Archive of Our Own

Shinonome Akito had admittedly never been one for parties. Or at least, not the super loud, crowded, alcohol-filled kind you'd see on television in some crappy teen drama.

Despite the fact he appeared extroverted from an outside perspective, to anyone observing— Even made an extra effort to really push that 'good guy' image most of the time with people he didn't know very well— Akito was definitely an introvert, through and through.

His social battery was sapped a lot quicker than he ever made it seem like to those around him, there in authenticity one moment and very suddenly gone the next. It drained easily even around the people he was closest to, but he'd long since learned to work through it for the sake of not causing any trouble. It just wasn't fun.

So yeah, the thought of a full-blown rager was not particularly attractive to him. 

It was a little strange, 'cause singing was his devoted passion, and he loved going to events at live houses on the regular, where it was all loud and crowded and shit, anyway.

He also, not so secretly, enjoyed and felt grateful for the little after-parties he and the others in his group would all sometimes have together after a particularly good event. 

It was stuff like that he could get behind. Maybe it was different since that sorta thing was more personal to him, and therefore he felt comfortable in those spaces. Even if his social battery did drain, it wasn't like Toya or anyone else minded. They knew how he really was. Most of him, at least.

Regardless, the hypothetical 'ragers' in question weren't very heard of within his circle, or even at all in the first place, for obvious reasons. Underage drinking wasn't exactly acceptable where he lived, and that was the whole idea with those parties, right? So, wrapping up the thought, he'd never felt the need to worry about it.

Summer, in all its glory, greeted Akito immediately after pushing out through the doors of Kamiyama High. He'd never minded the heat so much as the humidity, but didn't have it in him to complain much, knowing it'd only get hotter with each passing day. If he spent all his time complaining about the heat, he'd be medicated.

School was releasing for break, finally, and Akito was nothing but ready to work even harder for his group's next event without the looming shadow of schoolwork beating his ass, god forbid. Right now, admittedly, he wanted to get home as soon as possible and crash onto his bed. It'd been a long last day.

Unfortunately, that train of thought was spoiled; It was about to get much longer for him, because that was when he heard it.

That voice. Loud, obnoxious, possibly deafening.

Akito wondered if it was obvious how quickly his expression fell to everyone around him dispersing out the exit doors of the school, but luckily it couldn't be seen by the person who was actually tapping him on the shoulder from behind.

"...Well, if it isn't Akito!" 

Akito flinched as his name was spoken aloud, and then turned around painfully slow. Sure enough, it was exactly who he'd thought. Nobody else had that sort of presence, for starters.

"Tsukasa-senpai," Akito feigned a small smile, trying his best to keep cool, "Uh, you need something?" This was a prime example of his social battery needing to recharge, but nope, not yet. He was being held up, story of his damn life at this point.

It wasn't that Akito hated Tsukasa, even if he acted like it, sometimes. Akito really didn't hate Tsukasa at all. They were just... considerably different from each other, to keep it brief.

On one hand, Tsukasa always stood out, for better or worse. Akito easily noticed that. On the other hand, Akito didn't much appreciate being dragged into his spotlight— He preferred being on the opposite end, teasing Tsukasa. All in good fun.

He liked Tsukasa enough, or else he probably would've walked away at this moment without any hesitation. He liked Tsukasa, but would never admit it. Liking someone didn't magically make him an extrovert, either.

Tsukasa smiled brightly when Akito spun around to face him, and he was almost blinded to the point he barely processed the flyer being shoved lightly against his chest. "Aha! How wonderful you asked," Akito wondered silently if it was really all that wonderful, "I'm throwing an end-of-school party. Flashy, like something you'd see in one of those high-budget teen dramas on television!"

Tsukasa took a breath after the loud mouthful. "Tomorrow night. I'd love for you, my wonderful junior, to be there."

'Oh', was Akito's first thought, the idea of Tsukasa attempting to throw a rager almost so stupid it was amusing. And then, again, 'Damn it.'

Akito was fucked, wasn't he? Even if he consistently acted all annoyed around Tsukasa, one thing always remained the same between the two of them: Akito could never find it in himself to say no to his requests. He didn't know why, and it was funny, 'cause he never had a problem saying no to An or Mizuki's several ridiculous ideas when they cropped up, or, well, anyone else, really.

But...

He liked Tsukasa enough, right?

Tsukasa seemed to notice Akito's reluctance, and waved his hands in front of him quickly. "Ah, no need to put so much thought into it! I know your practice is important to you, so it's understandable if you're busy..." Tsukasa's voice was softer now as he trailed off, and it made Akito's chest feel a little weird, for a reason he couldn't quite place.

It irked him.

"Er... Where's this party even coming from?" Akito tried to ask as kindly as possible, his voice betraying him. "I mean, you're busy with your troupe stuff, too, right? And, uh..."

Tsukasa blinked, waiting for Akito to end his question before giving an answer. Akito was going to say, 'And those sorts of parties are only in those stupid teen dramas because they're a bad idea, reckless, most of the time illegal, and a huge mess. You know that, right?' But he decided against it, for... Well, for Tsukasa's sake.

When Akito never ended up continuing, Tsukasa only nodded, as if he'd read Akito's mind, but somehow didn't mind that he was kinda rude up there. 

