Work Text:
Plink, chimed the phone, a bright square on the table.
Hurriedly, Tsukasa reached for it, glancing around to make sure the sound hadn’t disturbed any of the other customers. To his relief, it wasn’t a call but just a message, and he put his phone back, face down this time, on the table in front of him. It was the late afternoon, a perfectly fine time to use “taking a break” as an excuse not to answer anything right away--especially not when he’d finally gotten his hands on the new vegan soft serve they were selling in town. He’d been receiving far too many calls and messages since starting up the newbie program for Knights and taking over the family headship, and he at least wanted to enjoy his new treat to the fullest before throwing his head into work again.
Plus, it simply was not proper decorum to use one’s phone while eating. Anyone would know that.
Just as he was leaning back into his chair, another plain plink interrupted him.
“Ugh, do not tell me this is urgent,” he complained as he quickly took a lick of the side of his ice cream to keep it from dripping. Against his better judgment, he flipped over his phone with his free hand and peeked at the notification on the screen.
At the left side of the notification was a circular image of a smiling lion plush. On the right side was a plain, short, rather uninformative message:
I’m here!
Tsukasa furrowed his brow. Leo was known for his brevity, a quality that worked to his favor at times, but more often to his detriment. A simple “I’m here!” could mean so many things: maybe Leo had gotten to a certain point in his latest composition; or maybe a package arrived; or maybe--and the likelihood was higher than one might expect--”here” was the sweets shop Tsukasa was currently inside, and Leo was right outside the window, looking inside and waiting for Tsukasa to notice. He had, after all, done it a few times already since the two of them had begun their courtship.
Heart thumping expectantly, Tsukasa’s eyes wandered up to the glass panes briefly. But all he saw were people moving back and forth along the street outside, and no sign of his energetic senior anywhere. Of course it wouldn’t be so easy, he thought as he sighed and slumped in his chair. He supposed he had no choice but to look at what else Leo had sent him. There was still a chance that things could make sense.
Well, after he finished his ice cream, of course. Taking breaks away from work was important for regulating one’s health, after all.
Smacking his lips with the last crunch of his delicious snack, he wiped his hands clean and picked up his phone again to see what on earth his former king wanted from him this time.
I heard Mama’s appearing in this festival! I’m going!
[file attached: 20XX0714.jpg]
I’m here!
The file was a photo of a dark blue poster with cute pink, blue, and yellow firework illustrations splashed across the surface. The large words “SUMMER FESTIVAL” were splayed across the front in round letters. Miraculously, it was clear enough for Tsukasa to see the date and location: today until late, at a shrine on the other side of town. And this was the place Tsukasa supposed Leo was in right that moment, hopefully together with his “Mama” friend--Madara Mikejima.
Tsukasa cocked his head. Though he’d cautioned Leo time and time again to keep him informed of his location in case anything happened, it was oddly conscientious for the forgetful former leader to not only send an update but also snap a photo of the detailed info--even more so to put it right into Tsukasa’s direct messages. Maybe he was really trying his best these days, which Tsukasa could always appreciate.
He tapped on the picture of the poster and zoomed in on the details. A summer festival was an exciting prospect. His peers and classmates had been sending pictures all afternoon of their sweet treats and prizes, and even as he ate his veggie ice cream, his head was filled with dreams of the overly salty and sickeningly sweet flavors of commoner festival foods, of sticky fingers and bright lantern lights. He wanted to experience it all so badly, but had never quite worked up the courage to ask anyone to go with him.
But now Leo was there, and Tsukasa was fairly sure his own schedule was open tonight. Also, since Leo was with his friend, maybe the other members of Knights would be interested in coming as well; Tsukasa may have been nervous about his peers, but he knew Knights would never refuse his company. Besides, if they all went together, they could be a walking advertisement for how friendly and close New Dimension idols are. Many birds, one stone.
