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The love story between BLUE LOCK’s guitarist and vocalist wasn’t a recent thing, it went back to when their agency had just started recruiting new talent to form a rock band.
He vividly remembered his first impression of him: “What a weird guy.” But something about him caught his attention, and he couldn’t stop wondering if he’d see him again.
And he did, when the agency reached out again, bringing him together with the other three guys who would form the band. After carefully reading the contracts, they all signed and accepted the agency’s offer.
The band’s most dedicated fans knew there was a six-month period between signing the contracts and the release of their successful debut album.
It was during those six months, as the band members learned to connect and get along, that Otoya and Karasu developed a bond beyond what anyone expected. It went beyond the music and the friendship they shared with the rest of the band.
It was something special they built during those afternoons and evenings spent with the excuse of practicing together. It happened so naturally that neither of them seemed to notice when they started acting more like a couple whenever they were alone.
Before making their relationship official, they spoke with Yukimiya, Hiori, and their agency managers. It was clear they had strong feelings for each other, but neither was willing to jeopardize their shot at a successful music career for a relationship whose future was uncertain.
But it worked out. When no issues arose, they made their relationship official on an ordinary January 21, one afternoon while hiding from the winter cold in the guitarist’s apartment—which, soon after, became their shared home.
BLUE LOCK had more success than anyone could have predicted. It was everything they’d ever imagined for their careers. To keep their private life truly private, they decided to keep their relationship a secret from their fans. They were deeply grateful to their supporters but also aware of the dangers of letting them get too involved in their personal lives.
Two years after their debut, in March 2024, the group announced their first world tour, which became a resounding success in sales. They’d done smaller tours before, but nothing compared to what “EGOISTA” would be. The band members couldn’t have been more excited.
They were well aware of the “tabieita” ship within their fandom and found it hilarious how some fans confidently denied anything between them, declaring them “completely straight.” But to them, it was proof they were doing a good job hiding their relationship.
However, the tour started to reveal more of their lives, and since they were such an important part of each other’s, it was impossible for their usual interactions to go unnoticed. Physical contact, glances, stage interactions, everything seemed more intense to the public, though it was just normal for them.
A world tour isn’t short. After months of traveling, they finally reached their last country before heading home. They’d be staying in the U.S. for a while, but this was the final stretch before returning to Japan.
They knew they were becoming less discreet about their relationship. At first, it was because they would forget, but now they were just more comfortable sharing small glimpses of their relationship with the world.
“Toya, can ya sing for us a little?” Karasu read one of the comments that flashed by during the Instagram live they were doing to entertain themselves and their fans that night.
Otoya thought for a moment, probably deciding what song to sing, before standing up from the couch in their shared hotel room.
“If not for you, I wouldn’t sing anymore,” the vocalist began softly, careful not to disturb the neighboring rooms.
It was Måneskin’s If Not for You, one of his favorites. Otoya knew it. Karasu couldn’t help but smile as his boyfriend kept singing.
“If not for you, I couldn’t get off this floor.” Karasu thought to himself how much he loved Otoya’s voice, unique and unmistakable, giving the band its distinct sound.
“If not for you, hell would be knocking on my door.” Was he staring? Probably. Did he care? Not enough to stop.
“If not for you.” The vocalist finished the chorus and sat back down next to him, his usual calm expression back. “How was it?”
“Yeah, as good as always,” Karasu replied with a small smile as he kept scrolling through the comments.
They kept answering questions until Otoya started yawning, which quickly made Karasu feel sleepy too.
“It’s late; should we end the live?” He read the mixed reactions in the comments—some begging them to stay, others telling them to get some rest—but only cared about what his boyfriend thought.
Otoya simply nodded, yawning again. They quickly said goodbye and ended the live. As soon as Karasu put his phone aside, he felt Otoya’s arms wrap around him.
“Let’s go. I’m not carrying yer ass ta bed,” Karasu said, laughing softly as he played with Otoya’s white hair.
