Archive of Our Own

Asahi hadn't noticed him yet. Tsukasa was waiting for him a little ways away from the main entrance, slightly obscured by the big tree near the wall. At the last second, he decided against calling out for him to get his attention. He just leaned a shoulder comfortably against the stones and observed him from afar.

Asahi had just come out from the school's main building, but he was immediately stopped by two girls. They each went on either side of him, startling him into immobility. Tsukasa knew everyone from Asahi's class, so he recognized their faces instantly. He was too far to hear the conversation, but he could tell they were chattering excitedly, and that Asahi was both surprised and overwhelmed. His shoulders went a little higher than normal, making him look like a turtle trying to retract into its shell. Still, he obliged them, clearly responding to whatever inquiries they had.

It had been a hot day, and he wasn't wearing his jacket, clutching it all wrinkled in his fist instead. The girl on the right clapped excitedly, bouncing slightly on her heels, making her long hair move up and down in shiny waves. Asahi blinked fast, visibly bewildered by the sudden reaction. He nervously tried hiking one of his shirt sleeves up his forearm, except they were both already rolled up around his elbows, so he ended up just rubbing his arm in a self soothing gesture.

It also had the unfortunate result of bringing Tsukasa's attention to his bare skin.

The girl on the left had more to say, so she lightly held on Asahi's forearm to get his attention—Tsukasa straightened up unconsciously, ready to go and get him—but it was only for half a second, as she quickly retracted her fingers to clasp both of her hands in front of her, in a begging or thanking gesture. Tsukasa swallowed a thick, dry ball of jealousy down, and leaned against the wall once again. He could… be normal. He could.

Asahi still wasn't looking his way, cornered by his classmates. Standing between them both, looking at them back and forth like he wasn't too sure whom he should actively look at, he seemed… tall.

Tsukasa cocked his head to the side, taking it all in. Maybe the girls were a bit on the smaller side, and that's why it looked like Asahi was suddenly ten centimeters taller. He wasn't towering over them or anything, but the top of both their heads barely reached his neck.

Or maybe, he just wasn't that short, actually.

He always appeared so pocket-sized in Tsukasa's mind. Looking at him now, it was like somebody had removed a filter from his eyes and he was seeing things with a clearer, wider lens.

Huh.

A few steps away, Asahi smiled, nodding placatingly at his classmates. His demeanor changed minutely, and Tsukasa could tell something had made him relax. Still smiling, he reached up to delicately push a few strands of hair away from his eyes. He looked so sweet and charming. Tsukasa, mesmerized, felt frozen on the spot despite the sun beating down on him.

The two girls giggled, and finally started moving along, waving goodbye at Asahi as they left. They passed Tsukasa on their way out of the school grounds, but he made sure to angle himself right in line with the tree so they would not see him. He leaned his head to the side to continue observing Asahi, who also made his way towards the exit, at a much more measured, slower pace. His eyes scanned his surroundings aimlessly, and he finally spotted Tsukasa.

Although he made a valiant attempt at controlling his expression, the remnants of the smile he'd generously given to the girls regained some strength; he twisted and pressed his lips together to avoid smiling outright. Tsukasa stepped into view more clearly, sliding his hands in his pockets.

Asahi walked a bit quicker, reaching him in no time. "Watarai! You're here. I was going to text you."

"I said I would wait for you after class, didn't I?" Tsukasa said, curling his hands into fists in his pockets to avoid touching him.

He nodded shyly, eyes going soft. "Yes, sorry, I didn't see you there," Asahi said. He reached for his sleeves, uselessly trying to hitch them up higher once again.

Tsukasa followed the movement, his gaze dropping to his forearms. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Huh?" Asahi's eyes went round, looking genuinely puzzled, before connected the dots. "Ah! You mean—It was nothing, really."

Tsukasa nodded silently.

"They're in my class," Asahi added abruptly.

"I know."

"They just wanted to know if I could switch cleaning duties with them tomorrow," he finally explained, speaking fast.

"Ah," Tsukasa said, looking down again. He felt the insurmountable urge to touch the place on Asahi's arm the girl on the left had brushed with her fingers.

"It's really hot, right? Can we go in the shade? We're going to bake at this rate." Asahi didn't wait for an answer and broke Tsukasa out of his futile, boring fantasies by confidently placing his hand on his lower back, guiding him out the exit and against the school entrance surrounding wall, which cast a big shadow where they could be shielded from the sun.

Tsukasa went easily, so weightless and dizzy from the sudden touch it felt like he floated there, only held down on earth by Asahi's gentle hold. He watched greedily as Asahi pulled at his collar uncomfortably, loosening his tie to get some air around his neck.

"Just take it off," Tsukasa heard himself say, in a thin, distant voice. He reached around Asahi's neck and finished loosening the tie in quick, deft movements, enough for him to pass it over his head and remove it completely.

"Oh, uh, OK," he stammered, flustered. Asahi let him, going as far as bowing his head slightly to accommodate him.

Tsukasa neatly rolled the tie on itself and carefully put it in his bag. "Come on, Hioki. I'll get you something to drink. Or ice cream. Anything you want," he said.

He noticed there were some beads of sweat clinging to Asahi's neck, so he reached for his shirt again to unfasten the first few buttons, to make it more comfortable for him.

Asahi's breathing got slightly faster, as it always did when Tsukasa did something that caught him off guard. He wasn't exactly sure why, because Tsukasa never did anything that was that surprising or unexpected, but he couldn't deny that he liked that he had that kind of effect on him.

Asahi rearranged his neckline with much more unsure, slower movements, looking anywhere but at Tsukasa. He cleared his throat. "OK, sounds good," he muttered, nodding at the ground.

Tsukasa bit down on a smile, turning on his heels quickly, quelling the sudden urge to give him a little kiss. They were right in front of the main entrance, with other students still spilling out in the street and passing by; it could wait. He looked back at Asahi, who was wringing his hands together nervously as he started to walk, and gave in to a much more appropriate craving.

He grabbed Asahi's arm, wrapping his hand neatly around the exact spot the classmate had touched earlier, and pulled lightly.

He walked one step ahead of Asahi, holding onto him but not pulling anymore, as Asahi matched his pace, just one step behind. His skin felt pleasantly warm. Tsukasa could feel its heat seep into his palm as they walked, and he couldn't help but rub his thumb back and forth against the smoothness of it, right above the inside of his wrist.

—

They walked for a while longer, and he was elated that Asahi hadn't wriggled his arm free from his hold yet. When they reached the café he had in mind, he gave Asahi one last squeeze and regretfully let go of him. He turned with a smile and motioned at Asahi to go in first. Asahi smiled back shyly and pushed the glass door, with Tsukasa following closely.

"Why don't you pick a table," he declared, breathing in the cool air of the shop, where the A/C was on full blast. "I'll get us some drinks."

Asahi agreed with a hum, walking away to the far end of the café. It was built in a L-shape, and he trudged into a corner away from the big bay window and slightly hidden from the counter. There was no one in line before Tsukasa, so he was able to place his order right away. There were however a few customers scattered around the place, sipping their drinks as they chatted among themselves. The atmosphere was full of happy pieces of conversations, only broken up by the inoffensive backdrop of coffee shop music.