"Well, yes... I can see it raising some concerns. However, I am simply throwing this party as a means to allow everyone a relaxing break!" He sounded much more level-headed than Akito was used to now. Responsible, almost a little serious. "Also, It's been on Saki's list of things she wanted to do after getting out of the hospital."

Tsukasa's smile grew warmer upon mentioning his younger sister, and Akito also felt warmer. He blamed it on the heat. If Akito could give Tsukasa one thing, it was that he was a ridiculously caring person when it counted.

"And I assure you, I am taking many safety precautions," Tsukasa took a pause as if not fully done with what he was saying, and thinking up how he should phrase what he said next, "It won't be exactly like the ones on television, of course, haha... A more PG version of that. No alcohol! Just music and games." 

Akito was sure his face turned red at the clarification. Some part of him, for some reason, wanted to assume Tsukasa was really just a completely oblivious, innocent mess who wouldn't think those details through. Like it'd never even have crossed his mind in the first place. Akito would've been the one to talk him out of such a nonsensical idea, and then he wouldn't have had to worry about turning him down at all.

That train of thought was stupid, for sure. Tsukasa wasn't an idiot, and he was decidedly responsible with stuff like this, Akito noticed.

Akito glanced off to the side, giving in. "I guess that makes sense... 'Kay. I'll be there."

The words were mumbled, but bluntly left him, like there was zero hesitation left in his mind at all. Even if he badly wanted to say there was, he begrudgingly knew that he was always going to agree from the beginning. 

His heart pounded for some god-forsaken reason now, and it really pissed him off. He should've just said no, gone home already to cool down, and shot Toya a text for their next practice. Maybe even visited SEKAI while he was at it, to try the new Summer menu Meiko had been working on.

Tsukasa didn't seem to notice Akito's embarrassment this time. He only looked appreciative. "Yeah? You will?"

"Yeah..." Akito mumbled weakly once more, "Why not."

Akito could think up a lot of reasons, 'why not', but he also thought he could see those stupid little tears in the corners of Tsukasa's eyes that always appeared when he was dramatically grateful for something, and that was just too much. 

"Great...! I have a lot of work to do, then! Will you let Toya know for me, too?" Without another word, he patted Akito's shoulder and ran off. Geez, this guy...

Great. Fantastic, really.

"Y'know, it's kinda exciting! And I hear Tenma-senpai's house is pretty big, too." An grinned wide, leaning forward on the park bench she and Kohane were resting on, almost taunting. They'd been practicing for a couple hours already, and now that they were taking five, the discussion had circled around to the party.

Akito would've retorted that, yeah, it might've been loads exciting if his idea of a relaxing Summer Break was watching Tsukasa get filed a noise complaint by his neighbors— But Toya was right there beside him, and he always got that sad little puppy look whenever Akito teased about Tsukasa.

"It probably is," Akito decided on, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead and trying to seem like he didn't care in the slightest. "I'm only going 'cause Toya is. And now you two, I guess."

The lie wasn't obvious to anyone but himself, he hoped, but he added, "I guess Tsukasa-senpai asked nicely, too," When he saw Toya starting with his little frown. It disappeared quickly after.

An gave a quiet huff, tugging Kohane against her side and earning a small squeak from her. "Kohane's excited. Right, Kohane?"

"Oh, hehe... Yeah, I don't think I've ever been to a big party before," Kohane smiled nervously, leaning into An's side. "It could be a good new experience. Right, Shinonome-kun?"

Before Akito could give an answer himself, An snickered up at him, mimicking Kohane. "Riiight, Shinonome-kun~?"

Akito considered flipping An off after hearing the teasing sarcasm in her tone, but he instead shot a brief nod at Kohane. "Right... What about you, Toya?"

He already knew Toya's answer, it was a sure thing, but he felt the need to deflect attention from him because his face was getting all hot again thinking about Tsukasa and the stupid party.

"I'm excited to see what Tsukasa-senpai comes up with," Toya brightened up immediately, looking almost too happy about it, and then added, "I'm sure it'll be fun, Akito."

Akito nodded again, face scrunching up a little picturing Tsukasa trying to drag him into loud party games, and Toya being just as eager. The things he'd agree to...

He shook his head, snapping himself out of the thought and pulling an arm around Toya. "C'mon," He smiled a little finally, gesturing with his free hand for An and Kohane to get up, too. "Let's get back to practice. We can't slack just 'cause there's a party tonight."

Akito meant it, and they all practiced 'til their throats were close to being sore and heading home was warranted.

Instead of heading home directly after their practice ended, Akito headed over to SEKAI by himself. It wasn't like he needed advice or anything, but he still hadn't gotten a chance to try the new menu. This was his chance, and he probably wouldn't be eating much until the party later, anyway.

He pushed open the door to Crase Cafe, the bell ringing above drowned out by a harsh Summer breeze. Meiko was at her usual place behind the counter, cleaning, but other than that, only Len was enjoying a coffee at a nearby table.

"Hey, Akito!" Len looked up from his coffee after noticing him enter, waving Akito over to his table. He appeared carefree as ever.

Akito glanced over at Meiko first, wondering if he should order before sitting down with Len, but she shook her head knowingly before he could open his mouth. "I need a few more minutes to clean if you don't mind. I'll be over to take your order in a moment!"

