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“You look like you must be very warm, Akihiko,” Mitsuru says as she walks out of the cafe, adjusting her leather gloves. There's a sly twist to her mouth, that amused look in her eyes.
Akihiko follows her out the door, missing the warmth of the cafe as he pulls his coat tighter around him. “Are you cold?” he asks her, furrowing his brows in confusion at the look she's giving him. “You can have my coat.”
Mitsuru pats him on the shoulder before he can, offering a light shake of her head. “No, no, I was merely appreciating your new sense of fashion,” she says in that way she does, not quite mocking but not quite genuine either.
“Oh, I…” Akihiko looks down at himself, really looks, and remembers being in a hurry, grabbing his coat off one of the kitchen chairs earlier, having been running late to meet Mitsuru. He remembers Shinjiro's expression twisting oddly, his mouth opening to say something, but he never had the chance. “I was in a hurry,” he finishes after a long, awkward pause. “I better get this back to Shinji.”
“I have a quick errand on campus. Will you accompany me there first before we part ways?” Mitsuru asks as she looks up at the sky, watching little snowflakes sprinkle down every once and a while.
“Of course,” Akihiko says, sliding his arm through Mitsuru's, and watching as her smile becomes softer, content. He wonders if she's been lonely, off in her fancy apartment on her own. “You should stop by our place sometime. Shinji cooks too much for us and a dog anyway.”
“That would be nice,” Mitsuru admits, something almost shy about her as she leads the way towards campus.
Akihiko hides a smile behind his scarf, shooting a quick text to Shinjiro to let him know he'll be a little longer, and slows down to admire the view on campus with Mitsuru at his side.
---
“I'm home,” Akihiko calls out as he steps into their small apartment, Koromaru lazily sprawled out on the floor nearby. He kneels down to give him a pat, smiling at Koromaru's barked greeting.
“You're back quick,” Shinjiro mutters from on the couch, a space heater real close to him. He's got on a warm sweater, but it's a little weird seeing him without the signature coat. There's something off, too, a real intense look about him.
“Sorry, I grabbed your coat by mistake earlier,” Akihiko says as he pulls it off, hanging it from the coat rack to dry. He drops down on the couch next to him, pushing his legs out of the way. “I'll be more careful next time.”
“Nah, Aki, ‘s fine,” Shinjiro says as he levers himself up to sit next to him, knocking their shoulders together lightly. “I'll just take those Jack Frost gloves of yours and start wearing ‘em around.”
“Right,” Akihiko says disbelievingly, rolling his eyes fondly at Shinjiro. He leans into his shoulder, feeling a weight lifted off him just by being home. “That's why you chewed Junpei out for stealing your coat back at the dorms. You love that old thing.”
“It's got character,” Shinjiro says defensively as he pulls Akihiko closer, pressing his lips against his forehead briefly. He says more quietly, “Besides, I like you more than that little shit.”
Akihiko flusters under the casual affection, like he always does every single time, and looks at him hopelessly for a beat too long, his face warm and his eyes a little too wide.
“You good, Aki?” Shinjiro asks, but there's this smug look on his face, like he knows how nervous Akihiko gets, like it's intentional. He's got Akihiko up against his chest, and his heart's thumping slow and steady. It's a reassurance. “You got all quiet.”
Akihiko manages a nod as he shifts to get comfortable in Shinjiro's lap, glancing towards the cooking show on TV. It's a little too advanced for him, but it's not bad having a little white noise. “You don't hate him that much, even if he can be annoying,” he says knowingly.
“Don't mean I like him that much either,” Shinjiro says with a scoff as he looks down at Akihiko, a small smile on his face as he leans back against the couch's arm. “How's Mitsuru?”
“I think she's been a little lonely since everyone left the dorms,” Akihiko admits, thinking back on their chat today, how Mitsuru seemed a little too starved for it. “I might tell Yukari.”
“You're damn nosy,” Shinjiro says, but he looks fond when he says it, giving Akihiko a light squeeze. “Mitsuru won't like it. She's stubborn.”
“I'm used to it,” Akihiko says with a knowing look at Shinjiro, chuckling when he gets a frown sent back at him for it.
“I'm not a people person,” Shinjiro says plainly, narrowing his eyes at the little laugh Akihiko gives at that. “Besides, I've got Koromaru.”
Koromaru trots over at the mention of his name, wagging his tail all the way. He barks in appreciation.
Shinjiro chuckles as he reaches out to pet Koromaru, glancing back at Akihiko. “See? All I need. You and the dog.”
“Me and the dog, huh,” Akihiko says quietly, unable to resist a smile at the thought. All that time at the hospital waiting, and here Shinjiro is. “I like the sound of that.”