Tsukasa waited for a couple minutes for the drinks to be ready, and carried them on a tray, back to where Asahi was sitting.

"This one's for you," he told him, setting a tall glass in front of him. The ice cubes made a satisfying clinking sound against the glass. "It's got mango in it."

"Thank you," Asahi said, attention zeroing on the drink, pulling it slightly closer to his edge of the table. Tsukasa celebrated internally: he'd picked correctly, it looked like. "And what did you get?"

"Just milk tea for me."

Asahi brought the straw to his lips and took a long swig. He closed his eyes blissfully.

"Is it good?" Tsukasa asked.

"Yeah," he sighed, slumping back into his chair. "I was so thirsty."

"Summer is going to be brutal, this year."

Asahi straightened back up, taking another sip of his drink. "Tell me about it."

"We should go on a day trip again," Tsukasa said casually, swallowing a bit of tea.

Asahi's gaze shot up, pinning Tsukasa in place.

He looked deliciously disheveled—the sweat that hadn't dried just yet making some of his hair stick to his forehead. Tsukasa wasn't really sure if it was normal to notice these little details, but he couldn't help it. The problem was that noticing small things led to him noticing everything else.

Like how incredibly attractive Asahi looked, with his school dress shirt still rolled up at the sleeves, and both of his arms resting on the table, cradling the glass in front of him. The contrast of his darker, tan skin against the white of the shirt made Tsukasa a little lightheaded.

He held Asahi's gaze, and a new surge of yearning rose inside of him. It happened more often, these days, with increasing intensity. Every time Asahi touched him, whether casually or with intent, every time he bit his lips and looked adorably embarrassed, every time he closed his eyes and kissed back when Tsukasa pressed his mouth against his. It made Tsukasa lose his already fragile composure. Every single time.

He couldn't really put a name on it, but he knew it had been burning inside him for a while now, slowly but steadily, and one of these days, a full blown wildfire was going to come over him. The only reason he hadn't let the flames consume him entirely was because he worried Asahi might get scorched in the process.

"We could go back to the beach," Tsukasa went on, trying not to sound pushy. Just a little nudge, that was all it was. Yes.

"With the guys?" Asahi asked, after a long stretch of silence. "Or like… just the two of us?"

Tsukasa considered it seriously. He wouldn't mind having their friends around. They knew they were dating, so it would be nice not to to be so restrained all the time. They were good fun and Tsukasa loved that he had found a real group of friends, after feeling lonely for so long. But the sheer fact that Asahi, unprompted, had even voiced the possibility of them just spending time alone, away from everyone, had him feeling warm all over, fanning the small sparks in his belly into new little flames.

"I don't know," he replied neutrally.

Asahi made a face and shrugged. "It would be fun to go as a group…" he said, scratching his neck absentmindedly. "What… what would you like?"

Tsukasa narrowed his eyes. Asahi probably wasn't aware, but he did this a lot. Trying to get something out of Tsukasa without asking outright. It was endearing a majority of the time, because Tsukasa loved figuring out exactly what he was getting at but, sometimes, like right this moment, it felt like walking through a minefield.

What exactly did Asahi want to hear? How much could he handle? Should Tsukasa play it safe and be subtle?

In half a second, he had made up his mind: he was going to deal with the issue the only way he really knew how; head on, throwing his own grenade into the mix and hoping for the best.

"I prefer having you all to myself, of course," he answered, leaving no room for doubt.

Asahi choked on his drink, coughing a couple times to regain his composure. "That's—uh—I mean…" he stuttered, slipping his hands below the table to rub his knees up and down. He looked up at Tsukasa from underneath his lashes, unsure. "Really?" he asked.

"Mm." Tsukasa nodded once, not trusting anything else that could come out of his mouth. The smoke from his grenade detonating was starting to clear and he needed to keep on target.

Asahi pursed his lips, clearly trying to organize his thoughts without letting his face betray any of them. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for Tsukasa) he was incredibly expressive, and although it was hard to figure out what exactly was going on inside his head, he was pretty transparent on how he felt. Right now, he looked kind of pleased, a mixture of satisfaction and sheepishness. Why precisely, Tsukasa could only try to guess—probably correctly, but just a guess nonetheless.

Still, what he did know how to do—with a 100% accuracy rate—was to get Asahi to admit certain things. "What, you don't like it? We don't have to go just the two of us," Tsukasa said, very gently.

"No, that's not… that's not it. I like it," Asahi hesitated, clearly uneasy but forcing himself to get the words out. "I like… you… too. I mean—I like to have you… to—to myself… too…"

Victory.

"Great. That's settled then."

Asahi nodded slowly, looking a bit dazed from the quick exchange and resulting decision. He tried to look unaffected by looking for something interesting to stare at around them. His eyes landed on the table against the big window. Tsukasa followed his line of sight.

Two twenty-somethings were sitting there, bathed in the sun coming through the glass. They were holding hands over the table, and the girl laughed sweetly every time the guy said anything. He was playing with her fingers gently, rubbing his thumb into her palm, and turning it over every few seconds to fiddle with her many rings.

"Well, our school break is pretty soon. We could—plan something then," Asahi said suddenly, in a low voice, compelling Tsukasa to look back at him. "Let's try and do something fun with the boys too. Like, on another day. I don't want them to feel like we're ditching them."

Tsukasa smiled. "That would be lovely. Didn't Tsujitani want to go see that movie? The one with the weird alien creatures, or something? We could all go. Make an evening out of it."

Asahi's eyebrows jumped higher on his forehead, hiding behind his hair. "Oh? How do you know?"

"He mentioned it the other day at lunch, didn't he?"

Asahi tilted his head to the side like a puppy, staring at him curiously. "Yeah… he did," he said, looking doubtful, dragging his syllables. "I didn't think you were listening."

Tsukasa looked down, feeling weirdly exposed. The ice cubes in his milk tea were melting too fast. He took a long sip of his drink before he spoke. "I pay attention," he mumbled.

Asahi continued to stare at him, unblinking, puzzled. "And you remembered."

"And I remembered," he confirmed, a little defensive.

Asahi's eyes gleamed and his lips almost turned into a playful, coy smile. "Let's do that. The movie. I'll talk to the guys," he said, enthusiastic. "See what day works best for them all. Any idea about where we could go for dinner after?"

Tsukasa was fascinated by the change of tone in Asahi's voice. It happened a lot more these days, and it contrasted quite a lot with Tsukasa's memories of Asahi when they had first started dating. He sounded more sure of himself now, confident. Made him look relaxed and easy-going. It looked very good on him.

"What do you suggest?" Asahi pressed again, when he didn't reply right away.

"Well, Hotta will eat anything… Nakasato is not a fan of street food but he's a surprisingly big eater… Morisaki really likes ramen though, so we could try this this new place near the department store?" he said haltingly, feeling off-kilter, but smiling back, delighted by Asahi's obvious joy.

"Oh… do they, now?" Asahi's eyes crinkled even more as his smile grew bigger. Tsukasa's heart jumped in his chest at the sight. He loved that he was the reason for it, and committed the image to memory to revisit later, but really he had no idea what was making him look so happy. Asahi let a small chuckle escape his mouth, twirling his straw into his glass. "You're so boyfriend-coded," he said, with the tone of finally letting someone in on a joke.

