Archive of Our Own

Reki held his notepad out, scribbling stories of the people passing by. Just simple notes of the individuals crossing his vision. Most were wearing coats, it only makes sense - it was cold after the rainfall this morning. But some people weren’t. Like this lady.

A woman with green hair, walking her tiny husky. She wore a polka dot dress with alternating black and white circles.

Reki tapped his chin, leaning forward to examine her. The manner in way she walked left an impression on him. Her character was interesting, something about her needed to be written down.
“Perhaps she’s on a walk to a lover…” he mumbled.
That’s it!

He gripped his pen and roughly turned the page over, not looking at the strained rips in the paper. He began to imagine this stranger’s story. Why care whether it was true or not? It’s his imagination after all. Quickly, Reki’s pen drained of ink as he wrote about this lady’s love life. A love life. That’s something he’s always thought about.
His pen stilled as his gaze flicked to his lap. Love.

“You alright there, Reki?”
Asahi’s comment cut through his thoughts. He shifted closer on the bench they sat on, peeking over the taller’s shoulder to observe the scribbles on his page.

Reki looked over to Asahi. He had completely forgotten he was there.
“I… you scared me a little.” Reki sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I must have gotten so immersed.”

Asahi huffed, acknowledging the answer. “Immersed? I know someone like that.” He teased, trying to look at the page. “I should honestly schedule a meeting with those four.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve not spoken to Tenma in a while..” Reki swallowed. Asahi shuffling closer to look at his notes was making him feel a bit nervous. And he didn’t know why. What if he didn’t like the story he’s written…?
He glanced over and met Asahi’s curious eyes. Asahi reached his hand to hold the other side of the notepad.
“Can I see what you wrote? You took particular interest that green-haired lady.”

Reki swallowed again, a bit louder. “Are you sure…? I got lost in my thoughts so it’s only a-“
“Reki.” Asahi shook his head.
“Yes! I’m sure.” He stated, smiling. His eyes sparkled with intrigue.

He has a nice smile. It’s really cute.

Huh?

Reki’s face fell, but he snapped himself out of it and swiftly passed over the notepad. As their hands brushed through in the exchange, Reki gasped softly. What’s getting him so worked up? It’s just Asahi. His good friend. Atleast he thinks they’re friends. He looked at his own hands fiddling in his lap.

Asahi’s eyes studied the little snippet, written in scruffy handwriting with words like ‘dotty dress’, ‘acid hair’ and ‘love life’ scattered across the page. ‘An alien lady walking her husky dog to find her lover, the king of the sharks..’ A bit odd. He kept reading. ‘But the dog is secretly a magic backpack that when reached in, pulls out exactly what she needs each day! This morning, a handgun.’

“Hah…” Asahi stifled a laugh.

“Aha.. hah..” he stifled a laugh again.

Slowly, Reki turned over at Asahi again. “W-why are you laughing so much…?” Reki was speaking, covering his mouth with the sleeve of his hood; which mumbled the rest of his question.

Asahi continued to laugh. He bended over, his chest coming to his knees as he shook with laughter.

“What’s so funny?!” Reki mumbled louder this time, bewildered. But Asahi’s laugh was contagious, so he found himself smiling. Smiling a bit too much. “Asahi!” He called again, looking at the shorter vibrating and cackling. This bench was going to break if he laughed anymore… And now people are staring! Reki specifically chose this spot to be out of view of the regular park goers - secluded and hidden by a few trees.

“King of sharks?! Magic backpack dog?! Really?!” Asahi huffed, out of breath from his chortling. His head lifted from his knees, face wet with tears. “I’m not sure why I even found it so funny. But seriously?! This is absurd!! Haha… it’s so good!”

Hah…
He’s really pretty.
Did Asahi really find Reki’s stories good?
He likes his story.

Reki looked down, trying to hide his reddening face. “Do you like it….?” He adjusted his glasses.

