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It was just a peaceful night. It wasn’t raining, it was perfect weather with a bit of chilly winds, but it was tolerable. Akito was walking on the sidewalks, embracing the atmosphere. He was near Vivid Street, but he wasn’t walking towards it. There were alleyways near, and he walked past them, sometimes glancing at some of them. He managed to glance at the right alleyway when he saw a familiar face sitting alone in an alleyway. He stopped when he saw that face.
An Shiraishi, one of his teammates, was sitting in an alleyway alone. One of her legs was up, with her arms wrapping around that leg, while the other one was down, and she looked down. Her expression was unreadable. Akito decided to walk near her. At a closer glance, she looked worried about something. Akito chose to sit next to her.
“Hey.” Akito greets. An looks at him. Her eyes look tired. Her eyes were slightly red, and she had a flushed expression. “Oh, hi, Akito.” An’s voice was smaller. They sat there for a moment, in silence. “Are you okay? You look down at something.” Akito asked, out of concern. An’s lips started slightly trembling. “Uhm… Akito, I have a question.” An forcefully gets the words out of her mouth. Akito was willing to listen. “What is it?”
“How would you feel if I weren’t here anymore?” Akito was surprised at the question. It was unlikely for An to ask a question like that, but he could tell An genuinely wanted the answer to it. He let out a sigh. “It wouldn’t be the same without you, and I would be sad.” An just looked more down. “Is that even true?” Akito looked at An. Her figure is now trembling a bit.
“Is it true that it wouldn’t be the same without me? The world will just leave me behind…” She buries her head in her knee. Akito took An’s free hand. “It is true.” Akito takes a pause and gathers his words. But before he could say anything, a breeze blew by, and it was quite chilly. An shivered a bit, considering the fact she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, with her jacket off her shoulders and on her arms. “Put your jacket on, it’s a bit cold,” Akito suggests. An just stared at her jacket sleeves. “Why do you care about that?” She asks, her voice still small. “I don’t want you getting sick,” Akito replies. “You don’t need to care so much… I’m alright.” An reassures, but it doesn’t work on Akito.
Akito pulls up An’s sleeves to her shoulders and even zips up her jacket. “Well, I care.” An was surprised at the sudden gesture. “Why? You’ll leave me someday anyway.” An started welling up with tears. Akito was surprised at the response. An squeezed Akito’s hand a bit harder. It screamed a message to him.
“Please, don’t leave me.”
Akito let out a deep breath again. “An, could I be honest?” She nodded, trying to wipe the tears welling up in her eyes.
“To me, you’re my happiness. You are such a kind soul to everyone you know, and you have such infectious energy. When you sing, you radiate an energy that motivates me a lot. Not only to me, but to Kohane, Toya, and everyone else, you are the pillar of this group. You’re an important member of this group. So, An, I would never leave you. To leave someone behind when you have the same goal is just wrong.” Akito thought it sounded a bit corny, but he was at least genuinely honest. An was speechless. But, she felt… warm and reassured. All of a sudden, tears were streaming down her face. “You mean all of that…?” An sniffles. Akito smiles at her. “I mean all of it.” Akito moves closer to An and puts his arm around her. An sobs into his shoulder.
Akito was somewhat glad he was walking around that time, or An would’ve hid this pain for god knows how long. The sobs she sobbed were genuine, real, but he could tell she held back some of them. An lifted her head from Akito’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She says, her voice shaking a little. An’s eyes were still filled with tears, and her eyes became a more visible shade of red. Akito turns to An and wipes them with his sleeves. “It’s alright, I’m glad I found you.” Akito stands up and offers his hand to her. She takes the hand and slowly gets up. They’re still holding hands after that.
“Why’d you ask that question though?” Akito asks, curious. An pauses for a moment. “I just had a nightmare… of all of you leaving me because I guess I was just a useless, hopeless singer in the end. I don’t know if I’m a good partner or if I’m a good teammate in general.” In Akito’s mind, that wasn’t true at all. But it would be hard for An to even believe it herself. He didn’t really know how to comfort An in this state. But, he guessed that presence and someone to listen was all she needed.
Akito just walked closer to An and offered a hug. An took it and started crying again. Akito whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry, I will never leave you. I got you. I promise.” She heard the message, and she felt warm. She started sobbing even more, but it was muffled because she buried her head into his shoulder. Her whole body was trembling. But they both embraced the feeling. The feeling of both comfort and warmth.
