Work Text:
No matter the time or day of the week, Crase Café will always feel like home to Toya.
The atmosphere never fails to feel so welcoming. The gentle music played by a radio in the corner. The clinking of dishes as they're being washed. The smell of coffee beans and fresh tea. All of this combines to make the SEKAI a more welcoming place.
Perhaps Toya's favorite part of visiting is how lively it can get. Miku and MEIKO are often seen chatting at the counter while brewing coffee together. The Kagamines get into an argument here and there, but at the end of the day they're always found singing a duet at one of the nearby streets. Luka and KAITO are always chatty, and always encourage singing when things get too dull. The virtual singers, along with Vivid BAD SQUAD as a whole, make an otherwise lonely place feel so alive. It's really refreshing compared to Toya's stark and oftentimes depressing home. The silence there can be suffocating most times, so it's a relief that he can always come to Street SEKAI to escape that.
Today was no exception. An messaged everyone informing them that Weekend Garage would be too busy to practice at today, so they would have to move to SEKAI. Toya was already in his room when he played Ready Steady, and he entered the café to find the Vivids already sitting at a table by the window. An was drinking a cappuccino while Kohane sipped on a glass of iced tea.
"Hey Toya! Glad you could make it on such short notice," An commended.
"Hello Aoyagi-kun!" Kohane smiled warmly at the boy. Toya nodded at the both of them in return.
"Hello. Has Akito arrived yet?"
"Nope. I'm not even sure he saw my message. I'm willing to wait a bit, but if he doesn't come by the time I finish my drink then we'll have to practice without him. You okay with that?"
"...Sure. I'll send him another message just in case." Truth be told, Toya only feels he can sing best around Akito. Sure, sometimes he sings with Len when he asks, and he's a great singer too, but the sound is completely different. Toya is overall more satisfied when practicing with his partner, and more at ease upon just hearing a voice like Akito's.
"Ah, welcome Toya!" MEIKO suddenly appeared out of a back room and behind the counter. Her hair was slightly unruly, but Toya didn't comment on it. "Sorry I didn't hear you come in, I was organizing in the back. Would you like anything?"
"Some herbal tea would be nice, if you can."
"Sure thing!" MEIKO was already boiling water and checking her drawers for tea leaves. After a moment Toya heard An finish her drink with a satisfied sigh.
"Mmmm, that tasted great! Akito still isn't here though..." She spoke with a hint of annoyance. "Oh well, no time to waste then! Kohane, ready to practice together?" Her partner had already finished her iced beverage.
"Yes! I'm ready!"
"Awesome! Toya, ya feel like joining us? I can try to find Len if he's nearby."
"No, thanks. I'll sit here and wait for Akito if you don't mind."
"Suit yourself. C'mon, Kohane!" An grabbed Kohane by the hand and dragged her out of the café, completely abandoning their empty mug and glass. Toya sat in An's spot as he waited for his own drink. He could hear them setting up the speaker for one of their duet songs. He was always so impressed at how much resolve the two had, the way their voices blend together yet stand out on their own. They really aren't that different from him and Akito, and it's a wonder how they didn't team up sooner.
Upon being reminded of his partner, Toya slipped his phone out to message him. Ready Steady continued to play in the background as he opened up his messaging app.
[Are you coming to SEKAI today?]
The message wasn't read immediately; Akito wasn't even online, which was also odd. He usually responds quickly to his messages. Toya turned off his phone and he continued to watch the Vivids practice.
By the time they finished their first song, Toya's tea was ready, a gentle blend of chamomile and lavender. MEIKO cleared the table of An and Kohane's glasses without complaint. Her hair also seemed tidier, Toya noted.
By the second song, Toya had finished his tea and MEIKO took his mug to brew another cup for him at his request. Miku came by to watch the Vivids, and when she saw Toya through the window she entered the café and asked him about Akito. There were no updates, and Miku offered to check up on him through his phone. Toya didn't want her to go through the trouble, but she insisted.
Once the fourth song ended, Toya had finished his second cup of tea, and asked for a third. MEIKO warned him not to get too full on tea, and that this would be the last serving for now. Miku came from the real world and chatted with Toya for a bit to keep him company. She said she couldn't see anything since Akito's phone was in a bag of sorts, but she thought she could hear singing drowned out by music. This information put Toya greatly at ease, and he thanked Miku for her generosity. At that moment, his phone buzzed indicating a notification. He checked it a bit too quickly and came across a message from Akito.
Akito: [srry didnt see this till now]
Akito: [on m way]
"Did Akito respond?" Miku asked.
