Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

~1~Monday~1~

Akito hates mondays. He hates school and hates studying. But of course, skipping too much would hold him back from passing the grade and he’d have to repeat a year, which was 100x worse than just enduring it. Plus, he really wanted to see Touya.

Said boy was waiting for Akito near the school gates. The two always waited for each other right in this spot. It was Akito’s idea, but Touya is always the one waiting. His feet brought him to the two toned haired boy as he (unintentionally) stared at him.

Akito watched as Touya eventually noticed him coming over, sending him a small, exhausted smile. There wasn't much of a difference between his regular smile and this one, but there was definitely something off.

Stopping right beside Touya, Akito’s lips turned downward in a frown. He hadn’t seen the boy at all during the weekend. The two partners hadn’t even contacted through texting or calling either. It made Akito worry, concerned that perhaps Touya’s father had something to do with it.

“Yo Touya, what’s up with the eye bags?”

The question made Touya suddenly freeze. He wasn’t a very good liar, and both he and Akito knew this.

“Uhm… I stayed up reading again.”

His words made Akito’s frown deepen. Reading? What a load of bullshit. Touya didn’t get this tired from just reading. And now that Akito was taking a closer look, he noticed the scratches and cuts on Touya’s neck, as well as the bandaids and bandages on his fingertips.

Touya appeared to be sweating too. What the hell happened during the weekend?

Brushing Touya’s bangs out of the way, he put his backhand on his forehead, checking his temperature. He wasn’t necessarily burning up, and neither was he comically cold. Regular temperature. Nothing was wrong.

Backing up, Akito pulled his hand away. “Sorry for the sudden contact, I was just checking your temperature.”

Touya bit his lip and nodded, looking away. “It’s alright. I didn't mind at all.” His words slightly relieved the ginger, and he let out a sigh as the bell rang. “Well, let’s get to school. Don’t wanna be late again.”

Touya nodded again and the two walked together to the school.

Honestly, Akito doesn’t necessarily hate school. He hates studying but if he were actually good at the material, he would for sure enjoy his classes a lot more. Staring out the window, chin resting on his palm, Akito started to doze off.

I wonder why Touya was so tired.

The thought ran free through his head.

Why did he have so many scratches on his neck? Was it a cat?

That one was a bit concerning, but if it really was the doing of a cat, then there wasn’t much to be worried about.

Why did he have bandaids and bandages on his fingertips?

There… wasn’t much of a logical reasoning behind it that he could conjure up.

His temperature was pretty normal… though the texture of his hair was different.

How’d he know that? Shaking the thought away, Akito redirected his attention back to his teacher. Well… he tried. The memory resurfaced in his head and he found himself thinking back to it.

Now that he was thinking about it, he could vaguely recall the dried blood underneath Touya’s bangs.

~2~Tuesday~2~

Akito forgot to set his alarm, and he woke up to his sister banging on his door. “WAKE UP!!!” Her screaming surely scared the shit out of him, pulling him out of his groggy half awake state. He hurriedly brushed his teeth and washed his face. He didn’t have enough time to shower, but he already showered last night so he didn’t need to anyways.

Tuesdays were somehow worse than Mondays. Specifically today, since he was running like a marathon athlete trying to get to school on time. He shakily texted Touya that he was gonna be late, and the boy simply responded with a thumbs up.

Akito sighed in relief at the reply as he flew through the doors and accidentally tripped a few times. “Fuck!” He hissed whilst opening the door to his first period class. His teacher stared back at him with confusion, as well as the unfamiliar students in the class.

Realization dawned on Akito as he slammed the door shut out of embarrassment. Damn A and B days. He cursed as he sprinted to his actual class.

Today was so humiliating.

Akito was so relieved when the final bell rang. He and Touya would always meet up at a certain spot before school, and they meet up at the same spot after school to walk to Weekend Garage.

Akito begrudgingly stalked over to the school gates. Touya was usually the one waiting, but there were those rare instances when it was Akito who got there first. To be honest, it really felt like an accomplishment to be earlier than Touya.

After standing there awkwardly for about ten minutes, Touya finally appeared. Touya was that kind of person to always look professional and elegant, his clothing always clean and respectable. But when Akito saw him, Touya was far from elegant and clean.

Not to say he looked like he came from a mud trip to hell… but he certainly looked like he went through hell. With his hair all messy and wild, and his clothes a bit shriveled up and even torn in some areas… Akito thought he was looking at a completely different person.

“What the hell happened?” Akito questioned. He was bewildered by Touya’s out of character appearance, but he was more concerned than anything.

But Touya shook his head, patting himself down, getting rid of the dirt and grime. “Don’t worry about it, Akito. I just forgot I didn’t have Library duties today.”

Touya started to walk past Akito, brushing off his concern. This action made him frown angrily. “What the fuck does that mean??” He called after Touya, who turned back to look at him. “Come on.” Was all he voiced as he began to walk again.

Akito stood there in confusion and a hint of disbelief. Why was Touya being so stubborn? What the fuck happened?

Akito groaned as he ran after Touya.

Why was he lying?

~3~Wednesday~3~

Touya wasn’t at school today. It was incredibly rare for this to happen, so of course Akito was worried as shit. Touya had this perfection complex of himself, and honestly it drove Akito crazy.

In his eyes, Touya was already perfect. He had a beautiful voice, a pretty smile, the cutest laugh, the most drop dead gorgeous body, and just a knockout hotty in general. And to think that they could potentially be a couple.

The thought made Akito turn red. Imagine that. Someday in the future, Touya would be Akito’s lover, and Akito would be Touya’s lover. The very thought of even being able to hold hands made him giddy.

Touya was so incredibly amazing and had such talent, that oftentimes Akito forgot he was still only human. It made him guilty beyond the word’s definition, but he couldn’t let Touya know that.

“Whatcha thinking about?” The teasing tone of that voice pulled Akito back into reality as he noticed An giving him a smirk. His blush deepened as he turned away from her. “Nothing!” He exclaimed, knowing that he wasn’t convincing anyone, especially An.

“Oh come on Shinonome, it’s only been what- half a day since you last saw Aoyagi?” Akito turned away from her as she continued to yap. “You know it’s not really a secret that you like him.”

“Shut up!”

An gave him an evil grin “Hehe no way José!” The Spanish name rolled off her tongue oddly, giving off a funny accent. Ken called for her, and she looked back to see a new table of people and she sighed. “Anyways I gotta get back to work. Cya!”

And with that, she waltzed over to the table, leaving Akito all alone. Normally Touya would be sitting across from him, taking a sip from his coffee while Akito wolfed down his pancakes.

Akito couldn’t deny An’s words. He really did miss Touya.

Akito sighed, deciding to send his partner a text.

“Hey,-

He sighed and quickly deleted it, rewriting the message.

“Where are you?”

Akito grumbled angrily as he deleted that one too.

“Yo-

Nope. Too casual.

Akito sighed, giving up. He could always call him, but it’s a bit loud here. What if Touya had a headache? Or was having a fever?

The idea made him frown. He couldn’t be having a fever. Akito checked him on Monday and he was perfectly fine. Well… not necessarily. Touya had scratches that day, but they somehow disappeared yesterday. He was also a mess that same day…

Akito narrowed his eyes in confusion. What the hell was happening with Touya? And why was he lying about it? Akito stood up from his chair, deciding he had to visit Touya.

Akito knew of Touya’s fear of heights. He knew that Touya hated his balcony since it scared him everytime he had to be on it. So imagine how surprised Akito was when he saw Touya standing on that balcony, gripping the rails and staring down at the ground in a daze.

Akito himself didn’t have a fear of heights, but god did that scare the absolute shit out of him.

He ran underneath it, looking up at Touya. “Touya!!” He yelled, hoping to get the boy’s attention. Which gave Akito a lot of relief when Touya blinked and the two made eye contact.

Touya’s eyes widened as he yelped and took a step away from the railing. Akito took this opportunity to climb the tree beside the balcony. He jumped from the branch and landed neatly on the balcony, watching as Touya was hugging himself with an emotionless expression on his face.

Akito hesitantly approached him. “Touya? Are you okay?”

Touya nodded as Akito gently pulled him back inside. “I’m fine.

The ginger gave him a look of unbelief. “You sure?”

Yet Touya kept insisting he was alright. “Yeah.”

“Is it your dad?”

“…”

“?”

“Y-yeah…”

~4~Thursday~4~

Today was a really weird day. Akito had spent the night at Touya’s. Was it because he was worried he would jump? Of course not.

Was it because he loved Touya? Also no.

…Was he lying? Maybe.

…both times? Yes.

But it doesn’t matter in the end. He just wanted to make sure Touya was okay. During the entire night, Touya would wake up screaming, with absolute pure fear in his eyes. This happened multiple times, and he cried nonstop. At this point, Akito was considering calling Tenma.

Touya stopped him though, but it was already morning and they had to go to school.

So here they are, at school, with Akito in his class and Touya in another classroom. Simply being at school did absolutely nothing to calm down Akito’s raging nerves. He was scared that something would happen to Touya and he wouldn’t be there to save him.

Finally, the bell rang and they could go home. Akito rushed out of the classroom, desperate to see Touya immediately. It seemed to be a mistake though, as he painfully ran into none other than Kamishiro.

“Damn it…” Akito muttered under his breath, recovering fairly quickly as he pulled himself together and stood up. Before he could leave, Kamishiro grabbed his wrist. “Wait! Shinonome.”

Akito paused. Usually he’d pull away and ignore him, but hearing the urgency in Rui’s voice made him stop. Glaring back at him, Akito spoke. “What.”

“I need to give you something.” Kamishiro rummaged through his bag before pulling out the… keyboard button esc.

Huh.

Akito stared at him with anger and disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m in a hurry!!” Akito gritted his teeth, trying to hold himself back from boiling over and yelling at him.

Kamishiro frowned at his reaction. “Listen, I don’t know anything either. Nene just told me to give it to Touya, but I couldn’t find him.”

The mention of Touya slightly calmed Akito down. He snatched the button from Rui’s hand before putting it in his pocket. “I’ll get it to him.” And with that, he left.

Akito finally made it to the school gates, but Touya wasn’t there despite Akito being late. Frowning and a bit frustrated, the ginger pulled out his phone and texted his partner.

“Yo where are you?”

2 sec ago

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1 min ago

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2 min ago

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“Touya I’m waiting at the school gates”

2 sec ago

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1 min ago

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“Touya where are you?!?! I’m worried”

2 sec ago

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1 min ago

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2 min ago

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5 min ago

Groaning in frustration, Akito threw a punch to the wall. Of course he didn’t actually hit it, he just slammed the side of his fist on the wall, but it still hurt.

