everyone being afraid of masumi's wrath, and sakyo not giving a damn.
There’s a general unspoken rule at Mankai Company: “do not let Masumi learn of the nice things you normally do for the director”. The only one foolish enough to go against said unspoken rule might be Kazunari, who seems completely unaffected by Masumi’s intense affections, and perhaps Omi, who might be unaware of the unspoken rule. It was hard to gauge because Omi had a habit of saying whatever nice things out of his mouth, without filter, whatsoever. That usually involved semi-flirtatious comments under his breath during cooking hours, as witnessed by the children, and mostly Taichi, around the director. Whether Omi’s aware of the comments remains a topic of debate among the younger ones.
It was hard to ignore said unspoken rule, however, when the director herself randomly inserted the subject during conversations in the vicinity of Masumi, who is never far away from her.
“Speaking of-,” Izumi turned around from her position on the couch, blinking at Itaru, seated across from her, his fingers flying fast over his smartphone. “Thanks for taking me out on a drive the other night! I-”
There was a sudden drop of room temperature as Masumi, sitting right next to the director, suddenly directed a dangerous look towards Itaru. Izumi continued elaborating about the fact that Itaru took her out to dinner the other night, at a curry place near his office, and consequently spent the rest of the evening merely driving around the city.
Itaru could feel himself sweating, but pointedly ignored Masumi’s glare. “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about director.”
Izumi gave him a dumbfounded look. “What? But you clearly-”
Itaru suddenly stood up, announcing that a raid was about to start in three minutes, and he suddenly needed to go, missing the disappointed expression on Izumi's face. Meanwhile, Masumi was muttering threats of bodily harm under his breath, and Itaru figured he should lock the door tonight, just in case.
“Oh! That’s right!,” Izumi squirmed excitedly in her seat, as if she finally remembered something important. “Tsumugi, thank you for the flowers today! They were really cu-”
Masumi suddenly blinked his eyes open from his nap, and gave Tsumugi a hard stare across the dining table. Tsumugi could feel himself shrinking a little.
“I wasn’t in the garden today at all, director,” Tsumugi blurted out, his eyes darting nervously away, at a point in the distance.
Izumi gave him a confused look. “But-”
A figure suddenly stepped into the open kitchen and dining area, sweat dripping down his arms and shirt. It was Tasuku, who was back from his evening jog.
“Tasuku,” Tsumugi stood, his chair scraping loudly on the floor. “I need to talk to you about something important.”
Before Tasuku could respond, Tsumugi quickly steered him away from the kitchen, ignoring Tasuku’s protests about wanting to drink water, his reason for stepping in there in the first place. Likewise, Tsumugi completely missed the pout forming on Izumi’s lips as soon as he left.
There were more instances of this, the boys suddenly pleading memory loss whenever Izumi recalled something thoughtful they’d done for her. For the most part, Izumi found it odd; but they were excellent actors enough that suspicion could be averted once in awhile, and Masumi could be convinced. However, they still made sure their bedroom doors were locked that night.
Sakyo was aware of all of this, and he didn't give a damn what the boy thought.
Izumi was currently fitting the red scarf he gave her around her throat, carefully making sure it was secured loosely but comfortably. He was aware that he'd been watching her like an idiot for the last two minutes now, as she properly fitted her winter gear before heading out into the cold January weather, but he couldn't help himself.
Izumi grabbed her pink purse from the floor, sliding it on one shoulder, and grabbing her mittens. She was slipping them on when she turned around, and gave him a smile.
"Thanks for the scarf, Sakyo-san."
"You're welcome."
Masumi, standing right next to him, and also watching Izumi leave for her errands for the day, suddenly froze at the implication of those words. Then Masumi gave him a hard glare. Sakyo resisted the urge to smirk.
"I'll see you later, you two."
Izumi stepped out, completely ignorant of the brewing tension between the two men she left behind at the door.
that genre of sakyoizu where sakyo realizes that he still loves izumi dearly, and her smile sets such a disastrous hurricane in his heart, and her kindness warms up his entire soul.
and he can't wait to see her every morning intruding into the kitchen with an energetic greeting, and he anticipates every evening when they do the paperwork, so he can chat with her in the meantime about trivial things.
and he loves all those moments when he feels loved by her, because spending life with her on a daily basis is the biggest miracle that could've happened in his life.
