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Deep breaths in. Deep breaths out.
That’s what Akira kept repeating to himself as he and Hirano got closer to his parents’ house. He had met Hirano’s mom once, back in high school, but this time it was more nerve-wracking to be here.
Never mind that he still couldn’t believe that Hirano had accepted to marry him. He wasn’t the type to just indulge whatever whim Kagiura wished for, much less of this magnitude. Hirano had accepted to marry him and he was serious about it. They even agreed that the first family they would go to visit would be Hirano’s.
And Hirano looked quite chill about it.
Surprisingly.
To Akira, at least.
“Hirano-san? Are we really doing this?” He was past mumbling, but he did not ask this with as much confidence as he was usually used to.
“Are you getting cold feet, Kagi-kun?”
“No, but… What are we even going to say?”
“That we are getting married, obviously.”
There were so many emotions swirling inside Akira’s heart. So many that he was getting a little dizzy. For starters, he was elated that Hirano wasn’t watering down his proposal. But there also was a small thorn on his side that was saying this was too good to be true.
He was fidgeting with the ring Hirano gifted to him and that was when it dawned on him.
He hadn’t given Hirano a ring yet.
But before he could turn around and worry about that, he noticed Hirano knocking on a door. When had they walked up the stairs to Hirano’s parents house?
“Taiga-chan, my dear! And Kagiura-san too! Come on in, you two,” Hirano’s mother ushered them inside as soon as she opened the door.
Akira had completely forgotten about the endearment term Hirano’s mom used for her son. It was pretty cute.
“Your father is almost done with the food, sit down. How have you been, Kagiura-san?”
“You won’t ask about me?” Hirano asked her playfully. He looked more comfortable this time around than back in high school.
“Oh c’mon. I talk with you every week over the phone, meanwhile I haven’t heard you mention anything about Kagiura-san in ten years.”
The conversation went by without any awkward silences. When Hirano’s father joined in with the food it continued, both Akira and Hirano took turns to talk about work and their life together, it even surprised Akira that Hirano had already talked about living together.
Their lunch even included dessert and Akira ate his in the blink of an eye which caused Hirano’s father to chuckle. That surprised Hirano’s mother too and she ended up laughing more.
“So, what is that you wanted to talk about, Taiga-chan?” Hirano’s mother asked once her giggles had died down a bit.
For some reason Akira felt his stomach sink. He was so nervous wondering about what exactly Hirano was going to say, about their reactions, and how Hirano might feel afterwards.
He had proposed but he didn’t think about this part for long enough. He wanted to fidget with the ring on his necklace but if he showed it off then that would put Hirano in a tough spot. But then…
“Kagi-kun and I are getting married. Not sure about the date yet, though.”
Three pairs of eyes turned around to look at Hirano with the same surprised expression.
“Wait, why are you surprised!?” Hirano turned to Kagiura when he noticed everyone was looking at him. His cheeks were deep red and suddenly he looked like a deer caught in highlights.
Hirano’s father composed himself first and asked, carefully. “Taiga, can you explain? Marriage?”
Hirano sighed and slumped a bit in his seat. Though brief, it seemed to give him enough reprieve to sit straighter again.
“Kagi-kun,” Hirano pointed to Akira, “and me,” he pointed to himself, “are going to get married. We haven’t chosen a date for a ceremony yet, though. There’s nothing more to explain.”
Akira did his best to keep himself from crying, but he couldn’t take his eyes away from Hirano to look at his parents' reactions. Hirano looked so sure of what he was saying, almost bold. Akira didn’t know what kind of relationship he had with his father but this seemed like one of those big moments in their relationship.
“We…” Hirano’s mother started and all eyes landed immediately on her. “We didn’t know you were even dating, Taiga-chan.” Akira then returned his gaze to Hirano’s face and he looked softer now. He could assume many things from this conversation alone.
Though… They weren’t dating.
Yes, they agreed to get married but they hadn’t even kissed, let alone consider each other as boyfriend.
And Hirano definitely thought the same thing.
“This was a really recent development, I’ll admit,” Hirano said, looking away from the table for a second. Akira heard him exhale softly and then returned his gaze to his mother. “I have some regrets from high school, things that cannot change or go back to how they were before. But I want this too.”
Akira could have cried right there and then because that was his first time hearing that. And he doubted any of that was a lie, considering Hirano seemed to have a soft spot for his mother.
He stood up and bowed to Hirano’s parents before speaking.