“Yeah! It’s awesome. It’s the same kind of wierd Rui does. It’s great. I wonder what her lover is like… who are they? You should write about that. You can tell a lot about a character on their view of love.”
Asahi spoke with each huff, wiping his face swiftly with his hands. His eyes were still on Reki. And Reki’s eyes were still on him.
He’s still got some tears. There were some new droplets that were forming and falling down the sides of his cheeks. Now that his eyes were wet, it was more clear to see the vast sapphire gaze he held. Some the brunette strands that fell beside his face had turned damp from the tears; now they were sticking to the sides of his head. It framed his glowing face quite well. Asahi’s neck was dewey with the still-sliding tears, the white collar of his uniform becoming tinted grey from the moisture.
…
Reki reached out and wiped the tears off his face with his sleeve.
Like instinct, Asahi’s hand reached up and held his wrist.

“Ah…”
Softly, Reki sighed.

Asahi’s face was warm, still drying from laughing tears. His expression had shifted to concern, yet Reki could see the brightening of his soft pink cheeks. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears.

Asahi exhaled, before dropping his arm. “Sorry.”

“N-no.. it’s my bad-… I’m really not sure why I did that…” Reki whispered. His hand slowly lowered. Why did he do that?

Reki then slapped his hands over his face, turning away from Asahi at once. He didn’t know that his face could get any redder.
Asahi still had the courage to laugh even more at that, making Reki slide further away from him on the bench.
“Reki! It’s fine! I didn’t mind..” The shorter’s voice cracked, gently placing a hand on the taller’s shoulder. “Hey… look at me.” He coersed, firmly tugging Reki towards him.
“Come on. I wanna talk about this king of sharks guy. I’m really interested…”
“You laughed! You were making fun of me!”
“I laughed because it was a funny concept. I can see how that can become a show.” He paused, deliberately. “For kids.” Asahi continued, before snorting; there he goes again, laughing. He’s poking fun at Reki.
Reki finally let his hands fall from his face, looking at Asahi.

His laugh is nice.

Almost as if Asahi could hear his thoughts, he began to calm down his giggling fit.

“No…”

“No?” Asahi looked up at him.

He didn’t mean for that to slip out.
He swallowed again. How much does he need to swallow?

“Keep laughing, please.” Reki breathed.
He needs to stop.
“I like your laugh. It’s really nice to hear.”
Reki.
“It’s nice to have a friend like you.”

Asahi didn’t reply for some time. His mouth made various shapes as if he was going to speak, but he ultimately decided on leaning back; repeating Reki’s words over and over again in his head; gazing over to various parts of the park; breathing stiffly as the two began to find the air between them awkward.
The sound of the wind whistling sharply through the wet grass slowly filled their ears.

“It’s a bit cold out.” Asahi eventually said. His words were quiet and he was focused on the pavement beneath the bench. It had been stepped on by the people passing by, with damp concrete footsteps covering the ground.

Reki bit his lip before answering. “Yeah. It is.”

“This alien lady and king you wrote about.”
Asahi began.
“…You circled ‘love life’. Is that important to their story?” He questioned.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in a relationship before.” Reki answered, vulnerability dripping into his shaky voice.
Asahi tilted his head. “Me neither. I’ve liked people before, but… I wasn’t friends or close enough to them to say anything.”

“We’re friends, right?” Reki muttered.

“I hope so.”

Reki sighed. “Good.”
He smiled, nervously turning his body to the shorter to face him. His smile was wobbly, but atleast he smiled the most around Asahi. He was always looking at Asahi’s smile. Asahi’s mouth. Asahi’s lips.

Why was his heart pounding so hard?

“I’ve liked people too. People I shouldn’t have.” Reki mumbled quietly, under his breath.
Asahi’s head titled once more, quipping a simply question. “Who?”

“Y-..”
Reki’s breathing was heavy as he couldn’t meet Asahi’s eyes. He would have replied immediately. He’s glad he didn’t, because he would have messed up if he did so. Reki had a tendency to say things impulsively.