Tsukasa was too taken aback to reply, thoughts reeling and getting all tangled up. He was still trying to figure out exactly what that meant, and how it could possibly be related to him recalling something Tsujitani had screamed about for half an hour, or simply knowing that Morisaki liked noodles, when Asahi laughed again. The sound of it was music to his ears.

"And what does Watarai like to eat? Why don't we go somewhere you like, for once?" he asked, voice tinged with a teasing edge.

Tsukasa blinked stupidly for a second, stuck on the 'boyfriend-coded' part of the conversation. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." In spite of the laughter coloring his tone, Asahi shook his head with an air of innocence,making his hair flop around cutely. "I'm asking genuinely, though. What's your favorite? I want to go somewhere you like."

Tsukasa relaxed minutely, cheeks growing warm. "I like pizza."

"Pizza?" Asahi giggled again, schooling his features into something resembling seriousness. Tsukasa recognized the expression, because that's the face he, himself, made whenever his little brother was being unintentionally funny. "I don't know why I expected like… something fancy. Pizza it is."

Asahi was finding him cute.

Huh.

"Yes. Pizza," Tsukasa insisted. "It can be fancy. They sometimes have a cheese crust."

"Ah? Mmm, I see." Asahi's eyes went soft, and he nodded with an exaggerated air of understanding, sipping his drink through his straw, before he leaned back with a tiny, satisfied smile. "Anything else should I know? I'm interested. Like… what's your favorite color?"

Tsukasa was properly disconcerted, now. "Uh… green, maybe."

"Mm, it suits you. What else do you like?"

"You."

Asahi pressed his lips together, glancing to the side at the couple near the window. He deliberately looked back at Tsukasa and held his gaze, looking positively thrilled. He pushed his foot against Tsukasa's under the table. "Me too," he whispered.

—

"Where's your man?" Morisaki asked, twisting back in his seat to face Tsukasa. He searched around pointedly, as if Asahi had the power to appear out of thin air on command.

"Practicing," Tsukasa answered, unfazed.

Hotta opened a bag of chips and immediately popped one into his mouth. "I passed by the gym the other day. I think they were having a mock tournament or something. He's pretty good!"

Nakasato was standing between their desks, next to Hotta, looking down at Morisaki and Tsukasa. "Maybe I should have joined the badminton club too," he lamented, holding and pushing against one of his biceps sadly.

Hotta looked up at him incredulously, crunching on another chip. "I don't know. I really can't imagine you running around after a flying ball."

Morisaki snorted.

"Oh, by the way, Hioki sent us a proper invite for next Thursday! Did you guys see?" Nakasato chirped, unflappable. He pulled out his phone. "He's very organized. He sent us movie times to pick from and a link to the restaurant he wants us to go to."

Morisaki pulled out his phone too, checking at the same time. "Oh, yeah. Cool. I haven't had pizza in so long."

Tsukasa's phone, face up on his desk, chimed with the notification that Morisaki had just sent an emoticon in response to Hioki's message in their group chat.

"The others are coming too, right?"

Tsukasa hummed an affirmative. "Hioki talked to Tsujitani and the others already. He wanted to do something with all of us together during the break."

"That was a great idea, I can't wait," Nakasato said, positively beaming.

Hotta crunched noisily on more chips, showing a thumbs up as approbation, while Morisaki was busy reading the movie synopsis. "Weird that Hioki would pick this type of film… Isn't he a little squeamish?"

Tsukasa wanted to defend his boyfriend's honor but he really had nothing to say to that, so he settled for a very stern look, which of course, had zero effect on them. "Just be there on time," he said firmly.

"Oh, he used his older brother voice again," Nakasato exclaimed excitedly, slapping Hotta's shoulder.

Tsukasa sighed, long-suffering but used to it.

"I hope you don't use that tone with Hioki," Morisaki smirked. The two others giggled like children.

Tsukasa chose to remain as dignified as possible, and said nothing. He knew that he'd be teased more if he even tried to respond. In spite of his silence, the three of them burst into good-natured laughter again. So much for staying dignified.

He got up calmly, his back very straight and face impassible.

"Aw, where are you going? Watarai. Don't be mad," Hotta cajoled, rising from his chair as well. "Here, have a chip, you need some sodium."

Tsukasa stayed very still, only moving his eyes to stare him down. "I'm getting new friends. You're all being replaced," he said coldly. Hotta retracted his hand from Tsukasa's face, slowly popping the chip inside his own mouth instead.

Nakasato didn't lose his eternal smile, not believing a word of it. "Ah? Who are the new, lucky chosen ones?"

Tsukasa slipped his hands in his pockets, hesitating for half a second. "Tsujitani." A pause. "And… others. Maybe."

Morisaki bit his lip and nodded solemnly. "Stealing your own boyfriend's best friend…"

"That's low," Hotta said, using that same joking tone. Nakasato shook his head next to him, faking sudden sadness. "But very bold. Good luck with your new social endeavors!" he added quickly, throwing an arm around Tsukasa's shoulders roughly.

Tsukasa had no idea how some people at school still thought of him as an unapproachable, placid guy—the mildest teasing session from his own friends was enough to make him sulk. He tried to pout, but the guys countered with more genuine laughter, and the collective sound of it was too difficult to resist.

For a long time, he had thought he would spend his entire high school career shrouded in quiet and loneliness. He couldn't believe he had gotten even used to the idea, when this was his everyday, now: deeply kind, free-spirited, giggly friends, who liked to make fun and hype him up at random, unexpected intervals.

He couldn't hold up the pretense of being actually annoyed, and cracked a small smile, letting Hotta hang onto him, one arm snaked around his shoulders, while he attempted another chip offer. Tsukasa plucked one out from the bag presented to him and crunched on it noiselessly, to Hotta's absolute delight.

—

Tsukasa was standing near the entrance of the theater, patiently waiting for Nakasato and Hotta to come back from the restroom. Morisaki was next to him, sitting in one of the big chairs that were strategically placed there for customers to comfortably snack on some overpriced candy and popcorn before it was time to go in.

Tsukasa was also not-so-patiently waiting for Asahi to arrive. He wasn't late, exactly. Tsukasa and the others were just a bit early. Morisaki had told him to sit twice already, but he was too wired and unsettled to do so.

The school break had started a few days ago and he hadn't really seen Asahi since then.

It was bad. Being so on edge from not having Asahi physically near him, after a couple of days only… what was going to become of him, really? He was going to have to talk to Asahi's parents (maybe even his sisters,) and explain to them why he had no choice but to abduct their son, (their little brother,) to ensure he and Asahi would always, always be together, and how it was for his well-being, do you see, (truly hope for your understanding in this matter,) as it was a matter of public health, really—and he was going to have to talk to his own parents, and convince them to let Asahi stay at their house, at least until he was old enough to work and provide for them, and get a nice apartment and—

"Look alive, Watarai." Morisaki's voice cut through his anxious delirium and he blinked his daze away, turning his attention towards him. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Nakasato and Hotta had already come back from the restroom and were browsing the snacks right next to them. Morisaki ostensibly looked past Tsukasa, at the main glass doors, raising his eyebrows.

