Archive of Our Own

It's clear that there's something Sakura wants to say the second he steps into the classroom.

He's fidgety, a preemptive blush and pout gracing his pretty features. It almost makes Akihiko giggle, watching him clearly stewing over whatever it is that's bothering him. Their friend can be quite dramatic when he wants to be.

Of course, he hopes it's nothing serious that Sakura seemingly needs to discuss with them, but considering his demeanor, Akihiko highly doubts it. This seems like he's just embarrassed about something, rather than worried about danger.

"What's up with you, Sakura-kun?", Suo immediately questions him when their grade captain comes to sit with their group. There's a teasing grin on his face, like a cat who spotted a mouse and is ready to pounce on it.

As expected, Sakura reacts with indignation. Huffing, he crosses his arms.

"Nothin'", he grumbles, "Jus'…"

The four of them lean in to hear him better with matching smiles on their faces, though some more genuine than others.

"Just what?", Kiryu joins Suo on his mission, "You can tell us anything!"

Getting up from his chair just as quickly as he sat down, Sakura barks back: "It ain't about me!"

He groans, arms crossed again as he begins to march towards the door. The tips of his ears are noticeably pink.

"Jus'…whatever. Nirei, Suo, come with me."

With raised eyebrows, the two of them look at each other and shrug. Kiryu and Tsugeura wave in clear confusion as they get up to follow their best friend out of the room.

Once in the hallway, Sakura swivels his head around to make sure there's no one close enough to overhear their conversation before leaning against the wall with a bored expression. It's not fooling either Akihiko nor Suo though, as his blush is still prominent on his face.

"Togame wants me to ask ya somethin'…", Sakura mumbles.

Akihiko blinks. Togame? What does Sakura's boyfriend have to do with any of this? It's not like they don't all get along, but neither Akihiko nor Suo are particularly close to him either. He's a nice guy, Akihiko just can't imagine what he would want to ask them.

"W-what does Togame-san want?", Akihiko manages to stutter out, more confused than nervous. Suo is patiently waiting in silence, a grounding presence at his side.

"He -", Sakura scratches at his head, his blush somehow growing brighter, "'s dumb…But he wants ya guys to like…go on a double date -" It sounds like it hurts Sakura to let that term leave his mouth. "With us. Or whatever."

Blinking, it takes Akihiko a moment to actually register the words, too preoccupied with his friend's amusing struggle to get them out in the first place. But once he does, he feels a flaming blush of his own quickly spread to every part of his body. He laughs, the noise awkward and choking.

"Ha ha, w-what?" Has the hallway suddenly grown unbearably hot? "W-we're not -"

"Sure, sounds fun!"

Akihiko swallows the rest of his words when Suo suddenly speaks up. Did he just agree? Incredulous, Akihiko turns to stare at him but of course, his fellow vice captain looks the same as he always does. His eye is wide and innocent, stance upright and a small smile taking residence on his face. Like nothing out of the ordinary just occurred. Like he didn't just accept to go on a date with Akihiko. Whom he is not dating.

The unfortunately goes unsaid.

"A'ight, cool", Sakura nods at them, "I'll…uh…I guess I'll text ya the details?"

With that, it seems the conversation is over as Sakura steps back to return to the classroom. Suo gears up to follow in his footsteps, but Akihiko's not letting that happen. His hand shooting out, he grabs Suo's wrist, a silent bid to stay in place. He feels Suo's internal struggle for just a moment, the muscles under his hand tensing and then relaxing again, his friend whirling back around to look at him.

"What is it, Nire-kun?", he asks.

Asshole, Akihiko thinks, As if you don't know.

With a world-weary sigh, Akihiko suddenly feels all the nerves leave his body. He's so tired. No matter what little joke Suo thinks he's playing right now, Akihiko isn't in the mood to follow along. It's not even Suo's fault, this is par for the course for him — and usually Akihiko doesn't mind that! —, it's just that Suo has no clue about Akihiko's pathetic, painful crush on him. He doesn't think he could take it if Suo thought going on a date with him was funny.