Thoroughly convinced now, Tsukasa decided those were enough excuses to go and treat himself--more than he already had today, anyway. He chose to ignore what Sena-senpai might have to say about it.
“I will send a message to Knights soon...” he mused to himself as he checked his schedule once more. “But perhaps I should go on ahead and accompany Leo-san first in case he gets himself in trouble.”
Quickly cheered up with the thoughts of candied apples and chocolate bananas and being with his treasured companions, Tsukasa stowed his phone into his bag and stepped out of the shop.
---
The photo of Mashiro-kun and Hajime-kun sent of them holding some bunny-shaped cotton candy spurred him on as he made his way to the other side of town.
The shrine was easy to find--the walkway was lined with bright yellows and pinks and blues of food and game stalls against the late afternoon sun, with live taiko drums pounding a vigorous beat in the background. Tsukasa passed under the torii and walked down the cobbled pathway, his eyes drawn wherever his nose went first, leading him to fried onigiri sticks, shaved ice in rainbow colors, takoyaki fresh from the molds--there were so many things to look at, he hardly knew where to start.
“Suo~!”
A high-pitched voice cut into his thoughts, and before he could turn his head, a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and a torso careened into him, nearly throwing him off balance.
“L-Leo-san?!” Tsukasa squeaked, nose and mouth suddenly full of orange hair.
The arms around hims squeezed tight. “Ahhh, I haven’t seen Suo~ in ages...”
“We just saw each other yesterday didn’t we?” Tsukasa protested, struggling against Leo’s strong grip. “Besides, I-I don’t think we should be doing this out here...”
“Oh come on, it’s totally fine! Everybody knows Leo Tsukinaga is a hugger! Nobody’s gonna think we’re also kissi--”
Tsukasa’s face flushed pink. “Y-Yes! You’re not wrong, but we still must be careful! Besides... it’s very hot outside, and this is only making it hotter.”
“Aw, okay, okay...” The arms slid off Tsukasa’s shoulders as Leo’s face came slowly into view. He looked as bright as ever, all smiles and sunny blushes across his cheeks, and he was predictably carrying a pen and a little notepad in both his hands.
Seeing Leo’s usual cheer, Tsukasa couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “So, Leo-san... Have you already seen Mikejima-senpai’s performance?”
“Oh, that’s--”
“That’s a bit later, Tsukasa-san. If you’re interested, come take a look with Leo-san in a couple hours, okay?”
Another bright voice joined into the conversation, and Tsukasa looked up to see the single member of MaM standing right behind Leo. Just how Tsukasa had missed the large figure, he didn’t know, but now the man seemed to tower behind Leo with his impressive height. “A-Ah, Mikejima-senpai! I’ve heard about your performance later. I hope it will go well.”
“Of course it will, he’s Mama! Mama’s great at everything he does!” Leo chimed in happily.
“Glad you have so much faith in me, Leo-san. I won’t let you down--leave it to Mama! Festivals are where I thrive,” Madara said, chuckling.
Tsukasa nodded along politely. “I do look forward to watching another New Dimension idol performing in such a place. I know Aoba-senpai handles most of what we do, but I would like to be abreast of everyone’s activities myself, as your representative.”
“Hahaha, good to hear you’re so serious about your work! Well, you’ll see soon enough! Ah, but I have a lot to prepare for it, so I’ll leave you two here for a while,” Madara winked, “See you later onstage! Enjoy yourselves!”
With only a few words exchanged, Madara was gone once again, and Leo and Tsukasa were left alone. After waving goodbye to his friend, Leo immediately turned back to Tsukasa, grin still all over his face.
“Come on, Suo~, wanna check out some of the stalls around here? Bet you’re just raring to try all the stuff they sell! Well, what first?”
The question was sudden, and as soon as Tsukasa was about to reply, a (sweaty, burning) hand clamped around his wrist. With a cheeky laugh, Leo dragged Tsukasa further down along the pathway.
