Chapter Text
A new day began, with the sun at its peak. As if he were prompted by the sun's cycle, Touya had already departed to fulfill the previous arrangements he’d made the day before. Presumably, Akito would be meeting him at the café they often frequented, where Akito’s favourite pancakes were sold. Saki had bid him farewell where Tsukasa could not - he wanted to, however numerous calls from Emu at 6am on the dot cut that plan short - as she loaded the last of his laundry into the wash.
As a result of the previous few days, Touya was now an official Tenma resident, and a warm welcome remained the top priority.
However, it began with confusion and revelations, as most big changes tend to bring. The Tenma parents, unaware of the unanimous decision they had been left out of, had a lot to be caught up on. Surprisingly, they were more than willing to let Touya move in. Well, in truth, it was not that surprising - the Tenma mother held Touya in her arms weeping, as she had always secretly wished to take him away from that hellspace called the Aoyagi household. They rushed to clear out the spare room, ensuring nothing would trigger his sensory issues, while Saki helped sort through the hastily packed clothes.
In truth, Touya feared this the most, for he wasn’t officially out to Saki… he was out to Tsukasa, mostly from a school safety point of view, however he always reminded Touya how he was trans too, he was nonbinary, so of course he’d support Touya! Endearing as ever, the wonderful Tsukasa Tenma brought safety and love wherever he went. He’d done it since the two were children, after all.
So, when Saki stumbled upon his binder, his nerves skyrocketed, anticipating a reaction uncharacteristic of her… only for her to nod and say “oh, Shiho has a binder too! I’ll text them later and double check about how to wash this!” and move onto the next crumpled up shirt. Although the fear had no reason, for Saki would never be unaccepting, Touya still sighed in relief.
As for Tsukasa, he had instantly taken to caring for Touya, such as washing his tear-stricken face and bringing him clean pajamas. It made him feel like a child… but, in that way, the inner child who had never received that care finally felt noticed and wanted .
Ah, now Touya just had to relay this all to Akito… and hope he didn’t leave with half a pancake being spat at him in shock.
Akito <3: heeyeyey
Touya: Hi:)
Akito <3: r u there yet
Touya: No, are u?
Akito <3: nah lol
Akito <3: where r u then? We could meet halfwau
Touya looked up from his phone, squinting his eyes slightly as he made sense of his surroundings. Surrounding him were the busybodies of the streets, all rushing past each other with the presumption they’d somehow overtake the rest of the herd. The shining, shining buildings with advertisements glaring down at him, quite literally; the glare from the sun and the advertisements made him look back down in distress. People were staring, but when did they not stare? He wished they didn’t. But being born with such height drew attention, as attraction and intrigue towards anomalies would always be human nature.
Touya: ummmm
Touya: towncentre
Touya: its’ very busy though, will you be able to find me?
Akito <3: you underestimate me, dearest touya
Chuckling at Akito’s message, Touya typed out one final thing before moving from the spot he’d unintentionally glued himself to.
Touya: i cannot tell if you are threatening me or flirting with me
Akito <3: whatever u want it to be bb
His head perked up to scan the crowd, for he hoped ginger hair would be a clear way to find him - though, that involved hoping no other ginger haired people had decided to go out at this time. After a few seconds, he saw Akito looking around, and stood on his tiptoes to wave at him.
Why could he not see him?
His height seemed to be no help. Strange.
Eventually, after all hope drained from him, Akito locked eyes with Touya and waved at him excitedly, light flooding into his eyes. Weaving through the crowd, they met halfway, and it was evident neither knew how to approach this meeting. So, after a few seconds of awkward hand movements, Akito wrapped his arms around Touya and rested his head on his shoulder, as Touya melted into the embrace.
“I feel like it’s been years since I last saw you, but it’s only been a few days…” Humming after speaking, the shorter boy pulled away and looked up at his boyfriend with glee. “God, I’ve missed your dumb face.”
“Missed you too.” Gently kissing the top of Akito’s head, he looked side to side to ensure no one he knew was near and grabbed his hand. “Well, shall we go find somewhere more peaceful to talk?” Expectedly, Akito nodded, and they approached the café they frequently visited.
Entering, being greeted with the same nod from the waitress as she inquired about 'the usual?', and sitting in a window seat.
Common procedure, not so common reasoning.
Akito shuffled in his seat slightly, turning to look at Touya, who unintentionally avoided his gaze in preference of a cat outside.
“So… what’s the deal, Touya? It’s unlike you to skip practice and just straight up ignore me.” Akito spoke gently, gaining the attention of his partner who began to fiddle with his jacket zip in response. “Well, unless your dad’s involved… wait. Was it something to do with him?”
“Hmm. Kinda.”
“‘Kinda’? Look, you’re the one who said a lot happened, now you’re holding information from me like it’s some secret…” He leaned back on his chair in quick defeat. This prompted Touya to begin laughing, as the waitress handed them their usual orders in silence.