"Nire-kun?", Suo repeats himself. His voice sounds different now, softer. Akihiko attempts to blink himself back into reality, realizing with a start that his eyes have grown a little wet. God, this is humiliating. Suo must think he's a weakling already, he doesn't need to think of him as someone who cries without reason. Like a baby. "What's wrong?"

How can he even save this? He's not going to tell him the truth, not yet and not like this. Not until he's over it. But how can he explain the emotions that must be showing on his face so clearly right now?

"N-nothing, sorry", he decides to just try to write it off. Suo deflects their questions and inquiries all the time, so he's got no right to complain. "Why'd you say yes? We're not…" He takes a deep breath to prepare for the pain he knows his next sentence will cause him. "We're not a couple."

"Huh?", Suo tilts his head. He still looks concerned, but it seems that Akihiko was right and the other is willing to go along with his pretension. "Well, I thought it would be a nice outing. We don't spend a lot of time with Togame-san, and since he's Sakura-kun's boyfriend…"

That makes sense. Suo didn't want to tease him, he just saw it as an opportunity to hang out with and get to know their friend's boyfriend better. Of course. He probably didn't even think twice about the "date" part, probably thinking of it as a "friend date". Is that a thing? Tsubaki does it all the time, right?

Ugh, Akihiko feels so stupid.

"Right, of course", Akihiko bites his lip to stop it from trembling, "I guess I was just caught off guard at Togame-san's, uh, assumption."

Once again, Suo just blinks at him, the gentle smile on his face unchanging.

"I see", he nods, "Sorry, I should have corrected him then. I just didn't think it was a big deal."

Suo's smile changes to become slightly apologetic, a hand reaching out to place itself on Akihiko's shoulder. It's cold to the touch.

"Can't blame him for thinking that, huh?"

Before Akihiko can ask him what the fuck he means by that, Suo is already scampering off to return to the classroom, the bell following right after him.

The evening of the dreaded double date approaches far too quickly, and it finds Akihiko in front of his wardrobe, growing more frantic with every minute that passes. Half of his clothes have already been discarded, strewn across his room in a haphazard manner he will most certainly regret later.

It's just that he has no clue what would be considered appropriate attire for a double date where his date isn't even real? Should he dress up or keep it casual? Considering it's Sakura and Togame, and the place Sakura told them to meet at is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, it'd definitely be overkill if he shows up in anything too fancy, but he's not gonna wear sweatpants either! Not that he ever would in the first place.

Eventually, with only moderate hair-pulling involved, he settles on a patterned button-up — soft yellow with a flower print, freshly ironed — and a light-wash pair of jeans. He throws a denim jacket on over it and hopes it will do. He's probably overthinking this.

The doorbell rings while he's in the bathroom taming his hair. He yelps, trying to hurry up the process while he props the door open to eavesdrop to the best of his ability. Their voices are quiet, but it seems his mom and Suo are having a pleasant and — so far — not-embarrassing conversation. Good. He was fully expecting his mom to have prepared to show off every photo album they have. Because for some reason she believes this is a real date, even though Akihiko explained the situation to her a dozen times.

Sighing, he finally finishes up and quickly descends the stairs.

"Hey, Suo-san", he smiles as he sees his friend. Despite his nerves and the tight, almost suffocating sensation this whole situation is causing to twist and ache inside his chest, he's happy to spend time with Suo. And Sakura and Togame, of course!

Suo, for his part, looks as handsome as ever. He's not particularly dressed up, but yet again, he's generally more dressed up than most of them by default. His friend is donning a silky red changshan with little flowers on it, combined with his usual black coat and loose pants. His hair looks freshly washed and wavy in the way Akihiko thinks is especially pretty, and his smile is warm and welcoming.

"Ah, Nire-kun!" Suo — to Akihiko's surprise and dawning horror — reaches out to fix his collar for him, his hand caressing and careful, as he speaks. "You look lovely."

Growing red, Akihiko coughs loudly. He thinks he might be choking. Why is Suo putting on this date-y act when they've already established they're just going as friends? Is he trying to murder him? Was that his secret agenda all along?