Then, looking up for a brief moment with a smile, "It's good to see you, Akito."

Akito smiled back politely, settling down across from Len and turning his attention forward.

"Where's Rin?"

Len shrugged. "Out with Luka, I think. Wanted to go exploring, I told her I'd wait for her."

Akito casually nodded, but the motion was absentminded. Len kept talking after that, something about this new drink on the menu, and if Akito wanted to split it with him when Meiko came over to take his order. 

Halfway through the explanation, Akito was sorta spacing out, maybe, and the 'maybe' turned into a definite 'yeah', when Len pouted and snapped a finger in front of his face.

"Akito? Hey, are you listening to me?" Len didn't sound annoyed, just dejected. Akito felt kinda bad, and shook his head quickly, coming back to himself.

"Oh, uh... Yeah, I am. Sorry." He sounded almost delirious, not even sure why he was spacing out, really. His chest felt tight in a way that confused him.

Len didn't seem satisfied with the vague apology, leaning over the table with his arms crossed. "Something going on? I wanna know, maybe I can help!"

Akito shook his head again, waving a hand to brush Len off. "No," a flustered sigh left him, "It's nothing. Just a stupid party I gotta go to tonight."

Len's eyes sparkled at the word 'party', and Akito shoulda known, he'd be just like An about this.

"A party?" Len bounced a little in his seat, "What for?"

"Someone I go to school with is throwing it, as like... An end of school, 'PG-Rated rager.'" Akito looked off to the side, face heating up again. He was just annoyed thinking about it, that's all.

If Len noticed the way Akito was suddenly blushing, he didn't say anything. Len did, however, notice the distant expression on his face when he'd looked away. "Aw, why don't you seem excited? It sounds fun, right?"

Akito bristled. Fun. Yeah, everyone kept telling him that.

"Sure... 'S just not for me, dude. And the guy who's throwing it is kind of, um," He paused, about to tiptoe over his words before realizing Toya wasn't there to hear him, "He's kinda overwhelming. Loud, I mean, and he's always getting into some kind of trouble, it's kind of impressive sometimes, like—"

He stopped talking quickly, noticing the way Len's eyes had widened and Akito realized he'd just started rambling on and on about Tsukasa out of nowhere. The hell was going on with him?

"Wow, Akito, I've only ever seen you that fired up about singing before! And maybe pancakes."

"Shut up," Akito scoffed at Len's comment, "It's not like that. He's just annoying is all."

Len nodded, but he was practically leering at Akito now. "Yeah, sounds like it." 

If Meiko wasn't there to stop him, Akito probably would've reached over the table by now, and —

"Have fun at the party, Akito!" In perfect timing, the door to the cafe was pushed open to reveal Rin and Luka arriving back, and Len shot up from the table quickly, skipping over to them both.

Meiko took Akito's order after that, and he sat alone with his thoughts while enjoying the seasonal pancakes brought over for him.

Alright. Fun. That was going to be hard.

Exactly six o'clock. It wasn't quite dark outside, but the party was set to start in only an hour since Tsukasa was clearly unaware most parties — like the one he was currently attempting to hold — were held during ungodly hours of the night.

He probably thinks he has to be in bed by like, eight, Akito snorted to himself, imagining Tsukasa having the sleep schedule of an old man.

Nonetheless, Akito was ready and heading out the door moments later. Ena gave him a curious glance from the sofa, but he wasn't about to explain where he was off to and have yet another person teasing him. With that, he set off to the party.

He walked over and arrived alone, since Toya was apparently helping Tsukasa prepare it all, and his only other options were An, Kohane, and maybe Mizuki, if she decided to show. Mizuki would definitely tease him.

When he came to the front door of Tsukasa's house, he realized An was right. It was pretty big, and it begged the question of what his parents even did since Akito had never actually asked.

It seemed Tsukasa wasn't lying about it being a rager, despite the 'PG' rating he'd given it. There were a few cars outside, and Akito was already wincing from the sheer volume of the music and people talking inside.

He really hoped Tsukasa thought things through, because if he actually did end up receiving a noise complaint and his parents came home to a messy, crowded house, they probably wouldn't be all too happy with him.

Not that Akito was worried about him, or anything.

He finally knocked, fist hesitating for a split second before landing against the door. Honestly, Akito wasn't sure why he was knocking at all. At a party like this, he was probably meant to waltz right in, but some part of him felt... Awkward.

The door opened after one more knock, a little louder this time so it'd be heard over the music. When the door swung open, it was Saki who answered rather than Tsukasa.

"Ah, Saki-san," Akito greeted politely, his 'good-guy' facade making an appearance. He peeked over her shoulder, surveying the slight crowd. Even though it was pretty packed, It was still a smaller, more familiar crowd of people from their school. A baby rager, Akito supposed. 

"Could I come in?"

Saki smiled, looking absolutely overjoyed, and Akito realized quickly that Tsukasa throwing this party for her probably meant a great deal. Maybe he shouldn't have been so worked up over it.

"Of course! Come right on in!" Saki opened the door wider, and Akito came in less reluctantly than he'd knocked. It was louder inside, but he could handle it, at least for an hour or two.

"Onii-chan is in the kitchen, I think," Saki tapped her chin in thought, and after Akito said a quick thanks, she ran back off to wherever she was before letting Akito in. Probably with her friends.