Tsukasa snapped his head around, instinctively searching for Asahi. He heard Tsujitani's loud yammering before he could absorb any other information. Nakasato and Hotta, arms full of candy bags, returned to flank Tsukasa on each side, following his gaze.

"Ah, here they are," Nakasato said, awkwardly waving a hand to catch their attention, but slightly limited in his movement to avoid dropping everything he was carrying.

Oblivious, Asahi let himself be steered inside the movie theater by Tsujitani, followed closely by his two other friends. They were too busy joking around to notice any of them standing to the side, and continued towards the counter. Tsujitani was holding onto Asahi's arm, speaking agitatedly about… something very silly, by the looks of it. This boy could not walk, talk, or do anything without having his hands on someone else. Tsukasa was in fact certain this was how he powered on, like a machine needing to be plugged into an outlet. Asahi rolled his eyes at his best friend, but the next second, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed, clearly entertained.

Tsukasa pulled his hands out of his pockets, and marched up right behind them, before Hotta or Nakasato could even call out to them.

"Hioki," he said simply, voice barely able to cover Tsujitani's bright exclamations. Asahi and his little posse all turned around at the same time, as if they had prepared a coordinated dance routine, laughs fading as they did.

"Oh! Watarai, hi!" Asahi smiled shyly at him, and his eyes wandered past him, finally noticing Nakasato, Hotta, and Morisaki, waiting for them a few steps away.

"Watarai, my dear handsome man, my good fellow! Why are you always popping out of nowhere?" Tsujitani immediately complained, deflating slightly as he recognized Tsukasa. "Why so gloomy, so scary? Are you doing this on purpose?" He crowded against Asahi theatrically, as if to hide behind him.

"Leave him alone," Asahi interjected, slapping the back of his hand lightly against Tsujitani's chest.

Tsukasa felt an overwhelming surge of love and affection rise in his throat. He was so stupidly relieved and happy and delighted and so thrilled to have Asahi in his general vicinity that he momentarily forgot to say hi back, and just kind of stared instead.

Asahi misinterpreted Tsukasa's prolonged silence, and gently shook off Tsujitani, bumping his shoulder against his side to create enough space between them. That jolted Tsukasa out of his tunnel vision and he smiled back; he briefly looked one by one at the three others, politely nodding hello to acknowledge them, after which he held his boyfriend's gaze, feeling warmth spread down his chest the longer he did. "Hey," he said, voice a little hoarse. "We got the tickets, if you want to head in already."

"Wow, thanks," Tsujitani said, stepping up to him. Tsukasa could tell he was about to try and cling onto him next, by pure automatism—blindly searching for another power source—but he decided against it at the last second and clapped his hands together instead. "Text us the amount, we'll pay you back."

"Hotta was the one who bought them, actually."

Tsujitani sighed dramatically, making an overly endeared face. "What a gentleman, truly," he exclaimed, opening his arms widely, towards where Hotta and and the guys were standing. "Hotta! My friend! I mean—my other beautiful acquaintance who I one-sidedly consider a friend…!" With this, he bounded away towards the rest of the group, now loudly clamoring for Hotta's attention, his two snickering friends on his heels.

"Hi," Asahi said again, now that they were alone. His voice was soft and gentle and different from how he spoke to his friends. "Did you wait a long time?"

"Yes."

"Oh, no. Really?" Asahi took a step closer to him, suddenly worried, raising his hands anxiously around his middle, unsure about what to do. "What time is it? Are we late? Weren't we supposed to meet at five thirty?" Slightly panicked, he looked at his wrist to check the watch Watarai had gifted him.

"I've been waiting since last Friday, technically. It's been almost a week since we've seen each other," Tsukasa clarified.

Asahi relaxed incrementally, letting his shoulders drop in relief. He made a face. "Tsujitani's right. You are doing this on purpose," he berated.

Tsukasa tried to keep his face serious, but he was too happy. "I'm not lying. I missed you."

Asahi bounced on his heels lightly, holding his hands behind his back. He looked cuter than ever: he was wearing an oversized t-shirt and jeans, his hair nicely but casually flopping against his forehead, and his pretty, pretty eyes only looking at Tsukasa.

He pressed his lips together in a bashful way, making his cheeks puff slightly in the process. Tsukasa loved the two little moles he had there, one on each side, like two little kisses.

"Missedyoutoo," he mumbled awkwardly, looking back and forth between the floor and Tsukasa.

Nakasato's voice cut through the moment. He called for them, gesturing at the escalators to let them know they were about to go in.

"Let's go," Asahi said, pushing gently against Tsukasa to make him fall in step with him. Tsukasa went easily, soft and weak against Asahi's touch, always.

—

"Ugh, no way."

"Why not?"

Asahi shook his head moodily as he walked out the theater with Tsujitani, a few steps ahead of Tsukasa and the others. "I don't know, it was gross and stuff. Look, can we talk about something else? I'm hungry and you're gonna ruin my appetite."

He sounded just slightly annoyed, too lazy and tired to articulate properly, but comfortable enough to know it wouldn't be taken the wrong way. It was sort of fascinating for Tsukasa to hear that specific tone of voice, because Asahi never, ever used it with him.

Morisaki and Nakasato were chatting loudly right behind him, so he had trouble hearing all of Asahi and Tsujitani's conversation. He was content to observe them from a few steps behind, and could only catch little fragments of it.

Listening at his friends distractedly, he watched Tsujitani run literal circles around Asahi as they walked, like an excited puppy. It was obvious he was trying to convince him of something, but Asahi was unimpressed and unyielding. He trudged along without stopping, confident that Tsujitani wouldn't trip him up by mistake as he got more and more animated in his impassioned discourse; without breaking his stride, he stretched his arms high above his head, visibly shaking off some tension. Tsukasa wasn't surprised, as Asahi had spent the entire movie crumpled and twisted in a weird position.

Earlier, under the cover of darkness, within the first twenty minutes of the movie starting, Asahi had instinctively reached for him after being startled by a scene. He had clutched at Tsukasa's wrist first, holding him so tight it almost hurt—and later had curled in on himself, turning towards Tsukasa and away from the screen, holding onto his t-shirt tightly with his other hand. The only thing that (regrettably) prevented him from fully climbing into Tsukasa's lap at that point was the chunky armrest between them. Tsukasa had wriggled his arm free and offered his hand instead, so Asahi had latched on to him throughout the whole thing, occasionally tensing up and crushing his fingers, until the credits rolled.

Tsukasa walked on, reaching for his right hand, and absentmindedly started massaging his palm.

"What's wrong, does it hurt?" Hotta asked, noticing it.

Tsukasa shook his head no.

"—on one condition," Asahi's distant voice floated to his ears. "I'm not watching any more of that nonsense unless—"

Walking to the pizza place, staring ahead at Asahi and Tsujitani, with Morisaki and the others' pleasant, even voices behind him, he still felt the phantom feeling of Asahi's hand crushing his. He was missing the touch, and could hardly think of anything else.

—

"I'm so full," Nakasato sighed, rubbing his stomach.

"You ate too fast," Hotta said, grabbing the last slice of pizza off the main plate.