After a while, they pulled away. Akito noticed An was still shaky, and she felt unsure. She also seemed really tired. He knew he couldn’t leave An in this state, who knows if she might have that horrible nightmare again? He wouldn’t be able to stop it or even comfort her after she had it. He let out a sigh. “Wanna come home with me and stay over?” An looked up at him. “Are you sure?” Akito smiled a bit. “Yeah, you seemed shook up.” An hesitated a bit. She wanted to still keep that comforting feeling in her chest. She murmurs, “I’d love to…”
Akito caught it on time. “Alright, let’s go.” An froze. “Wait, what—” He nodded once. “We’re going to my house.” An froze again. “Are you sure I wouldn’t be an intrusion?” Akito nods. “Both my parents are sleeping, and Ena’s probably dozing off or something.” An huffed faintly, but exchanged a slight smile. “Alright… thanks.” They both exchanged soft smiles with each other. “Before we start walking, can we…?” An asks, hesitantly, but opens her hand. Akito chuckles a bit. “Sure.” He takes An’s hand, and they start walking out of the alleyway. It was… warm. An felt reassured.
While walking and still keeping their hands linked, Akito asked a question. “What about your parents? I just realized.” An thought about it. “I think my parents think I’m sleeping. Luckily, they don’t check to see if I’m sleeping.” Akito huffed a bit. “Isn’t that a bit weird?” An slightly smiled. “To be fair, it’s mostly for safety purposes. I mean, your kid might fall asleep somewhere random and get sick. So, I don’t really blame them, but I agree with you.” Akito teased her. “You would’ve gotten sick if I didn’t find you.” An froze, but not physically. “I would’ve eventually gotten home… but later than now.” He chuckled a bit. “I guess I got lucky.” They both exchanged slight smiles once again.
They got to Akito’s house. The door opens slightly. As expected, the whole house is dark. An hesitates at the entrance a bit. Akito looks back at her. “You’re fine, come in.” Still taking each other’s hand, An stepped through the doorway. They both took off their shoes. Akito turned on the dim lamp in the living room. They both sat down on the couch.
They both collectively took a deep breath and chuckled. “Thanks for letting me into your house.” An spoke, voice low. “Not a problem, you’re not alone here,” Akito reassures. An softly smiles. “What do I wear, though?” An tilts her head slightly. Akito turns his head to the other couch. (Knew it.) There was a stack of clothes, Ena’s specifically. He spots pajamas in the pile, folded, and they are blue, what a coincidence. Akito carefully let go of An’s hand and grabbed the blue pajamas out of the pile. “These, these are Ena’s, but I bet she’ll forget about them the next day. They should be able to fit you.”
“Would she be okay with me using these?” An takes the pajamas out of his hand, a bit concerned. “Eh, she wouldn’t mind. Again, she’ll just forget again. And I barely see her wear these anyway.” Akito crosses his arms. An was still a bit hesitant, but accepted them. “You could change in the bathroom, it’s upstairs to your right.” An nods. They both head upstairs, quietly.
Akito knocks on the bathroom door. An walks out, with the clothes she wore earlier in hand. She yawns, covering her mouth. Akito softly smiles. “Alright, let’s sleep.” Akito holds An’s waist, she didn’t mind it. It made her feel safe. They walk to Akito’s room. He closes the door behind them. “Are we… both sleeping in your bed?” An asks, voice soft. “I mean, it’s the most comfortable for both of us. Unless you don’t want to.” It was a quiet moment. “Alright…” She yawns again. Akito turns on his lamp dimly. He gets into his bed first, then An comes in.
An exhales, letting go of anything she was thinking of. She faces Akito. Akito faces her. After a moment, An moves closer to Akito and rests her head on his shoulder. “Sorry… you just feel comfortable.” He didn’t mind. “It’s alright, as long as you feel comfortable.” Their hands both brush against each other at first, but find each other in the end and grasp each other under the blankets. They both embrace in this warm feeling. “I won’t be going anywhere, you’re safe,” Akito reassures once again. An smiles softly, genuinely.
An’s breathing steadied. It signaled that she fell asleep. Akito moves the hair from her face. She looks peaceful, like all the stress from her mind just washed away. Their hands are still held together, and her head is still resting on Akito’s shoulder. She felt safe, now, she knew Akito wasn’t gonna leave her side no matter what. The winds were blowing softly, it was like a song. Akito sighed and just started to relax his eyes. He moved closer to An and whispered, “Don’t worry, you’re safe here. I’ll stay by your side, I won’t leave you.” Akito drifted off to sleep, still feeling the warm presence.
As if it were by coincidence, An squeezed his hand more and grew a slight smile on her face.