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The practice room had gone unusually quiet after rehearsal, the last notes of the song they've been working on still seeming to linger somewhere between the walls even though Kohane had already packed away her guitar and An was busy coiling the cables.
Akito remained seated behind the drum kit, absentmindedly rolling one of his drumsticks between his fingers while he listened to Toya put away the keyboard equipment.
Toya had been watching him for a while.
Not in the usual way, either. His gaze kept drifting toward Akito's arms whenever the drummer reached across the kit, then away again whenever Akito happened to glance back. Eventually, Toya stopped pretending he was simply thinking about something and walked over, his expression carrying the sort of quiet curiosity that usually meant he had a question.
Akito noticed him approaching and raised an eyebrow. "What's up?" he asked as he caught the stick neatly between two fingers.
Toya stopped in front of him and looked down at his arms for another second before lifting his gaze. "Akito, may I touch your arms?"
Akito nearly choked and dropped the stick.
"What—!?"
Toya's expression remained completely serious.
"I would like to feel your muscles," he explained, as if he'd just asked him to borrow a pencil.
Akito stared at him. Then the tips of his ears turned red.
"The hell kinda question is that?" he muttered as he looked away, suddenly finding the floor very, very interesting.
Toya tilted his head, apparently unaware that he'd just short-circuited the drummer. "Is it strange?"
"Yeah," Akito answered immediately as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, kinda. Why do you wanna do that?"
Toya's eyes brightened as though he'd finally reached the part of the explanation he'd been waiting for. "I've been thinking about drumming."
Akito blinked. "Drumming?"
What could Toya possibly be doing thinking about drumming— he's a keyboardist for fuck's sake!
"Mhm." Toya nodded as he gestured toward the drum kit. "You strike the drums repeatedly throughout an entire performance, yet the sound remains controlled and consistent. You also have to maintain the appropriate amount of force while changing your movements depending on the song."
Akito's eyebrows slowly rose.
"And," Toya continued as he looked thoughtfully at Akito's arms again, "I realized that must've required considerable strength."
Akito stared at him for another moment before a tiny, incredulous smile appeared. "That's what this is about?"
"Yes."
"You wanna touch my arms because you think drummers have big muscles?"
The keyboardist nodded.
"That's adorable," Akito muttered before immediately realizing he'd said it aloud. "Forget I said that."
"I don't think I will."
"Yeah, figured."
Toya waited patiently for another moment before asking again, "May I?"
Akito sighed as he glanced at Toya's hopeful expression.
There was no way he was going to say no to that face.
"Fine," he muttered as he rolled his eyes and shifted his arm slightly. "Go ahead."
Toya's hands settled carefully around Akito's forearm first, his touch gentle as though he were worried about pressing too hard. He slowly moved his fingers along the muscle before giving it a thoughtful little squeeze.
His eyes widened.
"Oh."
Akito's face immediately heated up again.
"What?"
Toya looked genuinely fascinated.
"It's firm."
"Yeah,"
"And strong."
Akito huffed, trying to sound unaffected as he flexed his fingers slightly. "I've been playin' drums for years. Your arms kinda have to get used to it."
Toya moved his hand slightly higher, feeling along his upper arm before looking at him with unmistakable admiration. "They're bigger than I expected."
Akito's blush deepened.
"Are they?"
"Mhm." Toya smiled brightly as he gently touched his bicep again. "Did they always look like this?"
Akito glanced down at his own arm as though he'd never really considered it. "I dunno," he admitted as he flexed experimentally. "I guess they've gotten bigger."
"You didn't notice?" his friend asked.
"Not really..."
Toya's eyes sparkled.
Akito immediately recognized that expression. Oh fuck no.
Toya looked delighted. "They really have."
"Don't sound so excited about it." he grumbled in response, trying to hide his fluster.
"I am excited." he replied earnestly. Damn you, Aoyagi Toya.
"I can tell."
Toya carefully placed his palm against Akito's upper arm, his thumb brushing lightly over the muscle as he examined it with the same concentration he might have given a complicated piece of music.
"Akito," he said as his smile widened, "Your muscles are really nice."
Akito's entire face went red. "Mhm," he managed weakly as he looked away.
He cleared his throat and tried desperately to recover his composure. "It's not really that impressive. Drumming just uses your arms a lot. Your shoulders, too. And your wrists. You gotta keep control, especially when you're playing fast."
Toya listened attentively, still holding his arm.
"So your strength contributes to your technique."
"Yeah." Akito nodded as he finally found something he could talk about without spontaneously combusting. "But it's not just strength. If you hit everything as hard as possible, you're gonna sound like shit."
Toya's expression softened with interest.
"So your muscles aren't simply making you stronger."
Akito shook his head as he tapped one of his drumsticks against his knee. "Nah. They're part of it, but technique matters more. You can be strong as hell and still be a shit as fuck drummer."
Toya nodded thoughtfully before looking down at Akito's arm again.
"Still—"
"What?"
Toya gently squeezed his arm once more. "They're very nice."
Akito's face went red all over again.
"You already said that, Toya."
"I wanted to say it again."
"...You're such a menace."
Toya laughed quietly before finally letting go, though his fingertips lingered against Akito's wrist for another moment.
Akito looked down at where Toya's hand had been. Then at Toya. Then away.
"Ya really wanted to do this that badly?" he scoffed, though no real bite behind it.
Toya nodded with complete sincerity. "I was curious."
Akito shook his head, though the small smile on his face betrayed him. "You're lucky you're cute."
Toya blinked.
Then his expression brightened. "Does that mean I can touch your arms more?"
Akito stared at him in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Toya's smile only grew.
Akito sighed, already knowing he was going to lose this argument. "...Fine."
Toya beamed.
"Excuse me sirs— are we gonna leave now orrr are you two still busy doing that?"
Akito's head snapped up when he heard that voice. Kohane and An were still there. And they've been watching them for who knows how long.
Screw the fact they've been friends for ages, it's still mortifying!
"Ah, sorry An, Kohane. I think we're good to go." he heard Toya reply as if this wasn't the most embarassing thing ever to be caught doing.
Kohane nodded. "Mm! It's alright Toya-kun, we weren't waiting for that long..."
An, meanwhile, walked over to Akito and poked him on the arm (notably the one that Toya did not touch). She snickered, "Akito, are you blushing~?"
"Shut up!"