Akito figured he should probably attempt to find Toya, or An and Kohane if they'd arrived already. It was hard to think very clearly though, and a few people had already bumped into him as if he was standing in the way, like some sort of obstacle. 

He for sure wasn't finding this much fun, which wasn't a great sign, since he'd just come through the door. Tsukasa had done a good job with the vision he was going for, Akito could admit that. He just didn't quite enjoy the vision himself.

Toya texted him only a second later, thank god, letting Akito know he'd seen him enter and he was with Mizuki, who did show up, apparently. 

Toya apologized for not being able to come over, but Akito texted back almost too fast that he'd catch up with him later. He wasn't exactly eager to have Mizuki snicker at him for coming to a party thrown by Tsukasa, of all people.

Yeah, no, he could wait 'til later to see Toya.

Toya also mentioned An and Kohane were, in fact, already here, so Akito brushed past a few people to get through to the next rooms over, looking for them.

He came across a few people playing the party games Tsukasa had promised, but Akito snorted just like earlier upon realizing Tsukasa was talking about board games, which he'd so kindly provided, Akito could guess. He really was like an old man.

Akito also came across a lot of people who seemed to think the same way about his board games, and had turned to playing their own games, like Truth or Dare, and silly stuff like that. When he finally spotted An and Kohane, he became quickly unimpressed at what they were doing. Or, well, what An had probably dragged Kohane into doing.

They were in a corner, seemingly having fun with a group of people Akito wasn't all that familiar with. They were playing Spin the Bottle of all games, and Akito could hear An saying something like, "Not Kohane! She's off limits!" While shielding her partner, as if Kohane were a fragile object instead of a human being.

An looked up and noticed Akito, locking eyes with him, but he didn't even give her a chance to open her mouth and ask him to join before mouthing a 'Nope, not doing that,' and heading swiftly off.

He nudged his way past a few more people, making his way toward the kitchen to get some water maybe— Except he'd forgotten that's where Saki said Tsukasa would be, and it was too late by the time he was already getting stopped by the devil in question and the circle of people he was in.

"Akito!" Tsukasa called over the music, watching Akito spin around. He sighed inaudibly. "You came! I'm glad."

Akito gave a quick nod, feeling sort of pressured by the group of people Tsukasa was with, who were staring up at him like he was meant to join them or something. The only other person he really recognized in the group was Rui, who was also a lot for his tastes.

"We're about to play a party game these guys taught me, if you'd like to join!" Tsukasa started, but frowned a bit in between. "I was hoping we'd get to play one of my board games together, though..."

Akito was so very tempted to roll his eyes upon hearing that, but a small smile was tugging at his lips, betraying him. He had just walked away from An and Kohane to get away from playing these stupid, embarrassing party games; He should've walked away right then, too. That was the thing, though, wasn't it?

He still, even at this moment, couldn't say no to Tsukasa. Just couldn't.

"Fine, I guess."

Tsukasa beamed up at him, making space a little too eagerly, and patting the new empty space beside him for Akito to sit down. 

"We're playing 'Seven Minutes in Heaven'," Tsukasa declared in a tone that was way too confident, and Akito physically felt himself ready to die upon realizing what he'd gotten himself into. "It should be an excellent way for us to bond, no?"

Akito wanted to laugh. "Uh, Tsukasa-senpai..."

On the inside, Akito was thinking something like, 'No, idiot, Seven Minutes in Heaven is just a stupid excuse for teenagers to make out in a dirty closet. Not the friendly icebreaker game you probably think it is.'

On the outside, however, Akito couldn't bring himself to wipe that stupidly endearing smile off Tsukasa's face. He had to play along now, unfortunately.

"...Nevermind. Who's first?"

His question was answered almost as quickly as it was asked, Tsukasa happily shoving a plastic soda bottle into his arms like the one An was using in her group. "You do the honors of going first, Akito! It's only fair you get to have fun, as my thanks for coming."

Was this going to be the fun everyone had been telling him about? No, he didn't really think so, but Tsukasa's smile kept getting to Akito recently, and now that he was noticing it, he wasn't sure what to do about it.

Instead of saying anything, Akito only grabbed the bottle weakly, giving a glance up to the others in the group. Nobody else was even really paying attention, even Rui had been conversing with someone else Akito didn't recognize during all this, yet he was still being made to play this embarrassing game.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided fuck it and spun the bottle. He'd just get the seven minutes over with as quickly as possible with whoever it landed on, and then stay a little longer before heading out of this party for good. He'd pretty much just arrived, and there was already little to nothing you could call social left in him.

The bottle spun for a few seconds, maybe a couple too long from how fast he'd accidentally spun it, but it slowly closed in on a target. Akito's heart dropped to his stomach, and he glanced up.

Tsukasa. It landed on Tsukasa, because of course it did, and now that tight feeling in Akito's chest from earlier was back, doubled, and making him feel a bit nauseous.

He silently wondered if it was too late for him to back out now since nobody was even watching the game in the first place, but Akito had a feeling it'd hurt Tsukasa's feelings a little if he just left, and he... didn't want that.