“There’s all sorts of stuff here! Candied fruit, yakisoba, bananas and taiyaki and--”
“Leo-san--”
“Oh, maybe you want something cold first? Soda? Or maybe it’s the opposite and you actually want something warm like that cake over there? Or--”
“Leo-san!! You’re going much too fast!”
Leo finally turned to look at him and blinked. “Oh? Sorry, there’s just so much see here and so many colors and smells... I just want to see it all, all at once!” His grin softened ever so slightly. “I’ll take it at your pace, okay, Suo~?”
The sudden nice gesture caught Tsukasa completely off guard, and he nearly forgot what he was trying to say. He could hear Leo chuckling at his sudden shyness. He wasn’t a fan of how easily the former king could play on his weaker side, how he always seemed to know exactly what Tsukasa wanted to hear in the most important of times.
And speaking important times--oh, curses--they had landed dangerously close to the cotton candy stall. Tsukasa’s eyes fell on the whirling machine of pink and blue and yellow. A stall worker was slowly spinning up a round, beautiful, puffy cloud of sweetness, and then, with an expert hand, added two more atop the first--it was then he realized what it was: the rabbit-shaped cotton candy from the photo in the second year group chat.
“Suo~, you’re staring a lot. You want that?”
Tsukasa nodded before he could stop himself. The hand around his wrist pulled him rather easily this time.
It was wildly cheap, only a couple of coins (provided by Leo, as Tsukasa did not realize festivals were cash-only), yet enormous. Tsukasa held the stick end in mild astonishment, unsure how to begin eating such a strange confection.
A hand snaked out and tugged on one of the fluffy ears, taking a chunk off it. “Hey!” Tsukasa yelped at the culprit, who was already shoving it into his own mouth without a hint of guilt on his face.
Leo laughed lightly. “If you don’t start on it, I’ll just have it all for myself!”
“I-I just did not know how!” Tsukasa retorted, flushed. “Wouldn’t your fingers get sticky if you took pieces off like that?”
“There’s absolutely no way you can avoid getting sticky when eating this stuff, you know. You just have to accept your fate and enjoy it! Besides, this thing is so huge, I figured you need somebody to help you out with it. Sena would flip his lid if he saw you having all that sugar all by yourself. Not that I’m in any position to lecture you.”
Tsukasa gulped. “Ah... Sena-senpai... I-I do hope he does not catch me with this. Leo-san, maybe you can hold it when he arrives?”
“Huh, pinning this on me?” Leo joked, but then paused, his grin sliding away. “...Wait... he’s coming here?”
“Ah, did i forget to mention it to you? I’ve invited the other members of Knights to join in the summer festivities.”
“Huh...”
Leo’s lips were parted in uncharacteristically quiet surprise. His eyes, however, shone with another, unreadable emotion.
“Leo-san...?”
“Oh, I just--”
“Think you can get away with that wad of empty calories behind my back, huh, you cheeky little brat?!”
Tsukasa immediately whipped around and broke into a cold sweat to see three people he knew very well, all wearing sunglasses and hats that did the double jobs of hiding their faces and keeping the sun off. Unfortunately for Tsukasa, though, the steaming irritation was still very much visible from the grumpiest senior in the middle, even under the dark shades. “Sena-senpai! What a pleasure it is to see you’ve made it...! ”
“Don’t ‘what a pleasure’ me! Come on, spill it: how much have you had today already, huh?”
“Ah, come on, Sena, give him a break! Let him enjoy himself! This guy’s so new to summer festivals, he tried to pay for his candy with a card!”
Leo was back to being all smiles, the wooden expression from before completely gone. As if picking up on his infectious mirth, Arashi and Ritsu both started to laugh as well--no doubt at Tsukasa’s expense. He hadn’t seen the end of their teasing ever since it was just the three of them left at Yumenosaki.
“A card... That’s so bourgeois, it’s hilarious. Right, Nacchan?”