Awkwardly, he thanks his friend as he steps away to put on his nicest shoes, ignoring the sly giggles coming from his mom.

"Have fun on your date, you two!" She calls after them when they leave, Suo bowing to her politely. "Bring my son home safe and sound, Suo-kun."

"Real funny, mom", Akihiko rolls his eyes, trying to usher Suo down the path in their front yard as quickly as possible, while his friend shouts over his shoulder: "Of course, Nirei-san!"

Idiot.

Dragging him along by the wrist, Akihiko speed walks them down the street, only slowing down once they've rounded the corner.

"Your mom is wonderful", Suo comments, "I see where you get your good looks from."

Akihiko just rolls his eyes. He knows Suo is a jokester, always making ridiculous quips and teasing remarks, and it's clear he's finding enjoyment in the "charming date" role he's assumed. Maybe Akihiko would find it comical as well if he didn't wish so badly for it to be real. He doesn't want Suo to be amused by the idea of going on a date with him, doesn't want him to mess around and bastardize the romantic aspects. He wants him to take it seriously, to ask him out for real.

Alas, Akihiko is more than aware that that's nothing but wishful thinking. Suo — inscrutable, sweet, ridiculous Suo — does not and will never return his feelings. The sooner he accepts that, the better.

When they arrive at the restaurant, a cute little establishment nestled between two traditional homes on a quiet street with colorful lanterns out front, Sakura and Togame are already waiting by the door. They look like they're dressed for two different seasons, Sakura bundled up in a thick hoodie and scarf, and Togame in his usual hanten but with a different jacket over it than normal, a cozy-looking bomber number replacing his Shishitoren jacket. A smart move, probably.

Akihiko fails to hide his grin when he spots their linked hands. So cute!

"Suo, Nirei!", Togame greets them. It's impressive, Akihiko thinks, how different he is from the first time they met. He's still intimidatingly tall and handsome, but he's so relaxed and confident, he gives off an almost comforting aura. Akihiko smiles and nods at him, giving Sakura a quick hug, which the other reluctantly lets happen. "I'm glad you could make it!"

Suo converses with Togame for a bit. Clearly, the other two don't mind the cold that much as they stay in place while Akihiko walks ahead with Sakura to claim their table. Apparently, Togame had reserved it. Very official. The perks of having an older boyfriend, Akihiko can only guess.

"Hey, uh, Sakura-san", Akihiko leans closer to him as he speaks, afraid Togame will somehow overhear, "Why does Togame-san think Suo-san and I are dating?"

Blinking, Sakura turns to look at him. They stop for a second. The waitress showing them to their table doesn't notice and keeps on walking.

"You're not?"

Oh.

Wait, what?

Does…does Sakura think they're a couple? How long has he thought that? And why? He never even asked them about it or said anything at all! Akihiko cannot believe his ears and it must show on his face, as Sakura visibly flinches.

"Ah…", he mumbles and quickly starts walking again, the tips of his ears bright red as he tries to locate their waitress, "I guess you're not…"

They sit down, watching as Suo and Togame finally move to join them, seemingly done with whatever conversation they were having. Unfortunately, the two will get to the table before Akihiko can ask all of his questions. Dammit, he'll have to corner Sakura again later. He's not willing to let this go.

"Wait", Sakura frowns, clearly less anxious about the others overhearing, "Then why'd Suo say yes? He didn't correct me or anythin'."

Akihiko opens his mouth to reply, a scathing hiss of You know what Suo's like! already on the tip of his tongue, when their dates finally pull out their own chairs to sit, effectively nipping this conversation in the bud.

"Talking about us?", Togame grins lazily as he rests an arm on the back of Sakura's chair. Their friend flushes but doesn't reprimand him. Akihiko, as stressed as he is about his own confusing relationship status, is delighted. He's so happy for Sakura!

"As if", Sakura rolls his eyes and immediately grabs the menu. There's a bright blush on his cheeks that he unsuccessfully attempts to hide behind the pages. Next to Akihiko, he hears Suo chuckle as he too picks up the menu. For show, surely, as Akihiko knows Suo is just going to order tea anyway.

