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“Akito,” Toya calls out, tone serious.
Shit.
Akito mentally runs through his checklist. He did his physics homework. He did his math homework, and Toya even checked it for him and said he did well. He started on the assignment for literature class, even though it's due after the New Year and December barely started.
He's been good, so why does Toya sound so serious?
“Yeah?” He sheepishly turns around.
“Do you have a moment to talk?” Toya asks, and Akito doesn't worry about what that could possibly mean. His heart doesn't drop into his stomach.
“I do.” He runs up to Toya, so they can head towards Toya's condo together. He's gonna have to extend his run back, but that's not really a problem.
“I've mentioned last year that my family celebrates Christmas early,” Toya starts. Akito doesn't like where this is going. “This year, Mother asked me to invite you. My brothers are also coming with their significant others, so it's a bigger party than usual.”
Akito blinks. Christmas party? At Toya's? When Toya’s old man still hates his guts?
“Are you sure that's a good idea?” He blurts out, and when Toya's face drops, he rushes to correct himself. “Wait, shit, I don't mean it like that. Doesn't your old man hate me? He's not gonna chase me out?”
“Mother said she'd love to meet you properly, and gave Father no choice in the matter. She said it'd be unfair if I'm not allowed to bring you, while my brothers can bring their partners,” Toya explains, and that does make him feel a little better. Barely.
“I want to have you by my side,” Toya adds. Akito hears the unspoken "don't leave me with them", and he doesn't have a choice when faced with that.
“I'll go.” He'll be fine. It's just a Christmas party with Toya's family. It’s just a Christmas party with Toya's old man, who hates him and thinks he corrupted his son. It'll be fine. It will not be awkward. And he can certainly hold back when necessary.
“Thank you, Akito.” Toya lights up at his words, with a smile so sweet Akito’s heart stutters. He's gonna have to do his best to make sure Toya's happy all throughout the party.
♡
It's around afternoon on the day of. Honestly, he lost track of time a little, so he checks his phone with his free hand. The dinner starts at five, and he has barely over an hour to finish getting ready and get to Toya's condo. He might've misjudged how much time he has left.
Ena has been banging on the door to the bathroom for a solid few minutes now, but the light here is better than his bedroom, so tough luck. She deserves it for all the times she did this to him.
“Get out! What the hell could you be doing in there that's so important!” She shrieks.
He closes the bottle of concealer and opens the door to give Ena a flat look.
“Fuck off. I have important shit to do.” He closes the door before she can reply. Much to his annoyance, she opens it before he can lock it.
“Hold on, is that concealer?!” She forces her way into the bathroom. He wonders how much she'd hate him if he picked her up and threw her our.
“None of ya business,” He replies instead and heads back to the mirror, because he doesn't have time for this.
“Oh, today’s the dinner party, right? That's why you actually look decent for once.” She takes a seat on the toilet. He's still considering forcing her out.
“Yes, today's the dinner party. Can ya fuck off so I can finish getting ready in peace?” He takes a moment to gesture to the door with the concealer, then gets back to making sure his face is perfect.
“Since when do you even use makeup?” She walks over to peer right into his face critically. “Since when are you good at makeup?”
“Why do you care?” He briefly considers jabbing her with the concealer brush, but that'd be a waste of product.
“Wait, is this why you always look fine even though you sleep like five hours a day?” Ena exclaims, and she's right, but she doesn't need to know that. She also doesn't need to know that he's been using makeup for performances for a while now, on himself and his team. She's going to firstly make fun of him, and secondly use him as a makeup artist, even though she can do her own makeup just fine.
“Can you move outta the way?” He steps sideways to finish applying concealer. Why can't he ever do anything in peace in this house?
“Fine.” She does step back, thankfully, but doesn't leave the bathroom. Instead, he can see her looking through his stuff out of the corner of his eye.
“I didn't give you permission to do that,” He warns, but of course, she doesn't care.
“These are actually decent brands! And wait, that's not your complexion.” She pulls out a bottle of light foundation. “You do this on partner-kun too?”
Fuck.