“You’re so unromantic,” his boyfriend replied, standing up and grabbing his hand to lead them both to bed.
“Ya love me anyway.” He said while laying next to him
“Unfortunately,” Otoya teased, wrapping his arms around Karasu’s neck.
“Shut yer mouth.” Karasu leaned in to kiss him, a slow and tender kiss, fitting their sleepy state.
By now, Karasu could hardly remember what life was like without Otoya. He’d become so essential to his life in their nearly three years together. All the sentimentality in love songs made sense the moment he met Otoya, and every love song he thought he’d never write was now for him.
“Our anniversary is coming up,” Otoya commented in a soft murmur after pulling away from the kiss.
“We have our last concert tomorrow, the day after we’ll be packing and taking one last tour around the city, all just ta spend our anniversary traveling back ta Japan,” Karasu reminded him of the plans for their last days in the US, making his partner groan as he snuggled closer to him.
“What a great way to celebrate,” the vocalist said sarcastically, making the guitarist laugh.
They stayed cuddled together for a while. Karasu played with Otoya’s white hair, and Otoya seemed completely at ease. Karasu thought he had already fallen asleep until he heard his voice softly murmur something.
“Can I flirt with the fans this time, or are you going to make a jealous scene again?” Otoya asked, clearly joking just to tease him.
“Shut up and go to sleep; flirt with me instead,” Karasu replied before kissing him again to silence him. Otoya chuckled but soon returned the kiss.
The original plan to close their New York tour was to do a cover of “Brooklyn Baby” by Lana Del Rey, where Otoya would slightly change the lyrics for fanservice, tweaking small details like replacing “he” with “she” and “boyfriend” with “girlfriend.” That’s how they had practiced it in every rehearsal.
Karasu was utterly surprised to see that not only was Otoya singing the original version without any changes, but instead of moving closer to interact with the fans, he remained in his usual spot, occasionally glancing over at him.
Yukimiya and Hiori didn’t seem fazed at all. Those idiots must have planned this behind his back.
“Well, my boyfriend’s in a band, he plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed,” Otoya’s glorious voice sang that verse while glancing at him in that way he only ever did when they were alone.
Karasu had an unshakable smile on his face. After more than three years practically glued to each other, Otoya still managed to surprise him.
The band finished the concert, but the guitarist couldn’t stop smiling. Otoya had practically just confirmed their relationship to the world, and he couldn’t have been happier about it.
That was the first time a thought both exhilarating and slightly terrifying crossed Karasu’s mind:
“I think I wanna marry Eita.”
They had never talked about marriage before, and until that point in his life, Karasu had never imagined himself getting married to anyone. But that fleeting thought didn’t leave his mind all night.
It was even harder not to think about it with Otoya in his arms and their third anniversary just around the corner.
They were already living together and had plans to adopt some pets after the tour ended. They didn’t need to get married, especially since they already acted like a married couple. But there was something about it that made him really want to see a damn ring on Otoya’s finger.
The next day, the idea kept swirling endlessly in Karasu’s head. He’d never had trouble telling Otoya what he was thinking, but this was on a completely different level.
The way the vocalist looked so cute with his messy morning hair wasn’t helping either.
They had planned to explore New York with Yukimiya and Hiori that day, so after getting showered and dressed, they met up with the rest of the band in the hotel lobby.
They spent most of the morning visiting shops, buying things for themselves and their families, until hunger inevitably struck.
Yukimiya and Otoya went ahead and quickly ducked into one of the city’s many fast-food joints. As Karasu and Hiori were about to follow, something caught Karasu’s attention.
“I’ll be back in a second; go ahead with the others,” the guitarist said to the drummer, swiftly heading toward a jewelry store.
Was this a rash decision? Absolutely. But Karasu knew Otoya’s ring size perfectly, and seeing engagement rings on display made it impossible to resist the impulse.