"You're one to talk," Morisaki pouted. "Give me a bite, it's the last one." Hotta smirked before he bit off a big chunk of his slice. He held the crust between his teeth, making it stick out halfway, and leaned in childishly towards Morisaki, trying to make him take it from his mouth directly. "Ugh, never mind," Morisaki sighed, looking away calmly, although with slight distaste.

Asahi laughed at them.

"Hey, there's an arcade right next door," Tsujitani said suddenly. "Are you guys up for it?"

"Yes!" Nakasato approved, sitting up with interest. "I haven't gone in so long. Let's go." He was a little cornered between the wall and the table, so he pushed at Hotta's shoulder to make him move out of the way.

Hotta swallowed the last of his pizza in a second, getting up. "Alright!"

Morisaki, and Asahi's friends got up as well, looking enthusiastic at the idea of spending more money and playing some games.

Tsukasa acted quickly and pressed a heavy hand against Asahi's thigh under the table, so that no one noticed. "You guys go ahead," he said casually. "Hioki hasn't finished his drink yet, we'll join you in a sec."

Asahi made a little surprised noise next to him, but obediently stayed in his seat, under the weight of Tsukasa's palm on his leg. Tsukasa shoved his glass, still filled halfway with soda, closer to him—just to be more convincing.

Tsujitani's mouth twisted into something very incredulous; he looked at his two other friends questioningly, and just as he opened his mouth to obviously state his disbelief, Hotta threw his arm around his shoulders, effectively stunning him into silence. "OK, sounds good. Tsujitani, we're teaming up tonight. You and me against these losers, right? Let's go."

Morisaki quickly walked around the table and naturally shepherded the others towards the door, while Nakasato made cute, understanding noises. "Yes, yes, it's no problem. See you in a bit," he said brightly, covering up Tsujitani's attempts at trying to protest, while Hotta frogmarched him away and out the door. He leaned down as he passed Tsukasa and Asahi on his way to the exit and whispered, "Take your time."

Asahi cleared his throat, adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed nervously. He grabbed his glass and took a sip, deliberately not looking at Tsukasa. "I don't think that was necessary, was it?"

"What?" Tsukasa said innocently. "Am I not allowed to want to spend more alone time with my boyfriend?"

Asahi bit down on a smile, swallowing more of his soda. He finally turned to look at him, amused. "We just spent like two hours holding hands in the dark, was that not enough?" He looked down at Tsukasa's hand on his thigh pointedly, but made no move to push him away.

Tsukasa frowned slightly. "It was very nice, and I loved every second of it, but that doesn't count at all."

Asahi raised his eyebrows, doubtful. "Ah… sorry, why is that?"

Tsukasa pouted. "First, yes, we were in fact, in the dark. It's not as fun when I can't see you properly. Then, you were terrorized—"

"I wasn't terrorized," Asahi corrected, embarrassed.

Tsukasa plowed on, unperturbed, "—so it wasn't exactly as romantic as it could have been." Asahi spluttered, taken aback. "Also, we weren't alone at all. So. You know. It didn't count."

Asahi leaned an elbow on the table more comfortably, sitting sideways on his chair to face Tsukasa. "We're alone now, what are you gonna do about it?" he said, all coy, like a dare almost.

This teasing spike in his voice, the little smirk floating on the corner of his lips, the flash of provocation in his eyes—it was all pretty recent. It had the exact same effect on Tsukasa's nerve endings as when water is poured over hot oil. Asahi was slowly, but very surely, learning what buttons to push depending on what kind of results he preferred.

He leaned in real close, sliding his arm along the back of Asahi's chair, caging him in. "Well, Hioki, I'm going to make real certain you're walking out of this place with the knowledge that I want you. In every way you'll let me have you."

Asahi's playful smile faded a bit, and he stared at him with his patented surprised-yet-kind-of-flattered expression. "How do you do that?"

Tsukasa leaned back to a much safer distance. Maybe he'd gone a little too far. He knew he could be a little much, but he had to act this way at least sometimes—to let off some steam, like from a pressure cooker—otherwise the firestorm inside of him would burn the last of his restraint.

"Sorry, I—"

"No," Asahi cut him off gently. "I mean, how do you manage to… You always… just sort of—blurt out these things like they're totally normal." He shook his head, self-correcting his own line of thinking. "Not that it's not normal! I'm not saying you're not—" he added quickly. "I just meant, you're so casually… Most people would get a little shy, or…" He trailed off, unsure.

"I'm just being honest," Tsukasa said truthfully. "Is it too weird? Do you not like it?"

"No!" he hurried to clarify, involuntary scooting closer to him, on the edge of his chair, as if Tsukasa were about to get up and leave. He put his hand over the one Tsukasa still had on his thigh. "I—you—it's… it's fine. It's not that I don't like…" he stammered, before rapidly mumbling the rest of his sentence, "I'm not saying I want you to stop."

"OK, I won't," Tsukasa said, satisfied. He had no intention of doing that, so it was nice to have Asahi say the words.

"It's just that I don't know that I can ever… match… that." He looked down, a little deflated.

"Match what?"

"You. Your words. I don't… know how to…" Asahi trailed off once again, the volume of his voice going high and low in an unnatural progression, betraying his unease. "Even when I feel the same, or more sometimes. I don't know how to express myself the way you do." He took a deep breath after getting that last part out without stumbling. He looked up to gauge Tsukasa's expression before he lowered his head again, sheepishly staring at a speck of dust on the side of the table.

Tsukasa tightened his grip around Asahi's leg. Just a bit of pressure; light enough to ground him, but firm enough that he hoped it would compress the anxiety out of his body forever. Maybe he could even absorb it through touch alone. "It's alright, Hioki," he reassured him. "I can always make you talk."

Asahi's pretty little face snapped back up, hair flopping in his eyes. "Eh?"

"I have my ways. Also, I can assure you, you say plenty—all the time."

Asahi looked incredulous. "I do?"

"Mm."

"How… Give me an example."

"Earlier, you told Tsujitani you had one condition. That the only way you'd agree to seeing—is it the sequel? Anyway—you said you'd go see another of these movies only if I came along."

Even more disbelieving, Asahi squinted slightly, trying to figure out what Tsukasa was getting at. "Yeah…?"

"You said something else after that."

He scrunched up his face cutely, dropping his chin to his chest, trying to recall some of his memory. He turned Tsukasa's hand around to hold it properly. "I said," he began seriously, absentmindedly picking a piece of fluff out of Tsukasa's sleeve, "that it was too gross and that the only way I could handle it was if Watarai…" His voice fizzled out as he clearly remembered the exact words he had used. "…if you were, uh, with—uh, next to me the whole time, because it was the only way I would feel... uh…"

"Safe," Tsukasa concluded for him magnanimously.

Asahi blushed very faintly. "I just said that without thinking. I meant, like hypothetically. I'm never gonna watch another one of those, just so you know. I didn't even realize you heard that." He made a face, embarrassed.

"Well, it doesn't matter. You do that all the time. You say things that make me go crazy," he said slowly, rubbing his thumb over Asahi's knuckles, leaning in closer again.

Asahi swallowed hard, darting a quick look into Tsukasa's eyes and down at his lips. "And what, uh, what did you mean by 'you have your ways'?"