"Yes. He said he's on his way over here."
"Hehe, see? Nothing to worry about. Make sure you both work harder today, alright?" Miku smiled cheekily as she left the table to help MEIKO behind the counter. Mere moments later, Toya could see the shimmer of someone visiting SEKAI, and Akito soon appeared in its place. He glanced around before his eyes fell on Toya through the window, and he raised his hand as a greeting with a hint of a smile on his face. Toya gave him a friendly nod and returned the smile. The moment was interrupted when An rushed towards Akito to accost him with Kohane following behind. Toya almost leapt out of his seat to join the conversation.
"Akito! Where on Earth were you? You're over an hour late! You can't just leave your partner waiting for you the whole time!"
"A-An-chan, please calm down..."
Surprisingly, Akito snapped nothing back at An, only subtly rolling his eyes and walking over to the speaker that played their music. He stopped to squeeze Toya's shoulder on the way, silently apologizing for leaving him hanging all this time.
"Let's just get started already," he mumbled.
"Huh? Can you speak up?" An commanded, her fury subsiding for a bit.
"Um, I think Shinonome-kun wants to start right away. Come on, An, let's join them!" Kohane nervously suggested, trying to prevent another argument. An hesitated, but then grinned with amusement.
"Alright, sure. One more song couldn't hurt for now!"
The speaker was set up for their warm up song, Ready Steady. Once the opening instrumental finished, Kohane sang her first line. Next was Akito's, but something was wrong. He tried to sing with as much energy as he could, but his voice came out horribly raspy and not nearly as loud as Kohane's, who's own sound wasn't as loud to begin with in this song. Kohane sang her following line with more hesitation, and Akito then completely failed to deliver his own after hers. Everyone stopped singing as An turned down the music.
"Shinonome-kun, are you alright?" Kohane loosened the grip on her mic as Akito tightened his.
"Why'd you stop the-" Akito began, but his voice got caught in his throat and he couldn't continue, instead aggressively clearing his throat.
"Your voice sounds hoarse, Akito...have you come down with something?" Toya asked.
"Listen, Toya, I'm perfectly fine-" Akito was barely able to choke out a barely audible sentence before once again getting stuck. An let out a frustrated sigh.
"Geez, Akito. You completely lost your voice. As a singer you have to take better care of yourself." Despite her words, An's voice had a twinge of worry. "If you didn't feel good, you could have just said so from the start...maybe you should head home."
"...An-chan is right. It's important that you get some rest! We can always practice another time." Kohane added.
Akito was about to insist once again, but Toya gently and swiftly grabbed him by the arm, much to the former's alarm.
"I'll bring Akito inside so he can relax. You two can continue practicing, if you'd like."
An simply shrugged in acceptance. "Hmm...guess I don't mind that. What are your thoughts, Kohane?"
"I'd like to work on a verse from our last song if that's okay. And I trust Shinonome-kun will be in good hands!"
"Hahaha, you're right about that! Akito will be better in no time under Toya's care!"
Akito glared at the two girls as if to say "What's that supposed to mean?" Toya gave him a look that directed him to follow the former inside. They entered and sat across from each other at the table that Toya was previously at. His third cup of herbal tea was waiting there, still warm. Toya gently pushed it over to Akito's side.
"Here, drink it. It's chamomile, so that should help relax your vocal cords."
Akito looked a bit hesitant, looking between the cup of tea and Toya who was watching intently.
"Isn't this-"
"Akito, please rest your voice. I don't want anything getting worse. And while the tea is mine, I've already had two servings. You need it more than I do." Toya's gentleness was enough to convince Akito to give up on speaking for the moment. He held the cup of tea with one hand and cautiously brought it up for a sip. His raised eyebrows indicated that he was pleasantly surprised at the flavor. He probably would have downed the whole thing if it weren't for the fact that it was still quite hot. Toya couldn't help but chuckle.
"Glad you like it. It'll help you a lot. Now, Akito..." he said as he took on a more serious expression, "...are you alright? You came to practice late, so I want to know if maybe that has anything to do with your voice."
Akito remained silent as he pulled out his phone and began typing, and Toya suddenly became aware of how odd it was to not hear his partner's familiar voice for several hours, perhaps more if his condition worsens. He wasn't really fond the feeling. Akito quickly finished typing and faced his phone screen towards Toya, making sure he had enough time to read it.
[i was doin solo practice]
"Solo practice...? That's..." Toya remembered what Miku told him earlier, about how she heard singing drowned out by music. He thought that observation of hers was odd, considering that those two elements need to be fairly balance in order to make a good song, but now he knew why that was the case.