“Damn it!” Checking his phone again, Akito watched with impatience as the messages he sent didn’t even show that Touya read them.

Akito felt the button in his pocket burning, and he gritted his teeth while contemplating his next decisions.

I have to find Touya

~5~Friday~5~

The news might as well have been a punch to the gut. No… a stab in the gut. Actually, more like a train. Akito felt his entire world crashing down as the words left the reporter’s mouth.

“This morning, the body of Aoyagi Touya was found in a lake on the east side of Shibuya. His shoes were on the shore, though there was no goodbye note. The police have concluded that it was a suicide.”

Ena stared at the Tv with horror as Akito fell to his knees. Tears rolled down his cheeks as Ena gave him a terrified look of pity and sorry. “Akito… stay home today.” She said, though he didn’t respond to her.

His throat closed up and his breathing quickened as all the memories he shared with Touya flashed in his mind. “No… no it can’t… this can’t be… real.”

Akito held his phone in a vice grip, and his pocket was burning hotter than ever. His sister called his school, excusing him but her words blurred along with the news on TV.

Reaching into his pocket with shaking hands, Akito pulled out the esc button that Kamishiro had given to him only yesterday.

The same button that Nene needed to give to Touya, though both Akito and Rui had no idea why.

Forcing himself to get off the ground, Akito stood on trembling legs as he sprinted out of his house. He ignored Ena’s calls for him as he ran. Every morning at around 5:00am, Akito would get up for an early jog. He built up his stamina this way, and he was beyond grateful to himself that he did this as he ran all the way to Touya’s house.

He was way out of breath by the time he made it, but he pushed on. Climbing the tree on the side, Akito hopped on the balcony and opened the door to Touya’s room.

The bedroom was cold and empty. It was always like this, but somehow, it felt real. Before, it could easily be changed by Akito’s presence or a picture of Vivid BAD SQUAD on the side.

But now… now it was completely void of everything.

Akito forced himself over to Touya’s computer. Honestly, he didn’t even know Touya had a computer until Wednesday, when he had spent the night over.

…with Touya.

Akito’s breathing hitched as he thought of his partner… his lover. He wished he had told him sooner, he wished he could have kissed those lips sooner, he wished he could have held him and held his hands and sang as lovers.

Akito bit his lip to stop any noises from escaping him. He couldn’t risk making any sounds. Focusing back to the computer, Akito blinked through tears as he noticed the keyboard was lacking an esc button.

He swallowed down the bile that rose from the back of his throat and he pushed the button on the spot, hearing a click. Suddenly, the computer brightened up and turned itself on.

Akito held back a gasp as he backed away.

The screen was black, but in white font, there were words typing themselves on the screen.

R_

Re_

Res_

Rese_

Reset_

Reset?_

Yes?_

Yes?_             No?_

With shaking hands, Akito moved the mouse to click on yes. He didn’t want anybody, especially Harumichi, to see what Touya had on his computer. Akito himself had no idea, and he doubted 100% that Touya had anything bad.

ERROR!! Click ESC

Akito frowned, confused by the weird request. He felt compelled to do it, but before he could click on it, the computer glitched out and it shut off. The ginger immediately pulled away when he heard voices and footsteps approaching Touya’s bedroom.

The screen started to count down despite being shut off.

5

Akito glanced at the door as the footsteps got closer.

4

Akito knew his time in here would be short, so he scanned the room, looking for something he could take.

3

His eyes landed on Touya’s CD collection.

2

The sounds of keys jingling behind the door were oddly loud. “Wrong key.” Harumichi’s voice spoke from the other side. “Try the other one.” Said a female voice, whom Akito could only guess was Touya’s mother.

1

Akito quickly swiped Touya’s favorite CD, silently running to the sliding door.

0

RESET

~1~Monday~1~

Akito hates mondays. He hates school and hates studying. But of course, skipping too much would hold him back from passing the grade and he’d have to repeat a year, which was 100x worse than just enduring it. Plus, he really wanted to see Touya.

Said boy was waiting for Akito near the school gates. The two always waited for each other right in this spot. It was Akito’s idea, but Touya is always the one waiting. His feet brought him to the two toned haired boy as he (unintentionally) stared at him.

Akito watched as Touya eventually noticed him coming over, sending him a very forced, exhausted smile. Touya’s usual smile was very cute and bright, but this time he put barely any effort into it, and he was awfully exhausted.

Stopping right beside Touya, Akito’s lips turned downward in a frown. He hadn’t seen the boy at all during the weekend. The two partners hadn’t even contacted through texting or calling either. It made Akito worry, concerned that perhaps Touya’s father had something to do with it.

“Yo Touya, what’s up with the eye bags?”

The question made Touya suddenly freeze. He wasn’t a very good liar, and both he and Akito knew this.

“Uhm… I stayed up listening to music again.”

His words made Akito’s frown deepen. Listening to music? What a load of bullshit. Touya didn’t get this tired from just listening to music.

And now that Akito was taking a closer look, he noticed the bandages on Touya’s neck, as well as the bandaids and bandages on his hands. Touya also wore a long sleeve shirt.

Touya appeared to be sweating too. What the hell happened during the weekend?

Brushing Touya’s bangs out of the way, he put his backhand on his forehead, checking his temperature. Akito frowned at Touya’s temperature. He was mildly burning up. Not too badly though.

Backing up, Akito pulled his hand away. “Sorry for the sudden contact, I was just checking your temperature.”

Touya bit his lip and nodded, looking away. “It’s alright. I didn't mind at all.” His words slightly relieved the ginger, and he let out a sigh as the bell rang. “Well, let’s get to school. Don’t wanna be late again.”

Touya nodded again and the two walked together to the school. It was a bit weird. Akito felt a shiver of deja vu as he glanced back at Touya, who seemed set on avoiding eye contact.

Honestly, Akito doesn’t necessarily hate school. He hates studying but if he were actually good at the material, he would for sure enjoy his classes a lot more. Staring out the window, chin resting on his palm, Akito started to doze off.

I wonder why Touya was so exhausted.

The thought ran free through his head.

Why did he have bandages on his neck? Why on his hands as well?

That one was a bit concerning. It was hard to conjure up a logical reason behind it.

Why was he wearing long sleeves in such hot weather?

Akito didn’t even want to think about the possibility of Touya doing self harm. But he could never be too sure, so he’d have to confront him about it at some point.

His temperature was almost normal… though the texture of his hair was different.

How’d he know that? Shaking the thought away, Akito redirected his attention back to his teacher. Well… he tried. The memory resurfaced in his head and he found himself thinking back to it.

Now that he was thinking about it, he could recall the dried blood on Touya’s bangs and scalp.

~2~Tuesday~2~

Akito forgot to set his alarm, and he woke up to his sister banging on his door. “WAKE UP!!!” Her screaming surely scared the shit out of him, pulling him out of his groggy half awake state. He hurriedly brushed his teeth and washed his face. He didn’t have enough time to shower, but he already showered last night so he didn’t need to anyways.

Tuesdays were somehow worse than Mondays. Specifically today, since he was running like a marathon athlete trying to get to school on time. He shakily texted Touya that he was gonna be late, though the boy didn’t respond at all.

Akito sighed at the lack of a reply as he flew through the doors and accidentally tripped a few times. “Fuck!” He hissed whilst opening the door to his first period class. His teacher stared back at him with confusion, as well as the unfamiliar students in the class.

Realization dawned on Akito as he slammed the door shut out of embarrassment. Damn A and B days. He cursed as he sprinted to his actual class.

Today was so humiliating.

Akito was so relieved when the final bell rang. He and Touya would always meet up at a certain spot before school, and they meet up at the same spot after school to walk to Weekend Garage.

Akito begrudgingly stalked over to the school gates. Touya was usually the one waiting, but there were those rare instances when it was Akito who got there first. To be honest, it really felt like an accomplishment to be earlier than Touya.

After standing there awkwardly for about 15 minutes, Touya finally appeared. Touya was that kind of person to always look professional and elegant, his clothing always clean and respectable. But when Akito saw him, Touya was far from elegant and clean.

Not to say he looked like he came from a mud trip to hell… but he certainly looked like he went through hell. With his hair all messy and wild, and his clothes all shriveled up and torn up in a lot of areas… Akito thought he was looking at a completely different person.

“What the hell happened?” Akito questioned. He was bewildered by Touya’s out of character appearance, but he was more concerned than anything.

But Touya shook his head, patting himself down, getting rid of the dirt and grime. “Don’t worry Akito. I just forgot I didn’t have Library duties today, let’s go.”

Touya started to walk past Akito, brushing off his concern. This action made him frown angrily. “What the fuck does that mean??” He called after Touya, who turned back to look at him. “I said don’t worry about it.” Was all he voiced as he began to walk again.

Akito stood there in confusion and a hint of disbelief. Why was Touya being so stubborn? What the fuck happened?

Akito groaned as he ran after Touya.

Why was he lying?

…Didn’t this happen already?

~3~Wednesday~3~

Touya wasn’t at school today. It was incredibly rare for this to happen, so of course Akito was worried as shit. Touya had this perfection complex of himself, and honestly it drove Akito crazy.

In his eyes, Touya was already perfect. He had a beautiful voice, a pretty smile, the cutest laugh, the most drop dead gorgeous body, and just a knockout hotty in general. And to think that they could potentially be a couple.

The thought made Akito turn red. Imagine that. Someday in the future, Touya would be Akito’s lover, and Akito would be Touya’s lover. The very thought of even being able to hold hands made him giddy.

Touya was so incredibly amazing and had such talent, that oftentimes Akito forgot he was still only human. It made him guilty beyond the word’s definition, but he couldn’t let Touya know that.

“Whatcha thinking about?” The teasing tone of that voice pulled Akito back into reality as he noticed An giving him a smirk. His blush deepened as he turned away from her. “Nothing!” He exclaimed, knowing that he wasn’t convincing anyone, especially An.

“Oh come on Shinonome, it’s only been what- half a day since you last saw Aoyagi?” Akito turned away from her as she continued to yap. “You know it’s not really a secret that you like him.”

“Shut up!”

A gave him an evil grin “Hehe no way José!” The Spanish name rolled off her tongue oddly, giving off a funny accent. Ken called for her, and she looked back to see a new table of people and she sighed. “Huh. I just got Deja vu. Anyways I gotta get back to work. Cya!”

