Disclaimer:
• I do not own PJSK Colorful Stage or any of the characters from the game.
A/N:
Yes, the cover "art" is intentionally this simple and dumb. Enjoy.
Akito Shinonome
It was a rainy Sunday afternoon, and Akito had only one thing on his mind: cheesecake. Ever since he'd woken up to the crackling patter of raindrops shattering against the roof of his house, Akito craved his sweet, edible reprieve. Rather than sinking into the achromatic hiss of the rain and the sea of gray reflected across his window, he wanted to sink his teeth into the vivid taste of his leftover cheesecake.
That morning, after priming himself for the day, Akito figured that he'd invite his boyfriend Touya over to his house to eat cheesecake and hang out. After receiving confirmation from Touya about hanging out, Akito expeditiously began scrubbing the dishes in the sink.
While rinsing out the thin white mountains of soap bubbles from a glass cup, Akito glanced over his shoulder to see his sister rubbing her half-opened eyes. "Did you pull another all-nighter?" queried Akito, who dumped out the frothing cup and held it under the tap.
Ena offered Akito a silent, squinted, three-second stare before muttering, "So? It's none of your business." She inhaled deeply. "Let me guess… You're cleaning because Touya's coming over?"
Akito nodded as a dull splash washed against the side of the sink. "We're eating some of the leftover cheesecake, so if you want some, take it before it's gone." With a clink, he lowered the glass into the dishwasher and closed it up.
Approaching the fridge, Ena replied, "So you would've eaten it all if I hadn't come down here? There are only three pieces left." She yanked open the fridge and pulled out a plastic container with whitish-brown smudges sticking to the frosty lid.
"You'd throw a fit if I did that, so obviously not," sighed Akito, who silenced the sputter of the water hitting the bottom of the metal sink. "I was gonna text you once Touya got here. Oh. Speaking of him…" He briskly patted his hands on the towel beside the sink and strode to the front door, twisting open the lock. "Yo," he greeted Touya.
"Hey," Touya responded while slipping out of his shoes. "I'll have the cheesecake later, if that's all right. I'm not really hungry right now." He canted his head once he glanced at Ena, who was popping off the lid to the cheesecake. "Oh. Hey."
With a creak and a brief clatter, Ena set the lid aside and reached up into a cabinet, revealing a plate in her hands moments later. "Akito did some last-second cleaning just for you," she remarked with a faint smile. "He only cleans for you."
Akito rubbed the back of his neck. "That's not true. And hey, wait." He scrutinized the remaining three slices of cheesecake glistening on the white platter on the kitchen counter. "Let Touya pick which one he wants." He extracted two plates from the cabinet, setting them beside the cheesecake platter.
"Oh, it's all right," uttered Touya from a few feet away. "I'm not picky. Thanks, though, Akito." He nodded and joined the Shinonome siblings in the kitchen.
"You sure?" Akito inquired, soon receiving the affirmation in question in the form of a nod. "All right."
Hm. I'm kinda feeling the chocolate piece, Akito thought to himself as Ena retrieved a cake cutter. Would Touya like strawberry or key lime cheesecake? He said he's not picky, b—
The glint of sunlight reflected off of snow pierced Akito's eyes as the metal, triangular cake cutter in Ena's hand dove under the slice of chocolate cheesecake. He could only stare in screeching silence while his desired, tantalizing piece of cheesecake was tipped onto his sister's plate.
Damn. Thanks, Ena. I guess I'll take strawberry. Hope Touya's fine with key lime.
Claiming the slice of strawberry cheesecake for himself, Akito brought his plate and his boyfriend to his room while leaving Ena to take her cheesecake selfies in peace. The mere thought of being ensnared in his sister's death trap of "just a few photos" was enough to send shivers down Akito's spine.
Once Akito and Touya plopped down on Akito's bed, Akito severed a pyramid of pink and brown from his cheesecake. Popping the small piece into his mouth, he hummed in utter delight. Sweet, sour, creamy, and cold, the strawberry dessert was an effervescent treat to Akito's tongue.
