Archive of Our Own

Lighter is in a dilemma and he isn’t sure what to do about it.

Well, he knows what he could do, which is to just send the damn text already, but he’s also not sure he could—hence, the dilemma.

It’s not even that important or big enough to make a whole deal about it, Lighter just thinks he’s gotten too comfortable or something and started lacking in his cool tough guy persona. Maybe he’s spent too much time in the city and started to subconsciously overthink things in a way he's never done before—that’s the only explanation for the fact that he can’t seem to send Harumasa the text that’s been sitting in their chat box for the past 10 minutes now.

Lighter [1:27pm]: I’m running errands in the city today if you wanted to tag along.

It would’ve been so easy just to hit send, but today he’s feeling unusually… shy? Nervous?

It’s so stupid because Lighter knows Harumasa wouldn’t mind at all even if all Lighter sent was some random photo of the dirt roads of the Outer Ring (he’s done it before) or if he responds a couple of hours late since he’s been on the road and he missed the message. God knows that Harumasa sends him enough messages a day to hold a conversation for the both of them all by himself.

So he just feels extra silly about choking up on sending a message to the archer first, inviting him out on his day off just to spend some time with a banged up biker from the outskirts of the city.

They’ve flirted, they’ve kissed, hell—they’ve even fucked. Yet still there’s something distinctly different from going out of his way to ask if Harumasa wants to spend his time on Lighter like this, no ulterior motive—just him.

They’ve hung out before, but it’s always come with a stipulation, an excuse: meeting up to collect payment for a job, promising to pay for dinner just to see each other, there’s always been… something. Hell, the last time they were actually together, they only fell into Harumasa’s bed after swapping stories and then spit.

And here’s the thing—Lighter’s not stupid, far from it.

He’s been told countless times, he knows what people would say in situations like this; that maybe sometimes the only excuse people need to stay is because they care, that they stay because they like him as a person!

But that’s the root of it all, isn’t it? That he hasn’t felt like a real person in a long, long time. Sure he has the Sons of Calydon—the little rag-tag group of people he’s come to love and cherish—and sure, he’s met some people in this lifetime that he could call friends, but everything comes with a price. There’s always something he needs to give in order to hold what little he has left close to his chest and keep it safe.

The girls love him, but he pays for their loyalty with his blood and fists that he never wants them to find out about.

The managers are his dear friends, but he pays for their time with anecdotes and whispered dreams he’s left behind in his last life late into the night and long after the movie’s ended.

As for Harumasa, though… Lighter hasn’t really figured out what will be good enough yet to keep him staying just a little longer, just a little closer.

Surely he has to give something otherwise who knows what else will give out and by god, he's made peace with the fact that no, he doesn't really want that. It’s hard enough to worm your way into his guarded heart, but it’ll be even harder to escape once you’re there. That’s just who he is underneath all that leather and scar.

So yeah, he’s a little nervous about sending a stupid text message now because for once, he’s asking to be given something—some time. He’s still working on the whole I-can-have-nice-things-because-I-deserve-it thing. Baby steps!

Lighter shakes his head roughly, nearly flinging his shades off his face with how abruptly he moved. If that annoying guy was here, surely he’d call the biker a dog shaking water off its fur, and that little thought alone gets Lighter unconsciously smiling just a bit—damn him.

He gathers up what little courage he has left and hits send (never mind the fact that he pockets his phone immediately after).

Really, he shouldn’t be surprised when he gets a response not even five minutes later when he’s trying to park his bike, but he is anyway. Pleasantly so.

Harumasa [1:30pm]: what sort of errands? 😶

Lighter [1:31pm]: The girls need me to pick up a few things while I’m in town and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to do a little window shopping too while I’m at it.

Lighter [1:32pm]: No pressure to tag along. I know it’s your day off today.

This time, it takes Harumasa a few minutes longer to respond and Lighter’s already starting to sweat in all his leather as he makes sure to stow his bike somewhere safe. The city may not be as crazy as the Outer Ring, but he still double checks he has his keys and makes sure there’s no suspicious characters lurking around before he lets himself check his phone again.

Harumasa [1:37pm]: im bringing my camera!!!!!!!!

Harumasa [1:37pm]: meet you in lumina square in 10 😎

Lighter lets out a puff of laughter, shaking his head with fond amusement. He doesn’t even deign the stupid emojis with a response as he pockets his phone and meanders over to the entrance of Lumina Square. It might get him an earful of how rude it is to leave someone on read, but he finds himself more than happy to ignore the scolding Harumasa will give him in person rather than through texts. It’s been a while since they’ve met up anyway.

Even though the biker manages to spot him first, Harumasa is the one to call out to Lighter when they lock eyes across the busy street. The guy practically lights up like a kid on Christmas morning when he exits the metro station and sees Lighter waiting for him at the entrance, though Lighter can’t really deny the fact that the sight of Harumasa bounding over to him doesn’t soften his resting bitch face to a small half-smile.

The archer is out of his usual work uniform—it’s his off day after all—choosing to settle for a comfortable pair of slacks and a large sweater on top that looks like it’s a size or two too big where it slips off one shoulder and he has to pull it up every few seconds. Luckily, he ditched his iconic yellow headband so he just looks like another civilian right now. Apparently loose and baggy clothes are all the craze right now, but Lighter will never get it. What’s the point of clothes that will slip right off all the time??

“Oh? What’s this? Waiting for me like a good boy? Should I praise you?” Harumasa crows when he gets close enough and any positive thoughts the biker might have had about Harumasa instantly evaporate as he turns on his heel and makes to walk his ass right back down the street where he came from.

“Hey! H-hang on a second! Wait for me!” The archer squawks, quickly following behind as they make their way away from the crowded metro station entrance. Lighter slows down just a bit for Harumasa to catch up to him out of consideration, but not too much either—call it petty revenge or whatever. The guy’s already huffing and puffing from having to dart through a gaggle of people that by the time he catches up, Harumasa is a bit red-faced and pouty already when they stand to wait for the light to turn green at the crosswalk.

“Now why are you trying to run away when I just got here! Weren’t you the one who invited me out here?” He complains and Lighter just casts Harumasa an amused side glance while he watches the archer blow an errant strand of hair from his eyes, shooting a glare at Lighter that he can only describe as hilariously non-threatening. There's only so much intimidation a guy like him can pull off before it starts veering into full-blown pouting territory.

The lack of his usual yellow headband leaves the archer’s face unusually empty and even though Lighter’s seen the guy naked before, this somehow feels more indecent. He distracts himself from Harumasa’s bare forehead by placing a broad hand on the small of the archer’s back, gently urging him forwards as the crosswalk dings.

“I wasn’t running, I was walking.” Lighter says just to be unhelpful and he knows it lands because Harumasa lets out a noise of protest besides him.

“Speed walking!” The archer retorts as they easily fall into their usual rhythm of playful bickering. It’s never serious between them, regardless of what it looks like on the outside—it’s the most fun Lighter has sometimes and he’s sure Harumasa knows that as well. Maybe that’s why the guy pitches such a fit whenever he's around, not that Lighter can’t say he doesn’t enjoy the mental and verbal gymnastics that comes with trying to one up Harumasa every time they meet up.

“Don’t tell me you’re changing your mind about tagging along?” Lighter asks, slinging a casual arm around the archer’s shoulders to guide him along the sidewalk. Harumasa doesn’t seem to mind the contact too much either, leaning into the biker’s side without even so much as a second thought and Lighter can only be so grateful that he’s cool about it—he’s never been the type of person to be this physical with anyone, so he sincerely hopes that Harumasa can’t tell that he’s sweating under all that leather and stiff as a board. Practice makes perfect, and boy does he need the practice.

Besides him, Harumasa reaches up to wrap a hand around his wrist and hangs on like a kid trying not to get lost in the crowd while yellow eyes scan the crowd like it’s a habit he can’t quite get rid of. There’s a hint of petulance in his voice when he responds, “I’m not, don’t worry.”

“I figured since you’re always teasing me, I should try it out on you this time. But then you actually went and got all sulky about it.” There’s a small smirk tugging at Lighter’s lips when he casts a glance down at the archer, unable to stop himself from doing a little bit more of teasing. “Don’t tell me you can dish it out but you can’t take it?”

“...I’ll let you win this round.” Harumasa grumbles after a brief beat of silence and Lighter makes a mental note to give himself another point in their unofficial competition in his head.

It doesn’t keep Harumasa down for long anyways and he bounces back like it’s nothing, squeezing the biker’s hand as he looks up expectantly at Lighter. “But anyways, where are we heading first? You said you needed to do some shopping, right?”

“Yeah, I was planning on grabbing some things the girls asked me to pick up from the convenience store and then I wanted to check out a few shops around too while I’m at it. Is that alright with you?” Lighter asks just to be sure. It’s a little boring, so he wouldn’t exactly be bothered if Harumasa wanted to go do something else. Quietly though, he’s hoping the guy would stick around anyway. Maybe they can go find something interesting while they’re at it—two birds, one stone.

Harumasa shrugs and the action jostles something hanging around his neck—a Polaroid camera. He was a bit too preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t notice the silver camera hanging around Harumasa’s neck, but the glint of the lens catches Lighter’s eyes when it’s lifted up to point at him.

“That’s fine. You’re the one who invited me out anyway, I’m just tagging along.” The archer chirps, and before Lighter can really react, the lenses shutter and audibly click as the gears whir and spin as the paper inside starts to print out.

“What’s all of that for?” The biker can’t keep his curiosity contained, leaning onto Harumasa’s shoulder a little more as he cranes his neck over to peek at the photo that starts to spit out of the camera. Before he can catch a glimpse however, it’s snatched away as the archer flashes him a big grin.

“I’m taking a picture of your stupid face, of course!” Harumasa declares, waving the Polaroid loftily in the air like a prize. “To commemorate the day you dragged me out on my off day to go run errands!”

“I thought you didn’t mind?” Lighter huffs, though it doesn’t hide the little grin he’s sporting. Something catches his eye in one of the adjacent shops and Lighter pauses in his strides to glance at the window display. He gives Harumasa’s shoulder a little squeeze before letting go to walk over and—much to his delight—the archer trots along behind him like an obedient dog, still chattering away.

“I don’t, but I thought you were going to surprise me or something and have a little exciting thing planned anyway.” There’s a hint of a whine in the archer’s voice and if Lighter turns around, he wouldn’t even be surprised if Harumasa was stomping his foot like a brat. It’s pretty in character anyway, so he decides to humor the guy some more.

“You talkin’ about last time I called you out?” Lighter asks, eyes scanning the items through the window in front of him, his hand on his chin as he fakes being deep in thought. Really, he’s just more or less messing with Harumasa now. “We can always find another alleyway if you really wanted to.”

After a few seconds of silence, the biker turns around again just to check that Harumasa’s still there and that he didn’t ditch Lighter’s ass and walk off. To his surprise, the archer is still there and sporting a pretty pink blush that reaches the tips of his ears as he fumbles with his camera—how cute. “First of all, you’re obscene; secondly, that’s not what I was referring to.”

“Oh yeah? What’s going on in your pretty little head then? I can’t read minds, Haru.” There’s that little nickname again. Lighter doesn’t really remember when he started using it, but it’s not like he’s hard pressed to stop anytime soon. It doesn’t look like Harumasa minds either, seeing as how he perks up any time the biker calls him that, so it’s safe to say that it’s something that can stay. Lighter likes it anyways—it feels good, like that uncrossable distance between them just got a little more crossable.