And with that, she waltzed over to the table, leaving Akito all alone. Normally Touya would be sitting across from him, taking a sip from his coffee while Akito wolfed down his pancakes.

Akito couldn’t deny An’s words. He really did miss Touya. The same feeling of Deja vu flooded his senses again. Didn’t he already talk to An? No… it was just the universe messing with him.

Akito sighed, deciding to send his partner a text.

“Hey,-

He sighed and quickly deleted it, rewriting the message.

“Where are you?”

Akito grumbled angrily as he deleted that one too.

“Yo-

Nope. Too casual.

Akito sighed, giving up. He could always call him, but it’s a bit loud here. What if Touya had a headache? Or was having a fever?

The idea made him frown. He might be having a fever. Akito checked him on Monday and he was burning up a bit. Well… not necessarily. Touya was wrapped up in bandages that day. And yesterday he was a complete mess, as if he had fought with a wild animal…

Akito narrowed his eyes in confusion. What the hell was happening with Touya? And why was he lying about it? Akito stood up from his chair, deciding he had to visit Touya.

Akito knew of Touya’s fear of heights. He knew that Touya hated his balcony since it scared him everytime he had to be on it. So imagine how surprised Akito was when he saw Touya sitting on the railing of the balcony, staring down at the ground in a daze.

Akito himself didn’t have a fear of heights, but god did that scare the absolute shit out of him.

He ran underneath it, looking up at Touya. “Touya!!” He yelled, hoping to get the boy’s attention. Which gave Akito a lot of relief when Touya blinked and the two made eye contact.

Touya stared at him for a hot second before he stood up. Akito gasped as he ran directly underneath Touya, holding his arms as if Touya was about to fall… or worse… jump.

Much to Akito’s relief, Touya stepped down behind the railing and backed away from the edge. Akito took this opportunity to climb the tree beside the balcony. He jumped from the branch and landed neatly on the balcony, watching as Touya was hugging himself with an emotionless expression on his face.

Akito hesitantly approached him. “Touya? Are you okay?”

Didn’t this already happen?

Touya nodded as Akito gently pulled him back inside. “I’m fine.

What is this feeling? Why am I getting Deja vu?

The ginger gave him a look of unbelief. “You sure?”

I already said that

Yet Touya kept insisting he was alright. “Yeah.”

He said this before, didn't he??

“Is it your dad?”

Please answer me

“…”

Please stop lying

“?”

Touya?

“Y-yeah…”

No

~4~Thursday~4~

Today was a really weird day. Akito had spent the night at Touya’s. Was it because he was worried his partner would jump? Yes.

Was it because he loved Touya? Also yes.

…Was he lying? Of course not.

…both times? Didn't you already ask me this?

But it doesn’t matter in the end. He just wanted to make sure Touya was okay. During the entire night, Touya would wake up screaming, with absolute pure fear in his eyes. His voice was hoarse and he scratched himself… badly.

This happened multiple times, and he cried nonstop. At this point, Akito was considering calling Tenma. Touya stopped him though, but it was already morning and they had to go to school.

So here they are, at school, with Akito in his class and Touya in another classroom. Simply being at school did absolutely nothing to calm down Akito’s raging nerves. He was scared that something would happen to Touya and he wouldn’t be there to save him.

Finally, the bell rang and they could go home. Akito rushed out of the classroom, desperate to see Touya immediately. It seemed to be a mistake though, as he painfully ran into none other than Kamishiro.

“Damn it…” Akito muttered under his breath, recovering fairly quickly as he pulled himself together and stood up. Before he could leave, Kamishiro grabbed his wrist. “Shinonome wait!”

Akito paused. Usually he’d pull away and ignore him, but hearing the urgency in Rui’s voice made him stop. Glaring back at him, Akito spoke. “What.”

“I need you to give Touya something.” Kamishiro rummaged through his bag before pulling out the… keyboard button esc.

Huh.

Akito stared at him with anger and disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? Why would Touya need an esc button?” Akito gritted his teeth, trying to hold himself back from boiling over and yelling at him.

Kamishiro frowned at his reaction. “Listen, I don’t know anything either. Nene just told me to give it to Touya, but I couldn’t find him. She said it was important.”

Akito forced himself to calm down, at least for Touya. He snatched the button from Rui’s hand before putting it in his pocket. “I’ll get it to him.” And with that, he left.

Akito finally made it to the school gates, but Touya wasn’t there despite Akito being late. Frowning and a bit frustrated, the ginger pulled out his phone and texted his partner.

“Yo where are you?”

2 sec ago

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1 min ago

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2 min ago

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“Touya I’m waiting at the school gates”

2 sec ago

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1 min ago

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“Touya where are you?!?! I’m worried”

2 sec ago

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1 min ago

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2 min ago

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5 min ago

Groaning in frustration, Akito threw a punch to the wall. Of course he didn’t actually hit it, he just slammed the side of his fist on the wall, but it still hurt.

“Damn it!” Checking his phone again, Akito watched as the messages he sent showed as read. Touya read his messages.

.

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.

No reply.

Akito felt the button in his pocket burning, and he gritted his teeth while contemplating his next decisions.

I have to find Touya

~5~Friday~5~

The news might as well have been a punch to the gut. No… a stab in the gut. Actually, more like a train. Akito felt his entire world crashing down as the words left the reporter’s mouth.

“This morning, the body of Aoyagi Touya was found in a lake on the east side of Shibuya. His shoes and phone were on the shore, though there was no goodbye note. The police have concluded that it was a suicide.”

Ena stared at the Tv with horror as Akito fell to his knees. Tears rolled down his cheeks as Ena gave him a terrified look of pity and sorry. “Akito… stay home today.” She said, though he didn’t respond to her.

His throat closed up and his breathing quickened as all the memories he shared with Touya flashed in his mind. “No… no it can’t… this can’t be… real.”

Akito held his phone in a vice grip, and his pocket was burning hotter than ever. His sister called his school, excusing him but her words blurred along with the news on TV.

Reaching into his pocket with shaking hands, Akito pulled out the esc button that Kamishiro had given to him only yesterday.

The same button that Nene needed to give to Touya, though both Akito and Rui had no idea why.

Forcing himself to get off the ground, Akito stood on trembling legs as he sprinted out of his house. He ignored Ena’s calls for him as he ran. Every morning at around 5:00 am, Akito would get up for an early jog. He built up his stamina this way, and he was beyond grateful to himself that he did this as he ran all the way to Touya’s house.

He was way out of breath by the time he made it, but he pushed on. Climbing the tree on the side, Akito hopped on the balcony and opened the door to Touya’s room.

The bedroom was cold, dead, and empty. It was always like this, but somehow, it felt real. Before, it could easily be changed by Akito’s presence or a picture of Vivid BAD SQUAD on the side.

But now… now it was completely void of everything.

Akito forced himself over to Touya’s computer. Honestly, he didn’t even know Touya had a computer until Wednesday, when he had spent the night over.

…with Touya.

Akito’s breathing hitched as he thought of his partner… his lover. He wished he had told him sooner, he wished he could have kissed those lips sooner, he wished he could have held him and held his hands and sang as lovers.

Akito bit his lip to stop any noises from escaping him. He couldn’t risk making any sounds. Focusing back to the computer, Akito blinked through tears as he noticed the keyboard was lacking an esc button.

He swallowed down the bile that rose from the back of his throat and he pushed the button on the spot, hearing a click. Suddenly, the computer brightened up and turned itself on.

Akito held back a gasp as he backed away.

The screen was red, but in black font, there were words typing themselves on the screen.

R_

Re_

Res_

Rese_

Reset_

Reset?_

Yes?_

Yes?_             No?_

With shaking hands, Akito moved the mouse to click on yes. He didn’t want anybody, especially Harumichi, to see what Touya had on his computer. Akito himself had no idea, and he doubted 100% that Touya had anything bad.

ERROR!! Click ESC

Akito frowned, confused by the weird request. He felt compelled to do it, but before he could click on it, the computer glitched out and it shut off. The ginger immediately pulled away when he heard voices and footsteps approaching Touya’s bedroom.

The screen started to count down despite being shut off.

5

Akito glanced at the door as the footsteps got closer.

4

Akito knew his time in here would be short, so he scanned the room, looking for something he could take.

3

His eyes landed on the pillow Touya had sewn himself in one of his classes.

2

The sounds of keys jingling behind the door were oddly loud. “Wrong key.” Harumichi’s voice spoke from the other side. “Try the other one.” Said a female voice, whom Akito could only guess was Touya’s mother.

1

Akito quickly swiped Touya’s pillow.

0

RESET

~1~Monday~1~

Akito despises mondays. He hates school and hates studying. But of course, skipping too much would hold him back from passing the grade and he’d have to repeat a year, which was 100x worse than just enduring it. Plus, he really wanted to see Touya.

Said boy was waiting for Akito near the school gates. The two always waited for each other right in this spot. It was Akito’s idea, but Touya is always the one waiting. His feet brought him to the two toned haired boy as he (unintentionally) stared at him.

Akito watched as Touya didn’t seem to notice him coming over, simply staring at his hand. Touya usually smiles, and they always make Akito’s day. To him, Touya had the cutest smiles ever.

Today he seemed awfully tired.

Stopping right beside Touya, Akito’s lips turned downward in a frown. He hadn’t seen the boy at all during the weekend. The two partners hadn’t even contacted through texting or calling either. It made Akito worry, concerned that perhaps Touya’s father had something to do with it.

“Yo Touya, what’s up with the eye bags?…and the… bandages?”

The question made Touya suddenly freeze. He wasn’t a very good liar, and both he and Akito knew this.

“Uhm… I stayed up working on my sewing assignment.”

His words made Akito’s frown deepen. His sewing assignment? What a load of bullshit. Touya already finished that assignment, and Akito knew this because he saw the pillow only last week.

And now that Akito was taking a closer look, he noticed the bandages on Touya’s neck, as well as the bandaids and bandages on his hands. Touya also wore a long sleeve shirt.

Touya appeared to be sweating too. What the hell happened during the weekend?

Brushing Touya’s bangs out of the way, he put his backhand on his forehead, checking his temperature. Akito frowned at Touya’s temperature. He was mildly burning up. Not too badly though.

Look at his sleeves

Didn’t he already do this? Backing up, Akito pulled his hand away. “Sorry for the sudden contact, I was just...” Akito hesitated.

This already happened.

Akito furrowed his eyebrows as he gently took Touya’s arm into his hands.

Touya bit his lip, looking away. “What’s wrong?” His voice was a bit shaky, and he let out a sigh when the bell rang. “Well, let’s get to school. Don’t want you to be late again.”

