Work Text:
Toui is standing by the door with his shoes on. That’s what sets Akane off. Not the shoes. Not really. It’s the way Toui’s hand lingers on the doorknob like he’s already halfway gone.
“You’re leaving?” Akane asks.
“I said I’d be back tonight.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Toui exhales, slow and tired. “Akane.” He says his name like a warning. Like if he says it gently enough, it won’t turn into something worse.
Akane hates that. “You do this every time,” Akane says. His voice isn’t loud. It’s worse – flat. “You act like I’m crazy for noticing.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy.”
“You look at me like I am.” Akane swallows. “Like I’m too much.”
Toui’s jaw tightens. “You want me to stay every second. You want me to prove something every hour. I can’t keep passing a test you won’t even name.”
Akane’s chest feels tight. He doesn’t know how to explain it without sounding pathetic. When Toui leaves, even for normal reasons, something ugly curls under his ribs. A voice that says: he’s tired of you. He’s figuring out how to leave for good.
“You don’t get it,” Akane mutters.
“Then explain it,” Toui shoots back. His voice cracks at the edges. “I’m here. I’m trying. Just tell me what you need instead of punishing me for not guessing right.”
Akane flinches like he’s been slapped. “I’m not punishing you.”
“You shut down on me. You go cold. You run away from me, literally. You look at me like I already failed.” Toui runs a hand through his hair. “It makes me feel like I’m losing you even when I’m standing right in front of you.”
Akane looks away. His nails dig into his palm. He wants to say, I’m scared. He wants to say, I don’t know how to hold someone without gripping too tight. The words feel stuck in his throat.
“I just…” His voice thins. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Toui says immediately.
“You say that now.”
Toui steps closer, shoes still on, door forgotten. “I’m not walking out of your life, Akane. I’m going to the store. I’m going to work. I’m going to breathe.” His voice softens. “None of that means I’m abandoning you.”
Akane’s eyes burn. He hates crying. He hates how young it makes him feel. “I don’t know how to believe that,” he admits. The words come out small.
Toui’s shoulders drop. “Then let me show you,” he says quietly. “But you have to stop pushing me away when you realize something that isn’t planned. You can’t keep testing me and then getting mad when I get tired." Akane nods once. It’s not a promise. It’s not fixed.
But Toui takes his shoes off anyway.