“…Someone I shouldn’t like.”

“Who said you couldn’t like them?”

Reki swallowed whatever was in his mouth.

“This alien lady and shark king. I was going to make it alien lady and and shark queen. I stopped myself.”

“Why?”

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“…I’m a nosy person. I know, it’s awful.” Asahi chuckled, trying to eliminate some of the growing tension between them. Why was the air so charged? Must be charged with rain, right?

“Do you think it’s wrong?” Reki asked, his expression scrunching.

Asaki’s brow furrowed.
He sat up and quietened for a moment.
“No. It’s not. It’s love, it dosent matter who it’s for, what matters is that it’s there.”

“I mean.. are you like… okay with it..?” Reki pressed. He didn’t know why he needed to know this.

“Yeah. You know Rui’s gay, right?”
“Is he!?”
“Yep. Gayer than a 20$ bill.”
“Oh… that makes so much sense!”
“Exactly!!”

Asahi leaned back against the bench. The cool wind blew softly through his caramel hair, eliciting a shiver from the former.
“You haven’t told me who you like.”

“Why do you care?”

“I want to know….”

Asahi’s a curious person.
His hand was still gripping the long-forgotten notepad.

Reki studied Asahi’s smooth face. He’s got a thin brow, really pretty ocean eyes, and his lips. Reki didn’t understand why he was so fascinated with them. His heart had been beating awfully hard in his ribcage the entire time, and every time Asahi got closer, it just got worse.

Reki started, his voice quivering with uncertainty. “Would… Would you be mad if you knew…?”

“No. Ofcourse not, why would I be? You’re… a good friend after all.” Asahi crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes tracing the outline of Reki’s worried expression.”

“I can’t tell you here.” Reki awkwardly gestured to the park. Although it was roughly empty, dog walkers and others were passing through.

“You’ll tell me?” Asahi perked up at once, smiling at the implication.

Great.

Reki shook his head.
“N-no?!” He added, trying to get the message across. He was desperate for some way out this conversation…

“Please.. you know I won’t tell anyone! I’m gonna start guessing then! Okay… Sakurako? No… Oh! Tsukasa?!”

Reki spluttered, shaking his head harder. He leaned away from Asahi, plugging his ears as he began to blush intensely.

Pleading, he squealed, “Stop it! It’s not any of them!” He took his fingers away and tried to frown, but it ended up more of a pout.

Asahi smiled at the taller, smirking slightly. He’s not one to tease Reki, but it’s nice to see him go red. “Reki. I’m only joking. You don’t have tell me at all, it’s your secret after all. Just know… as your friend…” he swallowed down at the word ‘friend.’ It was so unfamiliar. “I’ll be there.” He finished.

Reki’s pout faltered at once. The words got stuck in his throat, and now his heart was racing once more. “Y-yeah… you’ll be there.” He echoed quietly.
Silence surrounded them once more. Reki leaned back against the bench and Asahi shifted closer - atleast this time, the atmosphere wasn’t stiff and awkward. Gentle minutes of the park emptying its residents and the clouds drifting along the covered skyline passed slowly.

“You want to know, don’t you…?” Reki asked, more to himself than the other. He fully turned his body once more to Asahi, hoping it was for the final time. Hope stuttered its way into Reki’s heart.
“..Yes. I do.” Asahi answered while his body followed Reki’s, rotating to face him directly. “I have this need in me to know… I don’t know why. There’s just something about knowing who you specifically like.”
(‘Just in case I still have a chance.’)

“Who is it that you like?” Asahi asked the question again.

…

Reki couldn’t stop himself. His mouth moved before his body could.

“You.”

Asahi blinked a few times - did he hear that correctly?

“It’s you.” Reki mumbled after some silent seconds. His face gradually turned few shades redder. His hand, late to stopping him, finally covered his mouth. There was no point now, so it limply dropped to his side.

