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“Uuuugggghhhh…! I'm never doing that again!”
“That's what you said last year, yet here we are…” Akito huffed at the nettlesome sound of An's complaining, earning a collection of choice words from her as they exited Weekend Garage.
“It's not really An-chan's fault, though…” Kohane defended her partner, who had suddenly decided to latch onto her like an especially clingy koala. “We've been so busy lately that we haven't had as much time to study.”
“You say that, but I didn't get any red marks this year~” Akito gloated, a particularly shit-eating grin on his face as he wagged his graded test paper for all to see. “You oughta work harder, An. It wouldn't look good if one of our group members got held back a year, y'know.”
“Why you…!”
“To be honest, if ‘not getting a red mark’ is your standard, we still have quite a lot of work to do…” Toya chimed in with a sigh, his words instantly making Akito recoil with fear identical to An's. “But I won't pretend I'm not proud of you for doing better this year. Excellent work, Akito.”
“No fair, Toya!” An whined, shaking her poor partner back and forth as if she'd mend the injustice for her. “How come I don’t get any praise? I only failed one subject this time!”
“Well, you could start by studying hard enough to make sure you don't fail in the first place…” replied Toya, his typical resting expression replaced with pure bemusement. On any other day, Toya was the most calm and kindhearted boy you'd ever hope to talk to, but he morphed into an entirely different person when the topic of schoolwork came up…
“Don't worry, An-chan! The important part is that you're well-prepared for your makeup test.” Kohane swooped in for the rescue once again, setting in stone that her partner would never learn her lesson. “Let's go to crase cafe and have some rum raisin ice cream as a reward, okay?”
“Kohaneee~ You're always such an angel!” An squealed in her typical excited manner, all her complaints having suddenly vanished amidst her partner's promise. “You guys wanna come with?”
“Nah, I should head home.” Akito shook his head dismissively. “My mom wants to have dinner tonight, so she'll get mad if I'm late.”
“Ahhh, I get that… Making your mom worry's the worst feeling ever.” An nodded along in understanding, only to then toss her gaze – and her query along with it – toward her other teammate. “What about you, Toya? You wanna grab some coffee?”
“...”
“...Toya?”
“...O-oh. My apologies.” Toya quickly shook his head in an effort to regain his abrupt loss of composure. “I'm going to be busy as well, so I can't this time.”
“Well, that's too bad…” An huffed, though she seemed to get over it rather quickly as she began unlocking her phone. “...but some alone time with Kohane sounds nice too! Let's get going~”
“A-An-chan…!” Kohane blushed in her typical manner as she was promptly dragged off by her partner. “G…goodbye, Shinonome-kun! Aoyagi-kun!”
“...Those two never change, do they?” Akito chuckled, a rare moment of outward endearment slipping out as he watched the two of them disappear down an unremarkable alleyway. “Guess I'll see you later, Toya. Have a good one.”
“Actually…” Toya spoke up, freezing Akito in place before he'd even taken half a step along his intended track. “I was hoping I could come to your place tonight?”
“Huh…?” Akito spun himself back by the heel to face Toya, the words seeming to lag behind his brain for just a moment. “Oh… That's what you meant when you said you were gonna be busy?”
“If you'll allow it.” Toya confirmed with about as much blatancy as he could deliver without outright saying it. Part of Akito was tempted to press him for answers, seeing as Toya almost never asked to stay over so directly. But on the other hand, it was precisely because this was such a blue moon scenario that Akito figured it was best to stuff down his curiosity. The last thing he wanted was for Toya to think he couldn't ask to spend time together without ample justification.
“Yeah, of course.” Akito spoke with a shrug, throwing an arm around Toya's shoulders just to showcase that he was certain of his decision. “My mom and sister are both crazy about you, so it won't be a problem.”
“I see…” Toya mumbled as they started to walk; bearing that signature look of his which wore the skin of a smile, but did little to conceal that he was hiding something beneath the surface. “Thank you, Akito. I'm very grateful.”
“Is his family hassling him again…?” was Akito's immediate thought on the matter. It didn't seem very likely when Toya was telling him about something he and his mom did together just yesterday, but Akito knew well that strained family relationships were hardly ever that simple. Sometimes you would think you were finally on the other end of the fence, only to immediately get hit with a curveball the moment you let your guard down.
Still, he wouldn't push the matter for now. In all likelihood, he was just overreacting – but even then, escapism was also an old friend of Akito's. He understood the importance of needing a place where you could just… exist, and it had been a personal mission of his from the moment they declared their partnership to be that safe space for Toya.