“God, Ritsu-chan, he’s totally bourgeois to the bone.” Arashi’s lips curled up devilishly. “I mean, a card? At a festival? You’re so irritatingly adorable and innocent, Tsukasa-chan, I just want to... pinch those cheeks or something!”
“Wait, Narukami-senpai--”
Too late. His cheeks were already prisoners between Arashi’s manicured nails, and while he was protesting, his poor cotton candy was left unguarded for Ritsu to sneak up and steal some as well.
“Ah! Ritsu-senpai--”
Tsukasa watched reproachfully as the sweet pink fuzz disappeared between Ritsu’s lips. “Mmm... it’s super sweet,” Ritsu said. “Sweeter than the stuff I usually like. Gonna eat all of this yourself, Su~chan?”
“Oh you better not, Kasa-kun.”
Ritsu snickered at Izumi’s caustic reply. “Why don’t you help him with it, Secchan?”
“Are you crazy? You really think I’d eat that?”
“Boo, you’re such a bore, Izumi-chan. We’re here at a festival, so chill out! Here, Tsukasa-chan, I can help you out a little. It is kind of big.”
“Hey, save some for me if you’re all gonna take off Suo~’s cotton candy! That was bought with my coin!”
“Your coin, Tsukipi~? Are we playing knights again?”
“Pffft...” A burst of air escaped Tsukasa’s lips, which quickly turned into a bright chuckle.
All eyes turned to him, and he saw some of his seniors laughing along with him. Despite their usual behavior--no, because of their usual behavior--it truly felt like inviting them along was a very good choice. Knights were a unit of strong personalities, and they bickered and jabbed and japed at each other, but Tsukasa had grown to understand that even those little fights were a sign of comfort in each others’ presence, and that comfort was a sign of camaraderie, even of love. As he looked around at his beloved seniors, he could swear even Izumi, usually frowning for some reason or another, was smiling.
Beyond the corner of Tsukasa’s vision, however, one of Knights stood motionless, his usual toothy grin gone from his face.
---
Nighttime, Tsukasa decided, was the best time to be at a festival.
The liveliness of the daytime was so much fun, of course, but once night fell, the relentless heat of the summer sun finally began to dissipate. In the place of the sunshine, countless lanterns hung along wires overhead, bright enough to drown out the stars. More and more people from the neighborhood came to enjoy the cooler temperatures, and the whole area seemed to come alive with energy. It was so magical that even the ghosts and spirits of nature still lurking in the city might have been tempted to come out and play.
Tsukasa’s stomach was pleasantly full as he stood before the makeshift outdoor stage. With the sun down, his seniors had taken off their sunglasses; Ritsu had even replaced his hat with one of the cheap plastic masks they were selling at one of the stalls, a bear-shaped character that he insisted he buy instead of any of the traditional ones. Izumi was drinking some water on a bench nearby, while Arashi was fanning Ritsu with an uchiwa on another bench. Leo was up and wandering around the stage, looking either for his friend or inspiration, or both. They were all tired and sticky from spending a day in the sun, but the atmosphere was warm and comfortable.
“Is Mikejima-senpai coming on soon?” Tsukasa asked Leo as he appeared, having wandered in a full circle back to where Knights was sitting.
“Hm? Oh yeah, I think so,” Leo replied absentmindedly. “Maybe at like six-thirty?”
Tsukasa glanced at his watch and frowned. “It’s just about seven-fifteen right now, Leo-san. Have we missed it?”
“Huh? Seven already? Jeez, where’d all that time go? It keeps running away before I can catch up to it. Maybe it was seven-thirty he was supposed to be on?” Leo glanced up at the stage in mild confusion, to which Tsukasa sighed.
“Well, let us assume seven-thirty for now. Perhaps we can wave down one of the staff and ask about the schedule.”