Tsukasa pulled back slightly, watching with great interest as Asahi swayed close to him to keep the proximity. "When I want to hear something from you, I just ask."

"You just… ask."

"Yes. Should I not?"

"No, no, you can—" Asahi began, like a reflex.

"Just like that," Tsukasa interrupted, hoping his little demonstration was effective. "I ask. And you always blurt out whatever you're actually thinking or feeling. I love it. It's like a little game, and I always win." Asahi's eyes were so round they looked like two tapioca pearls. He looked like he was mentally and rapidly reviewing all of their most recent interactions. "Ah, I've given away my secret weapon. Don't go and try to hide things from me now, I'll find another way."

Surprisingly, Asahi didn't look away; his eyes darted all over his face quickly, very focused and attentive, as if he was analyzing, or maybe committing something to memory.

After a short silence, he shook his head stiffly. "I won't. In fact, I'll make an effort. I'll be super cringy—I mean, flirty?—and say all sorts of things to you from now on. I told you, you can't always be the cool one." He looked so resolute all of a sudden, it accidentally made him ten times more adorable and ten times less serious.

Tsukasa felt the familiar little flames in his lungs grow bigger, licking at his heart in big bursts, threatening to make him melt into a puddle of goo.

"So you think I'm cool?" he asked. He relaxed his hold around Asahi's hand, letting himself go a bit slack on purpose, and right on cue, he felt Asahi tighten his fingers around his in return, securing his hold.

Asahi's face split into a beautiful, delighted smile; one that made his eyes all shiny with pure, unadulterated glee.

He shrugged. "Maybe?" Then he he shook himself, faking a formal tone. "I mean: yes, you are so, so cool. Watarai is the coolest."

Tsukasa clenched his jaw, burning up. He leaned in and pulled Asahi closer at the same time, before kissing his cheek furtively. It was a very quick, innocent smooch and he immediately missed the sensation of Asahi's soft skin on his lips as soon as it was over. Still, a little piece of himself was appeased temporarily.

Asahi flushed, looking around warily. "Come on, the guys will wonder where we are," he said.

"No, they know where we are. They're probably wondering what we're doing."

Asahi rolled his eyes fondly. "Come on," he coaxed softly, rising from his chair and pulling on Tsukasa's hand to make him get up as well. "I'll get you a toy from the gachapon machines."

Tsukasa obeyed and stood up slowly, going from looking up at Asahi to looking down at him. Asahi cursorily bowed his head and mumbled a few thank you's and good evening's as he passed the restaurant staff behind the counter on the way to the exit. Right behind him, Tsukasa did the same.

He let himself be pulled forward, bursting with joy at the sight of his hand still clutched between Asahi's fingers as they left.

—

Tsukasa leaned back on his hands, lounging lazily on the beach. Asahi was a few steps away, closer to the water, bent over in half as he searched for interesting seashells and rocks. He squatted and dug out something with one hand, holding his hat down on his head with the other so it wouldn't fall. Tsukasa had been left in charge of guarding Asahi's flip flops, neatly aligned next to his feet. He buried his hands under the sand, warmed up by the sun all day, content.

They had been there since late morning. Taking their sweet, sweet time, they had walked around a bit, eaten lunch at a tiny fish restaurant, and bought little trinkets in overpriced souvenir shops along the beach front. It wasn't that late, but the last bus back to town was pretty soon. Tsukasa was too comfortable to move from his position and check his phone, but he estimated they only had a couple of hours left before they had to head back.

Two years from now, they'd be old enough to come and go as they pleased, without having to come home if they felt like spending the night elsewhere. Presently though, he fully savored every second, minute, and hour he could get out of having Asahi all to himself.

Near the water, from his squatting position, Asahi twisted on his heels a bit and held up a tiny rock in his wet, sandy hands. "It's heart-shaped!" he called, beaming. Tsukasa smiled back, influenced by Asahi's obvious good mood being blasted his way. Asahi straightened back up and tucked the little stone in his shirt pocket, scanning another section in the sand.

A small curious child, no older than three, wandered off from his parents who were walking past them, and spontaneously joined Asahi in his hunt. He barely reached his knee in height. If Asahi was surprised, he didn't show it. He immediately crouched again, making them both of similar height. Very serious, they inspected a spot where the sand was fully wet, gentle waves lapping at their bare feet. The wind and the sound of the sea drowned out their quiet words, but the baby looked absolutely entranced. He tittered a bit of his feet, and held onto Asahi's shoulder for balance, small fist clenched around his linen shirt.

The parents stopped a couple steps away, patiently waiting for their child to catch up. Asahi made an excited noise, pointing at something in the sand. He let the little one dig it out messily, both hands clumpy with dark, viscous sand. He squealed and ran away with his prize, brandishing it to his parents. They cooed and awed in praise, as one does when a child shows you scribbles, or a useless piece of junk from the beach, before politely inclining their heads at Asahi.

The mom said something, and the little kid bowed obediently. "Goodbye, mister!" he yelled in a high-pitched voice.

Asahi waved as they left, and Tsukasa did too. He leaned forward again, folding his legs at the knee in front of him, to have somewhere to rest his elbows. He rubbed his hands together to get rid of the gritty sand, very interested now that Asahi slowly made his way back to him.

He dropped his butt right next to Tsukasa, thigh bumping against his, with his wet hands held in the air awkwardly to avoid touching the sand and have it stick all over them.

"It was a piece of polished sea glass," he chuckled, looking at the retreating family. "Kind of yellow. I told him it was from a lost treasure."

Tsukasa laughed lightly. "Can't believe you would give away your gold like that."

Asahi played along, faking smugness. "My fortune comes from elsewhere," he countered, affecting a pretentious tone. He looked adorable.

"Oh?"

He hummed in confirmation. "Mmm hmm. Want to see real treasure?"

Tsukasa nodded with a snort, amused. Asahi was in such good spirits, he would do anything he asked if it meant keeping him that way.

"Tadaaa," Asahi sing-songed, pulling out the little rock he had picked up earlier. He held it between two fingers in front of Tsukasa's face. "Look."

Tsukasa raised his hand to take it from him, but Asahi closed his palm around the rock in a deft move. "Do you know what it is?" Asahi asked, crossing his arms and hugging his knees, making himself look smaller. He oscillated gently from side to side, bumping softly into Tsukasa each time he did.

"What is it?" Tsukasa asked obediently, obsessed with the way Asahi rested his cheek on his forearms to look at him from the side. Asahi continued to sway. Tsukasa wanted to swallow him whole.

Asahi unfolded himself, uncrossing his arms and straightening his back slightly. He slipped his hand below Tsukasa's arm, which was still bent at the elbow and resting on his knee, and extended it to rest it against Tsukasa's joined hands in the middle. He opened his fingers, still shiny with water, and at the hollow of his palm was the little heart-shaped rock. It was a pale, washed-out gray color that looked almost blue in the sun, with vein-like lines in the center.

"It's my love for you," Asahi said, in his low regular voice, all traces of playfulness stripped from it.

The rest of the beach faded away, and the sound of the waves turned to white noise. Tsukasa's entire world was reduced to this moment, this place, them, on this patch of sand; Asahi with an arm looped around his, baring his heart.