…Wasn’t Akito the one who said that last time?

Akito shook his head, stopping Touya from walking to the school. He remembered this.

Touya and him were walking to the school doors together…  Akito felt a shiver of deja vu as he glanced back at Touya, who seemed set on avoiding eye contact.

He remembered staring out the window, chin resting on his palm, as he started to doze off.

I wonder why Touya was so exhausted.

The thought ran free through his head.

Why did he have bandages on his neck? Why on his hands as well?

That one was a bit concerning. It was hard to conjure up a logical reason behind it.

Why was he wearing long sleeves in such hot weather?

Akito didn’t even want to think about the possibility of Touya doing self harm. But he could never be too sure, so he’d have to confront him about it at some point.

His temperature was almost normal… though the texture of his hair was different.

Growing more concerned, Akito grabbed the confused Touya by the shoulders. “Touya, can I see your bandages?” He tried to speak gently, in a tone that wouldn’t scare Touya, though he seemed to be unsuccessful.

Touya pulled away and shook his head. “I’m fine Akito. There’s no need.” Without giving Akito any time to respond, he started to walk to the school doors.

And Akito let him.

~2~Tuesday~2~

Akito forgot to set his alarm, and he woke up to his sister banging on his door. “WAKE UP!!!” Her screaming surely scared the shit out of him, pulling him out of his groggy half awake state. He hurriedly brushed his teeth and washed his face. He didn’t have enough time to shower, but he already showered last night so he didn’t need to anyways.

Tuesdays were somehow worse than Mondays. Specifically today, since he was running like a marathon athlete trying to get to school on time. He shakily texted Touya that he was gonna be late, though the boy didn’t respond at all.

Akito sighed at the lack of a reply as he flew through the doors and accidentally tripped a few times. He slowed down in front of his classroom.

This already happened.

Backing away, Akito recalled that today was B day, not A day.

Suddenly he was hit by a massive headache, and he decided to just skip today. So he slowly walked to the boys’ bathroom, opening a stall and just sitting on the toilet while massaging his temples.

What the hell.

Akito was so relieved when the final bell rang. He and Touya would always meet up at a certain spot before school, and they meet up at the same spot after school to walk to Weekend Garage.

Akito practically teleported over to the school gates with how fast he ran. Touya was usually the one waiting, but there were those rare instances when it was Akito who got there first. To be honest, it really felt like an accomplishment to be earlier than Touya.

Akito remembered this. Touya would come back looking terrible, with his hair a mess and his clothes all torn up.

Touya was that kind of person to always look professional and elegant, his clothing always clean and respectable. But when Akito saw him that day, he was far from elegant and clean.

Akito knew Touya didn’t have library duties today, and Touya wasn’t one to just forget his schedule. 

As if on cue, Touya appeared, with his hair all messy and wild, and his clothes all shriveled up and torn up in a lot of areas… Akito thought he was looking at a completely different person.

“What the hell happened?” Akito questioned. This time, his tone was a bit harsh and strict. He was worried by Touya’s out of character appearance. He desperately wanted to know what the hell was happening.

But Touya shook his head, patting himself down, getting rid of the dirt and grime. “Don’t worry Akito. I just forgot I didn’t have Library duties today, let’s go.”

Touya started to walk past Akito, brushing off his concern. But Akito wasn’t gonna let him go this time. “Bullshit.” He called after Touya, who turned back to look at him with a frown. “Excuse me?”

Akito stood there glaring at Touya, sick and tired of his lies. Didn’t Touya remember too?? Why was Touya being so stubborn? What the fuck happened? What the fuck is happening??

Akito gritted his teeth as he stormed over to Touya, whose clothing was more torn up than last time. Akito pulled him into a hug. “Please Touya. Tell me what happened.”

Touya stuttered. “N-nothing, stop asking.” He tried to push Akito away, but the ginger didn’t want to let go.

Not again, he didn’t want to lose him again.

“I’m always here for you Touya. Stop hiding from me, I want to help you.”

Touya didn’t respond, instead he melted into Akito’s embrace as the ginger wrapped his jacket around Touya.

~3~Wednesday~3~

Touya was at school today. Last time he was absent, so of course Akito was relieved as fucking hell. Though he didn’t want to go to Weekend Garage with him. Akito wanted to walk him home, but Touya rejected the offer.

Akito was just a bit upset about it, but there was nothing much he could do. Touya had this perfection complex of himself, and honestly it drove Akito crazy.

In his eyes, Touya was already perfect. He had a beautiful voice, a pretty smile, the cutest laugh, the most drop dead gorgeous body, and just a knockout hotty in general. And to think that they could potentially be a couple.

The thought made Akito turn red. Imagine that. Someday in the future, Touya would be Akito’s lover, and Akito would be Touya’s lover. The very thought of even being able to hold hands made him giddy.

Touya was so incredibly amazing and had such talent, that oftentimes Akito forgot he was still only human. It made him guilty beyond the word’s definition, but he couldn’t let Touya know that.

“Whatcha thinking about?” The teasing tone of that voice pulled Akito back into reality as he noticed An giving him a smirk. His blush deepened as he turned away from her. “Nothing!” He exclaimed, knowing that he wasn’t convincing anyone, especially An.

“Oh come on Shinonome, it’s only been what- half a day since you last saw Aoyagi?” Akito turned away from her as she continued to yap. “You know it’s not really a secret that you like him.”

“Shut up!”

An gave him an evil grin “Hehe no way José!” The Spanish name rolled off her tongue oddly, giving off a funny accent. Ken called for her, and she looked back to see a new table of people and she sighed. “Huh. I just got Deja vu. Anyways I gotta get back to work. Cya!”

And with that, she waltzed over to the table, leaving Akito all alone. Normally Touya would be sitting across from him, taking a sip from his coffee while Akito wolfed down his pancakes.

Akito couldn’t deny An’s words. He really did miss Touya despite seeing him after school. The same feeling of Deja vu flooded his senses again. He already talked to An last time? And… 

Akito stared out the window, staring at his reflection. There was a crippled hand that wrapped around Akito’s neck and he immediately swatted it away. He glanced around in confusion. Did he hallucinate that?

…something about Touya. He couldn’t remember.

Akito sighed, deciding to send his partner a text.

“Hey,-

He sighed and quickly deleted it, rewriting the message.

“Where are you?”

Akito grumbled angrily as he deleted that one too.

“Yo-

Nope. Too casual.

Akito sighed, giving up. He could always call him, but it’s a bit loud here. What if Touya had a headache? Or was having a fever?

The idea made him frown. He might be having a fever. Akito checked him on Monday and he was burning up a bit. No… he can’t remember. Touya was wrapped up in bandages that day right? And yesterday he was a complete mess, as if he had fought with a wild animal…

Akito narrowed his eyes in confusion. What the hell was happening? He remembered before, why not now?? And what was that weird crippled hand? Akito stood up from his chair, knowing he had to see Touya now.

Akito knew of Touya’s fear of heights. He knew that Touya hated his balcony since it scared him everytime he had to be on it. So imagine how terrified Akito was when he saw Touya standing on the other side of the railing on the balcony, staring down at the ground in a daze.

Akito himself didn’t have a fear of heights, but god did that scare the absolute shit out of him.

He ran underneath it, looking up at Touya. “Touya!!” He yelled, hoping to get the boy’s attention. Which gave Akito a lot of relief when Touya blinked and the two made eye contact.

Touya stared at him for a hot second before he looked behind him. Akito wanted to see what Touya was looking at, but he was on the ground so he couldn’t see anything.

Much to Akito’s relief, Touya stepped down behind the railing and backed away from the edge. Akito took this opportunity to climb the tree beside the balcony. He jumped from the branch and landed neatly on the balcony, watching as Touya was hugging himself with a terrified expression on his face.

Akito hesitantly approached him. “Touya? Are you okay?”

This already happened

Touya nodded as Akito gently pulled him back inside. “I’m fine.

What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I’m being watched?

The ginger gave him a look of unbelief. “No you're not. Tell me what happened.”

Tell me

Yet Touya kept insisting he was alright. “I said I’m fine.”

He said this before, didn't he??

“Bullshit.”

Stop telling me nonsense

“…”

Please tell me

“Touya?”

I can’t lose you again

“Y-yeah…?”

Let me save you

“Talk to me.”

~4~Thursday~4~

Today was a really weird day. Akito had spent the night at Touya’s. Was it because he was worried his partner would jump? Yes.

Was it because he loved Touya? Also yes.

Was he trying to figure out what’s going on? Of course.

Is he in the right direction? You think I fucking know?!?!

But it doesn’t matter in the end. He just wanted to make sure Touya was okay. During the entire night, Touya would wake up screaming, with absolute pure fear in his eyes. His voice was hoarse and he hurt himself… badly.

This happened multiple times, and he cried nonstop. At this point, Akito was considering calling Tenma. Touya stopped him though, but it was already morning and they had to go to school.

Before they went to their classes, Akito rested his hands on Touya’s shoulders with a serious expression. “When school is over, stay in your class. I’ll pick you up okay?”

Touya frowned. “Why?”

Akito sighed. “I don’t want something to happen to you, okay? Just… wait for me… please.”

So here they are, with Akito in his class and Touya in another classroom. Simply being at school did absolutely nothing to calm down Akito’s raging nerves. He was scared that something would still happen to Touya and he wouldn’t be there to save him.

Finally, the bell rang and they could go home. Akito rushed out of the classroom, desperate to see Touya immediately. It seemed to be a mistake though, as he painfully ran into none other than Kamishiro.

“Damn it…” Akito muttered under his breath, recovering fairly quickly as he pulled himself together and stood up. Before he could leave, Kamishiro grabbed his wrist. “Shinonome wait!”

Akito paused. This… happened before too, right? It was something important, something to do with Touya. Glaring back at him, Akito spoke. “What is it?”

“Nene needs you to give Touya something.” Kamishiro rummaged through his bag before pulling out the… keyboard button esc.

Huh.

Akito stared at him with anger and disbelief. “The esc button? Why would Nene need to give Touya this?” Akito questioned. He can’t remember what the esc button did, only that it was somehow important. He needed answers, now.

Kamishiro frowned at his reaction. “Listen, I don’t know anything either. Nene just told me to give it to Touya, but I couldn’t find him. She said it was extremely important.”

Akito forced himself to calm down, at least for Touya. He snatched the button from Rui’s hand before putting it in his pocket. “I’ll get it to him.” And with that, he left.

Akito finally made it to Touya’s classroom and true to his word, Touya was there waiting for him.