“Performance makeup. Can you leave?” He snaps.
“Absolutely not.” She does, thankfully, leave his stuff alone, even though she goes back to staring at him. “What are you going to wear? The only elegant outfit I've seen on you is your school uniform, and you wear even that with a hoodie.”
He grips the brush tighter, because otherwise, he might throw it at her.
“I'm rentin’ a suit.” His ex-boss was nice enough to recommend him a place when he asked, and he ended up finding something good there.
Ena wordlessly walks out. At this point, he knows locking the door won’t do him any favours, so he focuses on his makeup instead. He finishes hiding any blemishes, then starts looking through his bag for inspiration on what to do next. He doesn't want any heavy makeup, just a smooth face and something subtle to really sell the elegant look, because elegant isn't his strong suit.
He decides to line his eye just a little, so he takes his brown eyeliner and is about to start when Ena bursts through the door, making him nearly stab himself in the eye.
“A warnin’, maybe?” He glares at her, and she does look the tiniest bit guilty.
“Since when do you have good taste.” She flops back down onto the toilet. “That's a good suit. What the fuck.”
“I've always had it,” He mutters out, then focuses back on the makeup, because at this rate he will be late, which is unacceptable.
“Absolutely not. You normally dress horrendously.”
“Have you heard of street fashion?” He mutters, trying to remain still while holding a pen so close to his delicate eye. She couldn't have picked a worse moment to bother him.
“Have you heard of street fashion?” Ena parrots back. Why does she have to be so fucking annoying?
“Can you shut up for a minute.” If he can just finish doing his makeup without her yapping, he'll be very happy. Every word out of her mouth makes him more likely for him to jab himself in the eye, or worse, ruin what makeup he already has on.
Miraculously, she does shut up. He finishes his lines as fast as he can without making them ugly, just in case she starts back up when he least expects it.
He unclips his bangs, then gives himself a critical look in the mirror. His face looks fine, but he's still not sure if he should keep just a part of his hair slicked back or if he should pull back all of it.
He looks around the room. Unfortunately, the only person that can give him a second opinion is Ena.
“Should I keep my hair as is or slick it back more?” He can't believe the words leaving his mouth, but he did it. He asked Ena for her opinion.
Ena startles, then narrows her eyes.
“Keep as is to hide that big forehead of yours.” He should've never asked her. “Did you pick out any accessories yet?”
“The golden set from Toya.” That was the easiest decision out of everything regarding the party. The beautiful sun and moon themed jewelry set Toya gave him for his birthday was the only option he considered.
“That was fast.” Ena gives him an ugly, knowing grin.
“Shut up. I’ve seen how often you wear the blouse Akiyama picked for you,” He fires back. Ena blushes furiously.
“Th-that's different!” She defends.
“Sure is.” It totally isn't, but if she wants to try and save her unsalvageable face, he's not gonna stop her. He doesn't have time for this.
While Ena continues fumbling for an explanation, he grabs his bag and leaves her in the bathroom. A quick check of his phone tells him he has exactly an hour left, and he needs to finish getting ready and get to Toya's. He also has to stop by a bakery, because he doesn't wanna show up empty-handed.
He kicks the door to his room closed, then quickly changes into the suit, burgundy with a black shirt. He grabs one of his nicer colognes and gives himself a few spritzes, then moves on to accessories.
The belt and necklace are no problem, but the piercings give him a bit of trouble, because for some godforsaken reason his ears chose to be tender now. He winces as he pushes the hoop through the hole and closes the piercing, hoping it won't get irritated to the point of reopening. It's been fine before, so why does it have to get messed up before the party?
He ignores the uncomfortable feeling in his ear and does the rest of his piercings. He hopes his ears go back to normal soon, because he wanted to get himself an industrial for Christmas and if his ears are irritated he's gonna have to delay it.
Once his earrings are all in place, he slips on the few golden rings he has, then checks himself in the mirror. He looks good, and more importantly, he does look elegant. He slips on the nice coat he rented as well, then puts on the nicest pair of boots he found in his wardrobe. He grabs the leather messenger bag that Mom found in her closet and offered to lend him, which he already pre-packed, and finally puts his phone in the coat pocket. He's ready to go.