The restaurant offers a relatively small variety of traditional Japanese dishes, all made from scratch. Akihiko hopes it won't be too expensive, most of his allowance having gone to waste on new pens and notebooks. He has no clue how much money either Togame or Suo have, but he knows Sakura is even worse off than himself, an image of his empty apartment coming to mind.

Well, it's much less empty now!

Their waitress, a spunky girl with space buns, takes their orders and swiftly leaves again. Akihiko is pleasantly surprised to see Sakura order something other than omurice for once. He himself went for a classic udon bowl, mouth already watering at the thought of it. Ugh, he's hungry.

Togame, bless him, starts an amicable conversation, the four of them relaxing into their chairs as they chat. He's a chill guy, easy to talk to and clearly beyond enamored with their friend. The waitress drops their drinks off while Sakura and Akihiko are telling a anecdote about a rather chaotic patrol the other day. Suddenly, without any forewarning, Suo's hand lands on his thigh. The other boy leans over, bringing his mouth so close to Akihiko's ear that he can feel his humid breath. Akihiko trails off mid-sentence, lips remaining parted as he is forced to listen.

"Would you pass me the sugar, Nire-kun?", is all Suo says. There was no need for any of this, honestly, he could even reach the damn sugar himself! It's right next to Akihiko's glass of lemonade.

Wide-eyed and frustrated, Akihiko reaches for the container and sets it down by Suo's cup with a little too much force. The hand has yet to lift from his leg, and it's making him anxious. Suo's touch is cold and gentle, but his grip is firm. It's too intimate, too romantic, and it has Akihiko seriously considering just running off. What is Suo playing at? It can't even be for Togame's benefit, as there's no way he can even see it! Not that Akihiko thinks Suo would want to do that in the first place, why would he bother to affirm Togame's wrong assumption?

Akihiko shakes his head and tries to rejoin the conversation, but the smirk on Togame's face and the curious expression on Sakura's make that very difficult. Still, even as he reaches for his tea and sips from it, Suo's hand remains on his thigh. Akihiko hasn't moved a centimeter, frozen stiff in place.

"So, how did you two start dating?", Togame asks. Dread twists Akihiko's stomach into knots, all blood abandoning his face. "Haru says he doesn't know."

To his own disappointment, Akihiko is panicking too much to appreciate the nickname Togame has for their friend, fully focused on Suo's reaction. The other boy doesn't seem surprised by the latter statement, clearly already aware of Sakura's thoughts on the whole thing. Did Sakura perhaps mention it to Suo? There's no way, with his aversion to discussing romance and all. So, Suo must have figured out himself that Sakura believes them to be dating. When? What tipped him off? Was it only when Sakura asked them about the double date, or has this been going on for longer?

Feeling left out, a familiar ache makes itself known in Akihiko's chest. He bites his lip.

"Ah, well," Suo begins to speak, which reminds Akihiko that he is indeed still part of a conversation. For a second, Akihiko believes the other will come clean and tell the truth. It wouldn't be a big deal after all! Togame doesn't seem like the type who'd get embarrassed about something like this. They'd probably just laugh a bit and move on. But no, of course not. Why would Akihiko ever expect Suo to be honest?

"That's rather private, don't you think?"

All three of them roll their eyes, Sakura even groans out something that sounds like c'mon. Akihiko finds himself agreeing, but since Suo considers people asking what his favorite color is too invasive, this is par for the course for him. Should Akihiko say fuck it and just make something up? Show Suo he doesn't care, that he's chill and funny and can take a joke? He should, right? Maybe? He's not sure. He doesn't think he has it in him to lie about something he's been dreaming about for months.

"Y'all know all about us…", Sakura grumbles out.

Tilting his head, Suo replies: "Ah, but we didn't, did we? You two were together way before we found out."

Not untrue. Still, he's deliberately being an asshole, so Akihiko does the brave thing and puts his own hand on top of Suo's, which has yet to move, and gives it a light slap.

Suo grins. Ugh.

"Oh, shut up", Sakura glares at Suo, "Ya know what I mean."