“Ugh, you’re so damn dense.” Harumasa groans like he’s in physical pain. Before Lighter can ask what’s wrong, he’s already walking forwards to bump his forehead against Lighter’s back and slumping against him. The additional weight is nothing to him after all, so the biker nonchalantly turns back to the window with a hum of amusement while Harumasa throws a fit against his back. “...I thought you were gonna ask me out, like on a date or something…”

“Is that what you want?” Lighter responds casually, and while he seems outwardly composed, internally he’s falling to his knees and clutching his chest like he’s about to have a heart attack. He's used to physical attacks, not emotional.

“Is that what you want?” Harumasa fires right back, as petulant as the day they first met.

“And if I said yeah?” Lighter tests the water just a little bit by dipping his toes in, but Harumasa is always a little shit and ends up pushing him straight into the deep end for his own amusement. Slender arms wrap around his waist and Lighter tenses up immediately when he feels the archer press his face in between the biker's broad shoulder blades.

It’s not like it’s uncomfortable—far from it. It’s just that Lighter’s not used to this sort of stuff, all the cutesy, couple-y things from those cheesy shoujo manga he catches Caesar secretly reading sometimes. So he’s a little more than surprised to find himself experiencing just that when Harumasa squeezes his waist a little tighter and clings to him like a baby koala or something with a whine in his voice.

“C’monnn. Are you seriously telling me we were actually just gonna run errands today? Now why did I spend all that time picking out an outfit…” Harumasa mutters in a way that only causes Lighter to chuckle fondly, at least until he starts to squeeze too tight and the biker’s laughter comes out more like a wheeze. Lighter taps at Harumasa’s arms lightly to get him to let up, though his grin never falters.

“Hey, calm down now.” Lighter says with a tone that speaks of endless patience from his days of dealing with the girls back in the Outer Ring. He turns over just a bit to get a glimpse of Harumasa’s pout for himself—the sight never fails to make him smile, so he doesn’t even try to stop the grin that starts to tug at his lips when the archer does everything in his power to have the ground open up and swallow him right then and there—anything to escape another blow to his pride.

Unfortunately for Harumasa, Lighter is a very well-trained boxer who knows how to throw a solid punch. “You dressed up for little old me? That’s cute.”

A gloved hand tilts Harumasa’s chin up, Lighter’s thumb swiping over his plump bottom lip and he lets himself delight in the way those yellow eyes widen for a fraction of a second before Harumasa's pulling away, swatting at Lighter’s hands. Only, he’s quicker than that and catches the archer with an arm around his waist to keep him pressed to his side even if the guy is as slippery as a fish in his hands. “Now, where do you think you’re going?”

“To go somewhere and die of embarrassment, preferably out of sight.” Lighter’s gotta give him some credit, he supposes. Harumasa puts up a good fight for all but a few seconds before he slumps against the biker’s side with a defeated sigh—there’s just no winning against the Undefeated Champion and Lighter’s quite proud that that remains true, even if he has to physically hold Harumasa upright when he goes boneless in defeat. There’s no reason to hide his amusement, so he just grins down at the dejected archer in his arms when the guy claps his hands together in a mock prayer.

“I wasn’t supposed to admit that last part out loud.” Harumasa bows his head for effect, but that doesn’t hide the light dusting of pink over his cheeks as he pleads his case. “Please, have mercy and spare my dignity, just this once.”

That gets Lighter laughing a bit more freely, a handsome grin on his face as he gives a little squeeze to get his attention again. He’s feeling a little more playful today, so his next words come out sounding a little more audacious than usual —maybe Lighter’s hung out with Harumasa too much. Since when did the Undefeated Champion sound so awfully smug? “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sweetheart. Anyways, how am I supposed to go on a date with you if you’re fucking off somewhere?”

“I thought you had shit to do.” Harumasa’s eyes narrow suspiciously, but Lighter’s been around him long enough to see the glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. It both builds and shatters his courage in the moment and makes him keenly aware of just how close they were. One of Lighter’s arms is loosely wrapped around Harumasa’s waist like it was the most natural thing in the world, and as if naturally as well, Harumasa leans closer into his space—so close that Lighter can catch a whiff of his spicy cologne without even needing to try.

The biker clears his throat awkwardly, seemingly remembering that they were still in public. He tilts his face up, thankful for the bright sun that shines through the clouds for giving him an excuse to wear his shades all the time. It helps to hide the lingering nervousness Lighter’s been carrying around all morning. “Yeah, well what if I said that was an excuse to get you out here?”

Harumasa’s quiet for a long while and Lighter gives him a second to catch his thoughts by turning back to the window display, the archer following his line of sight despite not really looking at the little trinkets either. He’s only broken out of his thoughts by a squeeze from Harumasa’s hand around his. “You could’ve just asked me normally.”

Maybe he’s getting a bit rusty or something, but he swears he tried to hide the surprise in his eyes at those words or maybe Harumasa is also just good at reading him, just like how the reverse is true. Either way, Lighter takes a gamble and looks back at Harumasa just to be greeted with a soft little smile.

“What, you don’t think I would want to hang out with you?” Lighter knows Harumasa is just teasing, but the words make him feel a little bit more defensive than he usually would’ve been, hackles raised like a cornered dog as he tries to think up some excuse that sounds plausible enough. Unfortunately for him, Lighter absolutely sucks at being put on spot and they both know this.

“...It’s your off day, I figured you would have better things to do.” is the weak excuse Lighter comes up with and he just closes his eyes to avoid looking at Harumasa’s deadpan face. Nothing slips past him and especially not Lighter’s god awful social skills, much to the biker’s dismay and the archer’s subsequent amusement.

His ears pick up Harumasa’s soft laughter, disbelief and fondness all mixed up in a jumbled mess that makes him a little bit curious to see what sort of face Harumasa might be making at him. So Lighter cracks open his eyes just a bit to take a peek. He’s rewarded with a bright grin accompanied by the black lens of the little camera sitting around the archer’s neck.

“Better things? Like what, running errands around town?” He teases and adjusts a few things on his camera before pointing it at Lighter again who stands still like an obedient dog without Harumasa even needing to ask—he’s been trained or something at this point, there’s no other explanation for his behavior and Lighter nearly frowns at the thought. Since when did he let that happen?

But there’s no more time to think about it because the shutter of the lens catches his attention again and he feels as though his breath gets stolen right along with his likelihood in the form of a photograph when Harumasa flashes him another smile. This one is gentle and warm at the edges, something clearly subconscious because of the way the archer doesn’t bother to purposefully crinkle his eyes or grin too wide to show off teeth to mimic what a smile should look like.

It’s a special little thing, where his nose wrinkles a little bit, his grin all crooked and silly when he bounds up to Lighter to hold out the printed little photo of the champion standing there in all his glory—a deer-in-the-headlights look with his stupid sunglasses on against the backdrop of a little storefront. He seems awfully proud of his work, so all Lighter can do is hold his breath and pretend like his heart isn’t about to beat right through his chest over a little look and smile.

The biker’s always been a bit of an open book if only you knew what to look for, and Lighter has no doubt that Harumasa has seen it all by now with how much time they’ve spent together. It’s only how he chooses to see Lighter after all of that—either like another deadbeat biker or maybe something else, something meaningful—that has Lighter feeling like he’s teetering on the edge of madness and salvation. Lighter briefly wonders if Harumasa could actually hear how loud his heart is beating in his chest right about now.

And maybe he could, because Harumasa stops right in front of him and looks straight at Lighter with those sunshine yellow eyes—the very thing that drew him so achingly close in the first place despite everything, those very same eyes that got him hooked on everything that was Harumasa Asaba without permission—Harumasa looks at him in a way that Lighter could only describe as something that looks a lot like love and hurts a lot like hell and says,

“Ask me out for real, Lighter.”

“You sure you don’t want me to save it for another time?” It’s a poor attempt at a joke from Lighter, but he knows there’s no weaseling out of this one. He’s anything but an undefeated champion in Harumasa’s presence, yet he’s quickly finding out that that’s an easy title to give up if it makes the guy smile at him like he’s hung the stars in the sky or something else just as impossible. The thing is, he would, if Harumasa asked—how hard could it be? “Like maybe when we’re not on the side of the street or something?”

The archer just rolls his eyes and reaches out to take Lighter’s hands in his. It’s a little bit laughable how much larger Lighter’s hands are compared to Harumasa’s—his slender hand is practically engulfed in the biker’s when he intertwines their fingers together and Lighter thinks that this is probably what people mean when they say it’s like fitting two pieces of a puzzle together. He looks down at their joined hands and thinks that they fit just right.

“Yes, because I wanna hear it from you, properly. Even if it’s in the middle of a sidewalk.” The way Harumasa smiles up at him when he says that makes any resolve Lighter might’ve thought he’s been valiantly hanging onto dissolve like ash in the wind. It’s a little embarrassing, but he’s more focused on the pink tint of the archer’s lips when he talks to worry about the flush creeping up his neck when Harumasa squeezes his hand more firmly this time. “Ask me out.”

And he’s not shy, he really isn’t!

Lighter prides himself on his straight face and ability to stay cool as a cucumber in stressful situations. He’s the champion of the Sons of Calydon and a damn good boxer to boot. He’s spent his entire life fighting instead of flying when the situation calls for it, but this is where he finally falters. Just a teensy, little bit.

Caesar likes to talk about her romance books all the time whenever Lucy or Burnice isn’t around to tease her for it, so he’s been at the brunt of her squealing about how heart-poundingly dramatic and romantic it is when it reaches the point where the character confesses to their long time crush. Lighter’s never really got the appeal about it all—flowers falling all around them, the wind conveniently blowing by, the sunlight shining down on just them and their little world—he thinks it’s a bit of an overkill, but he listens anyway because he’s chill like that.

So when it’s finally his turn, when he’s finally the character confronting all these fluttery feelings in his chest and looking at his long-time-crush-slash-pseudo-situationship, he 100% understands now. He briefly laments about the fact that he never asked Caesar how those confession scenes actually went because what the hell was he supposed to do now?

“Um.” is what he ends up starting with instead of something profound and meaningful like, I like you, please go out with me even though you’re technically already out with me.

“Um..?” Harumasa, the little shit, parrots right back at him, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with a grin as wide as a cheshire cat’s as he (not so) patiently waits for Lighter to find his nerves and his words again. Maybe he should just knock Harumasa out and try again later when he’s not feeling like he’s five seconds away from imploding on the spot.

“Can it, you.” Lighter retorts, though it comes out more like a silent plea for mercy instead of a biting remark like he wanted. Harumasa takes it as a cue to shut up anyways, thankfully, but it’s more so like he’s trying to stifle his laughter than actually giving Lighter some time to collect his thoughts. You know, like any decent person would.

The biker just heaves a heavy, all-suffering sigh as he looks skyward like he’s hoping a stray lightning bolt would come down and strike him down—unfortunately, it’s all clear skies and sunshine. “Cut me some slack, I’m getting there.”

It takes another brief moment that feels like an eternity before Lighter musters the courage to look back at Harumasa, straight into those bright yellow eyes that dance with mirth and something else—something a little like fondness and affection all wrapped up in a thin veil of anticipation.

Maybe that’s what gives him the little extra push he needed to finally find his tongue again—Harumasa looks just as anxious as Lighter feels finally saying these words, like he's been waiting just as long as Lighter to set things straight between them. “Do you want to go out with me?”

There’s a flicker of approval in Harumasa’s eyes when he hears that and Lighter gets to watch in real time as his smile meets his eyes. The only thing he can compare it to is watching the sun peek over the horizon in the deserts of the Outer Ring after a long night on his bike, the tendrils of warmth creeping in to chase away the coldness of the night and warming him up everywhere it touches.