“I know this is sudden, but I promise to take good care of Taiga-san.”
When he stood up, Hirano’s mother looked really happy and even had some tears in her eyes. Hirano’s father looked as unreadable as before however.
“If you are worried about paperwork, we can get married legally. I even asked a friend who is a lawyer,” Hirano explained. Apparently he could read his father’s expression without issue because it cleared almost immediately.
“Good to hear.” He cleared his throat and directed his look to Akira next. “Kagiura-san, my son might be a little slow and dense but I am sure you mean a lot to him. I leave him in your capable hands.”
“Hey, what do you mean dense?” Hirano asked and everyone at the table laughed.
A few hours later, they were on their way back home with a couple more desserts from Hirano’s mom.
“Hirano-san?” Akira whispered once he closed the main door. Hirano hung his coat and looked at him, full attention on him.
“Hm?”
“Was it true what you said to your mother? About having regrets?”
Hirano only sighed and sat down in their living room and gestured to Akira to sit down too, and he did.
“I don’t want you to marry me if you feel a sense of guilt, if anything…” Akira started, maybe it was too late to have this conversation but it was going to kill him if they didn’t.
“Everything I told my mom is true. But my acceptance isn’t coming from guilt.” Hirano wasn’t looking at Akira, instead he was looking at some book on the coffee table. “I regret not being in touch for ten years. If I could go back in time and not assume I was bothering your path to go pro, I would.”
“Hirano-san…”
“But,” Hirano interrupted him before he could say anything. “I was thinking a lot too, y’know. These past weeks have been some of the best of my life. If you went and got married to someone else that would mean I would lose you. Maybe it is incredibly selfish to marry you just to keep you to myself but that’s why I accepted your proposal too.”
They stayed silent for a while, Hirano wasn’t looking at Akira at all but he knew the words he spoke were true, if the light tint to his cheeks was any indication.
Akira stood up and kneeled down in front of Hirano. He was feeling bold enough to hold both of his hands too.
“I’m serious about marrying you and I have been for the longest time. But also marrying you just to keep you all to myself is a notion I am not a stranger to.”
Hirano looked surprised at that for a second but as soon as it came, he started laughing too.
“Let’s get married to keep ourselves to each other only then.”
“That’s… the definition of marriage, Hirano-san.”
Akira tried to sound serious but Hirano was laughing so happily that it was contagious. It made him happy that they were on the same page about one thing.
“Does this mean we are officially dating?” Hirano suddenly asked while they walked all the way to the Kagiura family house.
Akira pondered for a minute. Hirano asking meant he was going along with Akira’s answer, probably. But he wanted Hirano’s opinion as well.
“Well, we are engaged. I think that is one step past dating,” was the answer Akira provided, which made Hirano chuckle.
“The 10 seconds arrangement is no longer an option anymore, I suppose,” Hirano said, and Akira really regretted the fact that they were on the sidewalk.
“Do you want me to touch you, Hirano-san?” Akira whispered close to him, but he wasn’t sure he was heard.
“Oh hey, this must be your house, right? Let’s go.” Hirano found the name plaque and made a beeline for the bell. Fine, they could have this conversation later once they were alone. Hirano wouldn’t be able to run away from it then.
Akira’s father was the one to open the door and guide them inside. Akira had called them the day before, saying he was going to come over with Hirano and talk about something important to them. But compared to a couple days ago when they talked with Hirano’s parents, Akira didn’t feel nervous at all. Instead he was more nervous that Hirano was the one nervous this time. But he looked fine, he had already struck a conversation with Akira’s mother.
Another reason why he wasn’t nervous was because his parents didn't expect Akira to get married to a woman. He wasn’t good at socializing outside of basketball, but falling in love with Hirano had made him think a lot for the rest of high school that by the time he got to college, he decided he wouldn’t get married.
Then, when he was visiting his family for new years, his older sister announced she was getting married and that broke him down for a couple days. He ended up crying at the dinner table once. Deeply embarrassing. But when his parents, his sister, asked him what was wrong, everything came pouring out. That he had liked someone from high school, yes his all-boys school. That he hadn’t been able to move on. That he didn’t want to marry unless it was that person.
Despite being something he cringed at whenever he remembered or his sister reminded him of it, he was glad he had that conversation with his family.
What Akira himself hadn’t expected was that he would see Hirano again after so long. Let alone expect that the one he would be getting married to was Hirano.