Hi hiiii ooh ask game! if you haven't done them sakyoizu aand homatasu? mwah 💕
em!! hope you've been doing well 💖 thanks for the ask!! blank template can be found here!
sakyoizu
THEY'RE REALLY REALLY CUTE I LOVE THE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS DYNAMIC god childhood loves really hit different istg 🥺 tho idk if it's cute or sad that sakyo's still pining for over 20 years akndsjk but i kinda get it, you don't really get over your childhood love if you have one i think 🥲 and godd that scene in the anime where he cages her in against the theatre seats WHEWW I SCREAMED AND PUNCHED MY DESK AND SOBBED AKJDNSKDS IT'S SOOOOOO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH *screams into the void* and the scene in the autumn & winter movie where izumi gets her purse snatched and banri and juza chase after the robber while sakyo hangs back to make sure she's okay,, the way he looks at her with worry mixed with anger at the robber is sooooooo 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 GOD i love me a protective man 🥹👌🏻
tho admittedly compared to bansaku i don't have as many brainworms about them. maybe that's bc sakyo isn't my fave character (don't get me wrong he's cool and he has his purpose in the story! my brain just alternates between rotting over banri, kazu, tsuzu, azami, kumon, itaru, and any other secret 7th blorbo of the week) so i don't think about him as much and thus i don't think about sakyoizu as much. i'd 10000% read a sakyoizu fic and ugly sob into my pillow,,, i've read a few really cute ones and i wanted to eat my pillow waaaaugh they're so cute 🥺
oh yeah the dot on "angst and drama" is bc while i don't see them having HELLA angst i feel like there's still some potential for it bc of the "pining for 20 years" thing and sakyo's complex about his age, like maybe he thinks it's too late for him to start dating, or maybe he doesn't want to get izumi caught up in his yakuza work bc he loves her so much ;;;;;;;;;;;;
homatasu
i know fuyupoly's a thing but i didn't know homare and tasuku were shipped as an individual unit. it's an interesting ship and i can see the appeal, like the whole opposites attract thing with homare being eccentric and proud of it while tasuku's more grounded and serious. i read 'dance with butterfly' and i quite enjoyed their dynamic in it, it was interesting to see how different they were and how they had to work to meet in the middle in order to understand each other and make the play a success (kinda like masumi and itaru in 'alex in wonderland' now that i think about it) tho at the end of it they still don't fully get each other bc they play that game where they have to say the same answer but they ended up saying different things, BUT they accepted that they're different and are okay with it which is! neat! also them swapping clothes to try and understand each other better was hilarious akjsdks homare looked good in tasuku's Just Some Guy outfit
i'm not opposed to reading a fic of them if the tags and summary are enticing (and if some of my other ships are in it too) like i'd read a fic of almost any ship as long as it's ethical and the premise is interesting! it's just that when it comes to these two, i prefer shipping them with others (tasuku with azuma and homare with hisoka hehe <3) but i enjoy their dynamic all the same
AITA for asking my childhood crush to revive her dad's old theatre troupe or pay me back another way?
I (30m) recently bumped into my crush (24f) unexpectedly and under less than ideal circumstances. Her father used to direct at a theatre company but left without saying why a few years ago and the quality of the performances declined, leaving the company to go bankrupt. Since I have the financial means, I have been donating to the current manager in hopes of reviving the company, but recently realised it was futile. I was about to start demolition when she asked me to stop, saying she would find new actors and revive the company herself. Flustered, I agreed (with some conditions) as I really don't have the means to continue funding a wasted effort, but am reluctant to see the theatre go because it holds a lot of sentimental value to me and I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. However, I feel I might have been too forward with my proposal and angered a teenage boy she had recruited. I do feel like I should receive some sort of compensation for all these years of support I've given, especially since I grew up poor and understand the value of money and am also devastated that something that once inspired me as a child is potentially going to be gone for good. AITA?
Azami & Sakyo, discussed SakyoIzu. Fatherood/families of choice. Rated T for very mild implications of sexual content. 765 words. Read on AO3 or here!
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“Bon. Are you worried I’ll abandon you once the baby comes?”
The old man is as tactful as ever – that is to say, not at all. Azami lets out an annoyed sigh. He’s tempted to respond with some snarky remark like it really wouldn’t be abandonment, it’d just be you finally leaving me alone, Kusosakyo. He’s tempted to brush him off and change the subject. He’s tempted to ignore the statement all together.
He’s tempted to be a brat about it.
But he’s seventeen – on his way to becoming a “fine young man”, or something like that. He really ought to face this like an adult.
“A little bit, yeah,” he says. “But it’s really not a big deal.”
[rest under the cut!]
