicing lines?”
Melt was an idiot. What kind of person went to karaoke to do anything other than sing?
Before he could take it back, Aqua hummed, that spark of amusement back in his eyes. “Let’s go, then. The director is right— we need to get closer for the sake of this role.”
“For the sake of the role.” Melt repeated. “Right.”
Right before Melt and Aqua left, he saw Kana giving him a thumbs up on the corner of his eye. Melt gave her a thumbs up back, but quickly pulled it away when Aqua looked at him.
Melt was far more giddy than he should be over karaoking with Aqua. Or, not really karaoking, but practicing lines with Aqua. It didn’t matter, did it? They were still hanging out, like normal friends would. Perhaps Melt could get Aqua to pick up the microphone and sing, at some point.
He thought of getting closer to Aqua nearly everyday since Sweet Today’s last episode, and he finally reached out. He only hoped their relationship would keep going even as Dark Night’s run ends.
Aqua only rented the room for an hour. Melt found himself sitting in the cold room, listening to the teenage girls next door sing— no, scream out the lyrics of a popular J-Pop song. Melt liked the song, but he sure as hell didn’t appreciate listening to the screeching that echoed throughout the room.
“There’s no way in hell we’ll be able to practice like this.” Melt groaned.
Aqua looked at Melt like he was stupid. “That’s why actors don’t practice in rented karaoke rooms.”
Melt forced out a laugh. “Well! It was worth a shot, right?”
It absolutely wasn’t worth a shot— Melt really was stupid, wasn’t he? Not to mention, doomed to fuck up anything he does. Nonetheless, it was Melt’s stupidity that brought that flash of amusement in Aqua’s eyes. He was proud of that, at least.
Melt picked up a microphone. He needed to save this outing quickly before it turned into more of a disaster. “Anyway! Do you sing?”
Melt never imagined Aqua as much of a singer, but his twin sister was an idol. A popular one, at that. Perhaps Aqua had some secret singing talents hidden in there.
“No.” Aqua replied bluntly.
Melt should have expected that response. Still, he handed Aqua a microphone.
“You don’t need to be good at it, y’know. I suck ass at singing.”
“I imagine so.” Aqua didn’t miss a beat as he spoke, staring at the microphone.
Melt winced at Aqua’s typical bluntness.
“Damn,” Melt thought to himself. “Did this guy do anything outside of insulting his peers?”
Despite his words and clear displeasure, Aqua took the microphone and stared at Melt like he expected him to pick a song.
Well, that was the best way the situation could have gone, Melt supposed. He looked through the songs they had available. Barely knowing Aqua as a person, Melt hadn’t the slightest clue what his music taste was. His best bet was to aim for the popular, well known songs.
He noticed some of B-Komachi’s songs were on there. Aqua had to know those, right? His sister was known for singing those songs, after all.
He pointed at B’s The Sign, one of B-Komachi’s famous songs. “What about this one?”
Aqua’s eyes flashed with an emotion that Melt hadn’t seen him make before. It disappeared before Melt could register what it was supposed to be.
“No. Pick another one.”
“Come on,” Melt teased, elbowing Aqua’s shoulder. “Too embarrassed to sing your sister’s songs?”
Aqua didn’t seem to find it as funny as he did, wearing a sour face. His grip on the microphone tightened. “I’m not singing B-Komachi’s songs.”
Melt was about to tease him more, but stopped when he noticed the credits under the song.
Ai Hoshino. Aqua’s mother.
How could Melt forget? Starring in The 15 Year Lie, Melt had known more about Aqua’s past. Not only did he lose his mother when he was only four, but Aqua was there when she died. Watched as his mother got stabbed and bled to death. Watched as life left her body, and the arms that she used to hold Aqua turned cold. How Aqua spent over an hour sitting there, drowning in Ai’s blood, until the police pulled him away from the grip of the corpse.
Idiot, idiot, idiot. This was exactly why Melt hardly had any friends— he was the king of fucking up every relationship he attempted to build.
“I’m sorry, Aqua.” Melt forced himself to speak. To say something. “About your mother. I’m sorry—”
“What are you apologizing for?” Aqua looked away, clearly not happy to have this conversation. “You were just a kid back then.”
“So were you!” Melt argued. “Don’t tell me you still blame yourself for what happened.”
Aqua’s eyes remained glued to the floor. The room was silent for a moment, and the urge to run away bubbled up in Melt’s chest again.
Stay, he reminded himself. Stay and reach out to Aqua.
“Don’t act like you know what’s going on.” Aqua finally spat out.
Melt froze. Aqua was right— what did Melt know? He knew the news he heard about Ai and her kids on the Internet. He knew the script, which told Ai’s stories. He knew the few B-Komachi songs that he listened to, trying his best to understand the kind of person Ai was. To understand exactly what Aqua had lost.
But none of those things he heard from Aqua personally. So really, what did he know?
“…You’re right,” Melt finally said. “I don’t know anything.”