At least, physically. The thought of the Christmas party still terrifies him, because he worries how will Toya's old man behave. He himself is determined to make Toya happy, so he will do his best to hold back, but the old man is unpredictable.
He shakes his head. No use worrying about that now, when he agreed to go, so he rushes out of his room. Unfortunately, Ena is waiting in the living room.
“I never thought I'd see the day when you look good.” She pretends to wipe a tear from her face. He flips her off.
“I'm headin’ out!” He calls out to Mom, then turns to the door.
“Good luck.” For once, Ena doesn't sound like she's making fun of him. He's not gonna admit it, but he appreciaties it.
“Thanks,” He's just as sincere, before he rushes out the door and into the wintery afternoon.
He digs in his bag for an umbrella, because he doesn't want his getup to get ruined by snow. Though, he does have to admit that it's lucky, that there's snowfall on the day of their Christmas party. The city looks brilliant, with the lights reflecting off the snowflakes and cascading around.
If the weather keeps up, he has to steal Toya away for a walk. He'd love it, eyes shining as bright as they city around them, with that breathless delight he often has when looking at something small he finds beautiful. Akito really admires his ability to enjoy every little mundane thing.
He arrives at the station a few minutes before his train, and he rushes to the right platform. If only Ena wasn't being annoying when he was getting ready, he wouldn't have to rush so much.
He does make it on time, though, so he gets into the train once it arrives. It's just a few stops, and he's getting off earlier to drop by the bakery. He tries not to tap his foot on the way there, but he can't help being restless.
He really doesn't want to fuck this evening up.
It's just a shame that "not fucking this evening up" is a two person job, and his teammate in this is someone whose behaviour he can't predict.
His stop arrives before he can worry any further, so he hops out and heads for the bakery. He can't help the light jog he breaks into, worried all the good stuff will be sold out.
He's hit with a wave of warm and sweet relief once he opens the bakery door. There's still a few cakes left in the display; most importantly, he spots a whole coffee-cinnamon cheesecake that he heard is excellent. His mouth waters at the sight of the glaze, executed so perfectly it looks just like a freshly brewed cup of coffee; the tasteful sprinkle of cinnamon around the edges imitates the way baristas dip mug rims in spices, chocolate or sugar for fancy flavoured lattes. He's the luckiest man alive to be able to snag the entire cake. He gets in front of the counter and, with immeasurable satisfaction, buys the whole thing.
His wallet is not as satisfied as he is, but he’s going to worry about that some other day.
He checks his phone as he's walking out, cheesecake safe in a box and a bag; he has fifteen minutes left, and the route to Toya's should take him about ten. His step is energetic not just to be on time, but also to push all the nervous energy that's building inside him into the ground.
God damn it, he's so nervous.
He really doesn't wanna screw this evening up for Toya. He knows that it's usually just him and his parents, and that he hasn't seen his brothers in years. From that alone, the tension will be high, and he can't let it get any worse with his behaviour.
He barely notices that he's already in front of Toya's building. With a sigh, he heads inside. While he climbs the stairs to his condo, he whips out his phone to let Toya know he's there. He waits a few moments in front of the door until Toya opens.
Toya looks stunning. It's a simple, grayish-blue suit, with a cool white shirt underneath, but the colors match extremely well with Toya's features. With the light from inside backlighting his silhouette, he looks like some winter deity. The bright smile Akito receives as greeting is certainly angelic.
“Akito,” Toya greets, something like relief hiding in his voice.
“Hi,” He heads inside, and quickly takes off his outerwear, so he can peck Toya on the lips. For a moment, Toya looks perfectly relaxed, before his body tenses back up. Akito grits his teeth at the sight.
“What did you bring?” Toya asks while guiding him to the kitchen.
“Coffee cheesecake from the place nearby.” Akito takes a moment to glance around as he walks. The house is sparsely decorated, with some lights laid down on the console table. There's a small Christmas tree shoved in one corner, with minimal decorations.