Sighing in pure relief, Akito grabbed his hand and the two walked out. His action made Touya blush, as it wasn’t something he ever did.

Akito walked Touya home and after dropping him off, he walked back to his own house.

He collapsed on his bed, ignoring the music coming from his sister’s room as he simply played there, resting.

Finally, Akito pushed himself up, and that’s when he saw the pillow.

The same pillow that Touya had made himself for his sewing class. Confused, Akito picked it up and studied it. There was blood on the side, which greatly concerned him.

He looked at the book on his dresser, the same one Touya loved to read. When did that get there?

Beside the book was a CD of Touya’s favorite song.

What. The. Fuck.

~5~Friday~5~

The news might as well have been a punch to the gut. No… a stab in the gut. Actually, more like a train. Akito felt his entire world crashing down as the words left the reporter’s mouth.

“This morning, the body of Aoyagi Touya was found in a lake on the east side of Shibuya. His phone was on the shore, though there was no goodbye note. The police have concluded that it was a suicide.”

Ena stared at the Tv with horror as Akito fell to his knees. Tears rolled down his cheeks as Ena gave him a terrified look of pity and sorry. “Akito… stay home today.” She said, though he didn’t respond to her.

His throat closed up and his breathing quickened as all the memories he shared with Touya flashed in his mind. “No… how did this… didn’t I… save him?”

Akito held his phone in a vice grip, and his pocket was burning hotter than ever. His sister called his school, excusing him but her words blurred along with the news on TV.

Reaching into his pocket with shaking hands, Akito pulled out the esc button that Kamishiro had given to him only yesterday.

The same button that Nene needed to give to Touya, though both Akito and Rui had no idea why. But it seemed he forgot to give it to Touya.

Forcing himself to get off the ground, Akito stood on trembling legs as he sprinted out of his house. He ignored Ena’s calls for him as he ran. Every morning at around 5:00 am, Akito would get up for an early jog. He built up his stamina this way, and he was beyond grateful to himself that he did this as he ran all the way to Touya’s house.

He was way out of breath by the time he made it, but he pushed on. Climbing the tree on the side, Akito hopped on the balcony and opened the door to Touya’s room.

The bedroom was cold and dead… but not empty. It was always like this, but somehow, it felt real. Before, it could easily be changed by Akito’s presence or a picture of Vivid BAD SQUAD on the side.

But now… now it was completely void of everything.

But something was off… but he couldn’t figure it out.

Akito forced himself over to Touya’s computer. Honestly, he didn’t even know Touya had a computer until Wednesday, when he had spent the night over.

…with Touya.

Akito’s breathing hitched as he thought of his partner… his lover. He wished he had told him sooner, he wished he could have kissed those lips sooner, he wished he could have held him and held his hands and sang as lovers.

Akito bit his lip to stop any noises from escaping him. He couldn’t risk making any sounds. Focusing back to the computer, Akito blinked through tears as he noticed the keyboard was lacking an esc button.

He swallowed down the bile that rose from the back of his throat and he pushed the button on the spot, hearing a click. Suddenly, the computer brightened up and turned itself on.

Akito held back a gasp as he backed away.

The screen was red, but in black font, there were words typing themselves on the screen.

R_

Re_

Res_

Rese_

Reset_

Reset?_

Yes?_

Yes?_             No?_

This happened before. Akito remembered. He clicked yes and then… everything happened again. As if it was some time loop.

With shaking hands, Akito moved the mouse to click on no. The last three times he clicked on yes, everything had resetted.

But… if he clicked no, he couldn’t save Touya.

Akito knew what he had to do. He moved the mouse to click on yes.

ERROR!! Click ESC

Akito remembered this too. Without hesitating like before, Akito clicked the esc button. The ginger immediately pulled away when he heard voices and footsteps approaching Touya’s bedroom.

This time, the computer stayed on. It didn’t count down like last time. 

What now?

Akito glanced at the door as the footsteps got closer.

Akito knew his time in here would be short, so he scanned the room, looking for something he could take.

His eyes landed on Touya’s ring, the one that Tenma’s parents gave to him as a symbol of family.

The sounds of keys jingling behind the door were oddly loud. “Wrong key.” Harumichi’s voice spoke from the other side. “Try the other one.” Said a female voice, whom Akito could only guess was Touya’s mother.

Akito quickly swiped Touya’s ring, not questioning why Touya didn’t wear it when he drowned in the lake.

TESER

~1~Monday~1~

Akito woke up with a start, gasping as he sat up in a panic. Sweat poured down his forehead as he felt something in his hands. He brought the small object to his face, studying it through the dark.

Touya’s ring.

Suddenly all the memories came back. All of them. He had resetted again, for the fourth time. This time though, he would save Touya.

He had to.

Akito ran to school, where he knew Touya was waiting for him near the school gates. The two always waited for each other right in this spot. It was Akito’s idea, but Touya is always the one waiting. His feet brought him to the two toned haired boy.

Akito watched as Touya didn’t seem to notice him coming over, simply staring at his hand. Touya usually smiles, and they always make Akito’s day. To him, Touya had the cutest smiles ever.

Today he was awfully tired, he looked like he was seconds away from passing out.

Stopping right beside Touya, Akito’s lips turned downward in a frown. He needed answers. And this time, he couldn’t afford letting him go.

“Touya, why do you have those bandages?”

The question made Touya suddenly freeze. He wasn’t a very good liar, and both he and Akito knew this.

“Uhm… I stayed up-”

“Bullshit.”

Akito’s words made Touya’s frown deepen. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Bullshit.”

Touya scoffed in disbelief. “You didn’t even let me explain.”

Akito narrowed his eyes. “That’s because I know you're lying. Something happened, and I want you to tell me exactly what happened.”

Touya was taken aback by Akito’s determined tone and serious expression, and he knew Akito wasn’t gonna let go of this.

Akito was taking a closer look, he glared at the bandages on Touya’s neck, as well as the bandaids and bandages on his hands. Touya also wore a long sleeve shirt.

Brushing Touya’s bangs out of the way, he put his backhand on his forehead, checking his temperature. Akito frowned at Touya’s temperature. He was at a normal temperature.

“Show me your arms.”

Touya immediately pulled away. “What? No.”

Akito furrowed his eyebrows as he gently took Touya’s arm into his hands. “I wasn’t asking Touya. Show me now.”

Touya bit his lip, looking away. “Touya, I'm not joking.” His voice was a bit shaky, and the other let out a sigh when the bell rang. “Well, let’s get to school. Don’t want you to be late again.”

Touya was stalling, trying to get away from Akito. But he’d be damned if he let Touya get away. Akito grabbed Touya by his bag, stopping him from walking to the school. He can’t let him go.

The first time he let him go, Touya had drowned in the lake. But Akito knew it wasn’t a suicide.

He remembered staring out the window, chin resting on his palm, as he started to doze off. He remembered the questions he had, and he knew this was the time to get the answers.

I wonder why Touya was so exhausted.

“Touya, why are you tired?”

Said boy didn’t answer.

Why did he have bandages on his neck? Why on his hands as well?

“Why do you have bandages on your neck and hands?”

Once again, Touya didn’t answer.

Why was he wearing long sleeves in such hot weather?

“What are you hiding under your sleeves?”

Touya stayed quiet, and this time, Akito took matters into his own time.

Growing more concerned, Akito grabbed the confused Touya by the shoulders. “Touya, I’m not gonna ask again. Show me your bandages.” This time, he spoke sternly.

Touya pulled away and shook his head. “I’m fine Akito. There’s no need.” Without giving Akito any time to respond, he started to walk to the school doors.

But Akito didn’t let him.

Grabbing Touya by the arm, he pulled his sleeves up to reveal even more bandages. Touya tried to push Akito away, but the ginger was lost in his own thoughts.

“Damn it…”

Sighing in defeat, Akito let Touya go. “You're off the hook this time. Let’s get to class.”

Without waiting for a response, Akito took Touya by the hand and steered him to the school doors.

~2~Tuesday~2~

Akito didn’t forget to set his alarm this time. In fact, he got up extra early to give himself some time to think about what he could do. He didn’t take a shower last night, so he had enough time to do it now. Brushing his teeth and undressing, Akito got into the shower.

Finally it was time to leave for school. He quickly walked to the school gates of Kamiyama High School. On the way, he accidentally bumped into Kusanagi.

He was about to ignore her, but he thought back to the esc button she needed to give to Touya. When he woke up yesterday morning, he only had Touya’s ring in hand, but the button was nowhere to be found.

“Hey Kusanagi.” He called out to her, putting up a fake smile.

She paused when he called her. He wasn’t stupid, he knew she was slightly scared of him, but he needed answers desperately. “…Yes? Did you need something Shinonome?”

Akito nodded. “Uhm did you need to… give Touya the… esc button?”

He watched with interest as she froze. So she knew something, even from this early in the week. “I uh… esc button? What do you mean?” She played dumb.

Akito narrowed his eyes. “The esc button on the keyboard.”

Nene swallowed down the bile that rose at the back of her throat. “Oh that… uhm… he didn’t have an esc button and you know… we’re gaming friends so uh… I had an extra keyboard and stuff so…”

She avoided eye contact with him, and he knew he was going in the right direction. “I see. Do you have it with you? I could give it to him when I see him.” Nene immediately shook her head. “Not now! You can’t!”

Akito’s eyes widened, he was caught off guard by her sudden burst. Nene gasped and she covered her mouth. “And why not?”

Nene rummaged through her pockets, pulling out her phone and throwing it far off into the distance. To say Akito wasn’t surprised would be a lie, because he was definitely not expecting that.

She turned to him with a serious expression, her voice quiet. “You… did you… reset?”

Akito’s heart raced as he nodded. He was getting closer. “I did, four times now.”

Her eyes widened. “Four times?? Did you at any point press the esc button before it resetted?”

Akito nodded again. “The first three times I didn’t, but the last time I did.”

Nene sighed in pure relief. “Thank god. Akito, Touya is in serious danger, okay? The—“

She suddenly stopped talking, causing Akito to frown. “The what??” But Nene backed away from him slowly, stepping slowly towards her phone and picking it up. She seemed to be in a trance.

Akito noticed her eyes were rolled back, as if she passed out but her body didn’t. She walked past him, heading to the school.

He immediately chased after her. “Wait, Kusanagi!!” But she didn’t respond.

“Akito?” Touya’s voice brought Akito’s attention away from her. He stared at the two toned haired boy, who stared back in confusion.

Akito thought back to Nene’s words.

“Touya is in serious danger.”