Karasu quickly chose a somewhat traditional white gold ring with small diamonds and emeralds set into the sides. It reminded him of Otoya’s eyes. Without hesitation, he bought it, along with a matching one for himself, same design but with sapphires instead of emeralds.
He left the store feeling an unusual excitement but quickly hid the rings among his other purchases. When he rejoined the group, they were already eating. Otoya had ordered for him to save him the trouble.
“What did you buy?” his boyfriend asked curiously.
“Just some things my little sister asked for. I ain’t seen them in any other stores, so I figured I’d grab them now before I forgot,” Karasu replied casually, focusing on not sounding suspicious.
Otoya and Yukimiya easily accepted his answer, though Hiori gave him a slightly skeptical look. Still, Karasu knew that even if Hiori had figured it out, he wouldn’t say a word.
Later, they returned to their hotel room, exhausted and laden with shopping bags. As much as they wanted to crash into bed, they had to finish packing their suitcases since they had an early departure the next day.
While organizing his things, Karasu carefully slid the ring box into his pocket, making sure Otoya wouldn’t notice.
But when he glanced around the room, Otoya was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t noticed when his boyfriend had stepped out onto the small balcony.
Before he could go after him, his phone buzzed with a reminder: Anniversary. It was already past midnight—January 21, 2025.
Karasu took a moment to breathe and gather his courage before stepping outside, immediately hit by the icy chill of January’s winter air.
“Happy anniversary,” Karasu said with a small smile as Otoya turned to look at him.
The vocalist returned the smile and leaned in to kiss him. “Happy anniversary.”
They gazed at each other for a moment before laughing softly, hugging tightly to shield themselves from the biting cold wind.
“What are ya doing out here in this weather? Yer freezing, Eita,” Karasu said, cupping Otoya’s face in his hands. His cheeks were noticeably colder than Karasu’s hands.
“Just thinking,” Otoya replied in his usual tone.
“What were ya thinking about?” Karasu asked, his voice matching Otoya’s.
“I think I wanna marry you.”
The words left Otoya’s lips so casually, but they hit Karasu like a freight train, leaving his mind momentarily blank as he stood frozen in place.
“It’s just an idea, don’t freak out too much,” Otoya added, his tone light, but there was a hint of nervousness behind his words.
That was enough to snap Karasu out of his daze. He quickly searched his pockets, fumbling to find the small box.
As soon as he found it, he carefully pulled it out, taking a step back to give himself enough room to kneel in front of Otoya. With his cheeks likely flushed and his hands slightly trembling, he opened the box, his throat dry as he managed to speak.
“Then let’s get married.”
That definitely wasn’t what he had planned to say. Karasu had rehearsed a long, cheesy speech in his head, but all of that was forgotten in the moment. All that remained were his genuine feelings.
He could see Otoya’s usually impassive face filled with surprise, his eyes darting between the rings and Karasu’s face.
“Oh my god, are you fucking for real?” Otoya asked, somewhere between shocked and genuinely thrilled. Karasu had learned to read his expressions and reactions over time. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“Yeah, I’m fucking for real,” Karasu replied with a smile, mimicking Otoya’s tone.
“Then fuck yeah, let’s get married,” the vocalist said, cupping Karasu’s face and kissing him passionately. The guitarist stood back up to properly return the kiss.
They took their time before pulling away, but as soon as they did, Karasu took Otoya’s left hand, sliding the emerald-studded ring onto his ring finger. He then handed Otoya the sapphire-studded one so he could do the same for him.
This was far from one of the world’s most romantic proposals, but they had never been the most romantic couple either. It was a slightly clumsy, genuine, and spontaneous proposal, just like them. And that made it absolutely perfect.
There was still a lot to discuss and plan. Marriage wasn’t something that could happen overnight, but it was something they could face together when the time came. For now, they just wanted to focus on each other, free from any worries. Everything else could wait.