He suppresses a shiver.
The atmosphere is colder than the weather outside.
“Good evening, Aoyagi-san,” He greets once he steps into the kitchen, carefully unwrapping the prized cheesecake.
“Good evening, Shinonome-san.” Akito doesn't flinch at the official address, but it's a damn near thing. “What do you have there? You didn't have to bring anything.” Aoyagi-san stops plating food for a moment to look at the precious cheesecake. “That's from the bakery nearby, isn't it?”
“It is. It felt wrong to come here empty-handed,” He admits. He looks at Toya with a silent question, and once again, his face has softened. As he opens the fridge for him, though, his face falls into that careful mask.
This evening will be agonizing.
“You two, please take a seat at the table. I'm almost ready to bring everything out.” Aoyagi-san turns back to the counter.
“Do you need any help, Mother?” Toya asks. Akito doesn't need to see his face to know he's stalling.
“Thank you, but I'll be fine. Go introduce Shinonome-san to everyone.”
Akito can feel Toya flinch slightly at the words. He bites his tongue and takes Toya's hand into one of his. Toya relaxes just a little, and leads him into the dining area.
Akito bites his tongue again, though for a different reason. Toya's old man sits at the edge of the table, with an empty seat next to him, and two more taken on the other side of the empty chair, by one of Toya's brothers and his girlfriend. The other brother and his partner sit opposite of Toya's old man and Aoyagi-san.
It's so clearly designed to separate him from the old man, it takes some willpower not to show any of his amusement on his face.
“Good evening,” He greets with a bow of his head, and gets a more or less enthusiastic choir of responses. “Shinonome Akito. I'm Toya's partner. It's a pleasure to meet you all.” With the stiff ass introduction out of the way, he goes to take a seat at the edge of the table.
Before he can do anything, though, Toya pulls out the chair for him. Akito gives him a small, surprised "thanks", and takes the offered seat with a small smile. Toya's eyes soften for a moment, before they steel back when he takes the spot next to him.
An awkward, tense silence falls over the table. Akito can feel an intense stare on his person, and a quick glance around the table confirms it's from Toya's old man. The atmosphere shifts; curiosity and questions fill the air. They know Toya no longer plays classical music, that Toya's strayed from the clean path of the Aoyagis, paved with ivory keys, to instead get dirty with street culture. They know he is the reason.
Before the ice can splinter, shards sure to painfully dig into their skin, Aoyagi-san starts to bring out the dishes, singlehandedly preventing what was sure to be a disaster. He feels Toya's body loosen up next to him. Aoyagi-san brings out a creamy kabocha soup, as well as karaage chicken and rice gratin. Once she sits down, everyone expresses their gratitude for the meal and the real challenge begins.
He's barely a few spoonfuls in, when someone dares to speak.
“Shinonome-san,” Aoyagi-san starts. Akito braces himself for whatever comes next. “I'm happy that you accepted the invitation. We only ever see each other briefly.”
This is fine. This is mild. As long as it doesn't get out of control, they'll be fine.
“I apologize for never introducing myself properly.” Formal talk sounds so wrong in his own voice, he realizes, but there's nothing he can do. “I've had more important matters at those times.”
Aoyagi-san hums. “Of course. It's comforting to know that you come to help Toya-san when he needs it.”
She calls her own damn son “Toya-san”? This household is insane.
He smiles a little at the comment, despite everything else swirling in his head. If he ever has a kid, he can't imagine using such a formal address to refer to them.
“I want to be there for him. Thank you for never turning me away, Aoyagi-san.” Nothing could stop him from getting to Toya, but the Aoyagis don't need to know that he's an expert climber, specifically of Toya's balcony.
“Ever since Toya-san started spending time with you, he always seemed a little happier than before. I should be thanking you for making him smile.”
A spoon clinks against ceramics. It's a momentary slip-up, but it's enough to turn the attention to the source of the sound.
“Why don't you visit more often?” Before Toya's old man has a chance to speak, Natsuomi (at least Akito thinks he's Natsuomi, based on Toya's description of him) asks. It's a seemingly innocent question, but he feels the temperature drop.
