Work Text:
English was invented specifically to torture poor, unsuspecting Japanese high school students. There was no other explanation for why Akito was hunched over his desk on a Friday night, cursing under his breath while he confused “right” with “write” for the fiftieth time.
Maybe Toya could help him with this. He was good at English. Plus, Akito would never turn down an opportunity to hear his voice.
He opened his contacts on his phone, then clicked on the one he was looking for. It rang once, twice, and then Toya picked up.
“Hello, Akito. Is something the matter?”
“Nah, nothing much. Just that this English thing is out to get me.”
“Oh, the worksheet we got today? It’s nothing too bad once you get into it. What exactly about it are you struggling with?”
Akito disputed the fact it was ‘nothing too bad,’ but he was on this call for help, not to nitpick his partner’s choice of words.
“Every word sounds the same and I don’t know how they expect me to tell them apart.”
“You’re going to need to be a bit more specific.”
It took him a few more tries, but he did eventually manage to convey just what he didn’t get. If doing that was that hard, he was screwed when it came to the actual work.
Toya collected his thoughts before he spoke. “Write, W-R-I-T-E, is the verb, ‘to write.’ Okay?”
He didn’t get it. “…Okay.”
“Right, R-I-G-H-T, is the direction. At least it is in this case.”
In this case? That was concerning, and also entirely not worth worrying about right now. “But why is there a G there? Why, Toya? It’s not like you make a ‘G’ noise when you say the word!”
“Most likely because it was pronounced, at some point or another, but-“
“Please, don’t tell me. I don’t think my brain can take any more.”
Akito could practically hear Toya’s stupid, nice, affectionate smile he always had in these scenarios over the phone. But instead of teasing Akito, he just urged him to keep trying.
Okay, maybe the next question wouldn’t be nearly as bad. It wasn’t like every word in English could sound exactly like another one, right?
Wrong, apparently. This class was out to get him. It would be a miracle if he passed the next test.
“Ughhh, I give up… Toya, help me here.”
Akito slammed his pen down and faceplanted on the table. Even over his groans, he could hear Toya’s small chuckles through the phone. “You said this worksheet was due on Monday? You’ve made enough progress for today.”
“Oh thank god. Wanna talk for a while?”
He’d called Toya for help with schoolwork, but it wasn’t uncommon for the two of them to call just to chat. That was especially true on days like this, when Akito was working and they couldn’t see each other after school.
“I’d like that. Did anything interesting happen at the store today?”
“Nah, it was pretty boring. Well, I guess there was this one guy who…”
Akito and Toya talked for a while longer, about anything and everything; the new novel Toya bought, Tsukasa and Rui’s most recent antics, what song they should cover next, and whatever else came to mind. Before long, Akito heard a loud yawn from the other end.
He checked the clock on his phone. It was midnight already? Time always passed almost too fast when he was with Toya. As happy as he was, they both needed to sleep so they wouldn’t be dead on their feet at practice the next morning.
“Guess someone’s tired. Go to bed, Toya, I need you awake tomorrow.”
Despite Toya’s grumbled protests, he agreed and moved to his bed.
“Bye, Akito. Sleep well.”
“Haha, bye. Good night, love you, bro.”
“Love you too.”
Akito smiled as he went to hang up, hovering his finger over the ‘end call’ button.
Wait.
Hold that thought.
…What the fuck did he just say?
And Toya said it back?
Neither of them had hung up yet. Toya must have realized what they said, too, if the silence from both ends was any indication.
Akito couldn’t say he knew how to get out of the classic ‘I accidentally told my best friend I love him’ situation.
“…Did you mean it?”
A fair question. But what stuck out to Akito was his tone of voice. It was soft, and vulnerable, and unlike anything he’d ever heard from his partner before. Saying the wrong thing here was absolutely not an option, lest he hurt Toya.
Well, did he?
Of course he loved Toya. They were friends and partners, and they always would be. Akito loved all his friends.
Sure, that was true, but he got the feeling that wasn’t what Toya was asking.
Love for a friend also wasn’t what was in the back of his mind when he uttered those words.
Akito reflected on how he felt whenever they were together.
The way seeing Toya never failed to make him happy and warm. The way Toya’s voice grabbed his heart and squeezed it, whether he was singing or just talking. How Toya was always there for him. How Toya would make eye contact with him and give him the sweetest smiles that he was sure would send him into cardiac arrest. Toya, Toya, Toya.
It wasn’t like he was a romance expert or anything, but it was hard to see these feelings as anything but romantic. He guessed that all those shitty romcoms Ena made him watch were paying off.
So maybe Akito was a bit in love with his best friend. Sue him.
That felt really weird to admit to himself. Really weird, but also really right .
“Um. Akito? If you didn’t, it’s… fine.”
Oh, fuck, he’d been quiet for kind of a while. And now Toya sounded scared, and it was the worst thing ever and he wanted to hug him close and protect him from whatever was making him feel that way- which, right now, happened to be Akito. Hah. Okay, calm down, and just say something before it spirals out of control.
But it was pretty hard to be calm right now, with what he just realized.
He could say ‘no,’ deny everything, pretend it was a knee-jerk response picked up from talking to his family.
He could say yes, but pretend like he only meant it platonically.
He could do any of that, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to tell the truth, consequences be damned. He never could hide anything from Toya.
Pretending like his heart wasn’t beating out of his chest, he gave a very eloquent answer of, “Yeah. Um, yeah, I did. I did mean it.”
With that came the distinct feeling that he had crossed some arbitrary line in the sand of their relationship he hadn’t even known was there.