Most of the time, people would look at Tsukasa, see a tall, quiet guy, and immediately lend him a personality he simply did not have. They imagined he was this movie-like, cool, calm, and collected character exuding magnetic charisma—but here he was, stunned into a shaky and jittery mess, too flustered to say something back to the cutest, most harmless boba-eyed person he knew.

Asahi would make anyone's heart skip a beat. He was steadfast and honest, and gentle, and sweet; he had the softest hair, the prettiest eyes, long delicate fingers, broad shoulders, and he was unpredictable in the best way, and he was funny, and charming, and so, so beautiful.

He was way cooler than Tsukasa, and not enough people knew. He was torn between wanting to show him off to anyone willing to listen, and keep him hidden from all—or else he risked having to share. And Tsukasa wasn't very good with sharing.

Still staring at the little stone Asahi was holding in his palm, he felt overwhelmed by the opposing sensations and chaotic thoughts swirling in and washing over his mind.

"I know you'll take good care of it, so I'm giving it to you," Asahi went on. "Do you want it?"

Tsukasa swallowed hard, his heartbeat going absolutely haywire. He finally turned his head and found Asahi locking eyes with him. He looked very peaceful and unbothered by the fact that he had shattered Tsukasa's entire worldview and pieced it back together in a couple of seconds.

He glanced at Asahi's open hand and snatched the little heart-like stone greedily, keeping it safe and protected, held tight in his fist. "I want it," he managed to get out nervously. "I'm keeping it forever. No take backs."

Asahi smiled shyly, clearly delighted by his reaction. He kept his arm looped under Tsukasa's. "Don't I get something in return?" he asked after a few seconds of them just silently looking at each other.

Tsukasa knew Asahi liked him—that much was evident, otherwise they wouldn't be dating—but it was one of the rare times he had a glimpse of how much Asahi actually felt for Tsukasa. Of how much he cherished what they had. How much he wanted him back.

It made him dizzy.

The controlled, contained fire inside of him started spilling over the neat limits Tsukasa had drawn for himself, and he felt himself burn up for real. In a daze, as if Asahi exercised some type of gravitational pull on him, he swayed into his space and caught his lips between his. He barely had the time to see Asahi's eyelids flutter shut before he closed his eyes too. He felt Asahi gradually go limp against him, body molding itself against his side, his hand slowly sliding along his arm and down to his thigh, opening his mouth pliantly against Tsukasa's lips.

He tasted a little bit like salt, and a lot like wind and sunshine. Tsukasa pressed his tongue against the swell of Asahi's bottom lip, and he felt him open just a bit more for him. Without breaking the kiss, Tsukasa turned to face Asahi better, snaking a hand around his neck to anchor himself. His fingers brushed through the back of his soft hair, where the ends were a little wet from sweat, and his thumb caressed his cheek.

Asahi closed his mouth around Tsukasa's upper lip, pulling away slightly before he dove back in, angling his head to the other side. Tsukasa's fist, planted into the sand for balance, tensed impossibly tighter against the smooth rock he was still holding, so much he could have sworn he felt all the curves of its heart shape.

Asahi gently, delicately swept his tongue along the line of his upper lip, making him feel impossibly hotter, crazier, wilder. Tsukasa responded eagerly, deepening the kiss instantly—with the sun blazing above them, and the inferno raging inside him, Asahi's mouth felt deliciously pure and chilly in contrast. He had the absurd thought that if he could, he would drink him all in. Maybe it was the only way it would extinguish the fire.

But the seconds passed, syrupy slow, and their lips parted. The heat simmered down—at least until next time. Tsukasa blinked, his vision a little off-colored from the sun rays hitting his closed eyelids for so long. Asahi pulled back very slightly, eyes still closed, and Tsukasa smiled. He watched him gradually recover normal hues, like he was being painted in real time in large, colorful brushstrokes.

He caressed his cheek one last time as he gently let go of him, twisting back to face the shoreline again. He crossed his legs and leaned forward, rolling and turning the little rock between his fingers. He looked to the side, and Asahi's eyes fluttered open. His lips were red. His hand was still in Tsukasa's lap, and he readjusted his posture into something less slouched, scooting closer to him so he could tuck his head on his shoulder.

Tsukasa looked back down at the rock in his hands, repeatedly smoothing his thumb over the polished surface. The color wasn't as glossy as before, as it had dried down matte, but the texture was silky soft to the touch still.

As Asahi snuggled in more comfortably into the crook of his neck, Tsukasa placed a quick kiss against his hair, breathing in his scent, before he returned the embrace by leaning his cheek on the top of his head, facing the water again.

—

"Oh, Watarai. Seen Hioki anywhere?"

Tsukasa slowed down his pace as he crossed paths with Tsujitani in the hallway. "I was just with him. I walked him to the gym. Aren't you supposed to be there too?"

Tsujitani readjusted his racket bag on his shoulder. He looked at his shoes and pushed around an invisible piece of dust bunny with the toe of his sneaker. "Yes, I was just about to go."

It took a few seconds for Tsukasa to put a finger on what was wrong. Tsujitani was too quiet and didn't try to have any form of physical contact.

That was both unusual and, frankly, very concerning.

Everyone had returned from the school break at the beginning of the week, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened since then, so Tsukasa was at a loss as to why Tsujitani looked so terribly tortured. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no… It's just…" Tsujitani stepped closer, voice dropping low. "Can I—can I talk to you for a second? Since you're here. And I'm here. And we're both… here."

Tsujitani was being uncharacteristically cautious, lacking a lot of his normal overly animated demeanor.

Tsukasa could be accommodating, but he was not all that patient. "What's going on?"

"I feel… like Hioki is avoiding me these days," Tsujitani said, looking around carefully, making sure no one was listening. The hallway was empty. "And I have a feeling it might be… uh… because… of you."

Tsukasa blinked away his surprise, taken aback. "Huh?" He quickly mentally reviewed some of his recent conversations with Asahi. None of them stood out particularly regarding an eventual issue with Tsujitani.

"Is Hioki… Are you…?" Tsujitani sighed, clearly frustrated. He cleared his throat, re-centered himself and went on. "What exactly are your intentions? For… I mean—with Hioki?" he stuttered out in a nervous whisper.

Tsukasa knew for a fact Asahi had not told Tsujitani about them yet. And he was pretty confident that Asahi would be more than a little alarmed if, right now, Tsukasa blurted out to Tsujitani that, sometimes, when he was bored, he daydreamed about planning their wedding.

Tsukasa was self-aware enough to recognize he was not very subtle about his obsession for his secret boyfriend. Anyone paying the slightest attention probably already suspected it. Maybe Tsujitani had finally started to pay attention. But for Asahi's sake, Tsukasa needed to find an answer vague enough that it wouldn't be a lie, and wouldn't put Asahi on the spot either.

"I like him," Tsukasa replied at a regular volume, refusing to treat it like it was something shameful to admit.

He waited for Tsujitani to interpret that however he wanted. That could be said about a friend, right? Could be said about chicken nuggets too. He also liked Morisaki, and Hotta, and Nakasato—and chicken nuggets. Whatever.