So, things on that front were fine. If anything he was more worried about his little sisters pestering Hirano with questions once they realized this is the guy from high school Akira had talked about.
His mother served the food and everyone got around to eat and chat. Being the weekend, his little sisters and his brother had come to join them. His older sister had gotten married the past year so she visited less often. But she visited more than Akira did, at least.
“Thank you for taking care of Akira, Hirano-san. He looks happier now,” his mother said out of nowhere and it surprised him a bit. He never heard his mother voice any worries she could have had, but he knew she was speaking the truth.
“It’s no problem, in fact it has made me happier to live with him once again,” was Hirano’s reply.
Akira was caught gaping by his brother who pushed Akira’s chin to close his mouth. Akira pushed him away and glared at him.
“A fly was going straight into your mouth, Akkun.”
“Leave me alone,” Akira said, trying to not sound childish but that was exactly how it came out.
“Hey kids, behave just for a minute,” his father interrupted when Akira’s brother tried to steal a piece of his food but he noticed and stopped him. “Akira, you said you wanted to talk about something. What is it?”
Akira closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he delivered the news.
“Hirano-san and I are getting married. We haven’t chosen a date for the ceremony, though. It was a very recent decision and we wanted to let you know, we already told his parents too.” Akira said it all in one go. He thought he looked like he was reciting something from memory but from the corner of his eyes he noticed that Hirano’s cheeks looked a bit red.
He really wanted to go home already.
“Congrats, my dear!” his parents said at the same time.
“Pay up, loser!” his little sisters said immediately right after to their older brother.
“You two had a bet!?” Behind him Akira heard Hirano chuckle but in the immediate second he was astounded by his siblings.
“We were joking you were coming over to say you’re getting married. But then Nii-chan said that was impossible so we doubled down and made a bet with him. And we won!”
“There’s no way, you just said it was a joke,” his brother tried to get out of it. Foolish, their little sisters never lost a bet.
“Unbelievable. Nakkun, man up and pay your sisters.” His father said as he extended his hand to his mother.
“A bet is a bet, darling.” His mother replied as she handed his father a bill.
“You also made a bet?” Akira said, dumbfounded.
“Ours was made when you mentioned you were going to move in with Hirano-san from high school.”
“And dad won?”
“We were betting on when you’d decide to get married. I was going for the later half of the year, he went for the first half. I guess he knows his son can get impatient. Like father, like son.”
When he turned around to see Hirano’s expression he was laughing behind his hand.
“Sorry, sorry. I was a bit nervous about this but I’m happy your family knows you so well, Kagi-kun.” Hirano said between giggles. “Ah,” He seemed to remember something and stood up and bowed to Akira’s parents, mirroring what Akira had done a couple days before. “I promise to take good care of Akira. This might look sudden to you but I can assure you this is a very conscious decision from both of us.” It was not often that Hirano used polite and formal speech and it moved Akira’s heart.
“Oh dear, we are so happy for you guys too.” Clearly it moved his mother’s heart as well because she started crying. She must have remembered Akira crying at the dinner table, back then she cried too. She cried easily, though.
“If Aki-nii hurts you, you can tell us and we will take matters into our hands!” the youngest of his little sisters suddenly said.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Akira was baffled that the girls were taking sides. And that the side they were taking was Hirano’s.
It didn’t upset him or anything but it was kind of sweet they would side with him when they didn’t know him aside from what he would tell them ten years ago. They were in college now but his little sisters were the closest to him.
“Sorry, Aki-nii. The little sisters manual says we can only side with our in-laws.” Akira heard Hirano giggle a bit more behind him
“That was not the case when Nee-san got married, though!” Akira replied back, following his sisters’ play.
“Well, yeah, because an even more important rule is to side with fellow sisters.”
They continued bantering and he relaxed greatly when everyone started chatting among themselves again.
His family took the news as well as he expected. Except for the bets. That was something he hadn’t seen coming. But at least it was fun for everyone, even for Hirano.
When they arrived home, Hirano went directly to take a bath. When he finished, he was followed by Akira. When he came out of the bath too, he found Hirano drinking tea in the loft, rewatching one of Akira’s past games. The sight made Akira’s heart swell with affection. He would be coming home to this every day. He was coming home to this almost every day.
“Hey,” Hirano paused the recording when he noticed Akira enter the room. “I have been thinking. Shouldn’t we use each other’s first names?”
Akira was on his way to the fridge in their little coffee corner but he stopped dead in his tracks. He had been thinking about that too.
