#akitoya

This very short comic was inspired by the goated manga Love Bullet, created by Inee. Akito here is a cupid (a human that dies before they fall in love may become reborn as cupids. They're usually invisible to the human eye) whilst Toya is a happy and healthy human. The modern day cupids use guns to make others fall in love with whoever they're looking at; if a cupid is shot, however, they're filled with overwhelming jealousy of a human's ability to fall in love.

There was something in the air here in Shibuya that Toya just couldn’t find in Vienna. Perhaps it was the familiar streets that he knew like the back of his hand. Perhaps it was the friendly smiles and waves from the people he’d known all his life. Perhaps it was simply the welcoming atmosphere of his hometown.

Or perhaps it was the one person here that Toya truly called his home.

In the years that he had spent in Vienna for university, Toya had discovered that home could be a person rather than a place. Toya had never known he could miss someone as much as he missed Akito, had never considered just how different his life would be without that constant grounding presence beside him. He deeply valued the time he’d spent abroad and everything he’d learned during his studies but his time in Vienna was up and he longed to return to the arms of the man he loved.

The plane ride had been rough without Akito there to comfort and distract him but the familiar Shibuya air was already beginning to soothe Toya’s senses. And yet he yearned for that comfort that he lacked and wouldn’t settle until he was within his embrace at long last, and on a lovely Shibuya evening like this he knew just where to find him.

The heat of the coffee warmed his heart and soothed his soul as it traveled down Akito’s throat. It was a quiet night at Weekend Garage, the evening rush having already passed, leaving the regulars to relish the cozy atmosphere. It was just what Akito needed on a night like tonight where his body was present but his thoughts lay somewhere far off with someone miles away.

“Another cup?” An asked from where she stood on the opposite side of the counter, brushing her hands off with her apron.

Swallowing his final sip, Akito slid his mug across the counter to her. “Just one,” he said. “Probably shouldn’t be drinking coffee this late anyway.”

An laughed as she poured his refill. “Dad’s not even here right now but I can totally hear him making some dumb joke,” she giggled. “‘It’s never too late for coffee’ or some shit.”

Akito chuckled as he accepted his refilled drink. “Y’know, if you’re gonna take over this place someday then you gotta get better at Ken-level humor.”

“Hey, you better watch how you speak to me! I have the power to put salt in your coffee!” An wagged a finger at him but there was no real bite to her words. She then leaned against the counter, her chin resting on her palm as she gazed at him. “You’ve seemed a little distant today,” she observed.

Akito rolled his eyes. Way to change the subject, An. He swirled his coffee, watching as the foam twirled and spiraled on its surface. “Surely you already know.”

An nodded with a triumphant hum, tracing a finger along the handle of Akito’s mug. “Kohane’s already been home from university for, like, a week or two now,” she pointed out, “so surely Toya should be home soon, right?”

“Yeah, sure,” Akito nodded with a sigh, sipping at his drink. “I just don’t know exactly when and I’m getting tired of waiting.”

“Oh, don’t you worry your gay little head,” An teased, reaching across the counter to ruffle the fluffy ginger locks of Akito’s hair. “Any day now, I’m sure. Until then you’ll just have to keep hanging out with me!”

Akito snickered at his friend’s shenanigans. “Great, we’ll see if my sanity’s still intact by the time he gets back.”

He elicited a small “ouch” when An tugged at his bangs in retaliation. But despite the antics that they shared, Akito was forever grateful for the comfort and encouragement that An’s friendship brought and the soothing atmosphere that her family and Weekend Garage provided him.

An had moved on to wipe off the surface of the countertop by the time that Akito was finishing his drink when the welcoming jingle of the bell above the door rang throughout the café. Akito and An both turned to check the clock, somewhat surprised to find a new customer arriving at this time of night, and Akito noticed the way that An’s face lit up when she looked over to see who it was.

Curious, Akito shifted in his seat, turning around to peer at the door. Standing there with a suitcase by his side just within the threshold under the warm café lights was the very someone who had flown off with a piece of Akito’s heart.

Akito’s barstool skidded across the floor as he jumped to his feet and in hardly a moment he’d traipsed the entire length of the café to bundle Toya up into his arms, burying his face into that smooth blue hair that he’d so dearly missed combing his fingers through.

The soft chuckle that slipped from Toya’s lips tickled Akito’s ear as his arms snaked their way around Akito’s waist. “Hello to you, too.”

Nuzzling against Toya’s temple, Akito breathed in the essence of the man who had never left his heart no matter the distance between them. “You asshole,” he muttered, his fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of Toya’s neck. “Why didn’t you tell me when you were coming back?”

Toya simply shrugged and Akito could feel him smiling against the skin of his shoulder. “Surprise.”

Pulling away just enough to see Toya’s face, Akito quirked an eyebrow up at him. “Surprise or psychological torture?”

There was little remorse in Toya’s expression and Akito was powerless against that grin dancing across his lips. “You don’t seem too upset.”

Akito rolled his eyes though he was losing miserably against the urge to mirror his boyfriend’s smile. “Don’t test me, Toya.”

Toya let out a laugh, the sound setting Akito’s entire being ablaze, melting away at the walls of his heart. He gazed at Akito with twinkling gray eyes, his arms remaining firm around Akito’s waist. “I missed you.”

Akito could no longer maintain the facade of annoyance. He let it fall and shatter to pieces against the café floor, the flames igniting within his heart threatening to engulf him as he drew Toya closer to himself once again. “I missed you, too.”

As Akito raised himself upon his toes, Toya leaned down just slightly to meet him halfway, capturing his lips in a wistful kiss, months of unshared emotions and time spent apart culminating into one moment. Akito poured everything into the kiss, everything he’d felt and yearned and desired but was unable to share over those many long months until the moment they finally pulled apart, tangled up in each other’s arms unwilling to let each other go for even a single second more.

Akito had waited long enough and he wasn’t about to let another moment go by without Toya within his grasp.