"Aha! I guess you're coming with me, then, Akito!" Tsukasa exclaimed far too loud and proud for Akito's own comfort, grabbing his hand and beginning to drag him toward a nearby closet. He couldn't have protested if he wanted to. Tsukasa's hand was warm in comparison to the cold-sweat feel of Akito's, and his heart most definitely skipped a beat at the contact, hadn't it? Goddammit.

Even though the group they'd supposedly been playing the game with in the first place weren't paying attention at all, whatsoever, Akito still felt the most embarrassed he maybe ever had been, being pulled off to what he was sure would be the longest, most excruciating seven minutes of his life.

"You'd think with a house as big as yours-" Akito took a heavy breath mid-sentence and squirmed, his back hitting the closet wall even though his legs were still practically tangled with Tsukasa's, "You'd think the closets would, y'know. Match."

Tsukasa frowned sympathetically as if he hadn't been the one to so eagerly drag a clumsy, stumbling Akito directly into the closet with zero hesitation. As if he hadn't immediately pressed inside, and then said with full confidence, 'Squeeze in, there's surely enough room for us both!'

"Well..." Tsukasa squirmed back a little himself, but he didn't seem all too bothered by the proximity. Meanwhile, Akito was plenty red in the face. "This is probably the smallest one, haha... However, it was the closest!"

How convenient. Akito felt claustrophobic in a sense, or at least that would explain away the pounding of his heart and sudden struggle to breathe properly. "I would've preferred you take your time to find a bigger one, but... Sure."

Akito was trying his hardest not to look at Tsukasa now, and the silence quickly filling the empty space was so thick and awkward, especially when their knees were knocking with every subtle movement, and he could hear Tsukasa's every breath. 

Unfortunately for Akito, Tsukasa quickly noticed his discomfort and tried, once again in vain, to make more room for the both of them. It was sort of endearing, watching him scramble in such a cramped space all just to try and make Akito comfortable.

"I'm sorry," The apology was quiet and genuine off Tsukasa's lips when he failed. It made Akito's head spin. "I didn't mean for you to be this uncomfortable, we can-"

"It's fine."

Akito cut him off abruptly and then took a deep breath. The more he sat there, with their limbs mostly tangled and Tsukasa's skin brushing his every so often, the more used to it Akito got.

Maybe he didn't mind it so much. He could do seven minutes, at least.

"Are you sure?"

Akito gave a small nod, shifting again, but this time he'd pressed a little closer. Whether it'd happened by accident or not, he wasn't sure himself. "Yeah. It's just a few more minutes, anyway, right?"

"Yeah," Tsukasa repeated after Akito, "Just a few more minutes...!"

If his brain hadn't utterly melted at this point, Akito could've been fully certain that Tsukasa almost sounded nervous, which was absurd when Akito thought he was the one panicking right now.

Akito's brain had definitely melted though, and so he might've imagined the whole thing about Tsukasa also, for some reason, being nervous. He did seem quieter than usual, though, despite him being the one who was all excited to play this game in the first place.

"S-So," Tsukasa stammered out finally, "This is... Seven Minutes in Heaven?"

Akito finally did roll his eyes, but hoped Tsukasa didn't see. "I mean, yeah?" The confirmation came out harsher than he'd expected, so he attempted to amend it with a joke. "You have some sort of burning question to ask me while we're in here? To 'bond', as you put it."

Tsukasa's face dusted light pink at the joke, and Akito looked back at him with perfect timing to catch the color gracing his face. A smile played at his lips, and his chest felt lighter than it did earlier; like his social battery was recharged, but only 'cause Tsukasa didn't seem so overbearing to be around anymore, whyever that was.

"U-Uh, not really, I didn't quite think it through this far, haha..." Tsukasa laughed sheepishly, rather than in his usual eccentric tone.

"Didn't think you did," Akito teased, but his voice came out softer than he'd meant for it to, and now he was belatedly starting to realize that maybe his heart was beating so irregularly for a reason other than claustrophobia.

When Tsukasa's face turned a deeper shade of pink at Akito's teasing, it was more than confirmed. Shit, had he been totally crushing on this loud-mouthed loser the entire time? Was it crazy obvious to everyone around him? Why the hell was he even...

Akito had fallen silent, not really focusing on the fact Tsukasa was probably sitting there waiting for the silence to be broken again, and more focused on the fact he was full-on stuck in a cramped ass closet with him having this epiphany.

Realizing that he maybe — No, definitely — had it bad for him.

"Akito! Still there?" Tsukasa's voice grew loud again, snapping Akito right out of his thoughts.

"Y...Yeah," Akito sounded breathless at this point, and now he was definitely pressing closer subconsciously. "I'm, um, here. I'm fine." He said he was fine, but his stomach was doing flips, which was really stupid in hindsight. It made him feel like some lovesick teenage girl with a crush.

That's sort of what he was, though. He didn't even have it in him to feel upset at the revelation, because none of this was like him, at all, and the absurdity was overpowering his will to care much about what he was doing.

Tsukasa's brows were knit together in a worried expression now as if he didn't believe Akito. He was trying to move back again when Akito pressed closer, as if the proximity wasn't allowed now, but damn it, Akito suddenly wished Tsukasa didn't care so much about his comfort anymore.

"Stay still," Akito used his elbow on the closet wall to push forward, hand pressing down behind Tsukasa's head to keep him in place. He didn't know what the hell he was doing, but their faces were so close together now Akito couldn't exactly take the time to think about it. The words had just left him, before he could try and take them back.