Leo grunted a quiet response as his eyes drifted across the stage. Tsukasa peered at him curiously for a moment, before turning his gaze to the increasing crowd. The open space was quickly filling up with people, many of them wearing green clothing or holding penlights or uchiwas with images and letters pasted on them--no doubt fans of MaM.
With the audience getting more and more packed, however, it was also getting harder to see at Tsukasa’s rather unfortunate height. He glanced over at Leo, who seemed to be having similar problems craning his neck over the crowd to get a good look at the stage. As the jolly tones of a guitar began to play from the speakers ahead, they both stood on their tiptoes to witness the entrance of the man of festivals himself.
Tsukasa hadn’t been to many MaM concerts. Most of his experience with MaM’s music was either at Yumenosaki, or in the wings of joint New Dimension lives, and both of those instances were rare indeed.
However, seeing the man’s stage head-on made his heart race. Madara Mikejima was known for being talented at everything he did, and every one of his performances was a reflection of that. As he watched Madara up there bringing smiles to his fans in what looked to be the breeziest, most effortless performance, Tsukasa was surer than ever: with Knights’s power, Switch’s strategies, and MaM’s influence combined, they would have no trouble keeping the power balance at ES comfortably even.
As the first song wound down on its final chords, Tsukasa turned his head excitedly. “Leo-san! This is such an excellent performance! I see now why you think so highly of your friend!”
There was no response, only the roar of the crowd. Tsukasa turned his head back and forth, but there was no sign of the man he’d called out to. His heart began to pound. Had Leo gone missing yet again?
Swiveling on his heel, he walked over to his seniors who were still resting on the benches.
“Have you all seen Leo-san? I could have sworn he was here a moment ago.”
“Leo-kun...? I’m not sure... I was busy watching the old club captain’s performance up there,” Arashi commented, rubbing circles on Ritsu’s back. “But you’re right, he’s not around here...”
“Mmm... Su~chan was really into the performance too,” Ritsu chimed in. “I think Tsukipi~ was trying to get closer to the stage? He disappeared into the people up there.”
The way Izumi’s eyes rolled was almost audible. “You know what, I bet he went to the toilet. I keep telling him not to drink every single juice he passes by or he’ll have to pee at the dumbest times. And does he listen? Never.”
Tsukasa frowned. Nobody knew where Leo was, and nobody seemed to mind. Since the whimsical composer often ran off by himself chasing inspiration, it was only natural the rest of Knights seemed unconcerned. Even so, Tsukasa couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling in his gut.
“...I will go look for him.”
Arashi blinked. “So suddenly? Tsukasa-chan, maybe it’s better not to get separated in this crowd? Leo-kun will probably find his way back eventually. It’s not hard to find a festival in the dark.”
“Perhaps, but... I cannot help but feel I should. Do not fret, Narukami-senpai. I will contact you all as soon as I locate him.”
With a tentative nod from Arashi, Tsukasa rushed off around the outer edges of the crowd. The next song was already beginning, and the people were swaying to and fro to Madara’s gentle voice, green penlights illuminating their faces in a wash of color. It would be difficult to locate Leo in such strong light.
Something told Tsukasa that he would not find who he was looking for here.
Maybe it was because he’d had to spend nearly every other day the previous year looking for Leo somewhere in Yumenosaki, but ideas for where he could look came to mind immediately. He remembered how Leo’s smile had melted away earlier, how his movements were far less exaggerated than usual, how it reminded him of the year before, when he would catch flashes of melancholy across Leo’s face. How often he used to find Leo sitting somewhere empty and quiet, humming to himself.
His eyes were drawn to the dark spots at the edge of the shrine grounds, where the leafage blocked out the orangey lights of the lanterns, and his legs began to carry him in that direction automatically.
As he moved further and further into the shrubbery (probably somewhere he shouldn’t be, but nowhere was off limits with Leo), the sound of the concert grew quieter and quieter until it was a comfortable echo in the background. Madara’s voice was still clearly audible, but it was far enough away that the peace of the nighttime trees and the sounds of the crickets were more apparent.