“Alright, alright. Well…” Touya deeply exhaled and stared down at his hands. “Me and Father fought again.”
“God, again?” Slamming a fist to the table, Touya instinctively flinched. Only then did it click to Akito that it was not a good idea. “I’m not angry at you for it, it’s just… can’t he just let you be ?”
“Well, you know what he’s like - dictated two children to follow his every word, what’s a third?” ‘Every word’ was a statement shrouded in ambiguity, for Touya had rebelled against certain words regarding gender identity since he was born; his father inevitably gave in to that, for three musical sons were better than two sons and a ‘daughter’. “Anyway, we fought again a few days ago. And I…” Another deep exhale. “He finally kicked me out.”
Wide eyes, staring at the table, Touya, the table, Touya. Wider eyes, almost falling out of their sockets from sheer alarm.
“He kicked you out ?! What? Where are you staying?! Do you have anywhere to stay? Do you even have a change of clothes?!” Almost leaping from his seat, a flurry of questions, almost like a snowstorm, escaped Akito’s mouth as he struggled to comprehend the endless possibilities - in his eyes, Touya could have been staying on the streets! The streets were a temporary home for the music they performed, not in the literal sense!
“Calm down, you didn’t let me finish.”
“How can your voice remain so calm, even in a situation like this?!”
“Well, I can’t exactly control my tone well…” To this, Akito sighed as rationality re-entered his brain and he shuffled to sit properly (well, as proper as Akito Shinonome can sit).
“Yeah, I think I overreacted on that one…” He scratched his head as Touya sipped from his coffee, which was growing colder by the second.
“No, it’s okay, I should’ve finished.” As if it prompted the words, Touya once again sighed as he gently placed his cup down. “I packed a small bag before leaving, I don’t really think my father expected me to leave as willingly as I did. But then, I started running, and-”
“And?”
“I ended up at the Tenma household.” Not shocking information. Well, it shouldn’t have been shocking - the Tenma household had become a second home for Touya in his youth, alongside Weekend Garage with the other members of Vivid Bad Squad.
Yet, Akito nearly choking on his food as he spluttered into a tissue would make you believe Touya informed him of the end of the world.
...then again, considering the one-sided rivalry between Tsukasa and Akito, it probably was the end of the world for him.
As the waitress panickedly ‘handed’ Akito a glass of water, nearly coating him in water instead, Touya shot up from his seat and gently pat Akito on the back. Poor decision. To retaliate, Akito grabbed his boyfriend by his shirt collar so their foreheads were touching as he spoke.
“You are living with Tsukasa Tenma, the upperclassman of my nightmares ?” Akito practically spat the words out.
“Yes, that’s what I said.” A small pause. “So are you going to stay this close to me or…? It’s not like I mind, but we’re getting a few stares.” Begrudgingly, Akito let go of Touya, who stood by his side with a little smile.
“Well… how did they respond to your arrival?” Putting aside his personal grudge against Tsukasa, the conversation continued as Akito took a bite of his food. Returning to his seat, Touya smiled once more as he thought of the hospitality he’d been offered.
“I’m living with them now. Saki-s… Saki even made a joke about me becoming a Tenma now.” To that, Akito mirrored the smile etched into Touya’s face. “I just… a lot happened, but I think I’ll be happy with them.”
“Yeah, I think you will be too.” Having finished his meal, Akito took his plate and Touya’s empty cup in one hand, offering Touya his other hand - he almost tore his boyfriend’s hand off with how enthusiastically he grabbed it. “I mean, if they make you upset in any way… well, let’s just say they’ll be answering to me. ” After placing the plates at the counter and bidding the waitress their thanks, the two left the café in a similar manner to the entry.
The crisp breeze hit them both in the face, prompting Touya to close his eyes in shock from the bitter sensation. Over the horizon, the sun seemed to wish for rest, as it had begun lowering itself into the other side of the world - orange and pink hues reminiscent of the neon signs in shows had begun to paint the sky’s canvas. Similarly, puffy clouds turning to a darker shade began to tower over them both, spelling rain… and neither had a reasonable jacket for such weather.
“Were we really in there that long?” Akito grumbled.
“Maybe the sun was just tired.” Touya responded. To this, Akito squeezed his hand.
“Well, maybe that’s a cue for us to go home, if the sun’s that tired.” This received a frantically shaking head in response.
“Come stay with me for the night!” Realising the enthusiasm he’d spoken with, Touya took a verbal step back. “...well, if you’d like to.”
Mentally assessing whether spending time with Touya was worth having to see that blond thing for an evening, Akito came to a swift decision.
“Well, of course I’d like to. It’s the first time I think I’ve ever been able to.” With that, the end destination of Touya’s path was once again the Tenma household, but for much better reasons than the last time.