"Wha-"

Akito shook his head before Tsukasa could get the question out. If he tried to answer anything Tsukasa asked right now, he was sure he'd say something even stupider than what he was doing. How, pray tell, did he even end up in a situation like this?

Instead of pondering, Akito lowered his voice. "Is this... okay?" His eyes drifted, unmistakably to Tsukasa's lips, seeking permission. What was wrong with him, truly...

"Yes," Tsukasa's answer came quicker than expected, albeit sounding even more breathless than Akito had, "Yes, this is, um... This is fine, this is good, I—!"

Akito couldn't be blamed anymore. This absolute idiot, going on and on with his nervous rambling, even when Akito was so close his breath could be felt directly against his skin; This idiot was really, foolishly endearing. 

Akito couldn't be blamed at all if he'd cut Tsukasa off again for the umpteenth time tonight, lips locking impatiently with his.

It was sudden, but it felt good, so good.

There was a small noise when their lips first met. Akito wasn't sure if it'd come from him or Tsukasa, but it gave him butterflies, and he was too focused on finding a rhythm between chaste kisses.

Their lips moved together in a clumsy sort of sync, inexperienced but satisfying. Akito sighed lowly when Tsukasa nipped tentatively at his lower lip, and Akito's lips parted on instinct.

It was absurdly uncomfortable, the position they were in, and the closet felt infinitely more cramped with their bodies practically crushed together now, but it seemed neither could find it in them to care. 

The seven minutes were, without a doubt, long since over. It was a sure thing, but now that Akito was in here, kissing Tsukasa, and he was kissing back, he was committed. He didn't want to stop, really didn't. Not if he didn't have to.

They parted every few seconds to take a quick breath between kisses, Akito murmuring a small, 'Quit squirming,' and Tsukasa pouting back a whimpered, 'I'm trying my best!'

Akito could still vaguely hear the party outside, but it was now drowned out by the sound of both his and Tsukasa's heartbeats. He felt calm, so calm, and he'd certainly beat himself up over this later, but for now...

. . .

"Heyy, Rui told me to come get ya guys—!" The closet door pulled open. Mizuki's voice rang out for a split second before she quickly cut herself off, seeing what was going on inside the closet. She took a double take, and then, "—Oh." 

Akito pushed off of Tsukasa after that, maybe a little too harshly, but it was already too late, 'cause Mizuki had already shut the door and taken her leave. And she had definitely just seen how Akito was practically melted together with Tsukasa, and their lips were two seconds away from slotting again.

"A-Akito, I..." Tsukasa's face was entirely flush, and his hair was all messed up now from the way Akito had pressed him into the closet wall. Akito probably looked just as disheveled right now, and suddenly he was feeling a little sick and confused about everything that just happened.

"I gotta, uh-" Akito's eyes darted around the small space frantically, legs feeling like jelly when he pushed the closet door open and stood up to stumble out from it, "I gotta go."

He didn't give Tsukasa an opening to try and stop him, or call out for him before he was striding quickly past the dispersing crowds of people. A lot of others had gone home already, and now it looked more like a party for just a few close friends. It hadn't been very long at all, but it didn't seem too many people were too keen on the idea of getting in trouble.

Akito spotted An, Kohane, and Toya laughing about something together in a corner on his way out, but he had to go before Mizuki spotted him, teased him to hell and back, and made him explain whatever the hell was going on back there. He couldn't do that right now, because even he didn't know.

With all the confusing shit swirling in his mind, and the taste of Tsukasa's lips on his starting to linger, he headed out on his own.

Akito didn't talk to anyone about what happened the next day. 

When he'd arrived home that night, Ena was awake and watching some idol program on TV. Her friend was supposed to be on with her new idol group, and Akito might've subtly stopped to watch a little on another night even if he'd never admit to enjoying that kind of stuff, but this time he breezed right past. 

"Hey, Akito! Airi's on right now," Ena called after him, probably noticing he looked like the entire world just crashed around him when really, he was just confused over something incredibly, incredibly, stupid.

"Don't," He called back at her attempt to see what was going on with him, his voice echoing out weaker than he would've liked. "I'm goin' to sleep."

He headed up to his room after that, not saying a word. Ena meant well, sure, but all he wanted to do was sink the fuck into his bed and scream into a pillow. 

He did exactly that and fell asleep with the pillow still smothering his face. Maybe it'd suffocate him in his sleep, and he wouldn't have to worry about the fact he'd just made out in a cramped closet with the guy he claimed annoyed the hell out of him daily, and proceeded to get walked in on by the one person who'd never let him live it down more than An. God, he really hoped Mizuki didn't end up telling Ena, 'cause then he'd really be in for it.

He wouldn't have to worry about the fact he had a genuine crush on Tsukasa, either, if he suffocated. No amount of confusing feelings covered up the fact he wanted to kiss him at that moment, and honestly still did. 

Tsukasa was probably thinking the exact opposite, and Akito wished he hadn't gotten all pushy, because he'd definitely messed up. Even if Tsukasa had kissed him back, it was probably only for the fact there wasn't room to do much else. Or, maybe, he felt bad for Akito and was too nice to tell him off.