Lighter doesn’t really think he’s good with words, but sometimes he wishes he was so he could say these things to those that matter the most to him, like the person standing in front of him who looks at him like he’s the sun and not the other way around.

At least, that’s what Lighter was thinking right up until Harumasa opens his big fat mouth and ruins the moment by saying something stupid like, “I thought I already was?”

A heartbeat passes in silence. Then another.

And then Lighter drops Harumasa’s hands like he would a heavy sack of potatoes and turns on his heel.

He’s taking back every nice thing he’s ever thought about the stupid archer actually. That guy sucks and suddenly any positive feelings Lighter’s ever harbored for Harumasa evaporates. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” Harumasa’s bright laughter follows him as he turns around, ready to make a tactical retreat. Before he could actually take off though, two arms loop around his bicep and drags him back to reality as Harumasa bodily throws himself against Lighter’s back with a force that would’ve toppled over a normal person. Luckily, Lighter is not a normal person and it feels more like a bug flying into a window and bouncing off of it instead.

“Hang on just a second!” Harumasa latches onto him like a leech, still snickering away like the menace he was as he digs his feet in to keep the biker from leaving his ass on the street. It doesn’t really work because it’s sort of like having a piece of yarn try to hold together a brick wall, but Lighter stops anyway because he always loses when it comes to Harumasa, much to his chagrin. “You can’t just run away like that!”

“I’m not running away. I’m ditching you, there’s a difference.” Lighter deadpans, though it’s all in good fun as he fights back the smile that threatens to stretch over his face. Laughter is infectious, and Harumasa’s is no different.

That gets him an unimpressed look from the archer, but his expression is full of unbearable fondness anyways when he grins up at Lighter. “I’m just teasing you.”

“I know.” is Lighter’s quick response.

“I actually want to go out with you.”

“...I know.” is Lighter’s much slower response, a bit dragged out and hesitant like he doesn’t quite believe it just yet.

Unfortunately for him, Harumasa either doesn’t pick up on the loading symbol floating above Lighter’s head or he did, but chose to ignore it because the guy immediately starts chattering away a mile a minute.

“So… We’re going out now, yes? Like, this right here is an actual date? All romantic and sweet and everything, despite the fact that you tried to abandon me after all the effort I made to come here to you on my off day?” He plasters himself to the biker’s side with an overly bright grin just to be annoying and Lighter rolls his eyes as he pushes Harumasa’s face away, the beginning of a grin tugging the corners of his lips upwards as the archer just whines and bats his hand away not unlike a cat would.

“Yes, we’re going out on an actual date right now. Even though I’m just sort of running errands.” Lighter scans the crowd bustling around them and the random store they’ve been loitering in front of for a good five minutes and just decides to go with it. Not his fault Harumasa was so impatient—choking up on your confession in front of a convenience store was not really romantic in Lighter’s opinion, but whatever.

“Errands or not, I’m still here so it’s officially a date!” Harumasa crows, twining his arms with Lighter’s as he sticks to his side like glue. The guy seems to be more than happy with the situation, so Lighter just shrugs and lets him play the role of dutiful girlfriend hanging off her boyfriend’s arm or whatever.

“Maybe officially is a bit too strong… Maybe we can just call it a test run or something. I can do better than a stroll downtown.” He leads the both of them away from the storefront, getting a little bit conscious of them probably breaking the store’s no loitering policy while Harumasa happily follows alongside Lighter, blissfully unaware or more likely, purposefully obtuse.

“A stroll is still nice! I can stretch my legs and actually enjoy the scenery when I’m not surrounded by my adoring fans or the ever looming threat of being called back to the office.” Harumasa crows a little dramatically at that, heaving a heavy sigh like he was truly burdened.

Lighter feels like he’s the one with the heavy burden of an annoying jackass here, but he just goes along with it with a raised eyebrow and a single snort of amusement when he has to stick an arm out and catch Harumasa around the waist when the guy pretends to swoon.

“What a hard life you must live.” The biker deadpans, helping Harumasa stand properly. On the outside, it looks like they've been doing this for ages and it only just then that it hits Lighter that he's gotten a little too used to Harumasa's antics for his liking and the other guy certainly knows this too. Since when did he get so tangled up with someone else like this? When was the last time he got to feel the familiarity of knowing someone?

Lighter begrudgingly nudges the archer back to his feet, even taking the extra care to help him straighten his clothes out, much to Harumasa's very obvious amusement. The biker tugs the large sweater over Harumasa's shoulder properly to cover the slip of skin in between his neck and the fabric, pointedly ignoring the growing grin on his face as Lighter resumes dragging them down the street to the next store without another word. Harumasa doesn’t say anything in response to that, but Lighter just knows he’s got the biggest shit eating grin on his face anyways, a little too pleased at being fussed over.

He’s a little too happy as he trots alongside the biker that Lighter can’t even be angry about it because it feels a little nice to be able to share his day with someone like this, even if that someone is a bit of a brat most of the time. That’s why he doesn’t protest when Harumasa presses close again, invading his space when they make a stop at a small little store full of trinkets and other various things.

“Y’know, I’m still curious as to why you were so nervous. What’s there to be nervous about, anyway?” Harumasa asks when they step inside, slipping his hand into Lighter’s and squeezing like he doesn’t want to get lost in this tiny ass cramped shop. “You know I like you. We literally made out in my apartment and then fucked in my bed.”

“Okay, that could’ve been like a one-night stand type of thing. I don’t know what’s going on in your head.” Lighter immediately tries to defend himself, but it ends up just sounding like a weak excuse for himself and he knows it. Harumasa just laughs at him for it—asshole.

“I don’t either know what’s going on in yours either, but I thought I made it obvious how much I liked you at least! Maybe you’re just dense or something. I swear, all the times I was trying to flirt with you went right over your head.” There’s a whine in Harumasa’s voice as he leans in close, squeezing in between the aisles of the shop instead of walking behind Lighter like a normal person would. It’s sort of cute how he wants to keep standing next to the biker, so he’s not going to complain too much about it.

Instead, Lighter just rolls his eyes fondly and squeezes Harumasa’s hand back. “I’m still getting used to having nice things, cut me some slack.”

“Aw, you think I’m nice?” Harumasa crows, batting his eyelashes up at him in that obnoxious manner he loves deploying against Lighter, who immediately grimaces. It turns out more like a stupid dopey grin instead of a real frown.

“I think you’re a piece of shit, that’s what.” There’s a smile in Lighter’s voice as he stares down at the archer, and he gets a bright grin back that he can’t help but to be overly fond of. This usual bickering is a lot more familiar than the mushy-gushy feelings from before, so he feels a lot more comfortable laughing along while the guy keeps preening and strutting around.

“But you still want me!” Harumasa teases, yellow eyes sparkling with amusement and a joy that Lighter can’t quite find it in himself to squash—what can he say, he’s gotten real soft somewhere along the way.

He heaves a long-suffering sigh at that, but still goes to sling an arm around Harumasa’s shoulder with a resigned smile. The shit he does for this thing that he thinks is love or whatever. “Yeah, I do. For some reason.”

Though Lighter thinks it’s all alright when the archer just presses up against his side with his mischievous smile and a slim hand placed over his like it was the most natural thing ever between them. It feels like it was anyway.

“So… What are we looking for in here?” Harumasa's question pulls Lighter from his thoughts and he casts a quick glance around the little store, squinting at the signs to try and figure out what aisle they needed to be in instead of just taking of his shades like a normal person.

“Hm? Oh, Lucy and Burnice wanted me to pick up some new shampoo for them while I was in town. Apparently it’s real popular with the girls right now. Hang on, I got a picture of it somewhere here.” Lighter moves his arm off of Harumasa’s shoulders and completely misses the little pout on his pink lips at the loss of contact, too distracted he was with pulling out his phone and scrolling through his texts to notice.

The archer just lets out a little huff instead of saying anything as he decides to do some shopping of his own, his hand darting out to snag Lighter's leather sleeve as he tugs him along like routine. Absentmindedly, Lighter wouldn’t mind it so much if it was—Harumasa leading and Lighter following. It’s a nice change of pace, all things considered as he obediently trails behind the guy while he's still trying to look through his messages to go through the shopping list the girls sent him.

He’s so wrapped up in his thoughts that he doesn’t register that Harumasa’s stopped in his tracks until he’s bumping into the guy, a confused apology immediately on the tip of his tongue as he finally looks up from his phone.

Except Harumasa doesn't even give him a chance to apologize before he's pointing at something in front of them, yellow eyes laser-focused on one of the displays they've stopped at.

“That one looks like you.” He points at something in the display and Lighter’s gaze follows where his finger is pointing as he expects another price tag to add to his list or something. Instead, his eyebrows immediately raise in confusion when he finally catches sight of what Harumasa's pointing at.

It’s a little stuffed plushie of a dog with soft dark fur with a particularly cute frowny face on it, like it’s trying to mimic a fierce guard dog, but still manages to fail quite miserably. Most people would call the fluffy little thing cute, but Lighter's mind must not be working at full capacity because in what world does this little thing look like him?

“Can I ask why?” Lighter asks slowly.

Harumasa, never one to miss an opportunity to get on his nerves, doesn’t miss a beat. He grins up at Lighter, all innocence and mischief as he says, “Cause it’s got a resting bitch face.”

The biker's immediate frown matches the stuffed plushie’s when he looks at Harumasa while the guy bursts into a fit of unabashed laughter.

Lighter just rolls his eyes even as Harumasa clings to his arm for support—he's not offended, not for real anyways—but he still puts on a little show of huffing and turning his head away as if he really were, just to let Harumasa laugh it up a little more. It gets a little grin tugging at his lips too, so he's not really mad about being poked at for some fun. Green eyes scan along the shelves as he spots a little something himself, a lazy smirk settling on his face as he nudges Harumasa and points at another shelf.

“If I’m that dog, then this one’s you.” There sits a little mischievous looking cat plushie where he points, with soft white fur and a playful little smile on its face as it slumps over on itself. There's a familiar looking sparkle of mischief glinting in its beady eyes that reflect the very nuisance in his side when Harumasa leans over to take a look at it too.

The archer coos, leaning against his side with a snicker as he spots the plushie. “A kitty cat? How cute! Is it because I’m soft and sweet and like pets?” Harumasa asks shamelessly, cozying up against Lighter’s side as if to prove a point.

The biker just coughs into his fist, pointedly hiding his grin from him even as his arm tightens a little bit around Harumasa's shoulders to keep him close. “I was thinking more along the lines of a little brat that demands my attention all the time and complains when I ignore him, but sure. Let’s go with that.”

“What! When have I ever complained?” Harumasa says with a whine.

Lighter just gives him a look that says Really? but Harumasa does not have enough shame to even look remotely guilty about it. “How about right now?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I wasn’t complaining whatsoever. I was simply defending myself against your baseless accusations.” The archer sniffs, turning his nose up to play pretend at actually being offended. His act falls apart a little bit when he fails to hide the smile that's pulling at his lips, but Lighter lets him have his fun anyway by pretending not to notice.

“Baseless accusations? I’m sure I can fill a whole book of ‘baseless accusations’ from just today alone.” the biker counters, snagging something off of the shelf besides him to toss onto the counter. He makes sure to shuffle in front of the register so Harumasa can’t see him when he slides some Dennies over the counter, but the archer is too busy peacocking around behind him to notice.

“Congrats on being a New Eridu Times Best Selling Author then.” Harumasa responds just as flatly.