Why? Just why did he say it?
Asahi was practically his only friend he could trust, the only friend he could talk to regularly. It’s not like he would have seen anything between them the same way; after all it was just some wishful thinking.

The birds chirped out of tune in the shivering trees. The park gate closing echoed its metal screech, the piercing sound ringing through the park’s distantly decaying nature. The wind violently weaved in and out the damp strands of grass, flattened by the feet of restless walkers. This was wrong, wasn’t it?

Reki’s face crumbled further, sharply turning away. “I-…” his voice cracked. What was he meant to say now?! Asahi was staring at him, gawking and blinking his eyes as if he had just spoken another language. Reki felt dizzy; the overwhelming weather began to worsen his symptoms as his hands scrambled to search the sky for words. His palms felt clammy and a cold shiver shot up his spine. His breath came in short puffs and he knew what was coming. The world around him began to spin. But alas, nothing he could say would fix this.

Asahi murmured something softly, incomprehensible to Reki’s ears, he was too focused on his own spinning vision.
“Me…”

Asahi finally blinked and broke off his one-sided staring contest, recognising Reki’s condition at once. He reached over and shook his shoulders once, pulling him towards him. “Hey.. hey! Reki, I-I’m here.” He gulped, lightly shaking the taller again. His hands stayed in a tight grip on his shoulders.
Reki looked at him. Helplessly, he leaned closer while the edges of his vision blurred. Reki breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm himself down so he could be rendered comprehensive and only then, try to fix things.
“I’m sorry.” Reki couldn’t face him. Even trying to get his words out was hard. He felt like there were thorns tightening around his neck, and only Asahi was the gardener with the tool to cut them.
“I’m sorry for… what I said and I didn’t mean to.. panic so much. I’m embarrassing, I know and…” Reki continued. When no reply came, he finally mustered the courage to look directly at the shorter.

He expected to meet a face of disgust or anger - that’s how it usually went when it came to this. Asahi’s face was different. He had a small smile on his face. It was subtle, but definitely still there.

“I thought you’d be… be mad..” Reki’s voice wobbled, his eyes desperately searching the others. He couldn’t help but smile back; there was something so irresistible about his grin that he had to reciprocate.
Asahi wagged his head in disbelief. “No.. no… I could never.” He hummed. His hands gently pulled Reki closer, urging him to close the distance. Reki obliged, awkwardly shuffling to the point their thighs were pressed tightly together.
“So you’re okay with it..?” Asking further, Reki needed to make sure he was hearing the truth. Why was he making this such a big deal? He could sense that feeling of desperation coiled up in his heart beginning to rise up once again. Maybe it’s true after all; love makes you crazy.

“I’m fine with it…” Asahi croaked. “Our whole.. conversation has been so edgy and awkward and I.. I just need to say the same thing.”

“The same thing?” The taller repeated, staring so deeply into the other’s eyes that he was getting lost in them.

“Honestly, yeah. Reki, I..” He sighed deeply, his smile widening ever so slightly. “Reki, of course. Of course I do. I’ve found myself… thinking it was just what having a friend was like. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about you.. all the time.” His hands slowly drabbled down the sides of Reki’s arms, finally coming to rest on his.

Reki choked out a breath at the touch, clenching the fabric of his clothes. He steadily leaned towards Asahi. He didn’t know if he was dreaming or not. He closed his eyes, trying to murmur a flustered comment.
“You can’t just say things like tha-“

He felt something cut him off. He felt something on his lips. Someone on his lips. Someone warm and gentle.
His eyes shot open; he felt the air knocked out of his lungs.
Asahi was kissing him.

Reki didn’t move, tense and frozen in place as he watched Asahi pull away leisurely.

“Was… that okay?” He asked, confidence faltering.

Reki lifted his hand to his face, tapping his mouth to check if it was real.
“Yeah. Yeah it was…” Reki replied softly.