"Want a bite?" Akito figured he'd ask Touya.
Touya tilted his head. "Sure?" Uncertainty razed his voice as Akito lifted a small bite of cheesecake to Touya's lips. "Mm." Gently biting down on the fork, Touya nodded his head while processing the taste of the cheesecake. "I like it." A smile broke through his neutral expression. "But how much I like it could never top your unparalleled love of cheesecake, Akito."
Akito sighed while his chilled dose of bliss gradually disappeared from his plate. "At least I'm not a coffee addict." His brain poured forth a heavenly chorus of praise through his veins for his decision to eat cheesecake. "Mm… If only cheesecake were good for you."
"Wouldn't you get bored of it after a while?"
"Maybe, but I'll never know if I would or not."
"That's true."
For a while, only the clinks of Akito's metal fork tapping the plate and meeting his teeth echoed through the room; the rain outside cushioned those sounds.
"Hey, Touya?" queried Akito, who had unconsciously slowed the pace at which he consumed his cheesecake. "Do you think there's gonna come a day when our friendship is gone?" Another sliver of Akito's saccharine dessert disappeared from his plate; only one-third of the cheesecake remained.
Touya glanced out the window beside Akito's bed to the hazy sheets of a smoky gray obscuring the details of the world outside. "Why do you ask?"
Another fraction of pink was forked off of the remaining chunk of dessert on Akito's lap. "It's not uncommon for friendships you think are gonna last forever to come to an end." He swallowed thickly while the window wept silently with the tears of the sky. "All good things come to an end." He glimpsed at the final two bites of cheesecake thawing slowly on the plate.
"I guess you're right. But I don't think that's going to happen. After all, you're my partner, Akito. I don't want that to change."
"Yeah, I know for sure that the only partner right for me is you, Touya."
"I'm glad we're on the same page."
Slowly, Akito found his free hand slipping into the gaps between Touya's fingers. Akito felt his hand soaking up the warmth of his boyfriend's hand, and although he dared not steal a glance at Touya, he was certain that there was a slim smile waiting for him if he did.
Before Akito knew it, all of the cheesecake he'd fantasized about merely minutes ago had been reduced to smudges on his plate. "Man, it's already all gone…" he murmured dejectedly.
"You can have half of mine, if you want," offered Touya. "But I'll be right back. I'm going to use the bathroom." Reluctantly retreating from the hold of Akito's hand, Touya stood up and exited the room.
With a sigh, Akito set his circular plate on his desk. I mean, I do want more. But…
Touya Aoyagi
Once Touya turned on the tap to the sink in the bathroom, he found himself vacantly staring at the translucent ribbon pouring from the faucet. A day when our friendship ends… Even if we're no longer partners or significant others in the future, I wouldn't trade our friendship for the world. He sieved his sullen countenance that gleamed from the light reflecting off the mirror. I've made so many friends after having none for so long. Imagining these friendships I cherish every day suddenly disappearing from my life…
Ejecting a shiny swirl of honey-like soap into his palm, Touya swished the water with the soap, showering a fragile deluge of bubbles around his hands. I don't know why I'm thinking about this so much. The thought bothers me, but I shouldn't be dwelling on it. Observing as the glimmering bubbles frolicked down into the depths of the sludge-caked drain, Touya sighed silently to himself. I've been friends with Tsukasa-senpai the longest, but that doesn't mean our friendship won't one day fade. The lingering crackle of the extinguished soap bubbles pecked at Touya's ears. We might stop talking and move on from there. I can't even picture that, though. My future…
Touya forced himself to perish the intrusive thoughts ringing in his head like mosquitoes. After all, he was cognizant that Akito would have certainly admonished him for doubting the tenacity of the friendships he already had.
Drying his hands and his hesitation, Touya promptly returned to Akito's room to see his boyfriend stretching his arms into the air.
Akito's expression drooped once he eyed Touya. "What's with the glum face?"
Touya shook his head. "Nothing. I've already let it go."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Fine. Well, wanna sing together?"