Thankfully, the food arrives before the two of them can really get into it. Because they would, and they have, many times. Grateful, Akihiko sighs and wastes no time before digging into his meal. It's astonishingly delicious. How has he not heard of this restaurant before? Togame has great taste, in both food and men. Akihiko couldn't approve more.

The conversation returns to safer waters as they begin to eat, words slow and slurred through the enjoyment of their dishes. Except Suo, of course, who drinks his herbal tea with his regular poise, content to observe the rest of them. His gaze seems to be drawn to Akihiko more often than to the others, his eye dark and smile fond. Akihiko shudders at it, keeping his own eyes on his food and ignoring his "date" to the best of his ability.

Before they know it, their bowls and plates are empty. Surprisingly, they all agree that they're having a rather nice time, even Sakura now having calmed down and being less embarrassed and jumpy after having had some good food, so they decide to take a walk by the river afterwards.

Togame waves the waitress over, politely offering to pay for all of them. Akihiko expected him to pay for Sakura, naturally, but he certainly won't say no to having his own meal covered as well. Opening his mouth to thank him, Suo quickly intercepts.

"Thank you, Togame-san," he digs in the inner pocket of his jacket for just a moment before pulling out his own wallet, "But I'll pay for the two of us, if you don't mind."

Oh. Akihiko blinks and tries to suppress the erratic fluttering of his heart. Across from him, Sakura raises a judging eyebrow. Akihiko pointedly stares at Suo's elegant hand instead of holding his gaze. The hand that is now handing over money to pay for both of them. Because they're on a date.

Suo is really taking this whole act very seriously. It's not good for Akihiko's heart.

He tries so hard not to, but he just can't help but imagine what it'd be like if this was real. Suo is considerate and protective and gentle, despite his goofy tricks and the darker side he tries to hide, and Akihiko is fully convinced he'd be a good, thoughtful boyfriend. If one can look past…well, the fact that he won't share anything about himself. But surely, if they were dating — not that they are! — he would open up a bit more, right? Akihiko would feel up to the challenge.

Hypothetically. He won't ever get the chance, of course.

But God, is it easy to picture, to lose himself in the fantasy, when Suo gets up to grab Akihiko's jacket before his own, offering it up to him and helping him into it, fixing his collar once more with a small smile on his face. If he goes into cardiac arrest right now, he wouldn't have to deal with this. For a moment, he fantasizes about that instead.

"'s cold", Sakura hisses once they make it down to the path by the river. It's a quiet evening, the sky a deep purple and the breeze indeed quite cool. Role model of a boyfriend that he is, Togame immediately offers up his own jacket to bundle Sakura up further, the other refusing at first — though clearly out of embarrassment at Suo and Akihiko's presence rather than any actual reservations — but he eventually accepts. It's an adorable sight, the jacket several sizes too large, but it seems to do the job of keeping him warm.

For his part, Akihiko is glad he anticipated the lower temperatures, though he should have brought gloves. His hands are getting a bit cold, and the pockets of his jacket aren't deep enough to fit them in there comfortably.

They continue to chat about nothing in particular as they stroll along, Akihiko learning so much about the inner workings and members of Shishitoren that he desperately itches for his notebook. But no, he must control himself. He simply has to remember it all and write it down as soon as he gets home.

Subconsciously, Akihiko rubs his hands together in hopes of combating the numbness that's beginning to set in, starting at his fingertips. Taking note of the action, Suo sidles closer to him and promptly takes one of his hands in his own. It's not much warmer at all, Suo naturally running cold the majority of the time, but it's still comforting, and the skin contact will probably warm both of them up.

Despite recognizing the functionality of it, Akihiko blushes horribly. In combination with everything else Suo has done tonight, it's just another act that screams date. Especially considering that Togame and Sakura, where they walk just slightly ahead of the other two, are also holding hands. Which Akihiko has to say he's surprised by, Sakura is much more open to PDA than he thought he would be! Though, he supposes the two of them have been dating for several months at this point. So, really, he's glad Sakura trusts them enough to let his guard down around them, even with Suo's inescapable ribbing.