“I mean, we are engaged. And when we were talking with our families it did seem a bit weird to refer to each other with our surnames. So, what do you think?”
“Let’s do it!” Was Akira’s immediate answer. “Can I call you Taiga-san from now on, then?”
Hirano… No, Taiga looked away for a second, his cheeks red for some reason and then looked at Akira again.
“That’s fine, is Aki-kun okay with you? It kinda sounds like Kagi-kun”
The way Taiga said his name made Akira’s heart race. He wondered if that would ever go away or if it was something he would get used to eventually.
“Yes, that would be great, Taiga-san.”
“Cool.” He hid his face with his cup and continued watching the recording.
This was as good a beginning as any.
Doing stretches daily was a general recommendation for professional athletes, but also for everyone else. At some point, Taiga decided to join in for the stretching part of Akira’s daily workout.
It started with them mirroring each other until they started helping each other. One light set for Taiga, one stronger set for Akira, and so on.
This is more than 10 seconds, Hirano-san.
“Our younger selves would have a huge ten seconds debt.” Taiga said as soon as they were done. Akira didn’t expect for Taiga to be thinking the same thing as him. He wondered for a bit how much time they had accumulated over ten years. But he thought about it a bit more and was relieved they didn’t have that rule anymore.
“For one, I am glad you didn’t bring it up again.” Akira was ready to continue his workout, but he actually wanted to continue this conversation instead. “Don’t you think it is better to not have a time limitation?”
“Well, it was supposed to be a way to test if I could see you as a romantic partner. Which I suppose you are now, given that we are engaged.”
Akira didn’t want to fight, but every muscle in his body was yelling like something snapped.
The way Taiga had phrased that… Akira did not like it. Yes, on a technical level it was true but…
“But we don’t act like that!” Akira was laying face down but with a sudden burst of energy he crawled next to Hirano who was laying on his back. If he scooted closer he would be hovering on top of him. Not yet, he told himself. “We are doing things in reverse, Taiga-san. You accepted my proposal but… have we done anything different? I’m not sure you even see me as a romantic partner.” His voice got softer and quieter the more he talked.
There were so many things he wanted to say, so many things that kept going in circles in his mind. Things he wanted Taiga to hear. But some of those were not for this conversation.
Something he said must have had an effect though, because Taiga’s expression changed from barely confused to a deep frown. And before he knew what was happening, Taiga tackled him to swap their positions.
“You wanna talk about not seeing each other as partners? Do you think I haven’t seen your expressions when you accidentally touch me? Like it pains you to do so?” Taiga didn’t seem upset, he wasn’t even yelling. But he definitely lost his temper. “If you like to touch me then look happy to do so, dammit.”
Akira felt like his cheeks were burning because Taiga had read him like an open book. He wasn’t wrong but he wasn’t right either. Akira wouldn’t say it pained him. But instead he was feeling like he was taking advantage of Taiga’s kindness.
“Would you let me try then? Without a time limit?” Akira asked, hopeful.
Taiga looked conflicted for one second but he still nodded.
“I would like a verbal confirmation, Taiga-san.”
“Yes,” Taiga said, then he frowned slightly and continued, “start slowly though.”
Akira smiled and immediately wrapped his arms around Taiga and brought him down for a hug. He could feel his own heart race really fast but it was okay. Taiga could probably feel it too.
“If you don’t like how I touch you, don’t hesitate to tell me, Taiga-san.”
“It’s nice,” he murmured, muffled in Akira’s chest, barely audible. But Akira still heard it, except he thought he imagined it. Just as fast, but louder, Taiga added. “Your heart is crazy loud, though.”
“It is always this way when you touch me, even back then.”
Akira was not counting the time, not consciously at least, but he didn’t drag the hug out for long. Taiga said to start slowly and he was going to do just that. Begrudgingly maybe. But he didn’t want to overwhelm him yet.
After that, Taiga left to shower and Akira finished his workout. He was working on autopilot by the time it was his turn to shower. Unfortunately now that he had permission to touch Taiga and without a time limit, he could only think of that. He knew he would be too clingy but he just couldn’t help it.
Dinner went by without much chatter and Akira noticed that Taiga was playing with his food that he still had left. Taiga looked too distracted for someone that was supposedly enthusiastic about a book he found that was full of recipes that were supposedly really good at keeping a balance between tasty and healthy food. Taiga did know how to make the food tasty though, but Akira wasn’t too sure about the healthy part or if Taiga even liked it. So he changed topics to something he wanted to bring up after dinner.
