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“Still doing solo shows, huh…?” Toya muttered to himself as he ran to keep pace with Kohane and An. At the same time, he maintained a certain distance behind. Easier to think that way.
“I had no idea how often Akito could slump like that,” An remarked, gasping for breath. “It feels like every other month some comment gets him down, and then—” She shook her head and picked up speed, forcing Kohane and Toya to follow after her.
She doesn’t know the half of it, Toya couldn’t help but think, but he kept his mouth shut. No one needed to know but himself and Akito.
A minute later, they reached the venue. It looked a bit behind on maintenance, with white paint peeling off the door and the windows covered in spray paint. The light of the setting sun and the functionless windows made it difficult to discern what was going on inside, though if Toya’s eyes didn’t deceive him, he could spot a faint yellow glow creeping out from under the door and spreading onto the shadowy sidewalk. So the lighting inside wasn’t anything special; Toya had to wonder how many people were even here.
From inside came a bouncing bassline and the powerful sound of Akito’s singing. It was easy to tell how much energy he was putting into the performance, which was both admirable and incredibly frustrating. What a lovable idiot…
An grasped the brass doorknob, and part of Toya wanted to object—likely the part that caused his hand to reach out and try to stop her—but he knew better than to delay their entry. His face hardened as he firmly seized his wrist with his other hand, forcing it still. He could fret about Akito later. Right now, he had to keep a poker face.
They stepped inside, just in time for Akito to breathlessly shout his thanks to the crowd. Despite the less-than-spacious establishment, the place was absolutely packed. How were they supposed to get to Akito like this?
The singer’s knees were wobbling. Toya clenched his fists and grumbled bitter apologies as he wormed his way through the crowd.
“Toya?” Akito exclaimed in surprise, eyes widening. “Wait, Kohane? An? How did you—”
Toya hoisted himself up onto the stage, grunting with the effort. People in the audience were cheering and talking about the two of them now, but he paid them no mind and instead focused his attention on his stupid friend.
“Akito, we’re going home,” he said firmly. He put a hand on the singer’s shoulder to steady him; now that he was winding down from the adrenaline of the show, the tremors in his body were palpable. Damnit, Akito…
“Alright,” Akito breathed, too tired to fight Toya’s admonishment. He called out softly, “Thanks, everyone, for coming…”
The audience cheered again, and a few of them laughed at Akito’s exhausted state. It wasn’t anything funny. Akito kept pushing himself far harder than what was good for him, and every single time Toya had to come and bail him out. Of course, Kohane and An helped, but Toya and Akito had a connection that stretched further than either of them could imagine. Akito needed him, whether or not he liked to admit it.
Kohane and An joined them onstage, and the four of them made their way out a back exit. With each step, Akito seemed to grow heavier and heavier, and Toya had to readjust him so that he wouldn’t fall over. His arm wrapped around Akito’s back to try and keep him upright.
“Mind telling us what that was about, Akito?” An huffed, crossing her arms with an indignant look. Kohane’s lips pressed together nervously as her eyes darted back and forth between An and Akito. Toya understood the feeling; he never liked when An and Akito argued.
“Am I suddenly not allowed to perform solo?” Akito asked stubbornly, refusing to meet An’s gaze. Toya frowned.
“Not without proper sleep, you’re not!” An snapped back. “You can’t keep worrying us like this, Akito! Have you ever thought about how your actions affect other people even once in your life? Kohane’s been so anxious about you she can barely focus during practice, and Toya’s clearly been up all night thinking about you, not to mention he’s been even quieter than usual—”
I have?
That came as a shock to Toya. Was his worry really so obvious? His grip tightened on Akito, and with a racing heart, he found himself wanting to squeeze the man for comfort… but he knew he should probably treat him gently. Akito felt so fragile leaning against him Toya worried he might break.
“Toya?” Akito murmured, turning his head slightly to look at Toya. He seemed guilty. Toya tried to give him a reassuring look, but emoting like that had never come easily to him.
“It’s fine, Akito,” he said. “We should probably get you something to eat, and—”
As soon as they took a step forward, Akito’s legs gave out, and Toya had to swoop down to catch him. He lifted him up to position him more comfortably on his chest, and sighed.
“This is what you get for overworking yourself.”
Akito managed a slight glower, though the effect was tampened by his proximity to Toya’s face. He just looked cute. And Toya wanted to bring him closer.
“Shut up…” Akito protested feebly.