Touya is in danger.

Said boy approached him. “Are you okay?” In which Akito responded with “Yeah, I’m fine.” Touya frowned, though he let it go. “Well let’s get to class.”

Akito was so relieved when the final bell rang. He and Touya would always meet up at a certain spot before school, and they meet up at the same spot after school to walk to Weekend Garage.

Akito remembered this. Touya would come back looking terrible, with his hair a mess and his clothes all torn up.

So instead of heading to the front gates, Akito decided to search for Touya. Unfortunately he had absolutely no idea where to start, so he ran to the Library, since that was the only clue he had.

Touya was that kind of person to always look professional and elegant, his clothing always clean and respectable. But when Akito saw him that day, he was far from elegant and clean.

Akito knew Touya didn’t have library duties today, and Touya wasn’t one to just forget his schedule. But Touya was in the library.

The ginger sprinted into the library, which mind you, was incredibly big. He had no idea where to start searching.

Akito moved the mouse to click on yes.

Now that he really thought about it… everything is linked to Touya’s computer and to that esc button. With this realization, Akito headed to the computer section.

It never made sense to him of why there’s a computer area in a library, but whatever.

It seems that Akito was right to search here. His eyes landed on Touya’s bloody body on the ground, his clothes torn and ripped up. In fact, his clothing was so torn that he might as well have worn nothing.

Akito ran to him, pulling him into an embrace as he called for help. “Help!! Somebody please!!”

The computers glitched out, turning red before turning blue and then shutting off. Touya had claw marks all over his body, and Akito knew it was unnatural.

This wasn’t the doing of an animal, and it was certainly not human.

“What the hell happened?” Akito questioned. This time, his tone was a bit worried and terrified. He was worried by the amount of blood Touya had lost. He desperately wanted to know what the hell was happening.

But Touya was unconscious, laying limp in Akito’s arms as he wrapped his jacket around his partner’s fragile body.

~3~Wednesday~3~

Touya wasn’t at school today. Akito was both relieved and stressed out. On one hand, Touya was somewhere safe, on the other hand, was he really?

Both Ena and Harumichi didn’t allow Akito to stay with him, which he was just a bit upset about, but there was nothing much he could do. Touya had this perfection complex of himself, and honestly it drove Akito crazy.

In his eyes, Touya was already perfect. He had a beautiful voice, a pretty smile, the cutest laugh, the most drop dead gorgeous body, and just a knockout hotty in general. And to think that Akito had lost him three times already.

This time, Akito was sure to save him. This time, Akito would get to tell Touya.

The thought made Akito turn red. Imagine that. Someday in the future, Touya would be Akito’s lover, and Akito would be Touya’s lover. The very thought of even being able to hold hands made him happy.

Touya was so incredibly amazing and had such talent, that oftentimes Akito forgot he was still only human. It made him guilty beyond the word’s definition, but he couldn’t let Touya know that.

“Whatcha thinking about?” The teasing yet soft tone of that voice pulled Akito back into reality as he noticed An giving him a smile. His blush deepened as he turned away from her. “Nothing!” He exclaimed, knowing that he wasn’t convincing anyone, especially An.

“Oh come on Shinonome, it’s only been half a day since you last saw Aoyagi.” Akito turned away from her as she continued to yap. “You know it’s not really a secret that you like him.”

“Shut up!”

An gave him an extra plate of pancakes. “Listen, he’s in the hospital right now, don’t you think it’s time to tell him?” Akito froze at her words. Ken called for her, and she looked back to see a new table of people and she sighed. “Huh, I just got Deja vu. Anyways I gotta get back to work. Cya!”

And with that, she waltzed over to the table, leaving Akito all alone. Normally Touya would be sitting across from him, taking a sip from his coffee while Akito wolfed down his pancakes.

Akito couldn’t deny An’s words. He really did miss Touya despite seeing him after school. The same feeling of Deja vu flooded his senses again. He already talked to An last time? And… 

Akito stared out the window, staring at his reflection. There was a crippled hand that wrapped around Akito’s neck and he immediately swatted it away. He glanced around in confusion. Did he hallucinate that?

No, he definitely saw that.

Suddenly, his memory started to fail him. “Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it!!”

He can’t remember anymore.

Suddenly, he got a call from Ena. Picking up his phone, he answered her call. “What.”

“Akito, Touya’s friend wants to talk to you.”

Akito blinked in confusion.

Huh?

“Who?”

Akito could hear shuffling on the other end, and suddenly the loud voice of none other than Tsukasa Tenma answered.

“Is this Shinonome?”

Usually Tenma would talk with a carefree attitude, a bit too loud and honestly super annoying, but right now, he was serious and urgent.

“Yes?”

“Touya was discharged from the hospital, but… something is wrong Akito!! I don’t know what, but I need you to check on him. I can’t, since Harumichi knows me and I can’t get in the house like you can and yes I know you know how to get into the house.”

Tenma blabbered to him at the speed of light but all Akito got was that he needed to see Touya.

He had to see Touya, now.

Akito knew of Touya’s fear of heights. He knew that Touya hated his balcony since it scared him everytime he had to be on it. So imagine how terrified Akito was when he saw Touya standing on the other side of the railing on the balcony, staring down at the ground in a daze.

Akito himself didn’t have a fear of heights, but god did that scare the absolute shit out of him. It was lighter outside, unlike the last few times. Looking closer, Akito realized Touya’s eyes were rolled back.

Like Kusanagi.

He ran underneath it, looking up at Touya. “Touya!!” He yelled, hoping to get the boy’s attention. Which gave Akito a lot of relief when Touya blinked and the two made eye contact.

Touya stared at him for a hot second before he looked behind him. Akito wanted to see what Touya was looking at, but he was on the ground so he couldn’t see anything.

Much to Akito’s relief, Touya stepped down behind the railing and backed away from the edge. Akito took this opportunity to climb the tree beside the balcony. He jumped from the branch and landed neatly on the balcony, watching as Touya was hugging himself with a terrified expression on his face.

Akito hesitantly approached him. “Touya? Are you okay?”

This already happened

Touya nodded as Akito gently pulled him back inside. “I’m fine.

I’m being watched

The ginger gave him a look of unbelief. “No you're not. Tell me what happened.”

I couldn’t stop it

Yet Touya kept insisting he was alright. “I said I’m fine.”

You’re not

“Bullshit.”

This is all nonsense

“…”

Just tell me

“Touya?”

I can’t lose you again

“Y-yeah…?”

Let me save you

“Talk to me.”

At least a hint

~4~Thursday~4~

Today was a really weird day. Akito had spent the night at Touya’s. Was it because he was worried his partner would jump? Yes.

Was it because he loved Touya? Also yes.

Was he trying to figure out what’s going on? Of course.

Is he in the right direction? Probably.

But it doesn’t matter in the end. He just wanted to make sure Touya was okay. During the entire night, Touya would wake up screaming, with absolute pure fear in his eyes. His voice was hoarse and he hurt himself… badly.

Akiyo brought him water, gently pushing the glass to Touya’s lips. He watched as his partner spilled some, but still took it gratefully. Akito brought more bandages, wrapping Touya’s wounds and covering his fingertips to prevent him from doing more damage.

This happened multiple times, but Touya’s cries eventually calmed. At this point, it was already morning and they had to go to school.

Before they went to their classes, Akito rested his hands on Touya’s shoulders with a serious expression. “When school is over, stay in your class. I’ll pick you up okay?”

Touya frowned. “Why?”

Akito sighed. “I don’t want something to happen to you, okay? Just… wait for me… please.”

So here they are, with Akito in his class and Touya in another classroom. Simply being at school did absolutely nothing to calm down Akito’s raging nerves. He was scared that something would still happen to Touya and he wouldn’t be there to save him.

But this had happened before, he already knew what would happen. Akito knew he was gonna run into Kamishiro.

Finally, the bell rang and they could go home. Akito rushed out of the classroom, but instead of trying to get to Touya as quickly as possible, he had a new goal.

Run into Kamishiro.

“Damn it…” Akito muttered under his breath, recovering fairly quickly as he pulled himself together and stood up. Akito turned to leave, knowing Kamishiro would grab his wrist to stop him. “Shinonome wait!”

Akito paused, turning back to pretend to glare back at him. “What is it?”

“Nene needs you to give Touya something.” Kamishiro rummaged through his bag before pulling out the keyboard button esc.

Perfect.

Akito stared at him with fake anger and disbelief. “The esc button? Why would Nene need to give Touya this?” Akito questioned.

Kamishiro frowned at his reaction. “Listen, I don’t know anything either. Nene just told me to give it to you to give to Touya. She said it was extremely important.”

Akito pretended to “calm down”. He snatched the button from Rui’s hand before putting it in his pocket. “I’ll get it to him.” And with that, he left.

“One more thing!” Akito froze for real. This didn’t happen before. He had to make it to Touya quickly, he had to get this over with first.

Turning towards Kamishiro, Akito gave him a real glare. “Yes?”

Kamishiro dug his nails into his skin as he spoke. “Be careful. It’s not a god, and it holds no real power over anyone. All it really wants is entertainment.”  And then he turned and walked away.

Akito was petrified. How did he know??

He had so many questions, but he knew standing here won’t do anything, so he hurriedly strolled to Touya’s classroom. When Akito finally made it to his classroom, Touya was there waiting for him.

Sighing in pure relief, Akito grabbed his hand. “Sorry for the wait, I ran into Kamishiro.” Touya simply nodded as the two walked out. His action made Touya blush, as it wasn’t something he ever did.

Akito stayed with Touya this time, knowing that if he didn’t do the right thing, Touya would drown during the night.

~5~Friday~5~

Akito decided that he was not gonna sleep a wink tonight. Touya insisted that he sleep, but upon realizing that the ginger won’t, he decided that he won’t either.

At first Akito rejected the idea, but he realized that Touya could potentially die in his sleep and Akito wouldn’t even know until way later. So, with a sigh, Akito reluctantly gave in.

The two stayed up chatting, listening to music, and… cuddling.

It was more than everything Akito wanted. He hadn’t expected the cuddling, but he was certainly not complaining.

So far so good. Everything was going well and for a while, Akito really thought things would end up okay. But of course, it wasn’t that easy, and unfortunately, Akito was unaware of how hard it would become.

Because suddenly the computer started to buzz, and the screen turned red. Akito stared at it, trying to decipher it while holding Touya tight in his arms. But Touya squirmed in his hold, trying to break free. Confused, Akito unintentionally let go of him, which was a big mistake.

