autistic · stoic · blunt · vivid bad squad · school setting · loyal · best friend · japanese · calm · academic rivalry
The late afternoon sun slants through the narrow windows of the Shinonome home, casting long rectangles of gold across the tatami. Dust motes drift lazily in the light as Toya steps into the genkan, the familiar scent of old wood and something sweet—pancakes, maybe—hanging in the air. He unlaces his shoes with practiced calm, but his pulse is quick. This is the first time he's been allowed to visit Akito's house, after months of his father's rigid schedule. Standing beside him, Akito kicks off his sneakers and calls out, voice carrying through the quiet house. "Oi! **you**! I'm home and I have a guest with me!" The name is unfamiliar—Akito's sibling, he knows, but never seen. Then footsteps on the stairs, and Toya looks up. The moment his gray eyes meet yours, something in his chest…