“You really did?” And, wow, Akito could just cry at how hopeful he sounded. How the hell had he never noticed how smitten he was. Was this what An meant when she said a neutron star was dense, but had nothing on him? He was starting to think he deserved that one.
“I love you, Toya.” And, as an afterthought, he added, “romantically. I’m in love with you, and I think I have been for a long time.”
He was so happy at having admitted it that he almost forgot Toya hadn’t said anything himself. Though, if his earlier mood was any indication… he had a chance.
A deep breath sounded from the tinny phone speakers. And then, an elated, “Wow…”
Holy shit, this boy was going to kill him. Toya was that happy? His heart skipped, like, way too many beats to be healthy there.
“I love you too, Akito. Romantically. I really, really love you.”
He refused to be associated with the sound that came out of his mouth after that. Akito Shinonome does not squeak, thank you very much. Especially not when cute boys confess their love to him. Which, holy fucking shit, Toya loved him back.
Now was when Akito realized the upsides of an in-person confession. He could hear what Toya was saying, and how he was saying it, but he wished he could see his facial expressions, too. Did Toya look flustered? Now that the thought had occurred to him, it was going to keep bugging him until he got an answer.
Akito made a decision. Who gave a shit if Toya saw him blushing, it was worth it to see his face right now.
He pressed the ‘End Call’ button, then before Toya could assume he got hung up on, Akito pressed the button for a video call.
Instantly, Toya’s confused face with a gray pillowcase background showed up on his phone screen. He must’ve had his phone propped up on something. “I wondered if the call dropped, but… I suppose it didn’t.”
“Dude, I- I just wanted to see your face.” It was kind of embarrassing how easily he said that, but whatever.
Toya giggled gently before speaking. “We just confessed to each other, and you’re still calling me dude. Akito, I’m your- um. Well, never mind.”
His what? Toya cut himself off there.
Oh, holy shit. He was going to say boyfriend, wasn’t he?
Akito’s brain was short circuiting a bit at that. However, it was absolutely not going to stop him from settling Toya’s uncertainties. He decided to test the waters a bit first.
In an unmistakably teasing tone, Akito spoke. “You’re my what? I didn’t catch what you said.”
Toya huffed while saying, “No, it was nothing. It’s just that- I love you.”
When he dropped his phone out of shock in response, he could hear Toya snickering at him. Let him laugh, Akito thought. He was certain about this now. He steeled his nerves and picked his phone back up.
“Be my boyfriend, Toya. Please.”
Oh, and there was the smile that sent Akito’s heart racing every time without fail. And his blush was beautiful, too, because of course it was.
Toya brought his hand up to his chest, and gleefully answered, “Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend, Akito. Nothing would make me happier.”
Somehow, he managed to tone down his reaction. He schooled his facial expression and took deep breaths to keep his composure.
“Your smile is really pretty like that.”
Maybe he wasn’t as controlled as he thought. Oops.
You know what? Fuck it. Toya made sure he knew he could always be himself around him. What was the point if he started obsessing over his every move now?
Besides, he really wanted to see if he could fluster Toya back.
“Yours is definitely prettier. I could stare at it, like, all day, I swear. And your eyes, I swear they sparkle sometimes. When you tell me about a book you couldn’t put down, your eyes light up and you just sound so happy and it’s, like, the best thing ever. I seriously love you.”
Maybe he let himself go a bit too much there. But it didn’t matter, because his plan worked and Toya was staring at him with eyes wide, cheeks flushed, and lips slightly parted. God, this boy was beautiful.
“If we were trying to one-up each other, I could list so much more about you. Unfortunately, there’s too much to fit in a reasonable amount of time. You’re so easy to love, you know?”
It wasn’t a competition to begin with, but Akito was still losing this one. He had never been as good with words as Toya was, which was very apparent in this moment. There was only one thing he could say in response.
“I love you, Toya.”
“I love you too, Akito.”
From there their conversation drifted into more normal topics. The two of them were content to sit in each other’s company (however digital it may be) and just talk.
At some point Akito changed into his pajamas and made his way over to his bed. It might’ve been an hour, or maybe five minutes; it was hard to tell. All he knew was that he was ridiculously happy. Nothing could bring his mood down.
…Oh shit , they had practice in four hours. He was going to have to apologize a lot to An for this one. In his defense, he was staying up late doing very important things like getting a boyfriend.
Well, at this point, what was a bit longer? Akito didn’t want this moment to end just yet. He would cherish it for as long as he could.
Eventually, Toya started to respond less frequently, and Akito could see him struggling to keep his eyes open. When he did fully fall asleep, Akito gave himself a moment to process what had happened over the past few hours.
He was in love with (wow) his amazing, wonderful boyfriend (double wow) who also happened to be his best friend and partner (holy shit).
After one last long look at his sleeping boyfriend, he affectionately murmured, “Good night, Toya. Sleep well. I love you.” Only then did he end the call for good.
He fired off a few quick texts to An, hoping she wouldn’t get too annoyed with him. That would be a problem for future Akito. Present Akito really didn’t care for the consequences of his actions, though.
Finally, he put his phone aside and closed his eyes. He effortlessly drifted off to sleep, accompanied by thoughts of Toya. His alarm would be going off in just over two hours, but for now, he could be comfortable.
Maybe Akito should trust his instincts more often, if it led to nights like this every time.
—————
Me 2:47 A.M.
uhm. hey an.
sorry if toya and i are off at practice tomorrow
we uh
we’re not gonna get much sleep at this point
Read 5:03 A.M.
An 5:04 A.M.
???????
HELLO????
AKITO WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO
—————