“Mom! I'm home!” Akito called as they walked through the door, their journey having felt exceptionally short thanks to his relentless overthinking. “I brought Toya with me!”
“Your timing is perfect, then!” Akito's mother smiled as she came into view, her adorned apron pinning her as the source of the wonderful smell permeating the house. “I just finished making some salisbury steak, and there should be more than enough for everyone.”
“Salisbury steak…” Toya mumbled back, eyes briefly widening when the realization settled in. “Like the dish we had at that restaurant in America?”
“Yup. It's pretty similar to Japanese hamburg steak, so Mom's is pretty good.” Akito explained with a smile, only for it to immediately dissolve into a grimace when he began making his way to the table. “As long as you didn't sneak carrots into the gravy again…”
“You're always such a picky eater.” huffed Akito's mother; a tiny glimpse of where he inherited his attitude from, it would seem. “I bet Toya-kun eats all his vegetables without any issue.”
“Yes ma'am.” Toya nodded, earning him an affectionate head pat not too dissimilar to the kind he'd often receive from her son. “In fact, I often eat Akito's carrots for him.”
“Toya…”
“That sounds about right…” she spoke with about as much faith in her child as she'd come to expect. “But you don't have to refer to me so formally, you know? Akito's always talking about how much he likes being with you, and that's enough to consider you family in my book.”
“Mom...!”
In an effort to spare what remained of Akito's pride, dinner began without much further ado. Ena had already left for her night classes – which was something Akito always purposefully planned his schedule around to avoid running into her – so they were able to dig into their steaks in relative peace.
“Here, Toya-kun. You should have a second helping.” insisted Akito’s mom the moment the boy in question the moment he cleared his plate. “I can’t help thinking that you’re practically all skin and bones! I hope you’re eating well enough at home.”
“I suppose it’s just genetics... My parents and brothers are all rather thin as well.” Toya chuckled, entirely helpless to her doting when he could barely take in a breath before the food was being heaped upon his plate. “Unlike Akito. His body is-”
“ANYWAY...” Akito interrupted rather loudly, as apparently it somehow wasn’t on Toya’s radar that it would be inappropriate to start talking about his body in front of his mom. “Toya’s been helpin’ me and our friends out a ton with our schoolwork... Ain’t that nice of him?”
“Oh yes... I remember you telling me that he’s the reason you were able to pass your makeup exam last year.” His mom nodded in understanding, prompting a sigh of relief at the successful changing of subjects. “What’s the verdict then, Toya-kun? Are the two of you prepared to become third-years?”
Oh... To be honest, Akito hadn’t really been thinking about that. He didn’t care much for school, to put it lightly, but entering his third year was still a pretty big deal. Apart from having to once again get used to a new class, schedule and curriculum, he’d also have to start preparing himself for adulthood...
Pretty soon, his days of whining about his studies would be through and he’d be an independent member of society. Weirdly enough, the thought of it was making him nostalgic for days that hadn’t even passed yet. It was kinda weird how your brain could make you feel like you were taking something for granted even when you knew damn well you’d rather sit naked on a hot grill than go through it again.
“Of course. I’ve made sure of it.” replied Toya back in reality. “I’ve been tutoring Akito since middle school, so I like to think that I’ve figured out his learning style by now.”
“Please don’t start telling her about how you reward me…” Akito lamented internally. He loved Toya dearly, but he wasn’t trying to make it so he couldn’t have his partner over without leaving the bedroom door open...
Luckily for Akito’s heart, the rest of their dinner conversation was nothing but idle small talk... and what could only be described as a ‘politeness competition’ between Toya and his mom. After insisting very firmly that he didn’t need to have a fourth helping, Toya offered to help out with the cleanup like the picture-perfect guest he always was, only for the two of them to be waved off to do as they pleased.
“Your mother’s as kind as always, Akito.” Toya complimented as he was led into Akito’s bedroom. “I do feel a little bad for imposing, though... I tagged along on such short notice, after all.”
“You kiddin’?” Akito scoffed as the door clicked shut, stopping to snag a random assortment of clothes from his closet. “She asks when I’ll be bringing you home again almost every day. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she gets disappointed when I turn up alone.”
“Heh... I suppose that’s a good thing, though.” Toya smiled, eyes following his partner’s every move as Akito planted himself right next to where his things had been tossed on the mattress. “I do plan on spending my life with you, after all.”