"How come you were practicing on your own? Ah, you don't have to answer if it's too personal," Toya added once he saw Akito's reluctance to elaborate. The ginger quickly began typing again.
[idk just felt like i needed it ig]
"I see. It's alright to improve, but you didn't have to overexert yourself. It's not healthy."
[ik]
"What?"
[ik its not healthy]
Toya creased his eyebrows slightly. "What are you saying, Akito? Talk to me." Akito was no longer look at the boy in front of him, instead staring out the window at Kohane and An, who were resting and chatting happily. He typed another sentence, this time slower and more use of the backspace button.
[its nothing honestly]
[i was just being stupid and bit off more than i could chew for one day]
[srry for worrying you]
Toya couldn't help but want to pry Akito for more information, but he didn't want to force anything out of him either. He himself disliked interrogations, and it was the last thing Akito needed right now too.
"Alright. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Akito. But I'm here to help. If you ever wanted to practice again, I'll always be there. I don't mind taking time out of my day to work on something or spend time with you. I want you to feel comfortable around me, like I do with you, and I want to do whatever I can to show my appreciation."
Akito only nodded dumbly at those words, and Toya, understanding what he just said, felt his face grow warmer.
"Sorry, I spoke out of nowhere. I hope that didn't..." His face was soon met with Akito's phone screen again.
[well damn after u said all that now i gotta talk abt my problems]
[ur a rlly smooth talker u know that]
"S-smooth talker...?"
[FORGET I WROTE THAT THAT WAS STUPID SORRY]
"Haha, alright then. I'll forget about it. Now, tell me what's on your mind."
[thx]
[its prbly not a big deal tbh]
[but ive been hving doubts recently]
[bout my singing]
[and stage presence and stuff]
"Go on."
[idk man i just feel like im not doing as much as you guys]
[kohane n an have got it all down]
[and ur pretty much f-ing set like ur awesome and stuff]
[but im not all that yk]
[its why ive been doin a lot of solo stuff]
[cuz i feel left behind]
[or not good enough or wtv]
Toya read these notes with an indecipherable expression, but he felt his heart sink the more he read. Did Akito, the guy he looked up to since the beginning, feel this way all this time?
[like I said its rlly stupid]
[look at me i cant even speak cuz i got too ahead of myself]
[so srry again]
"Akito..."
Akito was so caught up in his conversation that he forgot about his tea, which went cold. He slouched further in his seat as he bitterly drank the rest, avoiding Toya's gaze.
"Akito. Please look at me."
Akito, confused, did as he was told.
"I'm sorry I didn't check on you sooner. As your partner, I should have been looking out for you more like you do for me. But now that I know, I want to help you. In my eyes, you aren't boring or bland. You sing with purpose, and you have a dream that reflects that. It's...inspirational. And that passion of yours even convinced me to work towards the same goal, even when I had my doubts. I'm very grateful for that.
"I don't know how those doubts of yours began, if they were because of someone or something. But few will understand your drive and motivation the way I do. It's why I'm so glad to be your partner, Akito. So please, let's keep working together to overcome those obstacles and reach those new heights."
Akito stared bewildered at the boy in front of him. Once he finally registered everything that was said to him, he looked away and mumbled something incoherent.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Toya asked, worried he offended his partner. Akito shifted his hand away from his face.
"You...smooth talker."
Toya was surprised upon hearing Akito's still raspy voice, but he couldn't deny how much he missed it. He laughed ever so lightly.
"I thought you told me to forget about that sort of thing."
Akito only got more flustered at that statement. He whipped his phone out again.
[SRSLY YOUR TOO GOOD WITH WORDS]
[STOP IT]
"Ah, you used the wrong 'you're', Akito"
[U KNOW WHAT I MEAN]
[BUT]
[thanks.]
[i don't wanna stop working hard]
[but now I feel better doing it alongside you]
[and maybe]
"Maybe?"
[idk]
[hanging out like this isn't too bad either]
[so whenever we aren't practicing we can]
Akito refused to continue that statement, already embarrassed enough. Luckily for him, Toya seemed to understand perfectly, as he somehow always does.
"That sounds like a great idea. Is the dessert store we visited the other day alright?"
[...yeah]
"I'll look forward to it, then." Toya finished as he waved goodbye to the Vivids, who finished practice and were going home for the day, An looking particularly gleeful at the whole exchange. Before Toya could mention it to Akito, though, his partner spoke up once more.
"Me too."