“Thanks, couldn’t have done it without you, sweetheart.” Lighter lets his shades slip down the bridge of his nose to make sure Harumasa can see the sly wink he throws his way, his smirk only growing with the archer flushes under the attention. The guy immediately starts huffing and puffing as Lighter herds him out the door, throwing a polite nod at the cashier as the little bell dings above them when they exit the shop.

“All you do is tease me all the time… Can’t you be nice to me?” Harumasa groans when they leave, though his words are the complete opposite of his actions. If anything, the guy sticks close like glue as they exit the shop as if he were afraid they'd be separated in the crowd or something. It's a little endearing in Lighter's opinion, that he's so clingy all the time without even realizing it. That must mean he's done something good, to be worth the attention like this.

“I’m already plenty nice to you though.” He counters, shifting his bags into his free hand so he can once again sling his arm over Harumasa's shoulders as they set back down the sidewalk.

It seems to be right move because the archer is more than happy to lean into the touch, one hand wrapping loosely around his wrist again even as they bicker back and forth. “Nuh-uh!”

“Yeah-huh.” Lighter cuts him off before they start spiraling down an endless back and forth by digging something out of one of the bags. He tosses it at Harumasa and watches with no small amount of amusement as his archer instincts kick in to snatch the little thing out of the air with ease.

There’s suspicion in his yellow eyes as he casts a side glance at Lighter and then looks down in his open palms. What he sees is small, fluffy and... pink?

“What is this?” His voice is flat as he stares at the frankly atrocious looking pig keychain in his hand. It’s a fluff ball of pastel pinkness in the likeliness of a fat pig head, complete with two beady black eyes with splotches of light pink on its cheeks that resembles a blush and topped off with a matching heart clasp to complete the picture of super kawaii cuteness that’s all the craze with middle school girls.

Yet Harumasa is—the last time he checked—not a middle schooler or a girl, so why is this pink blob in his hand? He looks back at Lighter with a silent question in his eyes.

“A keychain.” The biker states like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I see.” Harumasa responds calmly. “Why?”

Lighter shrugs nonchalantly as if he wasn’t about to start shaking from how hard he’s trying to hold his laughter back. “Don’t people usually get the person they’re on a date with a little souvenir or something? We were in a shop and you were looking around, so I figured you wanted something.”

Lighter pinches the clasp in between two fingers, letting the thing dangle in the air in front of Harumasa’s face like it was mocking him or something (it absolutely was). “The Sons of Calydon like to associate ourselves with a wild boar, but I couldn’t find anything like that in the store unfortunately. But hey, I think a cute little thing like this would suit you just fine, yeah?”

“That may be a bit of a stretch in my opinion.” Harumasa looks like he just bit into a lemon and Lighter doesn’t stop the snort of a laugh that falls from his lips this time.

“What, you don’t like it?” Lighter gives a fake little put-out sigh at that, coupled with a rueful shake of his head. It’s like kicking a dog and he can feel Harumasa’s eyes boring into his skull as he makes to put the thing into his jacket pocket for safekeeping. “Shame, really. Guess I’ll just have to return it then.”

“No!” The little keychain gets snatched right out of his hands before he can even get a word out and it takes all of his willpower not to start grinning like he’s hit the jackpot on the daily scratchcard lottery. “Too late, it’s mine now. You can’t return it. See, it’s already on my camera.”

The archer makes a show of clipping the pink little thing to his camera hanging around his neck, the cutesy little pig bouncing around when he flashes a few pose to show off how the black beady eyes would follow you around no matter what angle you hold it at. Frankly, it’s a little disconcerting in Lighter’s opinion, but Harumasa looks happy enough, so he’s happy too. Something about gaslighting or whatever.

“No take-backsies!” The archer declares, raising his camera up so he can show off how the little keychain already made its home on there. Lighter lets out another chuckle, flicking the thing just to watch it bounce around some more—it really was cute, maybe a little too cute for the both of them, but hey, nothing wrong with having a little fun once in a while.

“I thought you didn’t like it?” He teases just to watch Harumasa stick his tongue out at him in retaliation.

“People change, Lighter. Never doubt my abilities—I’m very adaptable, of course.”

“Of course. Never doubted you for a second, Haru.” He responds, smirking at the fact that the archer is pointedly ignoring his smugness after he managed to get Harumasa to take the cheap ass gag gift. Lighter wonders just how long it’ll stay there before Harumasa decides enough of his self-imposed humiliation ritual and rip it off to hurl it at Lighter’s head instead.

“Asshole.” Harumasa scoffs, though it’s said with all the fondness in his 5’8” body he could muster, so Lighter just indulges himself in tugging the guy closer so he could hide his smile in fluffy blue locks.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll buy you some more cute shit to make up for it.”

“Absolutely not. You’re going to cramp my carefully curated style.” Harumasa playfully elbows him in the ribs and the biker makes a show of wheezing as if it actually hurt (it didn't). “Go buy me some tea milk from the shop over there if you're really adamant about spending money on me.”

Harumassa points over at a quaint little shop at the corner of the street, its colorful signs showing off the various drinks on their menu as customers come and go. Lighter's heard of these tea milk places and how they're a big hit in the city, but he's never bothered to try some himself when he's here, usually just sticking to Nitrofuel back in the Outer Ring. Still, if that's what Harumasa wants, then that's what he'll get.

“Yessir. Any flavor requests?” Lighter makes a show of giving him a two-fingered salute and a lazy wink as he peels away to walk over to the small store while Harumasa just stands to the side with his bags from the previous store.

“Peach black tea with the lowest level of sweetness they have.” The archer calls to him from the side, seemingly satisfied that he doesn't have to deal with standing in line. He's on his day off, after all! It won't do to get recognized or something in a crowd like that, at least that's what his excuse was for sending Lighter into the fray.

“Has anyone ever told you you have the taste buds of an old man?” Lighter asks, already pulling his wallet out as he queues up. He tips his face down just a little bit so his shades can slide down and he can catch Harumasa's eyes, his own green one bright with fond teasing. “Spicy food like nobody’s business and then leaf water. It’s like I don’t even know you.”

“What, was I supposed to get one of those Failume chocolate matcha lattes with boba and strawberry cold foam or whatever?” Harumasa flashes him an innocent grin as Lighter steps up to give their order to the cashier. He's in the middle of pointing out a random drink for himself when he catches Harumasa's words and turn to him with a look of confusion.

“The what?” He’s not even sure what half of those things are, let alone if they were even edible, but Harumasa just gives him a long-suffering look as he ushers him out of the way after they get their order number.

He gives a charming smile and a polite thanks as he drags Lighter over to the sidewalk to wait for their order. “Don’t worry about it. You probably won't like it."

"And what makes you so certain about that?" Lighter challenges, just to be stubborn about it and to see if Harumasa really knows him as well as he thinks. It'd be nice if he did, though Lighter supposes they've sort of skipped the getting-to-know-each-other part of this whole dating thing. It's been a while, sue the both of them.

"Hm..." Harumasa hums thoughtfully, tapping his chin with one finger as he wraps his free arm around Lighter's bicep, just because he can. "You don't look like the sort of guy who likes sweets to me. Am I wrong?"

Lighter just flashes him a quick smirk, rather unphased at the contact. If anything, he seems more pleased than bothered by it. "Dead wrong."

"What! No way!" Harumasa whips his head to the side to look up at Lighter with wide, disbelieving eyes. Lighter's half-convinced he was actually shocked this time instead of joking around, but then the guy keeps talking and the biker realizes that he's actually just fucking with him—figures. "Oh my god, did you actually get that stupid drink or something? I didn't even know they had it on the menu. Does that mean you've come here before without me?"

"What? No— what are you even going on about? I just like sweet things, I thought you knew this?" He lifts his arm to plop one large hand on top of Harumasa's head, ruffling the soft navy blue locks playfully just to watch the archer's face twist up in indignation when his hair gets ruined. Lighter thinks about the fact that maybe he should've taken off his gloves earlier so that he'd have an excuse to touch Harumasa's hair properly. It's been a while since he's had a chance to feel him close like this and he's finding out that he's been desperately missing it now that he's got it again.

"I usually keep a few candies in my pocket whenever I'm going out just 'cause I like having something to chew on. It's a habit I picked up when I quit smoking." Lighter explains with a casual shrug, raising his hand in a placating gesture even as he has a stupid grin on his face as Harumasa bats his hand away.

"You used to smoke? I can see that... Fits your whole cool mercenary image and all." Harumasa gestures to al the leathers and spikes on Lighter's outfit, which only gets him an amused quirk of Lighter's eyebrow that does not deter the curious twinkle in his eyes at all. "Why'd you stop?"

Lighter gives a one-shouldered shrug, a rueful little smile overtaking his face as his eyes cast to the side. "An old friend didn't like to see me smoke all the time. He said it was bad for my lungs, so any time I tried to pull a cigarette out, he'd just give me some candy instead. I got used to it and after a while, I just picked up a new habit instead."

Harumasa is quiet for a brief moment and Lighter is reminded of just how perceptive he can be. He's probably managed to pick up the things left in between the lines and come up with his own speculations and theories. Lighter's not going to correct him if he's wrong, but he's also not quite ready to let go of that particular ghost just yet, especially not on this crowded little sidewalk in the middle of the city.

Luckily, Harumasa doesn't ask. Instead, he just scoots a little closer and intertwines their hands with a gentleness that belies the lingering curiosity still swimming in those yellow eyes. It makes him feel a little better when Lighter looks back up and finds a playful grin instead of some more questions. It makes him feel better when Harumasa just simply squeezes his hand to pull him back from the depths of his memories, like he's returning the favor for all the times Lighter's done that for him.

"Well, this habit will just give you cavities, but I guess that's better than some fucked up lungs." The archer jokes, daring to poke a little fun at him just to make Lighter laugh. "Lets me keep you around for a bit longer."

And he does—Lighter laughs. It starts with a little snort of amusement and ends with him fondly shaking his head as he squeezes Harumasa's hand back just as gently, a silent thanks that speaks of all the words that he can't voice just quite yet. Baby steps. "Hey, I've been careful with brushing my teeth. No need to worry about me, sweetheart."

Before either of them could get another word in, another number gets called from the little tea shop and Harumasa perks up like a kid on Christmas. "Oh, that's our number!"

He starts dragging Lighter along, but is it really dragging when the biker goes willingly? He thinks that as long as he has this—Harumasa's hand in his and a smile on his lips—he'd be fine with following him to the ends of the earth, and maybe a little further too.

He's a rather simple man and at the end of the day. All Lighter really needs is someone who's willing to walk with him, even if it's just a couple of steps over to grab their drinks.

When they both get their drinks and made it safely back over to the side of the street again, Harumasa eyes the cup in Lighter's hand with no small amount of curiosity, as if he isn't holding his own cup in his hand right now. "What'd you get?"

"Something about a Tiger Tea or whatever? I wasn't really paying attention." Lighter swirls the cup around to show the milk tea inside and so that Harumasa can see the pure brown sugar coating the sides of it.

The archer instantly frowns at the sight. "Then why'd you get it?"

"Would you laugh if I said I only got it because it had tiger in the name?" Lighter raises one eyebrow in amusement as he lifts one shoulder to let the light glint off of the metal accessories on his leather jacket, tiger stripes and all.

"I would, but at the same time I wouldn't because I can't tell if you're being serious or not." Harumasa coughs into his hand in a valiant attempt to stifle his snickers and he makes it for about five seconds before he dissolves into peals of laughter. He leans against Lighter, who's more than happy to support his weight, as he pretends to wipe a stray tear away. Sparkling yellow eyes look up at Lighter when he finally regains enough sense to stop laughing, though a bright grin still remains on the archer's face. "You're not actually being serious, right?"