With a miniscule click of his tongue, Akito feigned annoyance at Toya’s exceedingly blatant comment as he began slipping off his uniform shirt. However, Toya knew him well enough to be certain that he was actually blushing madly beneath that barrier of white cloth – which, of course, meant the forming smile on his face only widened when Akito fully removed the shirt to reveal his thoroughly reddened face.
Akito had this cute little habit – whenever he was embarrassed, he always pursed his lips and knit his brows together as tightly as possible. That dramatized scowl was most likely his attempt at hiding how he felt; letting these emotions be seen was probably the one thing he found more humiliating than experiencing them to begin with. In reality, though, all he managed to do was make his flusterment all the more adorably obvious.
“I mean it, Akito.” Toya doubled down, just barely waiting for Akito to slip on the graphic tee he’d snagged earlier before leaning down to speak directly into his blushing ear. “In fact... If you don’t mind, I’d like to prove my feelings to you.”
“W-wait, lemme lock the door first-”
“Hm? How come?” Toya blinked obliviously, pulling back to produce a small box from his schoolbag. “Today’s the anniversary of the day we met, so I got this for you. That’s all.”
“...Oh.” Akito cleared his throat with a particularly awkward brand of disappointment, before his eyes suddenly blew wide as Toya’s words settled in. “Oh. Shit, I’m sorry... I didn’t even think to get you anything.”
“Don’t be. It’s not like we’ve made a tradition of it or anything.” Toya assured, emphasizing his point by gently taking Akito’s hand and placing the box atop his palm. “I just felt like getting you something for the occasion. You don’t have to reciprocate.”
“Dude, I can’t just let you give me an anniversary present then leave you with jack shit.” Akito huffed as though Toya’s dismissal was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “Lemme take you on a date after school tomorrow. Your pick, my treat.”
“Well... I can’t exactly say no to that.” Toya hummed, taking advantage of their regained closeness to stamp a particularly sweet kiss into Akito’s unsuspecting lips. “But if I’m choosing, I don’t think you’ll need to pay for anything. Now, are you going to open it up?”
“What does that... Never mind.” Akito shook his head, redirecting his attention to the box in his hand. Under Toya’s eager gaze, he clicked the box open with ease, surprised to find a particular CD inside.
“...Whoa, you actually got your hands on this?!” Akito instantly began examining it with all the excitement of a little kid opening their Christmas presents. He recognized it as the original demo release for the first album of one of his favorite bands. They started out as a tiny indie artist with barely any sales, but then they got a lucky break and ended up becoming really popular.
Akito had first discovered them online, but it was always insanely difficult to get his hands on physical copies of their work. Before, it was because they were deep enough below the ground that you were lucky to find a store that had so much as heard of them – and in present day, the issue had been spun on its head. Now that they were a popular title, supply and demand drove the prices up like crazy. And even if he was willing to shill out the dough, it would often take months of stalking just to snag a secondhand copy.
This album in particular was a well-coveted collector’s item. These songs were readily available both for streaming and physical purchase, but those were the re-recorded versions. If it weren’t for dedicated fans of old, the version in Akito's hand would’ve basically been lost media. Some people put up their old merch for sale on bidding sites, but it would usually end up costing all your limbs and a couple organs to boot... How the hell did Toya get this?!
“Dude... I think I owe you, like... a billion dates, actually.” Akito stared at the CD as though it would disappear if he looked away, his obvious bewilderment prying out an endeared laugh from Toya.
“I take it you like it, then?” Toya could barely cease his giggling in time to kiss Akito again, holding the younger in place by the chin as he lingered just a few moments longer than before.
“Fuck yeah, I like it.” Akito declared as soon as he pulled back, punctuating his words by yanking Toya in to momentarily smush their lips back together. He then rocketed up from his spot on the bed, practically flying toward the CD player – housed atop where the rest of his music collection had been so neatly shelved – with the aim of proving his words.
“But man... It’s kinda crazy to think we’ve known each other for 4 years now.” Akito commented as he worked on popping the disc into the player. “Feels like it was just yesterday that we formed BAD DOGS.”
“Honestly, I think the opposite... For me, it feels like all of that was a lifetime ago.” Toya’s reply held a touch of unexpected somberness within it, though it was only natural that he’d have mixed feelings about recalling those days.
“Yeah... Guess it’s a bit of both, ain’t it?” Akito conceded, turning around to find that Toya had made himself comfortable on his bed – concrete evidence that those days of awkwardness were long behind them, in a way. “Either way, it’s pretty hard to imagine my life without you.”
