Work Text:
Akito’s boss told him all he had left to do was put a few new products out on the accessory display, then he can go home. Just some new jewelry based on designs gaining popularity in the past few weeks. There isn’t much he’s interested in among the new shipment outside of pieces he already owns some similar to.
A set of dark gray ear cuffs keep looking back at him after hanging them from the rack. He might’ve seen something like them recently; that’s more than likely. The style has been popular recently, otherwise, his store wouldn’t be selling it.
Later the next day, he has to stop by the library after class to look for some poetry book he needs for his stupid, required literature class. At least he can find some sort of application for poetry in his audio production program, unlike his fucking statistics class.
While the librarian leads him to the poetry section, they pass a table with a group of students holding a study session. A low and dark lavender ponytail registers with a familiar face. Mafuyu looks up from her notes and textbook with some scary-looking medical diagrams with immaculate timing—just in time to catch Akito staring. She waves, and Akito forgets where he’s walking. He catches a glint of metal among her fringe tucked behind her ear before he crashes into the nearest and completely avoidable stationary object.
Later that night, while stuck with a closing shift, he replays the scene in his head and imagines the shit his friends probably said in the group chat after Mizuki inevitably told the story of his little trip without his permission. For once, he hopes this shift doesn’t end so he doesn’t have to see the notifications, and if it does, he’ll just throw his phone away.
He’s the last one on the floor, and he’s sure as hell not helping anybody who walks in with two minutes before closing. On his way back from locking the door, he passes the accessory display and wonders if Mafuyu would like the new ear cuffs. He isn’t sure where the thought came from, but it keeps coming back to him every night he has to close until there’s only one left in stock.
He didn’t exactly think it through, but he bought the cuffs anyway. Worst case scenario, he keeps them for himself even though he already has a few solid, staple looks he keeps in rotation.
Weeks go by, and he never finds the courage to either find a way to give them to Mafuyu or just take them out of the packaging to use for himself. They collect dust in a small bag tucked away in his desk drawer, hidden from dumbass roommates' prying eyes. Every opportunity passes with him abruptly abandoning ship. It's weird to suddenly bring her a gift like jewelry, especially since they aren’t close or anything—they just have a few mutual friends. It’s not like they would’ve ever become friends otherwise. She’s smart and dedicated to her studies. She’s graduating and is already on track to become a pediatric nurse. And Akito… Well, Akito dropped his statistics class.
His music and classes were always convenient excuses to never reach out, but he never cared to look deeper to see why the thought scared him so badly. He knows they’re friends and shouldn’t worry about any strange reaction she might have. He much prefers her genuine, soft, and quiet kindness to the upbeat and perfectly pleasant personality she used to put on. Relaxing around her has become natural for Akito since leaving high school, but these damn ear cuffs have made him rigid and awkward in what should be perfectly normal conversations.
So he sits here, in a cafe near her new apartment, fidgeting with the strings of the bag between his fingers, waiting for her to show up to finally relieve himself of this weight of about 8 grams of silver off his shoulders for good.
Their eyes meet as she enters, and Akito waves her over.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Perfect opener. So far, so good.
“I’m alright.”
“Do… you want anything? I’ll call the waiter over.”
Once they have their drinks, it’s easier to pace the conversation between sips of coffee. She’s moved into her new place well. It’s her first time living alone, and she seems elated by the fact, only noticeable by her barely widened expression. She starts her full-time nursing job in a few days, and she feels prepared. Akito hopes she’s as proud of herself for how far she’s already come as he is.
Akito reaches the bottom of the cup and takes a deep breath. He gave himself until the last sips of his drink to finally hand the bag over. It’s a graduation/housewarming gift. They’re friends. This is normal.
She’s going to appreciate it. It’s fine.
He slides the bag across the table.
“What’s this?” Her eyes focus with sincere curiosity.
“Oh, it’s nothing much, really.”
Mafuyu opens the bag.
“My boutique that I work at was selling them, and I noticed you started wearing more earpieces, so I just thought… that maybe—”
She unceremoniously frees one of them from the cardboard packaging and uses her phone to stick it on her helix. The dark gray matches the shade of purple of her hair which seems to get shorter every time they meet.
“They were the pierce-less kind, so I thought they would work well since, you know—you can’t have a lot of piercings ‘cause of work and stuff.”
Mafuyu brushes her hair back and admires the cuff. “They're nice. Thank you.” Her smile has Akito kicking himself for waiting so long, even now he’s still weirdly anxious—excited that she truly seems to like it.
The finale of this arc for Akito is the mark of a new beginning for Mafuyu, and he can’t wait to be there for her and see how far she can reach.