"—notes to self! Well that's fucking okay, then, obviously, nothing's—what."

"Sorry. I stopped time to give you some space. Haru and Akira didn't come with, there's no one but the two of us."

"You—stopped—Iwasaki what the fuck are you wearing."

Onto his feet again to show it off.

"...you look like a gay magical boy."

"Don't I!"

"I guess a tiny seifuku skirt wouldn't have been your style."

"It really wouldn't have."

Come on, Toshiki, stop bottling it up, let it all out.

"Your partner's clothes are a lot more modest."

"He's a lower-key guy."

"Hard to compete with a primadonna like you."

Okay, time to do some pushing.

"Toshiki, I..."

"Oh spare me, Iwasaki."

"I'm sorry."

"...you're sorry? Why, whatever could you be sorry for? Was it the way you hit it then you quit it for a whole month like it didn't matter? Or the way you decided to break the news that Tokyo is going to be destroyed in a week at the same time as you turned me down, but also it might not matter because you'll go back in time? Was it the way you spent months leading me on and making it feel like, like you cared and like I mattered at all to you—"

"Toshiki you're one of the most important people to me."

"You have a really fucking funny way of showing that, Iwasaki!" He stands up again and—waves a hand in front of Akira's eyes, then Haru's. "What the fuck!"

"Toshiki, I—"

"You suck, Iwasaki. You suck so much. And now there's fucking, fucking freaky wax dolls of my twin and some rando staring at me while I throw a tantrum like a child and you couldn't even give me that? Couldn't even give me some kind of privacy?"

"...I could carry you to the rooftop?"

"Don't touch me," he says, taking a step back.

"...sorry."

He giggles hysterically. "I wanted to tell you. You know? I was going to tell you—right after. And then you left and I didn't hear from you anymore, you might've died for all I knew, and then I was going to tell you today and, and why can't it be me? Why did you—why were you so sweet. Why were you nicer to me than anyone's ever been? If it was all just, just to satisfy some stupid fantasy I, I'm—"

"And you want me to write some fucking notes to self because you can't even be assed to turn me down with your own mouth if I forget. You want me to write myself a note saying that I never mattered and by the way I'm going to die in a month. 

"You suck, Iwasaki. You really, really fucking suck."

No, you know what, he's going to step forward again and hug him.

"Which part of don't touch me did you fail to understand???" he shrieks, trying to pull away.

Yutaka holds fast.

"I'm sorry, Toshiki. I'm sorry I played with you. I'm sorry I made you like me. You're one of my best friends. I shouldn't have done that, I was callous and thoughtless and selfish, I hurt a dear friend, someone who trusted me with something so precious that I just threw away. I'm sorry, Toshiki. I'm sorry I was an awful friend. I'm really, really sorry."

He stops trying to pull away halfway into that and by the end of it he's sobbing openly in Yutaka's arms.

He thinks... this was probably actually better than how it went last time? He can definitely refine his approach but Toshiki having some space for himself, Yutaka thought the restaurant would've been enough but of course it wouldn't have. Toshiki wouldn't have felt comfortable letting it all out then, would've felt like he had to hold back. Yutaka was really inconsiderate for not having thought of that.

"Toshiki—"

"Just shut up and let me cry," he snaps, squeezing Yutaka closer. "...this is a really good hug," he adds with a sob.

Well, he's always happy to be of service, really.

He doesn't cry for that long, all told, and he looks away as soon as he pulls away from the hug. "Do you have a—"

Yutaka offers him a tissue from his buckler.

Toshiki accepts it after a pause. "Didn't expect that. Where were you even putting it, those trousers are too tight to have pockets."

"I have a magic infinite bag and I can duplicate non-magic items approximately endlessly."

"Okay, sure, that might as well happen," he says, then blows his nose. "Fuck, there's no way I can hide this from mum..."

"We're not, like, pressed for time or anything, and I have water if you wanna wash your face or something."

"...yeah. Thanks. God I feel so stupid."

"Toshiki..."

"Like, you? Of all people, you? A guy, and you besides? What the fuck's come over me?"

"Ouch."

"Take it like a man, you deserve it."

"You know exactly how well I can ta—"

"—aaaaaaI should shut up."

"...wow. What the fuck even happened. I've never seen you pass up an opportunity to be a huge homo."

"Well, I..."

"...you what?"

"...kind of got a boyfriend."

"You what."

Shrug.

"How are you going to—is it the magic guy?" he asks, looking at Haru .

"Yeah..."

"Except, but, no, he said he wasn't in the time loop with you?"

"He's, uh, writing a lot of notes to self."

"Dude you can't fuckin' hold a relationship based on notes to self."

"It's... more complicated than that."

"Yeah I bet. ...is he why..."

"No. Not really."

"I never had a chance, did I," he says, and sniffles. "I wasn't even, like, on the radar. I'm so stupid."

"Toshiki, I, I made a mistake—"

"Don't you fucking dare call me a mistake. Or Akira. We're the best fucking decisions you've ever made, you're just too stupid to see it."

He laughs. "There's not gonna be a next loop, we're killing the witch in a week, but... if we don't, I'm bringing both of you into the masquerade day one."

"Whoop de doo, I'll have three extra weeks to make peace with the fact that I'm dying when I'm eighteen years old and the guy I like never even looked at me so I'm having to deal with the entire fucking social scene of Nada High thinking I'm gay for actually no good reason at all. Zero silver lining."

"...do you want another hug."

"I'm good, now that I'm not freaking out anymore what you're wearing is distracting and I'm trying not to feel attracted to you and maybe to stuff all of these gay feelings back where they'll never see the light of day again."

"Toshiki it is not healthy for you to force your feelings into submission like that, you don't want to be like Matsuda Eiji."

"...he's gay??"

"...ah shit."

"Okay I'm going to pretend you didn't just out a guy to me. ...how do you even know—you fucked him didn't you."

"No!"

"Well you did something."

"...maybe a little."

"Freaks me out that you got a boyfriend now, man."

"Mm. You should write that down."

"...what? That it freaks me out that you got a boyfriend? Why?"

"The more you write down the more of—this loop—you'll be able to know next time. If there's a next time. Which there won't be. But if there is."

"Is that what your guy's doing? Writing everything down?"

"He just does that by habit. Knowing about the loop made him be more... thorough. But he already used to do that all the time."

"My fucking God, Iwasaki Yutaka with a stupid boy-in-love grin on his face, will wonders never fucking cease."

"Have I ever told you you swear too much?"

"What's it to ya, you're not my boyfriend, you don't gotta kiss this mouth."

"I guess that's a healthier attitude. ...should I resume time, or...?"

"You said you had water, I am not going to return to real time without at least washing my face but I need to make sure I don't look like shit. Do phones work here? Yes they do." He starts looking at himself on the front camera. "Good thing I didn't wear mascara tonight."

"...you wear mascara?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

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