“I’d like to say that I agree, but... I’ve honestly never tried to picture that.” Toya chuckled out a bit awkwardly. “Even when I tried to run away from you, I couldn’t even begin to force myself to stop thinking about you.”
“Toya…” Akito mumbled, having needed to be a fool of the highest order not to notice his partner’s mood had gone sour. “Let’s stop-”
“No, it’s alright.” Toya quickly assured, picking up Akito’s dropped heart in a manner as swift as it was gentle. “I only bring it up because it's a helpful reminder of how much you mean to me.”
“I hope that's it…” Akito tsked as he re-approached the bed. It had been a longtime habit of his to instantly turn sour whenever someone badmouthed his partner… even if that someone was said partner.
“I promise…” replied Toya with the intonation of a little kid made to apologize for misbehaving. “I don't think we'll ever go through that separation again. I have far too many plans for either of us to try and run away.”
“It sounds more dubious than it is when you put it like that…” said Akito, tone laced with amusement as he watched Toya lean down to fully lay upon his bed. “But yeah. We're gonna take over the world together with our music, ain't that right?”
“I… didn't mean that, exactly.” Toya glanced away as he spoke, cheek slightly squished from where he was resting it against his propped-up hand. “We'll be adults fairly soon, won't we?”
“Mhm… Feels a bit crazy, honestly.” Akito nodded along. The touch of irony that came with Toya bringing up the very topic he'd been internally musing about earlier was far from lost on him. “I think I'm weirdly prepared, though. Most people lament their youth, but I kinda wanna get it over with already…”
“Hehe. That sounds exactly like you.” Toya giggled as his gaze fell back upon his partner, legs bicycling in a singular motion before lazily folding together – to inject comfort into his position, Akito presumed. “It'll be nice to have some more independence, won't it?”
“Independence from my sister is more like it.” Akito rolled his eyes, turning back around to set the now-empty CD on his desk before turning on the player. “If it means I get to live alone, goin’ to college might be the first time I’ve ever been excited about school…”
“Well…” Toya hummed with ample suggestion, the sound of rustling cloth hitting Akito's ears as the older turned onto his stomach. “You don't have to be alone.”
“I mean, it wouldn't feel right if I just stayed at home…” Akito replied – for once, he was being the oblivious one, a display which forced Toya to ditch this rare attempt at playing coy.
“Akito. Im asking if you want to move in together.”
Well, that certainly got his attention – if the speed at which he whipped around to face Toya said anything, at least.
Honestly, he hadn't even considered the possibility of sharing a living space with Toya. Not that he disliked the idea – quite the opposite, in fact – but he had a certain tendency to approach their relationship with a mindset in stark opposition to how he went about everything else he was passionate for.
From the very beginning, the simple allowance of getting to be with Toya was enough to bring Akito satisfaction like no other. In this case alone, his completely unconditional love for his partner turned out to be a glaring weakness, as it was often Toya suggesting they take the next step in their relationship.
He supposed it worked out, though. Toya was getting better at taking the initiative; Akito was learning that he very much liked it when Toya took charge. Still, that didn't mean Toya should have to do all the mental legwork when it came to their future as a couple.
“Toya…” Akito muttered his partner's name aloud back in reality – some groundwork to lay while he drummed up something resembling an actual response. “You really wanna…”
“Of course.” Toya answered before Akito could get midway through finishing the thought. “I told you before, didn't I? I could never imagine being without you.”
“...Jeez…” Akito ended up grumbling, rubbing the back of his neck to detract from the evidence of obvious flusterment that was starting to color in his cheeks. “Now you're gettin’ me excited about stuff that's super far off…”
“That makes two of us.” Toya giggled, that impossibly saccharine smile of very much intact as he remained laser-focused on his object of admiration. Akito wouldn't dare to voice this thought aloud, but veering the conversation in this direction was starting to plant dangerous thoughts into his head.
…Well, ‘dangerous’ was perhaps a bit dramatic, but they definitely served to make Akito's heart race in ways he would never be prepared to deal with. The thought of getting to wake up next to his beloved partner every single morning was much too idyllic for his inner lover boy to resist getting high off of.
“By the way, Akito… If it's alright, I'd like to cash in my prize now.”
“...Huh?”
“Earlier, you said that you would treat me in return for my present. I'd like to redeem that offer.” Toya explained, and it wasn't until that point that Akito realized they were probably 2 or 3 songs deep into the album and he wasn't even paying that much attention to it.