Both options sucked. Akito fell asleep like this, thinking about just how much it sucked. And when Akito woke up the next morning, it still sucked, because it was Summer Break anyway, and Tsukasa would probably avoid him like the plague since they weren't forced to see each other at school.

Akito spent the rest of the next day trying to put it all out of his mind. He hadn't been so worried before all of it happened, right? It could've just been a fluke, or he could at least tell himself that to keep some of his sanity intact.

When Ena asked him in the morning if something had happened, he simply shook his head no. When he had practice with the others, it was a little more tricky than that.

"I didn't see you at all last night, dude," An grumbled a little, "Except that one time, and you didn't even really stop to say hi to me and Kohane."

"I didn't see you much either, but that may have been my fault for being so occupied." Toya tilted his head, tone apologetic as if it were his fault Akito had been doing god knows what with Tsukasa at his party last night. He couldn't say what really happened, though.

Akito sighed, shrinking down on the park bench himself this time. At least Mizuki didn't seem to have told anyone about what she saw. "I didn't stay for long. I told you, parties aren't really my thing," It wasn't a lie in the slightest, more of a half-truth. "Wasn't feeling that great."

He probably shouldn't have added that last part, because now all three were looking at him with these worried expressions, and he suddenly felt vulnerable. Fuck that.

"Quit looking at me like that."

"Um, Shinonome-kun," Kohane spoke up first and handed him a cold juice box, "We could call practice early if you're not feeling well?"

Akito took the juice box but didn't appreciate the offer, even if he knew Kohane meant well, just like Ena. He probably still looked like a mess.

Everyone always meant well, but Akito hated it. It felt too much like pity.

"I'm fine," He managed after taking a sip, standing up from the bench, "Let's keep going. I don't wanna talk about it."

So they kept going, and it ended up cutting short anyway, because An remembered an errand she had to run, and then Kohane said she'd go with, and Toya conveniently decided it was time for him to go, too. 

Akito hadn't told anyone about what had happened, but he sure as hell was thinking about it, non-stop, looping in his brain. All he wanted to do was talk to Tsukasa, really, see how much damage he'd done and if he could play it off as some kinda joke, but...

That seemed too far-fetched of a solution at this point.

Akito, on his way home from practice, stopped by this new cafe Ena had been talking about, just to take his mind off things. He figured Ena wouldn't care to pester him anymore if he brought home some cheesecake for them both to share and in turn, it was a welcome distraction.

Getting the cheesecake took longer than expected. There was a long line even though it was already late, since it was apparently a limited edition flavor for their opening. Akito usually would've felt too impatient for the wait to be worth it and left already, but the line seemed to breeze by for him this time around.

When he finally left the place, it was already darker than he'd thought, so he didn't make any more pitstops before heading home for real, this time. The cheesecake had little star patterns on the top, he subconsciously took note of the fact, and it somehow reminded him of Tsukasa— Wait, seriously, what was wrong with him?

Scrap that. He didn't want to think too long or hard about that question.

When he finally did get home, he was a sticky, sweaty mess. It was night, but still ungodly humid, and Akito was sure he looked just as much disheveled as he did the previous night when he came home.

Before he could go to unlock the door, he noticed it was already unlocked. Ena had probably just forgotten to lock it or something, he figured. Geez, wasn't he supposed to be the younger sibling?

It was empty inside, the television off and the lights mostly dimmed. Ena was probably still awake, but she wasn't downstairs tonight, which made sense; She often wasn't. He dropped the cheesecake on the kitchen counter for the next morning, heaving out a sigh of relief that he was finally home.

Akito trudged upstairs afterward, desperate to just collapse against his mattress after this long ass day, and hey, maybe the whole pillow suffocation thing would work out this time. You never know!

He didn't suspect anything was, well, off, until it was too late. Where was intuition when he needed it most?

It was when he turned the doorknob to his room, flicked the light switch on, and stepped inside that he froze, almost yelling out in surprise, because what the hell — Tsukasa, for some reason, was sitting in his bedroom, on his bed. Like he just belonged there. The nerve.

"Wh—" Akito started, very obviously startled and trying to process his presence, "What are you doing in my room? At night? On my bed?"

"A...Ah, I apologize!" Tsukasa waved his hands in front of him frantically, flinching himself upon seeing Akito enter, but did he even seem to realize how weird this looked? "Your sister let me in, earlier. She said I could wait for you, but, um, you were taking a while...?"

Tsukasa phrased the last bit as a question, as if asking Akito's permission to be all comfy waiting for him in his bed, even though he'd obviously already made himself at home.

Akito sighed, a pang of what he wished was annoyance, but felt more like affection rushing through him. "Uh... 'S fine, I guess. How long have you been waiting for, then?"

Tsukasa rubbed the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly. "An hour, maybe?"

An hour? Waiting for him? Seriously?

"And you were just sitting here, in the dark? Didn't even bother turning the lights on?"

Akito sighed exasperatedly, but his lips twitched upwards in a smile, anyway. Tsukasa was ridiculous.

"I— I didn't want to touch anything," Tsukasa mumbled, crossing his arms. When he pouted, it was sorta cute, Akito thought.

"Yeah, okay," Akito walked over, deciding he might as well sit beside Tsukasa on his bed while he was here, "That's not creepy of you at all."