Lighter just shrugs, still playing along as he takes a sip from his overly sugary drink. The familiar sugar coats his tongue and scratches that itch for something sweet in his brain. It's not all bad for a random pick. "That's for me to know and for you to figure out."

"Oh my god, I can't believe you. You were calling me an old man earlier, but now I feel like I should call you a little kid! You're basically drinking pure sugar." Harumasa teases, pointing one accusing finger at Lighter's face, who goes to turn his face away from the allegations mounting against him.

"It's not that bad." Lighter weakly defends himself, though Harumasa just gives him A Look at the amount of caramel dripping down the insides of his cup. The biker at least still has a sense to look a bit sheepish, but he still argues back just to try and save some face. "Don't knock it 'till you've tried it."

At that, Harumasa just quirks one skeptical eyebrow at him, though there's that familiar twinkle of mischief in his eyes that says he's gonna do or say something stupid again. "Sure. Let's swap drinks then."

He puts out his hand to Lighter, palm up and expectant. The biker just stares at his upturned hand like he doesn't know what to do with it. "You sure..? I thought you didn't like sweet things, and this thing is like pure sweetness."

"I don't, but you were the one who said it's not that bad. Besides, I thought you liked not-sweet things and I was wrong, so who knows! Maybe I'll like this sweet thing." The archer's logic is a bit flawed, but Lighter finds that he can't really say no to Harumasa no matter how hard he tries—and he tries really hard. The guy just makes it impossible to ignore any demands because he'll just keep trying until he succeeds. And he usually succeeds, at least in Lighter's experience with him.

Now whether or not that speaks to Harumasa actually being persuasive enough or that Lighter is actually just a pushover, it's still unclear. What is clear, however, is that Lighter is absolutely handing over his drink, much to his chagrin.

"Alright, but don't blame me when you don't." Lighter just chuckles when Harumasa sticks his tongue out at him, petulantly taking a big old sip from the disgustingly sweet drink and freezing when the flavor hits him in the back of the throat.

Lighter has to stifle a laugh at the look that crosses over the archer's face, like he wants to spit out the tea but also not because then that'd be admitting to defeat, so he has to just keep it in his mouth and look like he's seconds away from gagging because of it.

To stop himself from bursting into a fit of laughter, Lighter finally puts the straw to his mouth and takes a tentative sip from Harumasa's own drink—

—and then promptly wrinkles his nose when the flavor hits his tongue, or rather the lack thereof flavor. "This is so bland... How the hell do you drink this?"

"How the hell do you drink this?" Harumasa dramatically gasps after having forced the rest of the liquid sugar down his throat. He promptly shoves the cup back into Lighter's hand as he snatches his own drink back to take desperate sips to wash away the sugary offender still lingering in his mouth. "That was like pure sugar... I think I'm gonna have a sugar crash without even having the sugar high..."

That gets a rather fond eye roll from the biker who takes a sip of his respective drink again, if only to remind himself what it's like to use his taste buds. "Sorry I like to have a little flavor in my drink. Yours was like if you left a peach next to some water to get the essence of it. It wasn't even a real flavor."

"Your taste buds are just shit after drinking this amount of sugar! This cup has the same amount of sugar I'd consume in a year!" Harumasa retorts, playfully indignant even as he hooks his arm back around Lighter's again. Despite all his protests, he looks more than happy to stick to the biker's side anyways, so the biker knows he's just messing around just for the sake of it.

It's for that reason that Lighter casts his eyes to the side and takes in the sight of Harumasa gnawing on his straw, a lopsided smirk drawing the corner of his lips upwards as he says with no small amount of painfully sweet teasing, "You're just weird, Haru. It's like I'm drinking the dirt from a peach tree, but if that makes you happy, go for it."

The look of sheer offense Harumasa shoots him is well worth the hassle.

"You know, if you're such a hater, why don't you share a bit of your drink with mine? That way, your crazy sugar obsession can balance out my apparent lack of sugar, which—by the way—is totally wrong because this is a normal amount of sugar grown adults would have with their tea." Harumasa sniffs, turning up his nose a little bit too in a silent challenge that Lighter can never resist.

"I'm not mixing drinks, that's gonna be gross." The biker says, bumping their drinks together with a slight laugh. "Also, I'm older than you, so your point doesn't even stand."

Harumasa just sticks his tongue out at him in response—totally mature. "We're putting a pin in that for later. But, I'm not saying we dump our drinks together like some weird cocktail!"

"Then what exactly are you trying to get at then?" Lighter says with no small amount of suspicion. It would've been a little more intimidating if he wasn't smiling so fondly at the archer, like he would do whatever was asked of him without needing to be told twice (he would). It's exactly for that reason that Harumasa has no problem with getting up to trouble every single time in Lighter's company.

He gestures for Lighter to bend down a little bit, waving his hand so that the biker can tilt his head to the side and lend him his ear. Harumasa cups a hand over his mouth, a secretive smile saved for just the two of them as he whispers with no small amount of teasing in his voice, "You should kiss me. You know, for science and all!"

Lighter pulls back so quickly that he nearly bumps their heads together, a look of fluster crossing over his face. "What sort of science is me kissing you..?"

"What, haven't you heard of the Goldilocks principle?" Harumasa asks in a deceivingly innocent tone, as if he was truly confused by Lighter's question. "If your drink is too sugary and my drink is too bland, then surely it'll be just right if we mix the two! Therefore, it only makes sense for you to kiss me, since we both had our drinks."

The archer says it with such unwavering certainty, like his logic makes some sort of sense (it doesn't), that sometimes Lighter wonders where he gets the audacity from. The biker just looks at him like he's spewing straight nonsense (he is).

"You just want me to kiss you." Lighter accuses, staring down at him. Harumasa stares right the fuck back.

He folds after five seconds of Lighter giving him the most unimpressed look he could possibly muster, deflating like a popped balloon. "Yeah, maybe."

"But c'mon, humor me a bit, babe! We've been out all day, yet I haven't even gotten a peck on the cheek." The look he gives Lighter is pitiful, like this has been weighing down heavy on his soul the entire time and it does its job in making the biker feel a little bit bad, if only because this was supposed to be a date and so he'd technically be right.

Still, that doesn't mean Lighter could actually go about just kissing the guy in the middle of the street, in such a public and crowded area like the city—he's gotta save face!

He turns his face to the side to fake a cough into his fist, eyes darting this way and that, anywhere to avoid Harumasa's expectant gaze as he looks up at him from underneath dark eyelashes. The guy is clearly enjoying Lighter's state of fluster, if his twitching lips were any indication.

"...Not here." is what Lighter ends up saying, finally mustering up the courage to look down at Harumasa, who just pouts petulantly at being rejected. He tries to open his mouth to get him to reconsider, but the biker is gently firm in making sure the archer understands where he's coming from. Or rather, where he'd prefer not to go. "It's not that I don't want to kiss you, sweetheart. It's just that we're kind of in the middle of the sidewalk and I'm not too keen on getting sacked by PubSec for public indecency right now."

Harumasa just crinkles his nose at that, mildly displeased even as he relents. "We've done worse."

"That's why I'm not pushing my luck. Knowing you, it'll get worse." He swings an arm back around Harumasa's shoulders, dragging him along with a crooked smile even while the archer pretends to trip over his feet. "Come on. Let me go drop these bags off with my bike and then we'll go somewhere nice."

"Somewhere nice?" Harumasa parrots, leaning into his side like he's done a thousand times today. It's nothing special, but the casualness between them coupled with the closeness has Lighter's heart skipping over a beat or two, embarrassingly enough. Either he's been too starved of companionship or he's having an allergic reaction because he finds it hard to stay so far away after getting a taste of what it's like to have someone close.

He tugs the archer a little closer so he can press a kiss to the side of his head, quick and fleeting yet no less affectionate. "It's not much, but it's still a looker. I'm sure you've been to Port Elpis before, right?"

Harumasa leans into the touch, a small smile tugging at the ends of his lips in turn, like a cat seeking out attention. "Oh, yeah. It has a really nice view of the ocean. I like stopping there whenever I have the free time. I didn't know you liked to hang out there too."

Lighter shrugs, guiding them towards the parking lot where he's stored his bike for now. He figures he can just shove the bags into a spare storage compartment for a few hours before returning to the Outer Ring just so he doesn't have to lug a bunch of shampoo bottles and makeup kits around on his impromptu date.

He passes the archer his own drink to hold for him as he bends down to stash away his bags, chatting away just to fill the empty space between them. "I'm not there too often, but I'm still a little disappointed we haven't ran into each other yet. I'm there like maybe once a month, if only to feed the seagulls."

Lighter straightens up just in time to see Harumasa take a sip from his drink that he's holding and the only response he has for that is a snort of a laugh when the archer pulls a face of disgust. "Now what'd you do that for?"

"I told you, I'm trying something. Now take a sip of my drink too." Harumasa holds out his unsweetened tea expectantly, waving the straw at Lighter who doesn't need to be told twice despite his aversion to lack of flavor. He bends down to take a good sip of the drink, pulling back with a crinkle of his nose.

"It's still bland. Even more bland 'cause the ice melted."

"And yours is still too sweet, even with the ice melted." Harumasa fakes a little gag as Lighter takes his cup back with a shake of his head and a smirk. "But at least I got my kiss, even if it was an indirect one!"

That startles a laugh out of the biker. "Is that what you were doing now?"

Harumasa just beams up at him with a toothy grin, no words needed as he just goes back to happily sipping at his drink, pretty pink lips wrapped around the straw where Lighter's were just a moment ago. He's convinced that Harumasa was just using the drinks as an excuse to mess with him some more (and he'd be right). "Now, back to the topic on hand: You feed the seagulls at Port Elpis?"

The biker rolls his eyes before moving to slip his hand into Harumasa's, secretly delighting in the fact that his smaller hand curls so easily into his larger ones. He hides the stupid grin on his face by turning away to start leading the both of them down the street. "Yeah, I do. I'm on good terms with this one seagull, actually. If I buy it fries, it doesn't go crazy and start snatching people's food as often. If I'm late or I forget, it demands double the fries as compensation."

Lighter says with a conspiratorial whisper to his voice, if only to make Harumasa laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all. And it works—Harumasa lets out a little laugh of surprise as he leans forward to listen, as if they were trading secrets. "No way. I gotta see this for myself, then. You have to introduce me to your seagull friend!"

"Friend is stretching it a bit, but I'm sure it'd be delighted to swindle some more fries out of someone."

The walk to Port Elpis passes quickly despite the distance, the two of them trading quips back and forth. Somewhere along the way, Harumasa cajoles Lighter into letting him use his camera since he "brought it all the way here, so it'd be a shame if I didn't get to use it!"

As he previously suspected, no is not really in Lighter's vocabulary where it concerns Harumasa. He briefly thinks that he has to start figuring out alternatives so that he can stop saying yes every time.

Because being such a weak man leads him to standing in front of various statues or buildings they pass by, posing this way and that for the archer's amusement as he immortalizes the sight in the form of a photograph, much to Lighter's displeasure. Still, for all the complaining he does, the biker does exactly what Harumasa tells him to.

By the time they arrive at the docks, Harumasa has more than a handful of photos in his palm and a bright grin on his face that rivals the glow of the setting sun. He looks so pleased with himself that Lighter think it'd be a shame if he ruined his fun so early in the evening, even if his pride is bit battered and bruised.

"This one's great. Look, don't you look so cool posing like that?" Harumasa coos, waving one particularly silly photo in Lighter's face. This one has him flexing his arms above his head, dark sunglasses and a deadpan expression on his face despite the goofy pose he's pulling in front of a graffitied building that says something like fuck PubSec. In hindsight, it was a little funny.