Touya immediately shot up, his eyes rolled back and in a trance-like state. He started to walk to the sliding door that led to the balcony, but Akito quickly stopped him. “Touya! Don’t! Please stop!” He tried to articulate yet it only came out as a fumbled mess of words.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he picked Touya up, efficiently preventing his partner from getting out of the room. He was trying to get to the lake, and suddenly everything made sense.

Touya was being manipulated by that computer to drown himself in the lake.

Akito pinned Touya to the bed, using his weight to keep him down. He tried to recall Kamishiro’s words.

“It’s not a god, and it holds no real power over anyone. All it really wants is entertainment.”

Akito glanced back at the monitor, and he immediately felt like throwing up.

On the screen, was a crippled and distorted image of… Akito didn’t even know. It was horrifying and it petrified him with fear.

On the screen, it started to type itself.

I_

Am_

God_

Those three simple words made Akito choke and he wanted to get out of there. He wanted to take Touya in his arms and run far, far away.

The monitor started to type again.

I_

Love_

Fairytales_

Well that’s weird. Akito furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. That’s such a random thing to say in a situation like this. To say you like fairytales while someone’s best friend is being controlled to attempt suicide is hardly appropriate.

But the screen switched from showing that… creature to a distorted photo of what he could only assume was a fairytale.

There was a woman on the bed with three tiny fairies in the air around her. The bed was decorated beautifully with flowers. Next to her in a kneeling position was a man wearing princey stuff. He was a few inches away from kissing her.

Akito didn’t recognize the fairytale.

The moment the photo appeared, Touya stopped struggling, giving Akito relief but also concern and confusion.

My_

Favorite_

Fairytale_

…okay. Akito didn’t really get why this creature that killed Touya multiple times was talking about fairytales, especially right now. If it weren’t for the fact that Touya was still in danger, Akito might have found it funny.

Except now he was starting to put two and two together when he tried to wake Touya, but his partner didn’t wake up.

Turning back to the monitor, Akito started to beg. “Please!! Whatever you are, stop!! I’ll do anything! Please.” The creature only laughed at him, cackling at Akito’s pleading while it came back on the screen.

No_

Akito held Touya tightly in an embrace. “Why… why?”

I_

Want_

Entertainment_

Akito gritted his teeth. “Isn’t this enough entertainment?? Can’t you have some basic empathy or some mercy?!”

The thing laughed again, the photo of the sleeping woman and the prince reappearing.

You_

Have_

Five_

Days_

And with that, the computer turned off, and the all too familiar reset screen came back.

Reset?_

Yes?_             No?_

This time, Akito clicked no.

STARTING COUNTDOWN

~5~Saturday~5~

Akito lived pretty far away from Touya. If he had a car and could drive, then he’d be over in mere minutes. But when walking… dear god it takes forever. He had no idea how he could have run so far in such little time, but it was probably the adrenaline.

Right now he doesn't have a lot of adrenaline, so carrying Touya (bridal style) from his house all the way to the Shinonome household was a lot harder than one would think.

He was so tired that he gave up halfway through and just called Ena.

The phone rang a few times before she picked up. “What.”

Akito was panting, and he hoped she couldn’t hear it. “You can drive right?”

“Yeah? Why?”

“Can you come pick me up?”

Akito hated that he sounded like a fucking child, calling his mommy to come pick him up from a birthday party because he accidentally wetted himself. It was embarrassing.

“Ugh, fine. Where are you?”

“I’m at xxxxxxxx.”

“That’s not even that far, just walk.”

“I can’t. My hands are full and I’m tired Ena, please.”

She sighed in exasperation. “Alright, I’m on my way.” And then she hung up.

Akito was beyond grateful that she was coming to pick them up.

By the time she got there, Akito was sitting on the sidewalk with Touya in his arms. To say Ena was concerned would be an understatement. “What the FUCK happened to him Akito??” She demanded. This was the second time she saw Touya unconscious.

Akito opened the door and gently settled Touya on the seat before getting in himself, closing the door behind him. “I’ll explain when we get home.”

Ena gave him a death stare. “Uh no, your gonna explain right now or I’m taking Aoyagi back home or to the fucking hospital.”

Akito froze, realizing he actually had to explain it to his sister. “You won’t believe me.”

“Akito stop with the bullshit. Tell me now or I’m leaving you here.”

Akito sighed. “Okay fine. I’ll tell you everything.”

Honestly Akito didn’t know what he was expecting when he told Ena. He lowkey thought she was gonna call him crazy and hit upside his head.

Which she would have probably done if it weren’t for the fact that Touya was unconscious. She tried to wake him up, but he didn’t even move an inch. She was concerned.

Ena made eye contact with him. “You weren’t joking weren’t you.” Akito responded with a nod, and she let out a sigh of disbelief, running her hand through her hair.

“Well that’s no good. What do we do?”

Akito shrugs. “I don’t know.” Touya was now fast asleep in Akito’s bed, his expression calm and his breathing perfectly even.

Akito had rested Touya’s pillow beside him. It matched his aesthetic perfectly. Then, he carefully puts that CD into the radio and turns it on.

Ena watches with an unreadable expression as her little brother puts on Touya’s ring. It was silver, and beautifully decorated with cute stars and piano notes. It was such a small design, yet so intricate and elegant.

It matched Touya perfectly.

Akito watched Touya with sadness and a bit of frustration. He had watched the love of his life die three times. Watched wasn’t necessarily the right word. More like discovered through the news on his living room TV, but still.

He forgot that Ena forgot, but he knew she once knew. Three times.

“You love him, don’t you?” Ena asked, though the way she said it sounded more like a statement than a question.

You love him

And who was Akito to deny it.

~4~Sunday~4~

Akito only had four days to figure out this fairytale, and he was scared out of his mind. At this point, he was going crazy, more insane than Kamishiro.

He’d been researching like crazy trying to figure it out, but he just can’t. He’s tried everything.

Japanese fairy tales

Japanese fairytale woman and prince

Woman and prince

Fairy tale prince

Princess and man fairy tale

Honestly he might as well just give up. Akito drummed his fingers on the desk, trying to calm himself down. His mind drifted back to the creature thing.

What even was that thing? Was it one of those creepypasta horror nonsense? Well… since it was real, then he couldn’t call it nonsense. Especially after it tortured his partner and made him commit suicide three times and almost a fourth time.

Was it a virus? Some prank? But how does a bug on a computer cause so much trouble?

Akito stared at his own computer, remembering how the creature controlled Kusanagi through her phone.

That thing was everywhere and could appear anywhere it wanted to.

At this thought, Akito immediately shut off his computer. Looking nearby, he grabbed a towel and covered the monitor.

Great. What does he do now?

“Worrying your ass off won’t help Aoyagi you know.” His sister’s voice pulled his attention away from the monitor. “I know.” Was all he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. Akito didn’t budge from his spot beside Touya’s sleeping form.

Ena rolled her eyes, sitting down next to the two of them. “Go ask your friends then.” He gave her a look of confusion, which in turn she sighed irritably. “You know… those girls you sing with and her dad… at that diner place.”

Akito looked away, staring at Touya. “But I can’t leave him here.”

Ena patted his back, which wasn’t something she often did. Like ever. “I’ll be here. I’ll take care of him while you go.” He gave her a look of both disbelief and unbelief. “But what if—“

“I’ll call you every ten minutes. If I don’t, assume the worst.” Ena interrupted him, trying to convince him, though she didn’t care for Aoyagi as much as Akito did, she still loved both of them.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Akito smiled at her in relief.

Ena smirked.

“I'm not that keen on being an auntie, but you know, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.”

“Excuse me???”

“You're excused. Now go.”

Which is how Akito got here, standing in front of the Weekend Garage despite it being a Sunday. As a Vivid BAD SQUAD member, of course Ken would let him in.

And of course Ken’s daughter, An would be here.

With her girlfriend, Kohane.

Of course.

Akito knocked on the door four times, and it swung open to reveal An. “Wassup!! Haven’t seen you in a while.” She stepped aside to let him in. “Where have you and Aoyagi been? You guys didn’t even answer my texts!”

She berated him as Akito flopped onto their sofa. “It’s… been a long week.”

More like a long month. Repeating the same week four times definitely took a toll on him.

An gave him a glare. “Uh huh.”

That’s when Ken walked into the area. “Ah, Shinonome. I didn’t see ya here.”

Akito simply shrugged. “I need help.”

Ken raised an eyebrow. “With what?”

A light tint of pink dusted Akito’s cheeks. It was a bit embarrassing to say you wanted to learn about some kids' fairy tale.

Seeing Akito’s blush, Kohane chimed in. “Is it about Aoyagi?”

Akito’s blush deepened at Kohane’s comment. He honestly forgot she was here. “No! Well technically yeah- wait no! It’s not!! It’s not!! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!!” Akito yelled at An, who was giving him the cruelest smirk ever.

How badly he wanted to slap that grin off her face, but he needed their help.

Sighing, Akito sat up properly on the sofa. “I… My sister wanted to learn about kids fairy tales but I don’t know which one she was talking about. She said if I found out for her she’d get me cheesecake…”

An’s smirk fell, turning into one of boredom and ‘bruh’. He knew she was expecting tea and romance between Akito and Touya, not his older sister wanting to learn about a specific fairy tale.

An sighed. “Sure, I can help but if it’s western then you're on your own buddy.”

Kohane sat down a foot away from Akito. “Can you describe it?”

Akito nodded. “It’s uh… this lady on a bed and she’s asleep I guess.”

Ken gave him a look of confusion.

The ginger continued despite being embarrassed. He was doing this for Touya. “And… there’s a prince beside her… about to kiss her.”

An’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah I dunno buddy.” Kohane shook her head. “I don’t know either, sorry Shinonome.”

Akito only sighed, shrugging. “It’s cool, I guess.”

“It’s western.” Ken commented, and hope blossomed in Akito’s stomach. It wasn’t much, but this entire time Akito was searching up Japanese fairy tales, so of course he wouldn’t find anything about the Western fairy tales!!

“Do you know which one?!” He asked with a bit of excitement. But Ken only shook his head. “Sorry to say but I don’t know. I know you really like cheesecake, if you’d like I can make you some.”

Akito waved off his offer. “No it’s okay Ken. It’s not that big of a deal.”

But it is

“You should ask one of the theatre kids. They probably know.” Kohane suggested, in which Akito raised an eyebrow at her. “Like who?”

“Tenma or Kamishiro. Or even that girl they’re always with. I don’t know her name. Oh!! Ootori knows too, though she goes to Miyamasuzaka High School.”