Tsukasa looked deeply offended when the word 'creepy' left Akito's lips to describe him, but he couldn't exactly refute the logic. He made room for Akito next to him on his bed, but stayed close enough that their knees grazed.

Akito's stomach was all of a sudden doing those same flips as the night before, and god, it really needed to stop. Tsukasa was gonna let him down easy, right here and now, and he was gonna feel really stupid for everything he'd done. Everything he'd felt.

Tsukasa cleared his throat, breaking the deafening silence. It was overexaggerated, and Akito wanted to scold him for trying to wake up his entire house, but he held back to hear him out. 

"So, uh," Tsukasa fidgeted, looking at Akito very seriously, in contrast to his usual self. It was almost comedic.

"So," Akito repeated after him, trying to calm his own nerves, but his eyes were trained on Tsukasa's every movement, and the way his hand was close enough to hold.

"I... I'm sorry for not coming to see you sooner! It's my fault," Tsukasa choked his words out in one breath, a garbled mess, "I mean, ah, about the... The kiss."

The kiss. Akito's heart sank, because here Tsukasa was, apologizing in his bedroom as if he'd been the one to screw everything up so stupidly. He really was too caring for his own good, wasn't he?

To a fault, that's who Tsukasa was. Akito couldn't decide whether he hated or loved that about him, but he shook his head nonetheless. "No, don't apologize. It's definitely my fault," Akito pushed the words out, but they sounded strained to his ears. "You don't gotta... be all nice about it. I fucked up, it was just stupid—"

"—No!"

Tsukasa grabbed one of Akito's hands tight, causing him to choke on the rest of his words. Huh?

"I didn't want it to just be like, a mistake—! I don't want it to be. I just didn't want to scare you off, and then Akiyama walked in, and you ran away, and, I just, um..."

Tsukasa's voice was coming out more anxious than loud or coherent, like all his thoughts were bubbling straight from his brain out his mouth. Akito barely processed a single word at first, but when he did, he had his second realization of the week.

'Oh.'

'Tsukasa-senpai likes me back. In fact, he's probably even more pathetic about it than I am.'

'I've been worrying over nothing.'

"Geez," Akito finally muttered with some relief, squeezing Tsukasa's hand in his to try and get him to breathe or something, because he looked sort of winded after getting all that stuff out, "It's not like I could've blamed it on being drunk or anything."

Akito watched as Tsukasa blinked, all wide-eyed as if he didn't believe Akito wasn't pushing him away after all he'd said, even if Akito was the one who initiated everything to begin with. Did he really, seriously have a crush on this loser?

Without a doubt, he did. "I don't think it was a mistake," Akito added finally, his heart still racing, though more evenly now. He decided to keep quiet on asking if Mizuki had talked to him yet, so as not to ruin the moment.

Tsukasa's eyes softened after a moment of realizing Akito wasn't panicked or freaked out by everything he'd just said, and then he beamed, appearing a little proud of himself. "Haha, of course— Me neither! It really was smart of me to ban alcohol then, right?"

Akito snickered quietly at that because he was sure banning alcohol was a smart decision for very different, very separate reasons, but he kept the thought to himself. He'd hold back on teasing Tsukasa, just this once.

"Uh... yeah."

Tsukasa took another deep breath, tasting the words on his tongue. "So, you really don't think it was a mistake, then?"

Akito shook his head silently, but couldn't will himself to say more. His face was red despite him mostly calming down, and begrudgingly, he had to admit it was probably due to Tsukasa's thumb rubbing on the back of his hand, and the fact he was even with Akito in his room right now to begin with.

Tsukasa definitely had some kind of flustering effect on him, for better or worse.

"Okay, okay. Good!" Tsukasa took both of Akito's hands in his now, tripping over his next words in a mixed daze of relief and embarrassment, "...I like you, Akito. Very much so!" His words came out like he was trying to confess all bravely, but he was clearly trembling, and his palms were all sweaty. Akito kind of wanted to laugh, secretly finding it cute.

"So, I was... Just wondering if you felt the same. Or, I'm being silly, hah-"

Akito stared in disbelieving silence for another second — because wow, Tsukasa really was a pathetic mess for him apparently — before he was unable to take Tsukasa's embarrassed rambling any longer, and he leaned forward to land a chaste kiss upon his lips. Unlike the uncoordinated making out from the night before, this kiss was quick, sweet, and much less nerve-wracking.

"Quiet already." It effectively shut Tsukasa up. Akito would have to use this move more often.

Tsukasa didn't stay quiet for long though, 'cause his voice was raising several decibels, forgetting somehow that it was quite literally the middle of the night in his house. "You... Akito... You..."

Oh, god.

"YOU REALLY— YOU REALLY LIKE ME, THEN?!"

Akito winced, almost forgetting Tsukasa's voice could project that loud, and he heard Ena shout for them to be quiet through the wall only a second later. He was pretty sure the entire neighborhood heard the declaration of Akito's feelings, and not even from his own mouth.

He should've been annoyed, but he smiled anyway, a genuine one, and from the sound of Tsukasa's voice at that. That was a first. He liked Tsukasa more than enough.

"Yeah. Somethin' like that."

Tsukasa smiled back, and this time, Akito knew why he felt warm inside because of it.

Big, overcrowded parties like the one Tsukasa tried to throw still weren't Akito's thing, that was for certain. Even so, this one had been worth it.