"Yeah, yeah... Make sure to hold onto those tight, otherwise who knows, they might blow into the ocean with a particularly strong gust of wind. So strong that it'll get snatched right out of your hands." To accentuate his point, Lighter reaches out to mimic snatching the photo from Harumasa, who only shrieks in indignation as he clutches the photos close to his chest.

"You can pry these from my cold dead hands, wind or not! These are mine now."

"Can't you at least take some nice photos of me? I'm literally mid-sneeze in that one." Lighter resolutely does not whine, but he gets dangerously close as he jabs a finger at one stupid photo the archer managed to snap where he's blurry and discombobulated, seconds before a sneeze took over him. His face is scrunched and his glasses are crooked and so is the camera because Harumasa was too busy laughing at him the whole time.

Harumasa takes special care to tuck that one away in his pocket, grinning mischievously up at Lighter. "No. These are special, 'cause these are you!"

Lighter gives him a pinched look that speaks to his skepticism. "That doesn't even make any sense?"

"Sure it does. These are the photos I have of you—Lighter Lorenz, my boyfriend. If I wanted photos of Lighter Lorenz the champion, then I'll just flip through the whole novel of files we have on you back in the office." Harumasa says it with an air of casualness that he'd use if someone were to ask him about the weather. He says it like it's another simple fact of life, like it wasn't something that makes Lighter's heart stop and start all at the same time.

He's a little too stunlocked to respond right away, feeling the familiar heat of embarrassment crawling up his neck as the weight of the archer's words wash over him. It takes the biker a few tries to get his tongue working again with only just a little bit of difficulty. "If that's what you want..."

Harumasa looks up at him then, the golden sun behind him the perfect backdrop for his toothy smile, and brings his camera up to his eye again. The lens shutter and click, and while Lighter has no idea what sort of expression he's making right now, he supposes it doesn't matter so much because Harumasa just looks at the photo with that same lopsided grin full of fondness and tucks it into his pocket carefully. "It is."

"Now come on, you're blocking the way and I want some fries." That startles him out of his stupor as the archer turns to start heading down the steps of the port, laughter on the wind as he leaves Lighter with the business of paying for them, again.

Not that he minds much, already pulling out a few Dennies a laugh of his own—leave it to Harumasa to use him as his personal wallet just because he was too lazy to get out his own. "Yeah... My bad. Regular, or any special requests?"

"Regular is just fine. I'll be over there waiting!" Lighter turns to catch sight of Harumasa picking his way down to one of the benches on the side facing the ocean. Here, the salty sea breeze buffs against his face and tousles his hair like a lover's touch, gentle and playful where it ruffles through the dark locks as he sits down. Lighter doesn't realize he's smiling at the sight of the archer fighting a losing battle of keeping his hair out of his face until his face starts aching a little bit. He catches himself with an embarrassed jolt, quickly looking away as he steps up to place an order for their fries in hopes that it'll distract him from anymore painfully sappy thoughts.

It's a habit of his to people-watch, after all. But at what point does it cross the line of detached observation and into something more, something desperate and something aching? Something a lot like wishful thinking as he slows his walk towards the docks where Harumasa sits, that little camera in his hands again as he takes a few photos that encapsulates the view of the waning sunlight over the golden horizon.

At what point did he cross the line of distance to desperation?

He knew it was inevitable, knew that he was probably doomed from the beginning, but it's still hard to come to terms with it even as the truth stares him down right in front of him, even as his heart beats hard enough to hurt when Harumasa perks up at him when he gets in his line of sight.

Lighter knows he's irrevocably lost when all he can do is bear it and smile as the archer turns to him and raises his camera, snapping a photo of the moment where he makes peace with the fact that maybe, just maybe, he's a little in love with the guy—has been for a while now. Lighter just hopes it's not as obvious in that photo, otherwise he'd have to get rid of it quietly. It wouldn't be so meaningful if Harumasa found out through a photo rather than from his own mouth now, would it?

"One order of fresh fries here. That'll be 20 Dennies." is what he says when he walks up to the bench, a soft smile on his face instead of the crooked grin he meant to wear. Luckily, Harumasa doesn't seem to mind it because he smiles back just as sweet.

"What? You're charging me now?" He says with a teasing laugh, scooting over without needing to be asked. For all the words that they've shared, it's nice to see that sometimes they don't need to speak in order to understand.

"Yeah. I have an entire tab with your name on it." Lighter chuckles as he takes a seat next to him, grunting when he plops down on the bench where he stretches his legs out in front of him with a sigh. He's sure that if Harumasa wasn't trying already happily snatching up the fries, he would've called him an old man again.

"Geez, it's been a while since I've had some of these fries." Harumasa chirps, happily popping one into his mouth and then flinching when he realizes just hot fresh the fries were. He fans quickly at his tongue, huffing and puffing all the while. "Still as hot as ever though!"

"That's why you blow on them first before eating. And you already threw away your drink, so now you just have to suck it up." Lighter snickers, making a dramatic show of blowing on his fry before popping it into his mouth to munch on. He picks up another fry, though instead of eating it himself, he holds it up in the air and waits.

The archer opens his mouth as if to ask what he's trying to summon by wielding the potato stick like that, but he doesn't have to wait long to get his answer. In a flurry of black and white feathers, the fry is snatched right out of Lighter's hand with a loud Squawk!

Harumasa lets out a laugh of disbelief, raising a hand to brush his bangs out of his eyes where they were blown back by the gust of sudden wind from feathered wings. "A seagull?"

"Bingo. That's the little jackass I was telling you about." Lighter clicks his tongue as he shoves a few more into his mouth, pinching one between his teeth in an imitation of a cigarette as he passes Harumasa one to try for himself.

"Hold it up and he'll fly by and grab it. Make sure to watch your fingers though, he's a little shit who won't hesitate to bite if it means getting his fries. I mean, it doesn't even hurt that bad, but it's surprising still." He instructs, grinning crookedly as the archer follows his directions to a T with a determined glint in his eye. It's such a silly little thing—sitting on their asses here and feeding seagulls fries—but Harumasa seems determined to treat it like a life or death mission nonetheless.

Lighter finds it entirely too endearing as he leans back against the bench, still munching on his share of fries while he watches Harumasa hold out the fry with wide eyes. He supposes that even for extraordinary people like them, it's nice to indulge in the ordinary once in a while.

It doesn't take long until the bird returns with a vengeance, swooping by like a fighter plane and snapping up the offering with a triumphant crow as it flutters away. Harumasa lets out a surprised exclamation, a laugh tumbling from his lips as he looks at his empty hand.

"Would you look at that! It got it!" He turns to Lighter with a boyish grin, unabashed and delighted all the same. For a split second, it looks as if he didn't have a care in the world right now. As if he didn't need to care about anything and everything—it's a nice look on him, Lighter decides. "Looks like I'm gonna be the one stealing your little friend now."

"You can keep him. He's bitten my finger one too many times for my liking, anyways." Lighter says gruffly, like he actually has some beef with a bird of all things. He sits up only to lean against Harumasa's side, stealing a fry from his box just to mess with the archer some. It gets him an offended look from Harumasa, his lips forming an "O" shape of outrage as he watches the biker throw his fry into his mouth.

"Besides, I've recently picked up a little stray myself, so my hands are already too full to deal with another."

Harumasa snorts, shrugging his shoulder just to toss Lighter around a bit. He gets a bit of grumbling for it, but the biker resolutely stays put like a bur. "You're saying that like it's a bad thing. You know, strays tend to show the most love and appreciation for being taken in! They don't take things for granted."

The archer upturns his nose with a faux air of haughtiness and it dawns a little bit later on Lighter that what he says next will be very important moving forwards, especially if he doesn't want to land himself in the doghouse any time soon. It's another one of his tests of wit that always keeps Lighter light on his feet, and lucky for him, he's an ex-boxer. The biker just smiles, the edges softening like melted ice cream on a hot summer's day. For all his bluster and pride, Harumasa does a diligent job at clinging to the softer parts of being human, even if he hides it away well.

Lighter slides an arm around the archer's slim waist, one large hand resting on his hip as a point of contact between them, a comforting weight for when he speaks up next. "I know. It's a little noisy sometimes and definitely bossy, but I'd say it's settling in well..."

His tone is low and teasing, like the endless push and pull of the ocean of the shoreline, never pushing farther beyond the line in the sand yet never fully retreating out to the depths. It's comfortable and it's familiar in a way that he looks forward to indulging in for a little while longer.

"Is it?" Harumasa murmurs quietly, near inaudible if it weren't for the fact that Lighter's pressed right up against him. The archer drops his head to rest against his, a rueful smile tugging at his lips where it draws sharp shadows on his face. Despite his proximity, his eyes speak of a distance that Lighter desperately aches to cross. "It's not causing any problems or anything, right? Not making a mess around the house or tearing up furniture?"

"Not at all. It gets a little fussy sometimes, but I figure it's still getting used to how things are around here. Not that that's a bad thing, I don't mind the mischief." The biker murmurs, rubbing slow circles into the dip of Harumasa's hip while pulling him impossibly closer, if only to feel every inch possible pressed up against his own body. If he could, he'd probably try to fuse them together at this point.

The archer hums thoughtfully in response, a twinge of something akin to relief in his eyes. Lighter can feel it in the way he relaxes a little bit further, lets himself lean into the touch like a sweet indulgence he allows himself once in a while. "That's good. For a second I thought you would've gotten too frustrated with it's attitude and given up on it."

"I've been told I can be stubborn sometimes, impossible even. As if those things are bad. I like to think I'm just rather optimistic." Lighter shrugs one shoulder, unperturbed.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm not looking to get rid of it any time soon, so stop worrying and eat your fries." He nudges Harumasa's head with his own, getting a playful laugh out of the archer when his hair tickles the underside of his jaw. All he does is bat the biker away with an exasperatedly fond grin as he goes back to picking at his fries obediently. Still, that doesn't hide the amount of affection in his eyes when he looks back at Lighter.

"I'm just doing my duty and making sure the city is safe, and that includes all our fuzzy little friends." Humor bleeds back into his voice and Lighter feels like he's managed to pass some sort of test. He mentally pats himself on the back as they both lean back on the bench, the silence between them comfortable not awkward. He takes to sacrificing a few more of his fries to the seagulls hovering around them, something Harumasa mimics as well, and they finish their snacks in no time.

The archer is the first to speak up this time, a bright twinkle in his eyes that speaks to his bubbling excitement. With a look like that being aimed at him, how can any man stay standing on his own two feet?

"Have you been up to the lighthouse?" He asks, unbeknownst to the way Lighter's thanking his lucky stars he's already sitting down.

"The lighthouse? Can't say that I have. Isn't it closed to the public?" Lighter's voice comes out a little more breathless than usual, but Harumasa either doesn't notice or pretends not to notice for his sake.

"Weellll usually, yes... but hey! Nobody's gotta know!" The archer whispers dramatically, leaning in close as if they were trading a secret. His enthusiasm is infectious, his bright grin spreading from his lips to Lighter's as he finds himself leaning in as well.

"What happened to being a model citizen?" The biker teases, and yet he gets up anyways when Harumasa hops up onto his feet and starts tugging at Lighter to get up too. He's quick to follow like a dog on a leash, happily collared if it meant he could keep holding on tight to him just like this.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't see you going up there and you didn't see me going up there." Harumasa responds smartly, already sneaking them behind the buildings and crates until they end up right in front of the lighthouse.

Lighter just shakes his head, endlessly fond. "Right, of course. Silly me for thinking any differently."