“You don’t get to tell me to shut up,” Toya said. “Not after you made me worried sick about you.”
“I did…?” This made Akito frown.
Toya could see Kohane nodding sheepishly in his peripheral vision, as well as An putting her hands on her hips.
Akito sighed. “Oh.”
Toya shook his head in exasperation. He was beginning to feel the strain in his shoulders from keeping Akito up, and in response only doubled his efforts to keep his friend standing up comfortably. They should probably find somewhere to sit down soon.
“Look at you,” he chastised, taking in Akito’s disheveled appearance. He was really looking worse for wear. “You’re still shaking. And your hair’s a mess.” He shifted Akito over to one side of his body, using his now-free hand to smooth out the stray orange strands of his hair. Akito squirmed weakly in his grasp, face flushing a light shade of pink.
“Not in front of them…” he whispered, glancing at An and Kohane.
Toya followed his gaze. “Fine.” He turned his head as best he could, trying to gauge some spot where they’d be able to sit in relative privacy for a while. After all, he doubted Akito would be able to walk all the way home in this state, and Toya sure couldn’t carry him. “An, Kohane… no practice tomorrow. Akito needs rest.”
An’s expression finally softened into the worried look Toya knew she’d been hiding this whole time. “I’m holding you to that, Toya!” Her voice wavered. Kohane seemed to shrink beside her.
Toya wanted to reassure them, but all he could think to say was, “I’ve got him.” After a second of thought, he added, “Thanks for helping me with him.” With that, he started to lead Akito away, feeling the weary singer struggling to move his feet.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to end up walking far. After three agonizing steps, Toya heard Kohane’s soft voice behind them asking, “Why don’t you just take him to our SEKAI…?”
Why didn’t I think of that? Toya beat himself up mentally, shutting his eyes for a moment, and turned to catch Kohane’s eye. “Thank you,” he said earnestly. “That’s a good idea.” He maneuvered Akito to the side again—the man was being surprisingly compliant, likely out of necessity—and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Kohane and An both began to walk away, though not without curious glances back and a couple of exchanged whispers. Soon Toya and Akito were enveloped in a blinding white light. And in no time at all, they were standing in their SEKAI.
“Is Meiko inside…?” Akito asked. He seemed like he was getting sleepier by the minute, which was oddly adorable, in Toya’s mind.
“I don’t think so,” Toya replied. He didn’t spot anyone through the café windows. “Do you think you can make it inside?”
“Probably.” Akito tried to pull himself free from Toya’s hold, but he only managed a couple of steps before falling again. Toya barely caught him in time. Akito’s eyes squeezed shut, and Toya worried he might be berating himself the way he so often did, but instead he quickly recovered and said, “I’d prefer to stay out here anyway. This is our SEKAI, so it’s safe, right? Plus, graffiti brings back good memories.”
Toya wasn’t about to argue with him, so he carefully led him over to the wall and helped him sit down. Akito’s head rolled back as his eyes shut again. His shoulders slumped, his breaths came out in quick, forced exhales, and not a single part of him moved other than the rise and fall of his chest. Poor thing. Toya sat next to him, and Akito’s eyes opened. He began to shift away.
“Hey,” Toya scolded. “Don’t lean away from me.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Akito huffed, trying to be stubborn. How is he so annoying and adorable at the same time?
“You’re acting foolish,” Toya said calmly. “If I wasn’t looking out for you, you’d probably be passed out on a real sidewalk right now, with your handsome face scraped up from the concrete.” He lowered his voice even further. “Please don’t push me away.”
Akito’s pride visibly melted away. “Toya…”
Toya shook his head. “Rest.”
Akito obliged, mustering the last of his energy to move into Toya’s lap, pressing the back of his head into his chest. This time, the weight was comforting, and Toya felt himself starting to relax. Akito really was too cute for his own good. Toya wrapped one arm around Akito’s front and used his other hand to gently stroke Akito’s soft orange hair. He had the urge to press his lips to it, but something told him not to.
“That feels weird,” Akito commented, his voice so faint that Toya could hardly hear it. But he did, so he stopped, not wanting his friend to be uncomfortable. Then Akito murmured, “I didn’t mean stop.”
So Toya resumed. He could feel Akito’s heartbeat beneath his arm, slow and steady and soothing. Akito let out a soft, content sigh and snuggled into the crook of Toya’s neck.
After a while, he whispered, “I love you.”
Toya smiled faintly and murmured, “I love you too.”