Akihiko swallows any words he wants to say, all the questions he's desperate to ask, and just clutches Suo's hand tightly. He decides to allow himself to enjoy this, just this once. It's the only time he'll ever have it, so he might as well pretend, if only for the rest of the night, that Suo is actually his boyfriend. That he's not following some secret agenda of not letting Togame find out the truth — because he thinks it's funny, most likely — and is instead actually interested in being romantic with Akihiko. It'll hurt come morning, he knows, when he's back in the reality where none of this is plausible, but for now, his heart feels full and content.

Bold, he swings their hands between them as they catch back up to the others, enjoying the friendly conversation, the teasing, and the few twinkling stars visible above Makochi. He wishes this night could last forever.

Maybe, and Akihiko is almost ashamed to even think this, Suo will keep doing this with him if they hang out with Togame more often. It's not like it'd be a chore, he likes the guy! Sure, continuing this scheme — or whatever it is — would inevitably break his heart a million times over, but who cares! If it's going to hurt no matter what, he might as well make the best of it.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Once they're only a few blocks from Sakura's apartment, the group decides to part ways for the night.

"Thanks for coming", Togame nods at them. Next to him, Sakura is clearly struggling to keep his eyes open, snuggled into Togame's side like a cat. He doesn't seem to care about their presence anymore, either too tired or too relaxed to be abashed. He's really come a long way, Akihiko is proud of him.

"It was a lot of fun", Akihiko replies immediately, smiling brightly. He means it. "If you have any more restaurant suggestions, let us know!"

Togame chuckles, but before he can say anything more, Sakura starts grumbling at him to hurry up.

"So impatient", Togame rolls his eyes but the action drips with fondness, "Goodnight, guys."

"G'night", Sakura adds with a small yawn, "See y'all tomorrow."

Suo and Akihiko say their own goodbyes, watching the couple leave as they continue standing by the river bank. The reflection of the moon on the water is so beautiful, Akihiko takes his phone out to snap a quick picture, stalling to prepare himself for parting from Suo as well.

"Let me walk you home, hm?", Suo suggests. Though he may voice it as a question, his tone makes it clear that a "yes" is the only plausible answer.

Well, if Suo wants to prolong this, who is Akihiko to deny him?

He nods, putting his phone away, and the two begin walking in the direction of Akihiko's family home. It's not too far, only about 15 minutes, and they spend that time picking up threads of prior conversations easily, sharing their thoughts about Sakura's relationship and the restaurant's atmosphere.

As usual, the conversation flows so effortlessly that time slips through Akihiko's fingers like sand, his house appearing in front of them before he's even remotely ready for it.

He can see that the light in the living room is still on, unsurprising considering it's barely ten p.m. Still, he hopes his mom won't be watching them from the window. She's great, but Akihiko certainly knows who he inherited his inquisitiveness from.

Briefly, Akihiko wonders what Suo's game plan is. He seems so dedicated to the perfect date act, will he walk him all the way up to the door? And then what? If this was a movie, or even a real date, he could expect a kiss, but that would be too far even for Suo. Surely, that would cross one of these strange, blurry boundaries between them. Akihiko swallows heavily.

True to his fantasy, Suo does indeed walk him all the way up to the door. It doesn't escape Akihiko's notice — quite the opposite, he's hyperaware of it — that their hands are still linked between them.

Taking a deep breath, Akihiko turns around to lean against the front door, eyes on Suo as their tangled hands hang between them like a string of fate. He wishes that's what it was.

"That was nice", Akihiko says. He knows Suo has no problem with awkward pauses or prolonged silences, so waiting for the other boy to speak up first is futile. Suo speaks only when he wants to. "Thanks for paying, by the way. You really didn't have to."

Suo shrugs, unbothered. The smile on his face is smaller than usual, almost private, and his eye is heavy-lidded. Maybe he's tired too, Akihiko hadn't noticed.

"All good", Suo replies and his voice is surprisingly quiet. It all serves to make this moment feel all the more intimate. It's not helping Akihiko's poor confuddled heart in the slightest. "I'm just glad you had a pleasant time."