He's been in various different scenarios where he's had to deploy a little bit more stealth than he'd normally go with, a little bit more caution when tracking his enemies in the Outer Ring. He's spent days on the chase with nothing but his bike and the endless dirt roads for company while on a solo mission.

But this, sneaking around like a bunch of teenagers up past their curfews, well it makes his blood burn a little hotter, makes his heart race just a little bit faster as he clutches Harumasa's hand in his own with a stupid smile. It's so terribly self-indulgent that it feels almost sinful that he gets to delight in helping the archer hop over the barrier before following him over, shushing his giggles along the way as they hop two steps at a time up the stairs.

The wind hits him first before the view does, cool and salty on his tongue when they reach the top. Harumasa lets out a delighted laugh as he makes a beeline for the railing, leaning over precariously with a sigh of contentment. So precariously, in fact, that Lighter's quick to follow behind him if only to place his hands on his waist to hold him still, hold him safe.

Of course, Harumasa never misses the opportunity to tease. "Oh? Are we recreating that Titanic scene?"

Not one to miss a beat, Lighter responds with utmost sincerity. "Mm, I prefer the other scene where I throw you overboard actually."

"What? Hey—!" Harumasa barely gets another word in before Lighter's tightening his grips on his waist and bodily hauling him upwards. The guy starts to genuinely yowl like a scorned cat, his hands flying to grasp at Lighter's wrist to hang on for dear life. He laughs for all but five seconds before he starts to feel bad and sets the archer back onto his feet again, to which Harumasa immediately plasters himself to Lighter's chest.

"Kidding, kidding." He teases, more than happy to let Harumasa clutch at his jacket as he catches his breath. "I'm just messing with you."

"I would hope so! I saw my life flash before my eyes there!" Harumasa wheezes dramatically, one hand clutching at his chest where his heart beats like a drum. Yellow eyes glare up at him in offense, though Lighter can only muster a fond chuckle at the sight as he rubs a comforting hand up and down Harumasa's arms to placate him some.

He cranes his neck down to drop a quick kiss to the tip of Harumasa's nose in an effort to wipe that frown off of his face. "Now you know I wouldn't let you fall."

"I'd argue otherwise..." Harumasa grumbles, but he lets Lighter help him stand up properly again anyways. The archer makes sure to return the favor briefly, leaning up to press a fleeting kiss to his cheek before moving away. The casualness of it all doesn't fail to bring a light flush to Lighter's face, though he'll blame it on the lighting of the setting sun in front of them.

He'll blame it on the view in front of them later when he's asked about it, though the secret he'll take to his grave is that it's not the ocean he's looking at—he can come see that any day he wants. No, it's the man right in front of him, soft blue hair blowing in the breeze like a gentle field, a faint smile on his kissable lips as he looks out over the railings.

Even if it hurts his eyes a little when the sunset reflects on the water, even if his legs get tired of just standing there for an eternity, Lighter thinks it would be worth it just for this moment right here. The view would be nothing if there wasn't anyone to share it with, and there's no one else he'd rather share it with than the little stray he's picked up all those months ago.

The sound of a camera shutter going off drags him back to reality and Lighter’s quick to cast his eyes to the side only to see camera lenses aimed at him. The corner of his lips turn down a little and he makes to scoot closer to Harumasa with obvious curiosity in his eyes.

“Now what was that for?” He murmurs lowly, trying to crane his neck over to catch a glimpse of the printing Polaroid. Unfortunately for him, Harumasa’s quicker and the archer snatches up the flimsy sheet before Lighter can catch a glance, fanning it in the air a few times with a cheeky grin.

“To show you what your overthinking face looks like.” He holds out the Polaroid in between two fingers and Lighter pauses where he’s halfway reaching out to it. Harumasa waves it a few more times in the air, catching his forest-green eyes with his own as he gestures to Lighter to take the photo. “What’s on your mind, hm?”

Shit, was he really that obvious? Lighter thought that after all these years, he would’ve had the whole cool-and-mysterious Champion bit down to crack by now, but he supposes Harumasa’s eyes would’ve been sharp like a hawk’s if he spent his days in the Hollows with just a bow and arrow. Nothing could escape those yellow eyes, not even Lighter himself.

“You’ll have to be more specific.” is what he says instead, snagging the flimsy sheet from Harumasa’s hand to examine himself. He’s gotta admit, Harumasa has a good eye for taking photos, managing to catch the perfect shot of a setting sun and a fresh breeze that cards through Lighter’s hair at just the right moment, freezing the scene of a brooding Champion staring out into the sunset. “Nice photo, do I get to keep it?”

Harumasa just fondly rolls his eyes, not even bothering to answer his question as he leans against the railing. They both know he’s deflecting, but at least Harumasa has the decency to gently ruin his attempts as he lets his camera fall against his chest and scoot closer with a critical eye.

“C’mon, what’s got you so distracted that you’re neglecting me, hm? I thought this was supposed to be a date,” Lighter cringes a little bit at the word and Harumasa’s eyes narrow for a split second as he catches that, “yet you haven’t even kissed me or anything! I’m starting to think you’re having second thoughts about this.”

Harumasa lightly bumps his shoulder into Lighter’s, a silent question of You okay? in his movements that makes Lighter feel a little bit more guilty, if that was even possible. He just scoffs lightly, a ghost of a subdued smile on his face as he carefully tucks the Polaroid into his jacket. Safekeeping and all. “Should I apologize for that? My bad.”

“Wanna share?” Harumasa asks gently instead, moving to mimic Lighter’s casual lean over the rails as they stare out into the vast ocean in front of them—elbows propped over the metal bars and resting over the edge precariously as the wind blows by them and the gulls squawk in the distance. All of it, combined with the archer’s seemingly never-ending patience when it comes to weaseling something out of Lighter, works to get him to crack and Lighter can’t really find it in himself to say no, not to Harumasa—not anymore.

“Honestly? I’m just thinking about how I’m going to save this date.” He admits in one heavy sigh, shaking his head lightly with a rueful chuckle. To avoid looking at the man besides him and see whatever emotion is stewing in those pretty yellow eyes, Lighter runs one gloved hand through his hair to mess it up some more, anything to make it seem like he’s not five seconds away from throwing himself off the lighthouse in embarrassment or self-pity. Maybe both if he's feeling ambitious enough.

“Maybe a movie? Or I can take you out on a ride into the desert or something. If you’re up for staying out a bit late. I know a few nice spots for stargazing, but oh— you have work tomorrow.” Lighter cuts off his rambling with a pinched expression as he realizes just how late it’s getting. Damn, he was hoping to steal maybe a few more hours together, but maybe it’s for the better. “Maybe not. What else is even open at this hour?”

Harumasa, clearly taken aback, turns to face Lighter with a slightly amused yet incredulous look, like the guy’s gone and grown a second head or something. “Hey, wait— save this date? What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I just said. We didn’t do anything today, the only thing that maybe could’ve counted for something was the tea milk, but then that just makes the whole day even more boring, doesn’t it?” Lighter argues, though Harumasa would call it pouting. With a rueful sigh, the biker turns his attention back to the setting sun in front of them again—he feels bad, he really does!

“I don’t know, I just— I must be real boring, huh?” The biker murmurs, a lot quieter than he’s been today—it’s a habit Harumasa notices he does whenever Lighter starts to feel bad about something, like he’s struggling to even admit it out loud because if he gives voice to it, it must be true.

“Dragged you out on your day off to go run errands with me and then now here we are, feeding seagulls of all things.” He gives a self-depreciating shrug, missing the little frown that tugs at the corner of Harumasa’s lips as he watches Lighter deflate. “Sorry, Haru. I'll make it up to you another time, yeah?”

They’re silent for a moment and maybe if Lighter closes his eyes and pretends that if he waits a little more, he might hear leaving footsteps. He wouldn’t mind really, he doesn’t have much to offer and Harumasa deserves much more than nothing.

But to his surprise, he doesn’t hear the archer leaving. In fact, the guy stays stubbornly planted right next to him, even has the audacity to close the few short inches of distance between them as Harumasa presses himself to Lighter’s side like a thorn.

“Hey…” Harumasa murmurs softly like he would to a spooked animal, trying his best to coax Lighter into looking at him, which he stubbornly refuses to do so—much to the archer’s amusement and playful annoyance.

“C’mon… Look at me?” He tries again and Lighter’s always been a big softie for those that matter and he lets Harumasa gently guide his face to look down at him. He gets rewarded with a bright smile and that makes him feel a little better. “There’s my favorite mercenary.”

The biker manages a weak grin at that and Harumasa just smiles even more in a way that gives him a little bit of his confidence back to tease him in return. “Finally admitting it, huh?”

“I was saving it for a special moment.” Harumasa tuts, turning his nose up playfully. His hands slide down from Lighter’s face to gently grasp his hands and for once, Lighter once again curses the fact that he wears his gloves all the damn time. It would’ve been nice to hold the archer’s hands with nothing in between them as Harumasa pins him to the spot with a soft look and even softer words. “Do you really think that?”

There’s nothing he can really do except give a poor excuse of a half-shrug and to open his mouth to argue, except Harumasa silences him with a pointed look and another squeeze to his hands and that gets the biker shutting his mouth immediately.

“Lighter, if I was actually bored, do you really think I wouldn't have said something? Have you met me?” Harumasa laughs not unkindly and the reality hits him in the face a little too late because yeah, Harumasa is not the type of person to do something he really doesn’t want to.

He may be annoying, a bit of a slacker, but deep down (like waaay deep down, past the different smiles and faces he wears everyday for other people) Harumasa Asaba is genuine; or at least he tries to be and Lighter can appreciate the effort nonetheless—not a lot of people would do that just for little old him.

Lighter’s just been a little too wrapped up in his own head that he forgets this little detail, but it makes a tiny smile pull his lips up and Harumasa takes that as a good sign, giving the biker a smile of his own. “Yeah, that's right. In fact, I had a good time today—a great time even!”

“And do you know why?” The archer asks, leaning in close like they’re sharing a secret. Lighter finds himself leaning in anyways, anything to indulge that gentle smile that Harumasa wears when he bumps their foreheads together, letting out a breathless laugh that gets snatched away by the port breeze.

“Why?” Lighter murmurs, letting the small smile grow a little more under the careful watch of those bright yellow eyes—like a flower under the golden sun.

“Because I came out here with you.” Harumasa says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

And there’s really nothing Lighter can say to that. Embarrassingly enough, those simple little words managed to stunlock him long enough for Harumasa to let out another carefree laugh and keep talking, just to see Lighter’s eyes go wide with surprise at every word. He has a bad habit of shattering Lighter's expectations at every turn, but the biker's quickly finding out that maybe that could be a good thing. It definitely good because it fills his hollow chest with a warmth he thought he'd long lost.

“I didn’t go on a date to be on a date, silly. I went out on a date because you asked me.” The archer clarifies, his smile turning from wicked to wistful in a blink of an eye. There’s something glistening in his eyes that looks a lot like he doesn’t quite believe he has a right to be saying something like this, but Harumasa’s always been brave—braver than Lighter. There’s no other explanation for the way he clutches at Lighter’s gloved hands and holds him tight as if he’s afraid this moment would slip from his hands if he let go.

“And because I like you.” Those final words are like the nail in the coffin, and Lighter’s surprised his legs don’t give out on him now. Thank god for all that training in the ring, because a lesser man would’ve fallen to his knees at the sight of that sweet, cheeky little smile Harumasa gives him. “Is that so hard to believe?”

