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He was clearly drunk. How his partner ended up like this was beyond him, but it happened and it was too late to do anything about it.
"Alright bud." Akito slings his partner's arm around his shoulder, helping him walk outside, the cold air hitting their faces.
"I'm bringing you home." Akito slides Toya into the passengers seat as he leans over, whining.
"Noo..." Toya whispers. "I was having fun..."
Akito rarely saw Toya in a state like this, but when he did, he knew Toya had drank a lot. He didn't get drunk very easily.
The ginger wonders if Toya had a bad day as he sits down in the driver's seat. He decides to ask, because while he hates to pry, Toya's more likely to tell the truth given his current state.
"Did'ja have a bad day today dude? You normally don't drink this much when we go out." The car starts as Akito eases his foot on the gas pedal, starting to navigate his way home.
"I want to go back to Azusawa and Shiraishi and Kiritani. They know the truth." Toya slumps onto the center console, eyes glossy.
The truth? "Oh? And I don't?" Akito jokes, but deep down he wants to know the truth. Whatever that be.
"No. You couldn't handle it." Toya's head bumps into Akito's elbow. "The truth."
"You're a sad drunk, has anyone ever told you that?"
"No, people don't tell me things like that except for you Shinonome."
Okay. What the hell was Toya on about. "Shinonome?"
"I don't know why I call you Akito. I mean, I personally think we're close but we aren't that close maybe. I don't even remember asking if you were comfortable with me calling you by your first name."
Toya is rambling at this point, but Akito's too enamored to get him to stop.
"And I don't want to assume you feel the same because I'm too nervous to be upfront about it. Pathetic, isn't it?"
Akito takes a moment to ponder before responding. He didn't want to accidentally say anything to enable this rhetoric, so he had to think.
"Well I think we're close. We've known each other for ages, and I feel closer to you than anyone else really."
"But how do I know you aren't just saying that?" Toya shifts himself in his seat to where the back of his head his resting on the center console and his legs are proped up on the seat. "People tell people things they don't mean all the time."
"Hm." Akito purses his lips. "While that may be true, it doesn't mean that I'm lying."
"You aren't inherently a lier, Shinonome."
Akito furrows his brows. "Toya. Just call me by my name."
"I don't think I deserve to do that."
They drive a few minutes in silence before they stop at a red light. Akito turns to looks at Toya, but when he does he's met with a crying mess.
"Toya, what's wrong?"
Toya sniffles, wiping his tears away, "I- I'm sorry. I don't know what's come over me I just feel..."
"How do you feel Toya?"
Toya takes to long to respond, so when the light turns green, Akito finds an empty parking lot to turn into.
He parks and turns off the car, "Toya how do you feel?"
"I don't even know how to describe it, emotion-wise."
"Then don't." Akito shrugs, turning in his seat to face Toya. "Describe how you feel physically."
Toya blinks, the tears still falling as he looks up at Akito. "I guess..."
He swallows. "I guess I have this feeling in my stomach. It's a dull pain that feels like I have something bad growing inside me. And then this achy feeling in my heart. I don't even know why."
Akito's hand travels to run through Toya's silky blue hair, "Sounds like you're feeling anxious about something. Or guilty. I dunno, that's how I feel when I get like that."
"Well obviously but that doesn't help much." Toya's tone was a little sharp but Akito ignored it, figuring it was just a side affect of his intoxication.
"Well any ideas about who? Or what?" Akito's hand keeps running through Toya's hair.
Toya frowns as he nods up and down, keeping eye contact with his partner. "Yeah I know exactly who and it makes me feel awful."
"Do you know why?"
"You're not my therapist." Toya says slowly, words slightly more slurred than before.
"You don't have a therapist, Toya." Akito's seemingly loving tone seems to catch Toya off guard.
The bluenette sinks a little further into his seat as Akito had to lean forward just to keep eye contact with him. "Still."
"Toya."
"Hm?"
"Get out of the car."
Toya sits up to protest, but Akito's already outside. Toya trudges out of his seat as Akito makes his way to the other side of the car.
"Why're we standin'?" Toya asks, unsatisfied.
The younger wraps his arms around Toya, pulling him into a tight embrace. "You never have to feel like this alone." He pauses. "I'm always here."
"But it's you." Toya mumbles into the crook of Akito's neck. "I love you."
Akito's eyes go wide as he pulls Toya a bit closer.
He's drunk. I shouldn't do anything.
"I love you too man." Akito responds, "Always have."
"No not like that." Toya shakes his head. "I like like you Akito. Like I wanna go on dates with you and give you flowers and kiss you and it feels like stabbing pains in me."
Akito doesn't know what to say or do. So he just starts talking. "I love you too. Still. Like that. But right now you're drunk, and I'm not going to do anything because consent means nothing while under the influence. So."
He takes a step back, "Come to me tommorow, and if you feel the same we can go on a date together. A real one."
Toya's eyes seem to light up at this. "Really?"
"Yes, really." Akito chuckles.
"And you aren't jus' pitying me?"
"Get in the damn car Toya."
"Akito?" A voice whispers, waking the ginger up.
He sits up, "Eh...? Toya?"
Toya stands still in his pajamas as he clings to the doorway, eyes glued to the floor and red as pen ink. "D- Did I remember last night correctly...?"
"What?"
"My head hurts like hell, and I'm extremely sore but... I'm not drunk anymore?"
Akito blinks. Oh? OH!
"Sorry, this is awkward, I—"
"Toya, give me a few minutes to get ready." Akito grins.
The wide smile Toya has on his face as he shuts Akito's door is everything to him.