The girl she was talking about was for sure Kusanagi. He’d ask her tomorrow at school.

“Thanks Azusawa.” Akito said, and Kohane nodded, happy she could help.

~3~Monday~3~

Leaving Touya was already too much when he left to Weekend Garage, but for an entire school day?!

It was a miracle Ena could convince him.

Akito begrudgingly forced his feet to keep moving forward towards his school. He felt a strong temptation to turn around and stay with Touya, but he had no choice. He had to ask Kusanagi about the fairy tale, and while he’s at it, ask her about that creature.

Akito found her during lunch. She was alone, which wasn’t that out of character for her. He approached her. Nene only gave him an unreadable look, which Akito didn’t know if he felt surprised or not.

On one hand, she’s usually afraid of him, but ever since he told her about the RESETTING, she seemed less afraid OF him and more scared FOR him.

“Kusanagi-“

“Nene.”

Akito blinked at her. “Huh?”

“Nene.” She muttered. “Just call me Nene. We both know about RESET, so there’s really no need for formalities.”

The more he thought about, the more her words made sense. So he just shrugged and went along with it. “Then call me Akito.”

She nodded.

Akito sat down across from her. “Listen… I need help.” Nene bit her lip, listening. “Touya won’t wake up.”

She froze. “What do you mean?”

“The creature… said it liked fairy tales. Touya went unconscious after that and I can’t wake him up, but he’s still alive.” Akito explained, worry laced into his voice.

Nene put a hand to her forehead. “It happened to me.”

The ginger raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

Nene sighed. “Me and Touya are gaming friends, so sometimes we play video games together. We decided to check out this horror game…

Turns out it was a real analog horror. You know, like those creepypasta myths except it was real. It tormented us, even in our sleep. My computer stopped working and that thing stole Touya’s esc button.”

Akito’s eyes widened at the mention of that esc button. “The esc button… you gave it to Kamishiro to give to Touya but he couldn’t find him, so he gave it to me to give to Touya.”

Nene gave him a puzzled look, and Akito realized that she doesn’t remember the past weeks of the time loop. “I gave it to Kamishiro to give to you.” The ginger sighed. “Yeah, but not the first three times.”

The greenette hummed at the new information. “I see. Well, Touya and I were being tormented, and it even came out of the monitor screens of my TV.” Nene held out her arm, pulling up her sleeves and revealing horrible claw marks.

Akito was horrified.

“I know for a fact Touya went through this too. I finally managed to escape through the help of Rui and Ichika.”

Akito’s hands were trembling a bit, but Nene continued despite noticing. “We had to reenact Hansel and Gretel, and when we did, it finally left me alone.”

Nene looked around before getting closer to Akito and whispering. “This entity only wants entertainment, which is why it allowed you to reset all those times. But when you clicked the esc button, you regained all your memories.”

Akito’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

“Because you stopped the time loop. You can’t stop RESETTING if you have no memories. That’s how it works. This entity thing didn’t mean for you to escape, but it still wants to be entertained. Rui isn’t here today, but he knows the most about Western fairy tales.”

When Akito finally got home, he quite literally stuck himself to Touya’s side, clutching his hand like there was no tomorrow.

~2~Tuesday~2~

Once again, Akito had to leave Touya in Ena's care while he left for school. He needed to find Kamishiro immediately and get the information he needed about this fairy tale.

If it were Tenma, Akito would rather die. And he still would since it’s Kamishiro, but Touya’s life is in danger, and Kamishiro saved Nene, so if anything, Akito was glad it was Kamishiro.

The walk to school couldn’t have been any longer. And now that he’s here, he has to find that purple haired twink quickly.

Which was easier said than done seeing as how Kamishiro skips classes, is always late, and sometimes just leaves school randomly. Oh not to mention that he gets in trouble a lot and always spends his time in detention.

So unfortunately, Akito had to go through the entire day searching and searching for Kamishiro, only to fail terribly.

Giving up his pride, Akito finally went to Tenma to ask him about Kamishiro’s whereabouts.

“Huh? HELLO SHINONOME!!!!!” Tenma yelled. Akito absolutely despised how fucking loud the blonde was. Tenma was smiling like the idiot he was, his fists on his hips as he continued to yell.

“Can you be quiet for just a second?” Akito gritted his teeth, physically stopping himself from walking away (and maybe punching the blondie).

Tenma grinned at him. “Of course!!”

Sighing, Akito pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can you tell me where Kamishiro is? I’ve been searching for him for like- the entire day.”

Tenma nodded, a bit surprised. “The entire day?! Well, he didn’t explode anything today, which means he was on the rooftop.”

Akito froze.

The rooftop?

You mean he searched the ENTIRE school just to realize that the one place he didn’t check was where Kamishiro was????

Storming up the stairs and practically ignoring Tenma, Akito slammed the doors open. He took a step forward and he felt the wind blow through his face. It was a bit relaxing, he’ll admit, but right now, he has something important to do.

Scanning the area, Akito’s eyes landed on the sleeping form of Kamishiro. He was snuggled up on the ground, fucking napping. Honestly Akito wanted to throw a bucket of water on him and then dump him in mud.

Akito approached the cat, kneeling in front of him and shaking him awake. “Huh?” Kamishiro groggily asked, rubbing the palm of his hands against his eyes.

Like a cat.

“Kamishiro, I need your help.”

“Ah! Shinonome! What do you need help with?

“The entity wants me to reenact a fairy tale with Touya, but I don’t know which one!!”

Kamishiro was wide awake the second Akito mentioned the entity.

~1~Wednesday~1~

Now that Akito knows (a bit too much now) about Sleeping Beauty, all he needs to do is kiss him. Which… was a lot harder than it sounds now that he’s right next to Touya’s unconscious form.

It was simple. Just kiss him.

Lock lips together.

Kiss him.

But… Akito wanted their first kiss to be more… consensual. It wasn’t like Akito was gonna do more. But… kissing Touya while he was asleep felt… weird.

But he knew he had to do this. He had no idea what would happen if he couldn’t kiss Touya before the countdown ended, and he really didn’t want to find out.

Plus, he gets to kiss Touya.

Oh how he wished it was that easy.

Taking a deep breath, Akito forced himself to get closer to Touya before the two locked lips and honestly, it was the best thing Akito had ever felt.

He’s not gonna say that Touya tasted like strawberries or anything, because he didn’t. But his lips were so warm and Akito felt himself become addicted.

There was only one problem.

Touya wasn’t waking up. He was supposed to wake up, right?? That’s what happened in the fairy tale. The prince kissed Aurora and she woke up. Why wasn’t Touya waking up?! Isn’t this what the creature was talking about?

No… the creature wanted entertainment from its favorite fairy tale.

Akito had to kiss Touya in front of it. Had to reenact Sleeping Beauty in front of it.

He had to go back.

Akito was relieved that Ena agreed to drive him to Touya’s house. As he got out of the car, he realized he had to go through the front door.

With an unconscious Touya in his arms.

And his father at home.

Taking a deep breath, Akito knew he had no other choice but to walk in. So he approached the door, looking back to see Ena in the driver’s seat, giving him a thumbs up.

Sighing, Akito opened the door and he silently strolled in.

He let out a gasp as his eyes landed on Harumichi, limp on the floor. Akito quickly laid Touya down on his couch before checking the old man’s pulse.

Alive

“Oh thank god.” Akito didn’t really like Harumichi. He was a jerk and had emotionally hurt Touya, but damn it if Akito didn’t have basic human empathy, especially for some old guy.

The TV turns on, and it scared the daylights out of Akito.

The creature was there on screen again.

Hello_

Akito gritted his teeth at the piercing voice of the thing. “What did you do to him?”

I_

Put_

Him_

To_

Sleep_

Akito’s breathing quickened. “Will he wake up?”

After_

The ginger knew what the creature was referring to. “After”. After Akito had entertained him by reenacting Sleeping Beauty. Honestly, how childish could an analog horror entity get??

But it honestly doesn’t matter. Akito had to save Touya and if it meant kissing him, then who was he to just outright refuse?

So Akito nodded, shakily picking up Touya. The action was something he had gone accustomed to. Holding his partner in his arms was far too familiar now, and Akito didn’t know if he could say he was grateful to this entity or not.

Akito brought him to the empty bedroom, setting him down gently on his bed. Touya was so beautiful, his locks of blue hair gleamed in the artificial light, though Akito couldn’t tell if it was because his hair was greasy from not showering at all or because it’s just naturally lustful.

No… didn’t Ena tell him that she washed his hair at some point? Something about feeling icky or whatever.

Akito didn’t care about that right now.

This entire week was somehow 10x more stressful than the past million times of repeating in a time loop. Akito had to feed Touya carefully, he was scared out of his mind that he would accidentally choke him. Water wasn’t much better.

Akito stared at Touya’s lips. The beauty standard here in Japan was plump, cherry red lips. Touya’s lips weren’t plump, and they certainly weren’t naturally cherry red. But they complimented his face perfectly, and Akito wouldn’t be surprised if the beauty standard changed to conform to Touya rather than the other way.

Akito felt the entity’s eyes burning on his back, and he knew he had to hurry up.

So with a deep breath, Akito closed the distance between him and Touya and kissed him.

Him. His partner. His partner.

He would be lying if he said time didn’t slow down, and he forgot about the entity’s entire existence as he continued to kiss Touya.

He didn’t notice at all that entity disappeared from the computer.

~•~Thursday~•~

An’s words rang in his head, repeating over and over.

“You should tell him soon.”

Akito was a bit afraid. He didn’t want to accidentally ruin what they already had over some dumb feelings.

But… then he thought back to the RESET, back when he lost Touya not once, but three times. It was a miracle he could reset, though it was kind of a curse that Touya was suffering in the first place.

Akito didn’t want to lose him again. And even though he already saved him, the very thought of never having him in the first place was terrifying.

He already kissed him… twice. They cuddled too. Honestly, he should just let go of what was holding him back.

And that’s what he did.

Strolling around, wandering through the SEKAI, Akito pulled Touya through the endless streets. His hand was so warm and so alive. It made him feel so happy and relieved that he had saved him.

Akito slowed to stop, turning around to face Touya. For a few seconds, all Akito did was just stare. Staring at his beautiful features. That cute mole underneath his left eye, his beautiful skin, his gorgeous grey eyes, and his pretty smile.

He was all Akito could have ever asked for.

“Touya…” Akito couldn’t even find the right words, but he soon realized he didn’t need to as Touya pulled him into a kiss.

And right now, Akito couldn’t have asked for anything more.