Toya sends him a brief, upset look. Akito bites his tongue first, before he starts thinking about a reply.
“Outside of school, we spend most of our time on practice,” He starts, very very carefully. As much as he would love to say that Toya hates spending time here, he's meant to behave. “And when we have some free time, we're already in the city, so it's easier to visit a nice place there.”
“Is that so?” Natsuomi presses further.
“Yes,” Toya says before he can. There's a hint of defensiveness in his tone, one that's not gonna be noticed by anyone here but him. Akito responds by putting his hand on Toya's thigh and giving it a comforting squeeze.
Thankfully, there's no further questions for now. It's still tense, only the sounds of eating echoing around the pristine, soulless dining room.
This is hell.
They finish the soup in silence, then start on the chicken once Aoyagi-san finishes taking away the bowls. The awkward, strained silence is making him miss Christmas at his own house.
Maybe Toya would have a better time there. And it'd be only fair to invite him. Nothing that happens at his own place is surely gonna beat this shitshow.
“How are you doing at school, Toya?” This time, Shuuji speaks up. Akito is very glad for that question to not be directed at him. He really shouldn't talk about his school performance.
“Good. My grades are all high, and I don't have any problems with the coursework.” Toya sounds a little bit relaxed, much to Akito's relief. He really wishes this could be over already.
“That's great to hear. And what about you, Shinonome-kun?” And of course, nothing can go the way he wants it to.
Akito thoroughly chews the karaage piece in his mouth, stalling for time to come up with a passably vague answer about his pathetic grades. They're shit, and he's barely passing most of the subjects, but he absolutely can’t admit to that.
“I don't want to waste time with make up tests, so I've been doing my best.” This is actual torture. He's starting to miss customer service, where he had to say the same five things in a polite voice, instead of having to do mental gymnastics conversation while also being polite.
Shuuji hums in response. He doesn't say anything else, so Akito assumes he passed.
“What are your plans for the future?” It turns out Shuuji was not done. What sorta question is this? What is this interrogation? What sorta fucked up test is he trying to pass here?
Akito takes a moment to try and find an answer that doesn't include music, but that's not doable. He really didn't want to mention music in any way tonight.
“I want to keep improving as a singer. Our team is on the way to achieve our first main goal, and we want to keep gaining recognition afterwards, so we'll have to get even better than we are now.” He keeps his voice steady, then takes a careful look around. Toya's old man looks like he's about to pop a vessel, but that's about what he expected.
Shuuji is about to respond, when a sharp voice cuts in before he can speak.
“Do you really think you can get anywhere with your "music"?” Harumichi spits out the word "music" like street doesn't deserve to be considered a music genre. This is what Akito's been worried about. Next to him, Toya lets out the tiniest, resigned sigh.
“I'm going to chase my dreams no matter what.” He leans a little forward, then straightens back up, because he doesn't wanna seem intimidating. “I'll claw my way up if I have to, but we’re going to succeed.”
“That's lovely, Shinonome-san,” Aoyagi-san, thankfully, cuts in. Akito doesn't miss the sharp edge to her voice. “You're so determined.” Akito's gonna have to thank her after this for being so fast to diffuse the tension. He doesn't wanna think what would've happened next if she hadn't interrupted.
Harumichi stays silent. Toya looks a little relieved.
“That's a lot of passion you've got there, Shinonome-kun,” Shuuji responds. Akito can tell how cautious he's being, how carefully he's picking his words.
“Akito's always like this about things he loves,” Toya chimes in before he has a chance to respond. He still seems a little tense, but his voice is mostly soft. Despite everything, Akito can't help but give him a small smile.
The converastion ends there, for now. He's not gonna complain about that, because it gives everyone a chance to calm down. He takes his time with the remaining karaage, then waits until he can start on the rice gratin.
“How have you two been, Natsuomi-niisan, Shuuji-niisan?” Toya asks, sounding a little too genuine. Akito's marginally surprised they haven't caught up before, but all things considered, it makes sense.