And Lighter—

—Lighter just stares into Harumasa’s eyes for a long while. It’s not like he has a choice anyways, with how the archer is practically digging his blunt fingernails into his palms to keep him anchored to this little spot high up on the lighthouse, a little bubble of theirs away from the rest of the world as he fixes Lighter with a stern glare-slash-pout. Maybe if he stares long enough, he can convince himself that he misheard that last part. “..Yes.”

And instead of getting upset or disappointed in him, Harumasa just huffs out a fond laugh. He shakes his head and fixes Lighter with an endlessly amused grin that does wonders for his wounded pride and aching heart. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to overthink it until you believe it, because I’m not repeating that.” Harumasa tuts, a pretty little pink beginning to crawl up the back of his neck to dust his cheeks a rosy hue that the biker loves seeing on his face—loves being the reason for it.

He wants to kiss every inch of that red blush and he knows Harumasa wouldn’t mind, not one bit.

“Aww, why not?” The biker teases quietly, feeling a little more confidence bleed back into his bones as he gets to watch Harumasa start to blush a little more under his watchful eye. He gets to watch as the archer turns away with a grumble as that pretty pink turns into a burning red like a flame growing into an inferno—Lighter’s crooked smirk grows into a wide grin as he leans closer to brush their noses together, breathless and disbelieving that he could be this lucky. “Can’t you say it again? For me?”

Harumasa’s expression twists like he just bit into a lemon and were they were anyone else, Lighter would’ve burst out laughing at the sight. Instead, he just bites the inside of his cheek to stifle a fond chuckle as the archer yanks his hands back like he just touched something gross and turns on his heel with an upturn of his nose.

It doesn’t really help him because the biker can still see his bright red ear tips when he turns back to the setting sun. “Weren’t you just moping? Go back to that instead, asshole.”

“Breaking my heart so soon after fixing it, sweetheart? How cruel of you.” Lighter murmurs, though the way he walks forwards to slip his hands around Harumasa’s waist speaks more to his gentle reverence than his words as he noses at the sensitive spot behind the archer’s ear—it gets him that familiar shudder he's slowly learning how to best coax out.

“I like you too, you know. If you couldn't tell already.” Lighter confesses quietly into Harumasa's hair, breathing him in and filling his lungs like he couldn't get enough. At the end of the day, Lighter is a greedy man and much to his delight, Harumasa’s never had a problem with indulging him.

“I could tell.” Harumasa responds dryly with an eye roll just to be contradictory, though he gives in after a few more seconds of play pretend. The archer turns slowly in Lighter’s arms so he could properly face him, no fear of falling in those bright yellow eyes because Lighter automatically places his hands on the small of Harumasa’s back to hold him steady. The fond look he gets is more than worth it when Harumasa looks up at him like that. “I like you too. For some reason.”

“Aaand the moment's ruined.” Lighter deadpans over the sound of Harumasa’s laughter, though a grin of his own tugs at his lips. He pretends to drop his hands just to hear Harumasa shriek and clutch at his forearms dramatically—as if he’d ever let Harumasa fall, as if he’d ever let him go.

It’s obvious that Harumasa knows exactly this as well, because he doesn’t hesitate to lean back when he feels Lighter’s hands firmly on his back again. The archer just looks up at him in a way that gets his pulse racing as if adrenaline were coursing through his veins and when Harumasa’s hands rest on his arms gently, Lighter thinks it might as well be with how he’s feeling like he’s on cloud nine right now.

“How can I so graciously make up for ruining the mood then?” Harumasa teases, his voice soft enough to be carried away by the wind yet with how close they were, barely a few inches away from each other, Lighter hears it clear as day and he doesn’t bother to stop the crooked grin that pulls at his lips.

“I know a couple of ways, but there’s really only one I’m hoping for right now.” He murmurs in return, dipping his head low enough for their noses to brush, a silent request. It gets him a little snicker from the archer and he’s more than happy to take on the weight when Harumasa’s arms wrap around his neck to keep them both steady. He’s never really seen the appeal of physical touch like this—much preferring to keep to himself most of the time—but with Harumasa pressed up against him like a happy cat, Lighter thinks he might be the stupidest guy on earth to have missed out on this for the past couple of years.

“Oh yeah? Name your price then.” There’s a playfully indulgent lilt to Harumasa’s voice as he tries to stifle his laughter and it’s infectious enough to make Lighter drop his forehead against the archer’s shoulder to hide his stupid smile against Harumasa’s neck. Lighter makes sure to soften the blow with a few chaste kisses against the warm skin there, just because he can.

“You could let me kiss you.”

Lighter feels Harumasa pause in his arms and for a second he fears that if he looks up, he’ll only be met with rejection. Yet when the archer gently guides him back so they can meet eye to eye, he’s pleasantly surprised by the amused grin on Harumasa’s face, even if there’s a flicker of impatience in those yellow eyes. “Took you long enough. Come on then, I'm waiting.”

Lighter doesn’t need to be told twice.

Quick as a whip, he cups Harumasa’s face with one gloved hand while the other rests on the small of the archer’s back to tug him close so he can close the scant distance between their lips just like he’s been thinking about all day. Harumasa must’ve been thinking about it as well, because he’s quick to lean in close to slot their lips together like it’s the most natural thing to do.

Much to Lighter’s secret delight, Harumasa tastes a little sweeter today when he kisses back as good as he gets.

Maybe it’s from the tea milk they had earlier or maybe it’s from the laughter that was just on his lips a few moments ago, but Harumasa tastes all the sweeter when Lighter kisses him on top of the lighthouse with the sunset as their background. If he were a more poetic man, he’d probably say something along the lines of finally getting a taste of the golden rays of the setting sun and Harumasa would undoubtedly laugh at him for being so damn corny. It’s not a bad thought.

Harumasa’s hands come up to tangle into his permanently wind-tousled hair like they belong there and Lighter certainly wouldn’t ever complain about it, not when he feels those hands fist and tug at the roots of his hair to have him gasping against Harumasa’s lips. The bastard knows what he’s doing, Lighter can feel those lips turning up in a grin even as he slips his tongue into the archer’s mouth and relishes the way Harumasa so easily gives in every time.

The biker walks them both back slowly, his hands still holding strong and steady onto Harumasa, even cushioning his back against the cool metal bars when they hit the rails. Maybe if he were more clear of mind, he’d be a bit embarrassed by the whine of protest he lets out when Harumasa gently pushes him back with a ragged gasp for air.

It takes every last cell in his body not to dive right back in when Harumasa looks back at him like that—bright yellow eyes, brighter than the setting sun behind them, gazing up with that cheeky little smile he’s grown so stupidly fond of after all this time with kiss-swollen lips that’s all Lighter’s doing.

It’s no surprise to either of them when Lighter leans back in first, tugging Harumasa back to him like the moon pulls at the tide day by day as he bumps his forehead against the archer’s. “Can I kiss you again?”

“Let a guy catch his breath first.” To his credit, Harumasa puts up a good fight at first, going so far as to pretend to crane his neck outside of kissing distance, but it’s all in good fun because he’s quick to settle back down when he sees Lighter starting to pout.

A pleasant shudder runs up and down his spine as he feels the archer’s fingers card through the baby hairs on the back of his nape as Harumasa threads his fingers behind his neck, forcing the biker to look down at him when Harumasa decides to lean all his weight against the rails and Lighter’s two hands. It’s a precarious position he’s put himself in, but Lighter’s a bit distracted by the way the wind cards through his soft dark hair than the death drop below them. “But you know… You don’t have to keep asking, Lighter.”

Lighter just shrugs at that. “I don’t know when I’m going to be able to kiss you like this again, so I’m just trying to get my fill.” is what he says instead, and it only makes Harumasa’s expression twist and the shadows on his face morph in the golden light of the sunset. Lighter takes note of every inch of skin exposed to the sun so he can trace over it with his own lips later instead.

“Are you about to go on some faraway trip or something?” Harumasa asks with a snort of laughter, tapping Lighter’s shoulder to get him to set him upright on his feet again. “There’s nothing stopping us from doing this as much as we want, last I checked.”

That gets Lighter grinning just a bit, that same handsome smile that always gets Harumasa a little shy. He relishes in the fact that it still works on the archer, who only pinches his lips together as a flush works its way up to his cheeks. The biker takes that as a chance to lean in close, bumping their foreheads together gently. “I'm just.. getting used to being able to do this with you, that's all.”

"I thought I said it enough, but apparently not... Is it really so hard to believe that I like you? That I like-like you?" Harumasa fires right back, pressing his forehead against Lighter’s with a little more pressure so he can force the biker to look straight into his eyes and see the sincerity in them. It’s hard to miss when they’re barely centimeters away and Lighter has to begrudgingly admit that he doesn’t see even a flicker of dishonesty in those eyes.

He lets out a sigh, one gloved hand running up and down Harumasa’s back in a gesture that’s meant to be soothing as he (begrudgingly) admits defeat. “...I guess not.”

“Good! Because while I don’t mind reminding you, I’d rather spend my time doing other things.” Harumasa leans in to steal another peck from his lips and Lighter gives in easily. “Like going out on a nice date like this once in a while. I’m talking about at least three times a week so I don't die from neglect!”

That gets Lighter smiling—the type of smile that crinkles his eyes and dimples his cheek just a little bit in a way that makes him look younger than he really is. He doesn’t stop himself this time from leaning back in to press another soft kiss to Harumasa’s lips, relishing in the simple fact that this is okay, that this is wanted.

“Three? Now isn’t that being a bit greedy? Monopolizing all my free time.” He teases his lips against Harumasa’s, a quiet chuckle falling from his lips when the archer leans forwards to try and get a real kiss out of him. Lighter pulls back before they can get carried away and he’s treated to his favorite pout on Harumasa’s face.

“Hey, I could’ve demanded a lot more! I’m being generous here since you’re so slow on the uptake.” The archer declares it with such resolve that Lighter doesn’t even bother to hide his snort of laughter. Instead, he just leans forwards to press a soft kiss to Harumasa’s forehead right where his yellow headband would have been. He can feel the warmth of his skin underneath his lips, and Lighter just grins some more as Harumasa’s fingernails dig into his leather jacket in warning.

“Seems I’ve managed to pick up such a brat while I was out running errands today.” He leans down to bury his nose into Harumasa’s hair, taking a deep inhale to fill his lungs with the crisp scent of whatever cologne Harumasa chose today and the lingering smell of hospitals and a hint of sun. It’s so different from the life he’s used to in the Outer Ring, but Lighter has a feeling he’ll be quick to adjust. “You’re definitely gonna keep my hands full, but I have a feeling I won’t mind much.”

Harumasa’s next smile lights up his face like the setting sun behind them and for a second, Lighter wishes he had the camera in his hands to capture this moment and tuck it away in his pocket to keep forever like the greedy man he was.

“I’ll be on my best behavior.” is what Harumasa promises instead of something more heartfelt, but it works out just fine for the both of them. Neither of them were really good with dealing with the soft and sweet parts of being human, but these clumsy attempts at trying are good enough for now.

“Now that’s a lie.” is what Lighter says instead of something embarrassing, like how much he likes him or whatever. He’s sure Harumasa already knows anyway, judging by the twinkle in those bright yellow eyes that look back at him with an endless depth of fondness that nearly steals his breath away.

“Well, I can’t really lie if my lips are busy…” Harumasa crows with a cheeky wink and a smile thrown his way, and there’s nothing stopping the biker from leaning down and pressing their lips together one more time just to test out that method.

It’s all according to Harumasa’s plan anyway and Lighter knows it because he feels the wide smile press against his own lips when the archer drags him back down for another kiss, one with teeth and tongue and greedy hands that tug at the roots of his wind-tousled hair, the type of kiss that Lighter easily gives in to every single time without fail.