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The café was busy enough that Akito had started regretting suggesting it.
Not because the place was bad. The drinks were good, the sweets were even better, and the little table they'd managed to claim in the outdoor area gave them a decent view. It was just crowded enough that people kept passing close to their table, the occasional burst of conversation blending with the clink of cups and the bareky audible music playing through the speakers from indoors.
Toya seemed perfectly comfortable with it.
He sat across from Akito with one hand around his black coffee, listening quietly while Akito complained about something that had happened during practice. Every so often, Toya would smile or make a small comment that showed he'd been paying attention, and Akito found himself getting increasingly distracted by the fact that his partner looked unfairly good sitting there.
Then a group of girls walked past them. Akito noticed them glance over.
One of them whispered something to her friend, who immediately looked over.
Akito's eyes narrowed.
Toya, completely oblivious, continued stirring his drink.
A second group passed a few minutes later, and the exact same thing happened. One girl looked at them, noticed Toya, and nudged her friend. The friend looked over too, and both of them walked away while talking animatedly to each other.
Akito watched them disappear down the street before looking back at Toya.
"Dude," he muttered as he rested his chin against his hand, "You've been getting stared at like crazy."
Toya paused. He looked toward the street, then back at Akito with a faintly puzzled expression. "Have I?" he asked as he glanced over again.
"Yeah," Akito replied as he idly tapped his fingers against the table. "Like, a lot."
Toya hummed thoughtfully. "I hadn't noticed."
"'Course you didn't," Akito muttered as he looked away, his gaze drifting toward the street again. "You're always oblivious to that kinda shit."
Toya took another sip of his coffee. "I see."
Akito stared at him.
Then he looked at Toya's face.
His dual-toned hair. His silver-grey eyes. The gentle expression that seemed to come naturally whenever he looked at Akito. Even dressed casually, there was something almost unfairly refined about him.
Akito clicked his tongue and looked toward the street again. "Probably 'cause you're so pretty," he mumbled.
Toya went still.
Akito realized what he'd said approximately half a second too late.
He immediately looked down at his own drink, suddenly finding the foam on top extremely interesting.
The tips of Toya's ears had turned pink.
For a few seconds, he said nothing. Then his fingers slowly curled around his cup again, and a small, almost bashful smile appeared on his face.
"I don't think anyone's ever called me pretty before," Toya admitted as he looked at Akito fondly. "You may be the first, Akito."
Akito's face immediately heated.
"Seriously?" he muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess everyone's blind..."
Toya laughed softly.
Akito glanced back at him.
There it was again. That smile. That stupidly pretty smile that had been sitting across from him this entire time without realizing half the street was staring.
Akito couldn't help staring for another second.
Then he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, trying to recover whatever dignity he'd lost.
"Seriously, though," he grumbled as he glanced away, "How does nobody tell you that?"
Toya tilted his head.
"Tell me what?"
"That you're pretty."
Toya's cheeks warmed again. "I suppose I never really thought about it."
"Yeah, well, you should."
Akito picked up his drink and took a sip, deliberately avoiding Toya's eyes.
Because really, how the hell had he managed this?
Out of everyone he could've ended up partnered with, he'd somehow gotten the ridiculously talented, ridiculously kind, ridiculously pretty guy sitting across from him.
And somehow, impossibly, Toya was his.
His partner.
The person who chose to stand beside him every time they sang.
Akito glanced over the rim of his cup.
Toya was looking idly at the table now, seemingly unaware that Akito was staring at him again.
Akito quietly shook his head. "Man," he muttered as he smiled into his drink, "I really did snag the pretty boy."
Toya looked back at him, blinking. His expression morphed to a more amused one. "Did you say something?" he asked, half-teasing.
Akito immediately straightened.
"Nope."
Toya narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly unconvinced.
Akito only grinned and took another sip.
There was no way he was repeating that one.
...
Toya remained quiet for a moment, his fingers resting loosely around his coffee cup as he watched Akito try very hard to pretend that his own words hadn't embarrassed him.
The faint flush across Akito's cheeks hadn't disappeared, though, and every time Toya looked at him, he seemed to grow a little more flustered beneath the attention.
There was something else Toya had been thinking about, too.
He had noticed the girls earlier.
Even before Akito pointed them out.
In fact, he had noticed them quite a while before Akito had said anything. The first group had passed by while Akito was talking, and Toya had caught the curious glances directed toward their table. He had simply chosen not to react.
The second group had been slightly harder to ignore, but he'd still kept his attention on Akito and his drink, pretending not to notice.
It wasn't that he hated it or anything. He simply didn't particularly care about it.
Akito was the person sitting across from him.
Akito was the person he had come here with.
That mattered considerably more.
Toya's gaze drifted toward the street again. Another couple walked past, followed by a pair of girls who glanced toward the café's outdoor seating. One of them looked at Toya, then at Akito, and whispered something to her friend before they continued walking.
Toya watched them disappear around the corner.
Then his eyes returned to Akito.
Akito was still completely unaware of what was happening around him.