“I've been good. My classes have been going well.” Shuuji responds first, sounding relieved.
“It's been good as well.” Natsuomi replies after, far more reserved. The table falls back into silence.
They finish the gratin without any further conversation, another awkward stretch of time that feels endless. Aoyagi-san takes away their dishes, then after a moment starts bringing in dessert: a plate of cookies, as well as strawberry sponge cake and the cheesecake he's brought. Toya's eyes light up at the sight of the cookies, and for a brief moment, he looks like a proper kid on Christmas.
Toya's first to take a cookie, and Akito follows right after. He expects to taste barely any sugar, just how Toya likes his desserts, and biting into the cookie only confirms that. However, Toya's enjoyment of the cookie is sweet enough to compensate for it.
“Toya praises your cookies a lot, Aoyagi-san,” He mentions, “I'm glad that I'm able to try them.” He really is; it's a flavour that's brought Toya comfort over the years, so small but so very important. So far, it’s probably the best part of the evening, even including buying the cheesecake, which he still needs to try.
“I'm happy to hear that.” Aoyagi-san smiles, and in that moment, he can see how Toya takes after her. Their eyes crease the same way with the force of their smiles.
He finishes the cookie, then finally takes a slice of cheesecake. This is what he's been waiting for. With incredible self-restraint, he portions off a small bite to try first. The glaze is a strong, bitter espresso, but the cream cheese filling has a sweeter, spicier flavour to it to balance it out. There's probably more spices than just cinnamon in this, but he's not sure what they are.
“Do you want to try it?” He slides his plate over to Toya. “It's not very sweet, so I think you'll like it.” Toya's dislike of sugary sweets is the reason he had his eyes on this one, after all.
“Thank you, Akito.” Toya picks up a fork and tries the offered cheesecake. He looks very focused as he eats, with a cute furrow of his brows. “The bitter espresso and the spicy filling mesh together well. And it's not overly sweet, so I really like it.”
“Want to finish it together?” Akito asks, because he really wants to take Toya on that walk and get out of this place. Toya gives him a surprised, curious look, but he doesn't protest. They quickly finish the slice of cheesecake, even if Akito eats most of it anyway.
“The weather outside is really nice. Want to go for a stroll?” He offers, and Toya's expression shifts into gratitude.
“Of course,” He agrees, “Mother, me and Akito are going for a walk,” Toya declares, and stands up from the table. Akito follows right after him.
“Bundle up, you two.” She doesn't comment on their obvious escape plan, thankfully, and they quickly dress up and leave the condo.
Akito waits until they're walking away from the building to let out a long sigh.
“Fuck, this is exhaustin',” He complains, taking Toya's hand into his own.
“It really is,” Toya agrees, “But you've been great, despite everything that happened,” Toya sounds guilty, so Akito stops to give him a kiss before he can continue talking.
“‘s not your fault,” He says after pulling away. “Your dad's an asshole, and honestly, I expected somethin' worse.”
Toya still looks apologetic. Akito frowns, because the point of this was to let Toya relax fully.
“Look around. Ain't it nice?” He tries to distact, hoping Toya's attention shifts to the lit up decorations and falling snow.
“It is. It's even snowing.” Toya reaches out his free hand, trying to catch a few snowflakes into his palm. His frame relaxes, and Akito feels better seeing that. “Do you have a destination in mind?”
“Nah. We're walkin' round ‘til we get too cold to continue.” Akito pulls Toya into an alleyway, because if he remembers right, the shops nearby have crazy decorations. He's seen a photo of Ena and her friends on that street, uploaded a few days ago, and it's a good place to start out at.
Just a few minutes later, they arrive on the street. The illuminations are blinding, and the crowd is too big to properly enjoy the place, but Toya looks mesmerized nonetheless. Akito gently guides him into the crowd, while Toya looks around the snowflakes and icicles that bathe the area in light. Akito bites his tongue to not say anything embarrassing about the way Toya easily follows him, trusting him so blindly to move them through the crowd.
“The lights are beautiful,” Toya marvels, “How'd you find this street?”