Touya nodded, materializing a smile. "I'd like that."
Thus, after singing ten songs and critiquing each other's performances, Touya and Akito simply sat still while the rain continued to pummel the roof of the Shinonome household. Touya had forgotten about his perturbation regarding the future, allowing it to be washed away by his vehement desire to sing.
Listening to the sound of the rain, Touya asked, "Akito, do you want to get some water?" He tilted his head.
"Sure," Akito replied while hopping off the bed.
Touya followed suit after Akito and into the kitchen, but he nearly slammed his nose into the flaming forest of Akito's hair when Akito skidded to a halt. "Wait a minute," muttered Akito with a slight undertone of vexation and dubiety. "The cheesecake… Dammit, Ena." Briskly pulling out his phone, the sound of a low, buzzing ring echoed through the room. "Oi. Why'd you eat the last piece of cheesecake?"
"Akito, I don't—"
"This is between us, Touya," Akito whispered.
"Why are you accusing me of eating it?!" groaned Ena from the phone. "I went upstairs right after I took a few pictures of my own slice!"
I don't know what to do, Touya thought while Akito curled his hands into fists.
"Then who else ate it?!"
"Since you're shoving the blame on me, it's definitely you, Akito!"
"Why would I eat my boyfriend's cheesecake?!"
"Why would I eat the cheesecake for your boyfriend that you're so overly protective of?!"
Touya watched as Akito set his phone on the kitchen counter and growled, "I've been singing with him this whole time, so who else ate it? Touya, you didn't eat it, right?" Akito's voice softened tremendously once he gazed up at Touya.
"I didn't eat it," Touya replied.
"You heard him," grumbled Akito.
An exasperated sigh split the air from the audio of the phone. "I didn't eat the cheesecake."
"Neither did I, and neither did Touya, so where did it go?"
"Do you think I know?! Ugh, you're so annoying. Did Mom or Dad do something with it?"
I wonder if I should say something, Touya realized.
"They're not home. So, it's down to you and me. I've been with Touya, s—"
"It wasn't me!" interjected Ena in a visceral, coruscating shout. "Besides, you know I'm trying to lose weight! Akito, if this is a prank…"
"It's not a prank. I—"
Suddenly, the uproarious argument was severed into silence. "I took it," uttered Touya, who entered the kitchen.
"You what?!" simultaneously screeched the shocked Shinonome siblings.
"Touya, you said you didn't eat it," Akito remarked with raised, curious brows.
"I didn't," Touya replied.
"Then…" gasped Akito.
"Where did…" Ena continued.
"It go?" Akito finished.
Touya approached the freezer and pulled it open, extracting the cheesecake container with the missing slice of cheesecake. "I realized I forgot my phone when I took off my shoes, so, before I went to the bathroom, I went downstairs and saw that the cheesecake was still out. So, I put it away." He set the container on the kitchen counter.
Akito stared at the cheesecake container with his mouth slightly agape. "You… Touya, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Touya shrugged. "I guess I wanted to see if you would check the trash or the freezer first. Since the container is gone, I think it can be assumed it would either be in the trash or back in the freezer." He canted his head, resting his chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"So, you're saying I'm dumb?" Akito sighed with a crestfallen countenance as he hung his head.
"Yes," Ena snickered.
"Shut it." Akito vacillated not as he hung up the phone.
"That's not what I'm saying," Touya reassured his partner. "I was curious if you would look around more since the argument was at a dead end." He placed the key lime cheesecake onto a plate and sliced it into three pieces. "But since I didn't say anything. I think it's only fair if you both had some of this last piece." He nodded.
Akito shuffled over to Touya's side. "You sure about that, Cheesecake Thief?"
"Yes." Smiling faintly, Touya silently admired the radiant grandeur of Akito's soft, scheming, playful smile.
"Then I guess I can forgive you," Akito chuckled in a hushed sigh that gradually diminuendoed.
And thus, with the case closed on the cheesecake thief in the Shinonome household, Touya, Akito, and Ena were all treated to the last piece of cheesecake.