“I mean, I did say that…” Akito began, watching as Toya rolled onto his back with a kitten-like stretch which briefly exposed a sliver of his stomach. “...but where would we even go? By the time we make it anywhere, all the shops will be closed…”
“...Have I been too subtle after all?” Toya suddenly frowned, to which Akito was made to ponder if his partner's typical bluntness had dulled his powers of perception. “I've been trying to tempt you this whole time, but you haven't done anything…”
‘Tempt’. The presence of that word suddenly triggered an especially eidetic sense of hindsight. That telltale glint in Toya's eye when he watched Akito trade out his shirt, what he said about a date where he wouldn't need to pay for anything, all that time spent rolling around on his sheets in various poses… It was all so he could-
“Where the hell do you learn this stuff?” Akito huffed, though he still managed to pick up what Toya had spent the last half hour putting down. He clambered his way onto the bed, causing his partner to laugh as he was suddenly made to bear another person's weight upon his lap.
“You'll pout if I tell you.” Toya replied – which was basically just code for ‘Mizuki did it’. He deigned not to offer Akito too much time to dwell on it, distracting his partner by gingerly placing a pair of hands upon his hips.
As Toya's palms made their way up Akito's sides, the latter found himself gradually pulling downward as if coaxed by gravity itself. By the time those arms made their way around Akito's neck, the two of them had already fallen chest-to-chest – limbs entangled in all sorts of manners while their faces hovered close enough to feel each other's breath.
“Well?” Toya cooed – and holy shit, did he make that come-hither tone sound mesmerizing. “Can I have my present now?”
Akito decided then and there – and so what if he'd already done so a hundred times in the past 4 years? – that the boy below him was most definitely who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wasted no time in sealing the deal he'd drawn up for himself in his head with a fiery kiss.
Fuck. On second thought, maybe Akito wasn't ready for them to move in together. If they did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to even consider resisting Toya. He'd be all over him every damn hour of the day.
As things were, it barely took the most miniscule of tugs upon his leash to get him all riled up. What the hell was he gonna do when they woke up and went to bed together every single night? Especially when Toya was so eager to abuse his apparent powers of provocation…
As they kissed, Akito couldn't help but pick up on the feeling that Toya had somehow memorized every way to light a fire under him. A tug on his hair, his bottom lip briefly caught between teeth as they pulled away – hell, even the faint smugness in Toya's smile as he splayed himself out all pretty just for him. He knew precisely which buttons to push to drive Akito crazy.
To say that Toya was content with how readily Akito responded to each press, as if he really were in manual operation, would be an understatement. He was visibly having the time of his life being kissed again and again and again, never happier to give away his breath bit by bit until his vision started to dance with stars.
That was exactly how they liked it, though. The very foundation of their relationship had always been about pushing each other to their limits and beyond. It was hardly a surprise that their shared competitive spirit would come to possess their love life in turn, even if the resulting sight of an equally breathless Akito collapsing atop his partner was a tad ridiculous.
“I love you…” Akito panted out, barely enough air in his lungs to punch the words out with. “...so fucking much, dude.”
“Me too.” Toya whispered back, unable to do much else what with the added strain of Akito flopped against his chest. “I'll always adore you, Akit…o…”
“...Toya?” Akito raised a brow at the abrupt silence. He was unsure as to why his partner's typical sonnet had been sanded down to half a line until…
“Mom?!”
“I didn't mean to interrupt!” She instantly defended herself, her newly-perceived presence causing Akito to throw himself off of Toya with the speed of a mantis shrimp's punch. “I just remembered that I had dessert waiting in the fridge, so I wanted to let you two know.”
“No thank you, ma'am.” Toya spoke with remarkable politeness for someone who may have just been caught making out with someone's son, sitting straight up like a vampire rising from its coffin. “My stomach is still settling from dinner, so I don't think I could eat anything if I tried…”
“I see… You're welcome to help yourself if you change your mind, Toya-kun.” She conceded, though it was difficult to place whether that tinge of disappointment in her tone came from her inability to keep spoiling Toya or from the continuation of his formal language. "Oh... and keep taking good care of Akito for me, alright?"
"I very much plan on it." Toya replied earnestly, casting a glance toward Akito that felt much too intimate for their present company. Still, there was a certain romanticism in declaring your intent to treat your partner right in front of their parents -- enough so to placate Akito's mom into exiting the room, anyway.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving behind a slew of humiliating questions to burn away in Akito's head. Namely this – Had she only walked in a split second before they'd taken notice, or was he going to have to figure out how he'd face his mother in the morning knowing she witnessed him sucking face with his boyfriend…
“...Are you alright, Akito?”
“Toya… We've gotta get our own place ASAP.”