Aqua turned to Melt.
“But—” Melt stared down, gripping at his pants. “I wish I did, y’know? I wish I knew what was going on in that head of yours.”
Melt quickly shut up, suddenly embarrassed. Would Aqua even believe him? After he ran away like a coward?
“It’s better this way,” Aqua replied. “Ignorance is bliss, they say.”
Was it really? Not knowing anything didn’t bring Melt any peace at all. He was too involved to forget anything ever happened— he knew that much already.
However, Melt couldn’t bring himself to say anything else. He could only look at Aqua, who closed off Melt— closed off anyone who tried to help him. It seemed that never changed about him.
For a while, there was nothing again. Only the distant screams of the teenage girls, completely clueless about what was going on in the room next to theirs, along with the anxious tapping of Melt’s foot.
Tap.
Melt had to say something.
Tap.
Why couldn’t Melt say anything?
Tap.
Melt was nothing but a coward.
“We’re getting nothing done like this.” Aqua suddenly stood up, finally looking at Melt. “Come over to my place tomorrow. It’ll be better for practice.”
Melt looked up in surprise. Aqua’s house…
“But I don't even know where you live.” Melt pointed out.
“I’ll text you the location then.” Aqua pulled out his phone and quickly typed something. It took only a second before Melt heard the muffled bing notification from his pocket.
Melt pulled out his phone, eyeing at the address that Aqua had texted him.
He looked up and opened his mouth, perhaps to say something else, but Aqua had already left, without any goodbyes. Melt slumped into his seat, groaning out loud.
What a mess he had gotten himself into.
As if his day couldn’t get any worse, it started to rain the second Melt stepped outside. Melt absolutely detested the rain and getting wet— though he found himself not caring as much as usual.
He took his time dragging himself home, kicking the rocks he found on the road. How pathetic he must have looked, drenched and sulking alone in the rain. Like a sad, wet kitten with nowhere to go. Out of the two of them, Melt thought Aqua is more like a cat than he was.
He pulled up the messaging app, staring at the text that Aqua left with his address. It was the first text that Aqua had sent to him in a year. He considered sending a message in response, a sad attempt to start a conversation. He quickly thought against the idea, putting his phone away.
As always, Melt came home to an empty house.
A cold, dark house, with no warm lights and a homemade dinner to greet him. No mother to worry that he would catch a cold in the rain, and no father to scold him for going out without telling them.
But, of course, Melt had gotten used to it. That was what he always told himself each time.
Checking his phone, he noticed that Kana left a message asking how it went with Aqua. Normally, Melt would complain to Kana how he fucked up, and how Aqua definitely hated him. Yet, the thought of typing that out made him more exhausted than anything, so he turned off his phone and left it abandoned on the couch.
Either way, if he told Kana what happened, she would surely try to reach out to Aqua and tell him to be nicer on his end or whatever shit. Melt didn’t need Kana trying to fix their relationship for them. It wasn’t her problem to deal with— it was Melt’s.
Melt found himself pulling out the manga, Dark Night’s Wrath. He hadn’t actually read it before being cast in the stage play; Melt was far more interested in reading shounen manga than boy love.
Even if it was his first BL manga, he could tell that the author put so much work and care into the characters. How would they react if Melt and Aqua fucked up their show because Melt was too stupid to fix their relationship? It would be like another repeat of Sweet Today— Melt’s worst nightmare.
Melt wished he could be like Asahi.
Even though Yuuhi was a detective in charge of arresting the phantom thief, Asahi still managed to get close to him. Managed to reach out even though Yuuhi was closed off; never feeling love before he had met Asahi. Reach out enough for them to even end up in a romantic relationship at the end, when Melt couldn’t even get Aqua to act with him.
How did he do it? Melt asked over and over again as he reread the chapters. Was it his charming personality? His looks that lured Yuuhi in when he first took off his mask? Was it because Asahi was a beautiful shining star, unlike Melt Narushima who could only dream of being one?
Once again, Melt wondered why he was picked for this role. Anyone else in the cast could have played Asahi better than him. Hell, Kana could have played Asahi ten times better than him.
Kana shone when she acted, and unlike Melt, managed to stick to Aqua even after all they had been through. She never ran away like a coward.
Asahi loved Yuuhi’s eyes, Melt realized.
It was the first thing the phantom thief noticed when he saw the detective. Eyes that held a galaxy in them. Eyes that lured Asahi in, just as Aqua’s eyes lured Melt to him.
In a way, Asahi was drawn to Yuuhi.
Just how Melt was drawn to Aqua.
Melt couldn’t help but laugh out loud. What was up with castings that always lined up perfectly? It was like the universe was sending him a message— a reminder that he could never escape Aqua.
That he had no choice but to reach out.
There was nothing else Melt could do then. He reached out for a pen and paper, fully intending on studying Asahi until he understood exactly how to reach out to Yuuhi.
To reach out to Aqua.