“Ena's been here with her friends. She’s posted a few pics on PicsShare. I made sure to check where it is in case I got a chance to take you here,” He admits. He feels his cheeks warm up, but that's probably from the cold.
“Thank you. I like it a lot.” Toya steps in front of him, taking his free hand. He leans in close, with that soft smile Akito's fond of. “And thank you for inviting me out. I feel better now.”
Before Akito has a chance to reply, Toya leans in and kisses him. It's languid and sweet, despite the bitter espresso flavour still lingering on Toya's lips. Akito lets out a pleased sigh against Toya's lips, letting himself melt into the kiss a little. Somehow, he hadn't realized just how tense he was the whole evening. He did have more important things to worry about, like being civil for example.
Toya pulls away, his hand coming up to cradle his face. Akito leans into the touch and covers Toya's hand with his.
“Toya,” Akito starts, “Would ya wanna come over for Christmas? I can promise it’ll be better than this bullshit. Ena'll be happy to see ya, same with Mom.” He looks at Toya, hoping none of the uncertainty is showing on his face. Though he doesn't think Shinei can beat Harumichi in awfulness.
“If it's alright, then I'd love to. Thank you for inviting me.” Toya smiles at him, brighter than the surrounding lights.
“‘Course. ‘s only fair I invite you back.” Akito brings Toya's hand down. “We should probably start headin' back before they think I kidnapped you.” Toya laughs at that, light and airy like the bells ringing in some commercial near them.
“I wouldn't mind if you did. I'd love to stay at yours tonight,” Toya replies, honest as ever.
“If ya can negotiate that, then you know my door's open. Though I can always sneak in to yours if not,” He offers.
“It's snowing though, so the edge will be slippery. I don't want you to hurt yourself,” Toya points out.
“Shit.” Toya's right, though Akito wouldn't let some snow stop him. He doesn't say that out loud, because Toya's not gonna be happy about it.
“I'll be okay. We're seeing each other tomorrow anyway, right?” Toya assures, even though Akito can hear the longing in his voice.
“We are.” Akito leaves the "But I wanna see you tonight" unspoken between them. He knows Toya feels the same anyway.
Slowly, regretfully, they make their way back to the condo. Akito spares a moment to check his phone — he's probably already overstayed his welcome. He should walk Toya back, say goodbye, and go back home.
Suddenly, Toya takes an early turn. He’s stalling, Akito realizes, and he lets himself be dragged off course. Toya's arms wrap around him, and he can only return the hug. Akito doesn't say anything, and as Toya buries his face in his neck he raises a hand to gently pet the back of Toya's head.
Toya stays like that for a moment more, before pulling away. “Let's go.” Toya pulls away from him, and sends him a determined, yet reluctant look.
They can't stall forever. Akito grips Toya's hand tighter in his and together, they get back on track.
The walk back is over far too soon. Before they enter the building, Akito gives Toya another kiss.
“Think I'm gonna go soon, after sayin' goodbye to your Mom.” Akito murmurs into the small space between them.
“Alright. It's a shame things turned out like this.” Toya sighs, resigned.
“It really is.” Akito can only agree. He'd like to get to know Aoyagi-san better, as well as Toya's brothers, but it's not gonna be possible like this.
They head into the condo in silence. Akito waits in the entryway, until he spots Aoyagi-san passing by.
“Aoyagi-san,” He calls out. She turns to him with a smile.
“Oh, are you not staying longer?” She sounds disappointed, and Akito feels a little bad.
“I apologize, but I have to leave already. I promise to come by another time,” He offers, because he'd love to chat more, preferably without Toya's old man in the same room.
“That'd be lovely. Thank you for coming, Shinonome-san.” She gives another familiar smile, just like the one he's seen on Toya earlier, extremely brilliant.
“Thank you for the invitation, Aoyagi-san.” He bows, with a small smile of his own. “Have a good night. And I'll see you tomorrow, Toya.”
Once the goodbyes are done, he walks out of the condo and building, back into the wintery night.
Despite the biting cold, warmth swirls in his heart.