"That doesn't really answer my—" Tsujitani sighed again, scratching his head. "Look, this is—I'm gonna ask you something alright? Really, please don't take this the wrong way. And if you do take it the wrong way, please don't be mad. And if you do get mad, please don't—"

"Tsujitani," Tsukasa cut him off sternly. "Spit it out."

"Are you like, into him?" he burst out, squinting his whole face as if he was expecting to be slapped.

"Yes," Tsukasa replied simply. He really didn't feel like lying about that.

"OK," Tsujitani sighed, almost relieved. Some color found its way back to his face, and he looked much more like himself than before. "And… is Hioki into… you…?"

"You should ask him that."

"I told you. He's avoiding me."

"Did you spend fifteen minutes mustering up the courage to ask your question, too? Cause he might have just gotten bored of waiting for you to say the thing."

Tsujitani was momentarily speechless, clearly taking Tsukasa's hypothesis into serious consideration. "Actually… maybe?"

"Well," Tsukasa said, sounding very final, thinking it was a good enough way to end their talk. He smiled at him in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, and made to walk past him, but Tsujitani's frozen frame suddenly came back to life, and he grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"Wait, wait, wait," he moaned, sounding genuinely anguished. Tsukasa wanted to feel bad for him, but he was too relieved about Tsujitani returning to his normal, dramatic character. "My best friend doesn't want to speak to me and you're laughing."

"I'm not laughing," Tsukasa said, sincere. "I think you're a very good friend."

Tsujitani tried not to look flattered, but couldn't mask his expression fast enough. "Ugh, this is crazy," he exclaimed, after a beat. "He's dating the hottest guy in school and he said nothing to me?"

Tsukasa stiffened, uneasy about the sudden biased statement. He debated with himself internally about rebuking the dating part—maybe Asahi wanted to be the one to tell him—but it felt a little late and a little silly to deny it, at this point. He wasn't really in the business of being modest and subdued about his feelings, and if Tsujitani, the most oblivious guy in their grade, could tell, then it was out of his hands, really.

"Maybe I'm the one dating the hottest guy in school, you know," he said petulantly, deflecting and fighting the urge to cross his arms over his chest like a child.

Tsujitani's eyes went big and round, mouth turned down in an slightly impressed but discomfited expression. "Wow, there's a whole world out there that I know nothing about. Is Asahi aware that he's uh, hot?"

"Aren't you late for your club activities?"

"Yeah," Tsujitani replied distantly, clearly not caring that much.

He still hitched his bag higher on his shoulder and amicably patted Tsukasa's shoulder as he walked around him to leave. He was completely back to his usual, grabby, agitated-self. Tsukasa relaxed a bit.

"You know, a lot of things are starting to make sense for me, now. Much to think about. See you later, Watarai." He walked a few steps before he froze, turned around and very quickly walked back towards him. "By the way, uh, good on you for, uh… you know. Like. Speaking your, uh, truth. Or… whatever. I don't know. Thanks for telling me. You still scare me a little, by the way, so don't worry, nothing's changed. OK. Bye." He didn't wait for Tsukasa's response and rapidly walked away once again.

Tsukasa stood there for a few minutes, collecting himself and his thoughts. After replaying the whole thing in his head, he concluded that it could have gone worse, and that it had been—even if a little weird—a successful conversation nonetheless.

—

Tsukasa fell into step with Asahi, fighting the urge to carry his bag for him. It kept slipping from his shoulder, and Tsukasa was itching to grab it, but he knew Asahi would balk at the idea. They were almost at his stop, where Tsukasa would watch him get on the bus every day after school.

"Did you… talk to Tsujitani yesterday?" Asahi asked suddenly. He sounded pretty neutral, simply curious.

Tsukasa took a deep breath. "Yes," he replied. "He was looking for you before practice. Met him by chance in the hallway."

Asahi slowed down, still looking ahead. "Ah, that's why he was acting all weird," he said calmly. He didn't seem upset.

"He was just worried about you."

Asahi finally paused, and deliberately stepped in front of him, his back turned to the bus stop. "I told him," he stated, looking straight into Tsukasa's eyes. "That we were together. Boyfriends. Dating."

Tsukasa's heart leapt in his throat, dropped back down in his chest, and started beating so fast he felt himself break a sweat while standing there, motionless. "Ah. That's—great," he faltered, a little shocked.

He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't that. He had imagined that Asahi would stress and spiral about the whole thing, and maybe even be a little upset with him, for being honest with Tsujitani without asking him first—but he was perfectly composed, understanding, and at ease, with a gentle look in his eyes.

"Did it… go well?"

Asahi nodded yes, making a cute little pout with his lips. "I also told my parents."

Tsukasa widened his eyes, stunned into silence.

Huh.

Asahi was, all things considered, quite unpredictable. He tried to mumble something out, but he had no idea what to actually say so he just let his mouth hang open stupidly.

"I told them two days ago," he went on. "I didn't tell you right away because they asked me to invite you for dinner sometime and I panicked. I'm sorry."

"For dinner?"

"Yes."

"When?"

Asahi paused, bemused. "Uh… Whenever you want, I guess?"

"Today," Tsukasa declared, spellbound.

Asahi squawked, taking two little steps towards Tsukasa, clearly hesitating to hold onto his arms, as if he was about to sprint all the way to his house right there and then. "To—today? No! No. That's a little sudden, that's—"

"Tomorrow, then."

Asahi sighed with a faint smile, dropping his hands against his sides in defeat. "This is why I didn't say anything. How about next week instead?"

"Next week, when?"

Asahi made a face, amused. "Wednesday," he picked randomly.

"Wednesday," Tsukasa repeated, nodding. "Dinner at your house."

Asahi's smile grew wider. "Careful, or I'm gonna think you're eager."

"I am. I can't wait for all your friends, for your family, for everyone to know that you—" he slipped his hand in his pocket to discreetly fidget with the little heart-shaped rock he was now carrying around everywhere, "—are mine." A gust of wind picked up, pleasantly cooling down their overheated skin. "Is that wrong?"

Asahi shook his head no, almost fascinated. "You're so…" he trailed off, contemplating his face fondly. He never finished his sentence but he looked so adoring and loving that Tsukasa didn't really need to hear it, this time.

Tsukasa leaned down, taking advantage of Asahi being so close to him, and swiftly placed a short, sweet kiss on his mouth. Asahi, taken off guard, froze momentarily.

"I love you," Tsukasa said.

Asahi flushed a lovely color. He swallowed thickly, and slowly, resolutely placed a hand on Tsukasa's shoulder for leverage. He hoisted himself a little higher and returned his kiss. His lips lingered on Tsukasa for a few delicious seconds, and he dropped back on his heels. His fingers slipped from his shoulder, all the way down his arm, and searched for his hand.

"I love you too," he said, looking at him from under his lashes.

Tsukasa melted. He wanted to stay like this forever, looking into Asahi's soft brown eyes, and hear these words on a loop.

They were still a few meters away from his stop. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Asahi's bus approaching rapidly: it came to a stop, with the very recognizable sound of the brakes hissing. A couple commuters got off, and all the people waiting at the stop got in, leaving this portion of the street deserted. The bus driver closed the doors and drove away, passing by both of them on the sidewalk.

Asahi looked away from Tsukasa's eyes only for his gaze to drop to his lips instead.

"I'll take the next one," he said.