“...Leo-san?” he called out tentatively. He was nearly at the edge of the trees.
“Suo~?”
His heart danced hearing his usual nickname. “Leo-san, are you here?”
As Tsukasa peered around one of the trees, he saw a figure leaning against the trunk, about his same height--Leo, humming and twirling a pen between his fingers. Found him.
“Oh, there you are,” Tsukasa breathed in relief. “Why are you all the way out here?”
“Mmm...” Leo responded in a low hum, not looking at him. “Juuust wanted a little quiet while I thought up my next masterpiece.”
“In the middle of Mikejima-senpai’s performance?”
“What? I can’t help it when inspiration strikes! Mama would understand! He always lets me run around wherever I want...”
Tsukasa laughed, but softly, wryly. “You don’t even have your notepad out, Leo-san.”
“I lost it. Dropped it somewhere.”
“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”
Leo finally looked at him, annoyed. “Gah... Suo~, you’re getting too good at this. Go back to being a little baby like you were before, it was so much easier.”
“If I still acted as immaturely as I used to, you would have no interest in a relationship with me.”
“Okay, yeah, but it’s not very cute when you see through me like that...”
“Leo-san...” Tsukasa ventured, stepping around the tree, closer to Leo so that they were now directly face to face. “It’s quite obvious that you are feeling down. Now, would you mind telling me what it is?”
Leo pursed his lips in a childish pout, averting his eyes again. “Uh-uh.”
“Leo-san...”
“Yeah...?”
Leo took a tentative glance back at Tsukasa, but Tsukasa continued to stare.
“...”
Another glance. And another. Still staring.
Finally, Leo gave in. He sighed and scratched his head. “Ah, I just... I dunno, I was so excited to spend time with Suo~, but I was also excited to see the rest of the guys in Knights. But then I also wanted to see Mama, but then I started feeling kinda sad and then I got mad that I was sad, and it all just started mixing up in my head!”
“But... weren’t we enjoying ourselves with Knights? You seemed to be having a fun time, at least.”
“Yeah! Yeah, I was, I love Knights... aghhh.” Leo groaned. “But I wanted to spend time just with you. You know, ‘cause I knew you haven’t had much experience with festivals before, and I knew this one was gonna be great ‘cause Mama’s in it...”
“Wait just one moment...” Tsukasa responded, gears turning in his head. “You... wanted to show me the festival? Alone...?”
“Yes, Suo~, you big doofus! Alone! You can’t even tell when I’m inviting you on a date!”
In his brattiest gesture yet, Leo stuck out his tongue, and Tsukasa flushed a deep red that was visible even in the darkness.
“H-How was I supposed to know that from your incomprehensible message?! ‘I’m here’...? I almost thought you were right there at the ice cream shop!”
“But you still got it, right? You came right over just like I knew you would!”
“That’s because I thought I should accompany you in case something happens!”
“Not because it was me who invited you? Not even a little bit?”
The question gave Tsukasa pause. He leaned back, for he realized he’d been edging closer to Leo with every sentence, and his eyes dropped to the ground.
“No... I... I was quite excited when I saw you had messaged me privately about it...” he said, guilt creeping into his voice. “I was just so wrapped up in work and you were already here with your friend that I thought it would make sense if we were all together. It did not cross my mind that you wished to spend time with me. My apologies.”
Leo sighed harshly and shoved his hands into his pockets, straightening himself from where he had been leaning on the tree. “Never mind. I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty, Suo~.”
“But... but,” Tsukasa continued, looking back up at Leo. “...but if I may make it up to you somehow, please allow me to spend some time with you now. I know it is already late, but I have no intention of returning to Mikejima-senpai’s performance without you.”
“Suo~...”
Tsukasa took both of Leo’s hands in his. “Please.”