There was always something alluring about Asahi; the way he spoke sternly and gave criticism, the way he watched others perform beside him with a smile, the way he could be so carefree. Not just that, but especially the way he was kind. Kind in a way Reki’s never seen before. Not when Tsukasa gave advice that day or an older troupe member calling out his accomplishments. Kind in the way he appreciated what was infront of him. He never failed to make anyone feel like there was someone there for them, or they could always trust him - he just had that friendly charm to him. Reki could never deny the emotions he felt when Asahi would look him in the eyes and compliment his theatrics. He could never shake the smile Asahi gave out of his head, or the words of encouragement Asahi said rattling over and over again in his mind.

Reki placed his hand onto Asahi’s cheek, gripping slightly. He didn’t know how to be gentle or resiliant like Asahi, he didn’t know how to be unforgettable and mesmering like Tsukasa, he didn’t know how to be brazen and direct like Sakurako. All he knew is that he could be himself. His shy, loser self. Especially when it was infront of Asahi.

“I think.. I think I really like you. More than I should.” Reki muttered, earning a light chuckle from the shorter.
Asahi relaxed his shoulders, leaning into Reki’s touch. “I’d hope so, or this would be really awkward.”

“Yeah.”
Reki found himself smiling like a fool, trying to lean closer and closer; obviously hinting towards Asahi. But Asahi only giggled once more.

“Be my guest.”

At the granted permission, Reki tilted forward and firmly pressed his lips agasint Asahi’s, the pair both smiling into the kiss. Reki’s other hand encircled Asahi’s face, holding him in place with a gentle grip. They both pulled away, breathing slightly heavier.

“…You kiss surprisingly well.” Asahi tittered, pressing his forehead against Reki’s.
“A good job I observe couples and write about them too, huh?” Reki quipped.
He didn’t know kissing could be so addicting. He’d watch girls and guys kiss their partners multiple times, thinking it was unnecessary or something. Now that he’s experienced it himself, he understands. It’s addicting. With that thought, he leaned in again and captured Asahi’s lips, his grip loosening on his face. His hands sneaked around Asahi’s neck, pulling him closer. He closed his eyes, getting lost in the feeling. Asahi responded with equal momentum, closing his eyes and withdrawing himself for breath before kissing him again.
Reki’s glasses slipped off his nose, the casing falling between them and rattling onto the ground. However, the sound was unheard by the two.
It was only when Reki opened his eyes again to be met with his blurry vision that he pulled away in shock.

“Did you kiss me so hard that I went blind?!” Reki exclaimed, patting around their laps blindly to retrieve his glasses.
Asahi looked around, befuddled as he stuttered for an answer. “N-No!! Your glasses must have fallen off, I’m so sorry..!” He laughed as he reached below the bench and found the missing item, shaking them mockingly infront of Reki’s nose (only for a few, lighthearted seconds) before sliding them gently onto Reki’s face. As he did this, he tucked a lock of dark emerald hair behind Reki’s ear.
“Thank you… I can’t believe it…” Reki felt around his glasses to make sure they were stable on his face. “All of this. Kissing you, my glasses… in a park of all.. places..” his words slowly quietened as the horror of public kissing crossed his mind.

Asahi only shook his head in amusement, fond of the taller infront him. “It’s now a very memorable park for me.” He remarked. Asahi found himself not caring about where they were. It’s not like the people around him were paying attention to their actions; there wasn’t even many left in the cold place.
“I liked that..” He conceded. “I felt so breathless.. yet so good.”

Reki blushed at the admittance, knowing there was no way to hide how he felt the same. He caught sight of his notepad still on the shorter’s lap.
“My notepad…” he pointed out. “Were you holding it the entire time?”

“Well, yeah. Whenever my arm was free. I wouldn’t want it to fall and soak up the pavement. Your observations and stories are in there.” Asahi responded.

“Oh.. that’s.. really kind of you.”

“Of course.” Asahi nodded. He bent forward and kissed Reki’s cheek, moving his hair out of his eye as he did so.

…

“Can we makeout again? Like actually?”