EDITOR | Akitoya ( Project Sekai )

Stray {17}

     The pink haired girl giggled as both the ginger and blue haired boy stared at her in surprise, their faces red from both embarrassment and their kiss. She sat on the edge of the bed, slapping their knee lightly as they continued to laugh, Akito kicking her off the bed.

     "Jesus, 'Kito, did you actually try to kiss him or some shit?"
     "Why the hell would you even care?" He scowled, looking away.
     "I'm just amazed you had the balls to do that, seriously dude! Did you even think about it?" They exclaimed, earning an exhausted sigh from both Toya and Akito.
     "My god, 'Zuki, just shut up about it," he groaned, gently jabbing her in her chest with his elbow.
     "Hah! You're just like Ena," they said proudly, though neither boys knew exactly what they'd be proud over. It was more of a combination between confidence and proudness, as though they had fully figured out Akito or as if they were about to point out the fact they were dating his sister once more.

     Toya let out a small chuckle, confusion filling the ginger as both Mizuki and Toya laughed together. The blue haired boy's mind was still clouded by the way Akito has kissed him, and how he couldn't force himself to do anything to object, just accepting it. He had wanted it, yet he was unaware of how much he wanted to be with the ginger on his bed. He was unable to focus clearly, unable to realize how much he had cared for him. Toya didn't want to realize it, he wanted to keep the mindset that he was useless, yet he had discarded it without noticing.

     "Oh, 'Zuki, Ena texted us."
     "What's it about?"
     "You can read it on your own," he grunted, looking down at his phone.
     "Hey! Just tell me."
     "She just said Mafuyu and Kanade are coming over."
     "Oh? Are you annoyed at that?"
     "What? No, I'm not annoyed at her- your, your girlfriends, Mizuki," he growled at her, completely ignorant of the blue haired boy's confused face.
     "Who're they?" Toya said, slightly cocking his head to the side.
     "Mizuki's and Ena's other girlfriends. I dunno, never really talk to them," he shrugged.
     "Yeah, he usually just hides from them."
     "Haah?! What the hell does that mean?"
     "Nothing, nothing," they snickered.

     Their bickering continued for a while, and during it, Toya couldn't help but smile.

     Had his prior beliefs finally been proved wrong?

     He belonged.

     He had finally built a sense of community he had once believed he was undeserving of.

     Toya Aoyagi, even if unworthy of being an Aoyagi, he still had those around him who cared.

     Who didn't believe him to just be some useless asshole.
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     "Bye, 'Zuki, and bye, Toya," the ginger waved, quickly leaving the Aoyagi household. Mizuki bid farewell as well, leaving Toya alone in the almost empty house. Empty, if it weren't for him and Harumichi.

     Harumichi.

     He felt a strong urge to vomit whenever the name was mentioned, forever leaving a distaste in his mouth after even referring to him as anything. Anything, whether it were to be father or Harumichi, 'him' or dad. It felt wrong to him, even with them around, to be an Aoyagi. To be biologically to the man who had raised him to be this way. He wanted to repair what little relationship there was, to allow it to blossom, but was only disgusted by the elder musician's presence. A disgust that overpowered his thoughts, a thought that would make him submit to his previous mindset. Did he need to live in that house?

     Oh.

     He looked at his computer screen, opening his messages to Tsukasa's, seeing messages from a painfully long time ago.
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