He watched Leo’s expression in the darkness. Those green eyes never left his, and as the moments passed, they grew softer around the edges in a way that make Tsukasa’s heart thump. Leo had a habit of running away from things that upset him, but that only made it feel all the more incredible when he chose to stay firmly in place. As if choosing to take Tsukasa’s outstretched hand before he floated off into the universe.
“You know why I even ran?” Leo asked, his voice much more gentle, fingers intertwining with Tsukasa’s. “I knew you’d find me.”
“Were you trying to get me alone, then?”
“Well, I was actually upset. But maybe that was part of it.”
“Sometimes you are so straightforward, and sometimes you are not at all. It’s so very vexing.”
Leo leaned forward, forehead touching Tsukasa’s. “I dunno, Suo~, you seem to be doing a pretty good job at figuring it out. Even if it isn’t cute.”
“I would rather not be seen as ‘cute’ either way. I am a proper, dashing young man, you know.” Tsukasa chuckled, breath tickling Leo’s face.
“A dashing young man who still calls us Onii--”
“Oh, shut up.”
With that, Tsukasa pressed their lips together. There had been barely centimeters between their faces, yet Leo’s throat vibrated with a surprised hum. That’s what he got for running his mouth, Tsukasa thought with a faint feeling of victory.
A kiss was one of the easiest ways to pin Leo down in place and get him to shut up. Though Tsukasa had his pride and rarely resorted to such underhanded methods, Leo had a special talent for exhausting all of his options.
Besides, it wasn’t quite so underhanded if Leo responded readily to it, unlinking their fingers and sliding a hand on the small of Tsukasa’s back, pulling him closer. Tsukasa’s free hand found its way around the back of Leo’s neck, locking him into place. Neither of them wanted to let go, to give up on their little fight they started, their sarcastic remarks and low-blow teases translating into hot, breathy kisses.
Without any sort of warning, Leo’s tongue pressed against Tsukasa’s lips, as if he’d been waiting for the chance all along. It irked Tsukasa. After everything today, how dare Leo think he could drag his new king, his boyfriend, his beloved into his pace yet again? Tsukasa opened his mouth to respond to the deepening kiss. He was going to show Leo just how greedy he could be.
Then, he almost jumped out of his skin. An unassuming plink cut into the darkness, high and jingly.
Tsukasa immediately broke away from the kiss to see a bright light shining through the fabric of his pocket and cursed under his breath. He’d practically trained himself to respond to it within a couple seconds--great as a business practice, terrible for when he was busy kissing his boyfriend.
“Oh, what on earth is it this time?” he complained as he shoved a hand in his pocket, not bothering to hide his irritation. “I’ve had quite enough of this blasted phone going off all day--”
When he looked at the sender, though, he gulped.
“Who is it? Work again?” Leo peered over the top of the screen, curious. “Oh, it’s Sena!”
“Yes, and I’ve only just realized I promised to message everyone if I found you...”
“But instead you were kissing me--”
“Don’t say that! If Sena-senpai knew about this, he would be furious that I didn’t contact Knights first...”
A grin spread across Leo’s face, looking just a bit devilish in the blue glow of Tsukasa’s phone. Oh no. He clearly had an idea.
“...Wanna tell him we’re not coming back for the evening?”
“Huh... The... whole evening?” Tsukasa’s cheeks and ears flushed pink.
“Mama said there’s a fireworks show over the river nearby right after his concert, you know,” Leo explained. “So how about it? Wanna see them with me? Make up for stealing away our date time?”
“Can... I really say that to him?”
“You can say whatever you want, Suo~.”
Tsukasa looked into Leo’s eyes for a moment--even in the darkness, they sparkled fondly, expectantly. He knew for sure that whatever he decided to tell Izumi, Leo would not complain.
Leo trusted his decisions wholeheartedly. It made Tsukasa’s heart tremble, made him weak, made him warm. It made Tsukasa want to trust his own decisions wholeheartedly too.
After a moment, he nodded to Leo, his resolve set, and began to type a reply.