“Should we keep sleeping in separate rooms?”
Taken off guard, Taiga started coughing. Akira handed him his glass of water quickly. It reminded him of when Taiga surprised him by handing him his birthday present back in high school while they were eating.
“Thanks,” Taiga drank a little of his juice and calmed down. “It makes sense, actually. And…” He made a small pause that Akira waited for patiently. “I miss waking you up, I think. Sharing a room was actually fun. I dunno about sharing a bed though…”
“We can just share! I won’t do anything you dislike, Taiga-san. I promise.”
Taiga seemed to think hard about it while they finished eating, he had that frown he wore whenever he was in deep thought.
“Okay, you wore me down. Help me move over some stuff from my room? I’ll go to yours, you do have a bigger bed.”
Akira was enthusiastic about it. Taiga, miraculously, didn’t have too much stuff in his room so the move was smooth and quicker than they expected. When they finished, it was time to turn off the lights and, to Akira’s surprise, Taiga didn’t seem too awkward about the whole deal. Akira must have been imagining things but it looked like Taiga was even a bit excited about it.
When they got into bed, they weren't too close nor too far. It wasn’t awkward either but Akira was just a little nervous. Not that he moved in his sleep or anything but this development was not something he had foreseen, not even in his wildest dreams.
Those were about other things.
“Heh.” Akira heard Taiga snicker next to him.
“Taiga-san?”
“It’s just,” Taiga said, his voice sounding like he was holding back laughter. “This reminded me of when we used to study in the mornings. We agreed to wake each other up every day. I’m not sure why this reminded me of that, though.”
Once he finished speaking, he turned around to sleep on his side. Akira really wanted to get closer but these were baby steps. Everything would be in vain if Akira acted too fast and made Taiga regret any arrangement. He promised he wouldn’t do anything Taiga disliked, after all. He knew how to keep his promises. He could hold on just a little longer.
With those thoughts in mind, he too fell asleep swiftly.
“Wait, what do you mean you’re getting married?” Niibashi asked Akira over the phone.
These couple of weeks had been really eventful; he had forgotten to catch his best friend up on updates. Considering it had been Niibashi who had given him that marriage registration paper. It seemed right to tell him that it had worked. Somehow.
“Yeah! We haven’t set a date for a ceremony nor have we signed anything but he accepted!” Akira relayed the news to Niibashi. Compared to other times he would give him updates, he sounded more cheerful now.
“Oh thank goodness you haven’t signed those then.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why would you sign something from a magazine?” Niibashi’s voice sounded anxious. “The one I gave you should be legitimate and actually work but I never thought you’d seriously go ahead and get married.”
“Oh, so the magazine one works. Or does it not?”
“It should! I think. It will weigh less heavily on my conscience if you got actual ones. From a legal register. Please.”
It was not common anymore for Niibashi to actually sound serious or anxious over something related to Akira, so it was pretty sweet that he was worried.
“Hey.”
Before he could reassure his friend, Taiga walked in and called for Akira’s attention.
Akira turned around to Taiga, expecting to see him confused or just his usual neutral expression depending on how much of the conversation he had heard. But he actually looked amused. Usually he would wear earphones when talking over the phone, but this call with Niibashi had been completely on speaker and the possibility of Taiga listening had been higher. It was a sure possibility.
“Oh, Niibashi, Taiga-san is here. I’ll call you later.” Akira said.
“Later then.”
Taiga didn’t speak right away and silence lodged between them for less than a minute. Akira thought it best to break it himself.
“...How much did you hear?”
“Just a little” Taiga snickered briefly. Once he got that expression out of the way and Akira didn’t say anything else, he continued. “Your friend is right, though, it is a legitimate one but it would do us well to get an actual one… Which I have already gotten.”
It took Akira approximately 3 whole seconds to comprehend what Taiga had said to him.
“What!?” Was Akira’s eloquent answer.
“Aki-kun, did you forget Ichinose-san became a lawyer? We saw him months ago and I thought you’d remember that.”
“Wait, does that mean that you told him already, Taiga-san?”
“I was curious about the marriage registration paper you brought. So I asked him about it and he sent me an actual one.”
Akira was astounded by the effort that Taiga was putting into this. It was not as one-sided as it was back in high school, nor was it something that felt like it was born from regret and guilt. Taiga’s actions felt genuine enough. But he did remember what Taiga had said to his parents and that sprouted a question in his mind. One that he was dying to ask.
