#gotou-chan

The sinking feeling in his stomach was back, stronger than ever now that he had re-entered the building. Adrenaline was still pounding through his veins, but rather than exciting him, it was dragging him down.

Each step forward he took felt heavy, as though his body was warning him against going on..

Then he was in his line of sight, again; broken, a lifeless form slack on the dusty floors of the abandoned warehouse.

The figure by his side rushed forward in a rustle of clothing, but he could not see. The only things his mind registered were the cold, hard eyelids shut in eternal rest, blocking from his view the hazel eyes he loved looking into.

"Date-san!" The voice of Hino Eiji reached his ears, and it pulled him rudely out of his trance. Gotou watched as the other Rider rushed forward to shake the figure on the floor with trembling hands, but even though he wanted to approach the duo, he couldn't. His frame had stopped without his command, and in the next moment he jerked back as though in pain.

"Date-san! Date-san!"

He wished he could bring his hands to his ears, because he didn't want to hear- At least Ankh was all silent. Hino was not helping at all..

Then, to his disbelief, the still figure of Date Akira in Hino's grip stirred feebly, and cracked his eyes open.

"I forgot to say something.."

The familiar, heart-stirring voice was all the confirmation Gotou needed, to upset the already irregular beating of his heart.

Stunned, he watched with wide open eyes as the man he had known to be dead since a while ago shook free of Hino's grasp, and propped himself up on one elbow, and locked gaze with him with those brilliant, laughing hazel irises.

"Please transfer the retirement funds into my account," Date managed with a serious expression before breaking down into a smile, shooting a thumbs-up in Gotou's direction.

Gotou stumbled, almost falling back. He could see Hino stunned on the floor, and hear Ankh sniggering behind his back, but nothing really mattered now. Urged by the sudden strength shooting through his frame, he rushed forward to pull Date in his arms..

And was stopped by a pair of stronger hands belonging to none other than Date, held at an arm's length away from the older man by the trembling grip on his shoulders.

"Gotou-chan.." Date sounded almost afraid, for reasons he didn't know..

But he did not want to be stopped anymore. With the last bit of strength he could force into his limbs, Gotou fought past the grasp on his shoulders, and matched Date's lips with his own.

"!!"

The tension in his frame was released in an instant, and Gotou found himself melting into Date's embrace. Parting his lips in a sigh, Gotou almost jumped away in shock as he felt Date's tongue slip into his mouth-

"Nn-"

With a sharp "tsk," Ankh leaped down from the ledge he was sitting on, and proceeded to drag Eiji out of the warehouse with a hand tightly clamped down on the rider's lips.

"Let's go, Eiji."

"N-"

Long after the dull dragging of Eiji's feet faded away, the intertwined couple finally broke apart from their passionate exchange, blinking blankly at each other before looking away.

"Date-san.."

"Shh, Gotou-chan, I know what you want to say."

Matching gaze again, Gotou only had a brief moment to say, "I-" before his lips were captured again by Date.

"-love you too, Gotou-chan."