Akihiko nods, the action automatic. He did have a good time, but if he tried, he wouldn't be able to remember a single thing about the evening right now. Not with Suo this close. Has he been this close the whole time? Akihiko feels like their noses would touch if he just moved the slightest bit forward. No way. Suo must have stepped closer. But when? Why?

Humming contently, Suo seems not to notice Akihiko's growing alarm, and tightens his hold on his hand. With his free arm, he boldly cages Akihiko against the door, hand coming up next to his head. Are they in a shoujo manga? What the hell is going on?

God, he really hopes his mom isn't watching.

When Suo takes another step forward, the space between them now completely nonexistent, chests pressed together and Suo's breath brushing his lips, Akihiko finally reacts.

"W-wait!", he squeaks out, "What are you doing?"

Suo blinks at him, head tilted slightly as he makes no attempt to put any distance between them.

"I feel it's quite obvious", is all he says. Cryptic motherfucker.

"I-it's just -", Akihiko places his free hand on Suo's chest in hopes of pushing him away just a bit, desperately needing room to breathe and think, but the other doesn't budge. "That wasn't a real date."

Well, that sure hurt to say. Still, it's a truth they're both aware of, so what is Suo playing at?

"I thought you enjoyed yourself?", Suo once again doesn't reply to anything Akihiko actually said. It's like talking to a genie with this guy. What does Akihiko's enjoyment of the evening have to do with anything?

"I did", Akihiko begins slowly, unsure of how to explain himself. It's not like he doesn't want Suo to kiss him, but why would Suo do that? It's not making sense in his head. "But um, you don't have to kiss me. Like, we're not -"

Suo, though patient as he is known to be, has clearly reached the end of his rope. His eye narrows in surprisingly obvious frustration, a huff escaping his pouted lips as he rudely interrupts.

"I want to."

Oh.

Akihiko's mouth falls open against his will. He's sure he must look like a complete moron right now. Suo wants to kiss him? Akihiko can't recall the last time Suo ever expressed his want to do anything. He feels shell-shocked.

"Y-you what?"

Tilting his head, Suo's gaze turns calculating. He's clearly assessing Akihiko, gaze cataloging his wide eyes and pink cheeks, his bitten lip and trembling hands. The expression on his face softens considerably.

"Do you not want me to?", he asks. His voice is even quieter now, but still steady. He begins to pull away, and no matter how much Akihiko might have wished for this earlier, he suddenly realizes he can't imagine anything worse. Clumsily, he uses the hand on Suo's chest to grab onto the fabric of his top, and pulls him back in. Suo's eye sparkles at the action, a smug grin forming on his face that Akihiko isn't quite sure whether he wants to punch or kiss.

"I didn't…", he shakes his head in disbelief, "I didn't know you wanted to."

With renewed confidence, the hand Suo was using to lean on the door moves swiftly but gently to rest on Akihiko's jaw. It's cold enough that goosebumps break out all over Akihiko's arms.

"I thought I made it quite obvious", is the last thing Suo says before the thread that is his self-control seems to snap. Without waiting for a reply, Suo closes the minuscule distance between their faces and captures Akihiko's poor, waiting lips in a kiss.

Immediately, the sensation is beyond words. Akihiko has never been kissed before, and he's sure they're both rather bad at it, but he can't imagine anything better than this. At first, it's a simple press of cold lips against colder ones, Suo's mouth soft and smooth. This is already dizzying enough, but then, encouraged by the small sigh Akihiko lets escape from his throat, Suo deepens the kiss.

It's a strange sensation, a foreign tongue licking its way into his mouth, but it sends sparks all the way up Akihiko's spine. His hands tighten their grip on the other boy, lips opening wider to chase this strange feeling. After this, it's messy and a little gross as they explore each other, often coming apart for breath, giggling and grinning at each other as they bite at the other's lips and get a taste of their own saliva on someone else's tongue.

"So, um", Akihiko breathes out when they break apart for longer than a second. He's very interested in continuing this as soon as possible though, and he hopes Suo is too. "Y-you like me? For real?"

With a rough chuckle, Suo rolls his single eye before pulling him in once more. Thank God.

"Stop asking so many questions."

For once, Akihiko is fine with that.