“Taiga-san, you told your parents you had some regrets. Can you tell me about them?”
At this question, Taiga looked confused at the change of topic. A little embarrassed too. But he nodded and sat down next to Akira on the sofa. So close that their knees were touching.
“You talked about being lonely almost a year ago, but I always figured you were the most sociable of the two of us because you are so easy to talk to. You always seem very nice, too. I didn’t know what you were up to after high school and I was afraid of distracting you from your basketball progress… Subconsciously—or not—I started frequenting national basketball games, wondering if one day I’d see you on TV. Until it happened. And then I didn’t want to distract you from your steady growing success. I thought seeing you on the TV was enough.” He sighed at the end and quickly resumed talking. “I have regrets of not ever trying to reach you again, because I… I guess I missed you.”
That was the most he had heard Taiga talk about his own feelings and he could feel his eyes well up with tears. His emotions were high and he decided to pour his heart out too.
“After high school, I actually got injured and couldn’t play for a really long time and that was the loneliest time I ever spent. I had already begun some basic language classes because some pros had commented during interviews that it was useful for overseas games. So I did that when I couldn’t play. And then I was recruited by an overseas team. But I wasn’t sure how to reach out to you either.”
Akira had hung his head low when recounting everything he went through, even in summary. But while doing that, he noticed that one of Taiga’s hands were fidgetting a little, like he was hesitating to move closer and that finally made him look up to Taiga.
“I guess we were both worried about distracting the other, huh…” Taiga said and Akira nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something else but he decided against it in the end. But Akira wanted to hear it.
“Taiga-san?”
“It’s just… I am always amazed by you, Akira. It is not easy to have the resilience you have. And it is something you have had since forever… I admire that part of you.” Taiga wasn’t looking directly at him and was covering his face with his hand but Akira could still see his flushed face and it reminded him of a time where 10 seconds was all he had to touch him. To indulge in fantasy.
But that wasn’t the case anymore. They had started sharing a bed too and while it wasn’t the most ideal situation, they weren’t awkward about it either. The 10 seconds rule was completely gone as well and never talked about again.
And… Taiga’s words had made Akira crave affection. He didn’t doubt Taiga’s words and he wondered how much he could push him now. Something stronger than a craving. It was an inner battle with himself to take.
So he leaned closer, mere centimeters away from Taiga’s face. The proximity didn’t startle him but it made him tilt his head in confusion. He didn’t even back off.
It was now or never.
“Taiga-san. Can I kiss you?” Akira asked, full of hope. A couple of times he had been told by his older sister that he could make puppy eyes to ask for just about anything and he would actually get it. He didn’t do that on purpose but now he was hoping it was true.
Taiga didn’t back off. He looked at Akira nervously, blushing fiercely. But his eyes darted from Akira’s to his lips and Akira knew he had his answer before even hearing it.
“We are engaged. Aren’t we?” Taiga asked.
Akira felt his heart race. The unfurling storm in his heart wasn’t because of uncertainty anymore. It was raging with the need to take. One push and that was all it needed to tip over.
“We are, Taiga-san.” Akira thought about it for a second and decided to push a bit more. “You even got the legitimate marriage registration from a real lawyer.”
Seconds felt like years to Akira but out of nowhere everything happened a bit too quickly because he barely noticed what was happening: Taiga suddenly cupped Akira’s cheeks and dove in. It was absolutely clumsy and their teeth collided the first time but without a second of reprieve, Taiga tried again and this time it worked.
Taiga was kissing him. He was kissing him like he didn’t know what he was doing but neither did Akira. Despite that, it felt like a thousand fireworks were going off inside Akira’s chest and he didn’t want to move from the moment they were trapped in. He could feel Taiga move away but as soon as he had breathed in, he dove in for another one and cupped Taiga’s cheeks as well.
Neither Taiga nor him knew how to properly kiss but Akira was quickly becoming addicted to the feeling.
Eventually they needed more air. When they separated, Akira could have sworn Taiga looked dizzy. And to be honest, he felt dizzy as well.
“Taiga-san…”
There was so much he wanted to convey to him but the only thought that was on the forefront of his mind was trying to kiss Taiga again. But as soon as he called his name, Taiga’s face turned even redder and he fled to the bathroom. Akira was confused but his body refused to move, completely absorbed in replaying the kiss in his head.
Akira was not going to fare well when they had to share a bed later.