Toya blinked slowly. Did Akito not notice the girls staring at him?
He couldn't help wondering about it.
Akito wasn't exactly difficult to look at. His messy ginger hair caught the sunlight whenever he moved, and his olive green eyes were particularly striking when he became animated about something. His pleased, delighted expression when he indulged in his sweet tooth.
Even sitting casually in a café with his sleeves slightly pushed up and his hair slightly tousled from practice they did before their date, Akito drew attention.
Apparently, Akito simply didn't notice the attention that was directed towards him.
Toya's expression softened.
Of course he didn't.
Akito probably didn't realize just how attractive he was.
That thought made something warm settle in Toya's chest. It was a little ridiculous, perhaps, but there was a part of him that suddenly wanted to make one thing very clear.
Akito was his.
Not in a possessive sense that meant controlling him. Not that. Akito was free to do whatever he wanted, and Toya trusted him completely.
But he was his partner.
His precious partner.
The person who had chosen him.
Toya glanced toward the street once more, then back at Akito, who was indulging himself in his pancakes
Toya's cheeks warmed.
He wanted everyone looking at Akito to know that he was taken. The realization was so embarrassingly straightforward that Toya almost laughed at himself.
Akito looked up from his food when he noticed the smile on his partner's face.
"What?" he asked as he tilted his head slightly, his fork paused halfway toward his plate.
Toya shook his head gently before setting his coffee down. "Nothing," he assured him as he rested his hands on the table. "I was just thinking."
Akito narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That's never a good sign..."
Toya laughed quietly at that, his shoulders relaxing as he watched Akito's expression. "Could you lean over for a moment?" he asked as he gestured toward the space between them.
Akito blinked.
"The hell for?" he asked as he looked from Toya's hand to his face.
Toya's expression became just a little more playful. "Please."
Akito stared at him for another second before sighing and setting his fork down.
"Fine," he muttered as he leaned forward across the small table. "What're you—"
Toya leaned forward at the same time and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
Akito froze.
For a moment, the entire world seemed to stop. The conversations around them, the more distant chatter, the sound of foot traffic, even the music filtering out from inside the café all seemed to blur into the background.
Toya pulled away after only a brief moment, settling back into his seat with an expression of complete satisfaction.
Akito remained leaned over the table. His face had gone bright red.
Toya watched him with unmistakable fondness. "That was what I wanted," he explained as he picked his cup of coffee back up.
Akito's mouth opened. "You—" he started as he slowly sat back down, his face somehow getting even redder. "You can't just—"
Toya took a calm sip of his coffee. "I can," he replied simply.
Akito stared at him in disbelief. "You asked me to lean over for that?"
Toya nodded as he set his cup back down. "Yes."
"Dude..." he grumbled, "You could've just said you wanted a kiss."
"I could have."
"Then why didn't ya?"
Toya's eyes softened as he looked across the table. "Because I wanted to surprise you."
Akito covered his burning face with one hand.
"Goddammit."
Toya laughed softly, reaching across the table and gently tapping Akito's other wrist with one finger. "Are you embarrassed?"
"No," Akito answered immediately as he lowered his hand, although the color in his face made the answer completely unconvincing.
Toya raised an eyebrow. Akito looked away.
"Okay, maybe a little."
"...I see."
"And don't look so damn pleased with yourself..."
"I am rather pleased," Toya admitted.
Akito groaned and sank slightly lower in his chair. After a moment, however, his expression softened. He glanced across the table again, meeting Toya's eyes. Maybe it was worth it for that smile.
"You know," he murmured as he rubbed the back of his neck, "If you want another kiss, you can just ask."
Toya's cheeks turned slightly pink, eyes beaming.
Akito noticed. He stared to mzke sure and let out a sigh in relief he didn't unleash the utter beast his partner could be once given permission to go wild. A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Oh?" he teased as he leaned forward slightly. "What's with that face?"
Toya looked away for perhaps two seconds before returning his gaze. "I think you're the one who was embarrassed a moment ago."
"Yeah, well, now it's your turn."
Toya sighed, shaking his head fondly.
The teasing faded into something quieter as they continued sitting there together. Akito eventually returned to his pancakes, and Toya resumed drinking his coffee, but their hands met in the middle of the table a few minutes later. Toya's fingers brushed against Akito's, and Akito responded by turning his hand palm-up.
Their fingers intertwined naturally.
Neither of them commented on it.
People continued passing the café. Some glanced toward their table. A few probably noticed the two boys sitting together, hands intertwined.
Toya didn't mind anymore.
If anything, he found himself smiling a little more.
Akito looked down at their hands, then toward Toya.
"What's wrong?" Toya asked as he gently squeezed his fingers.
Akito shook his head, smiling despite himself. "Nothin'."
Toya's thumb brushed over the back of his hand.
"Good," he said softly. "Then let's stay a little longer."
Akito leaned back comfortably in his chair, his fingers still intertwined with Toya's.
"Yeah," he agreed as he picked up his fork again. "Sounds good to me."