And that’s the truth – he really is just a little bit worried about this whole thing. He can’t blame Sakyo for blowing this out of proportion, though. He had a right to be concerned, since Azami stormed out of the room in fury once Sakyo and Izumi told him she was pregnant.
He knew that he reacted poorly to the news, but what else was he supposed to do? Sakyo had just admitted to having… relations… outside of marriage! That was the biggest concern! At the very least he would be marrying her before the child was born, but it still wasn’t right.
Ugh. Now he had that image in his head again. He really did not want to think about Sakyo and… that… any longer than he had to. So he made his peace with it, and he had decided to no longer be upset about it. Anything to keep that topic off his mind.
So putting the fact the child was conceived out of wedlock aside… he was happy for them. They both seemed pretty happy about the whole thing, and he was sure having a baby was going to make the Mankai Company a hell of a lot more lively. It was something to look forward to.
And yeah, a part of him dreaded how this could change his relationship with Sakyo. But that was stupid. He was going to have a goddamned baby to look after soon enough – of course things were going to change. That’s just how life worked.
“Tch. I’ll decide if it’s a big deal or not,” Sakyo says. Ugh, why did Azami think this was going to be easy? “Come, sit with me.”
Azami sighs and rolls his eyes, but he does as he’s told, sitting down on the sofa next to Sakyo.
“I know that I’m not the best at talking about this sort of stuff,” he says. His expression is infuriatingly vague behind those glasses of his – he thinks there’s a hint of sadness in his eyes, but he really can’t be sure. “But for a while now, I’ve thought of you as a son.”
Huh.
That probably should have hit him harder. Turned his world upside down. But it really didn’t – him admitting it was a comfort more than it was a shock. He supposes that he already knew, deep down. He just didn’t want to admit it.
(for a while now, he’s thought of Sakyo as a father.)
“I know I haven’t always been the best guardian, but I - I did try. You will – you will always matter a great deal to me.” It’s almost funny, seeing Sakyo choke out his emotions like this. Yeah, funny. The tears that are welling up in Azami’s eyes are from laughter, he’s sure of it. Hysterical. “If you’d feel up for it – you’re more than welcome to call this kid your little sibling.”
Oh. Now isn’t that something to think about? A chubby little baby with the Director’s smile and Sakyo’s eyes, held softly in his own arms. His little sibling.
When he starts to cry, he allows himself to do so. Even if it’s totally going to ruin his eyeliner. Crying over a new baby sibling is acceptable – far more so then crying over Sakyo.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Azami sniffles out. “That… that means a lot to me.”
Sakyo smiles slightly. “I’m glad to hear it. I’m not going to replace your spot in my family with this child, bon. I’m just adding another member. You didn’t think you could escape Kusosakyo that easily, did you?”
Azami snorts. “If only I could be so lucky.”
But really, he knows the truth. He is pretty damn lucky, isn’t he?
Well, he better work on becoming that “fine young man” everybody thinks he is. He’ll have to set a good example as a big brother, after all.
Summary: After a heavy night of drinking, Sakyo makes a confession that leaves Izumi questioning her feelings and their relationship.
Warnings: Drinking I guess, this is mostly just fluff though.
Words: 4088
A/N: Let's pretend for a moment that I didn't dissapear off the face of the earth and appreciate that I finally sat down and wrote something.
Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43330416
“Ah, this is nice.” Izumi’s eyes were turned to the young autumn troupe members celebrating the success of their latest play, faces bright with the afterglow of a perfect closing night.
“Indeed” Sakyo allowed his gaze to linger on her, a grin spreading across her face as she shared in their joy. It had been quite the journey, but DEAD/UNDEAD was undoubtedly a rewarding experience for the troupe as well as the audience.
Despite Sakyo’s skepticism about Azami joining the troupe, the boy proved himself truly passionate for the art of theatre, filling him with a sense of pride he probably had no right to be feeling.
“Here’s to many more successful productions!” Izumi turned back to Sakyo, glass raised high, threatening to spill wine all over the dorm’s balcony.
“I’ll drink to that.” Their glasses met, sealing their unspoken promises to continue working hard to make Mankai a success.
After a few toasts were made with all the members, Izumi had suggested she and Sakyo step away for a glass of wine, as a moment away from the liveliness (chaos) transpiring inside. In spite of his best judgment, he couldn’t help but cherish the quite moments he got to spend with her, filling him with hope despite knowing his feelings were unrequited.
“Hey, Sakyo?” it was hard to remain composed when she looked at him with that smile of hers that he had long ago engraved in his memory. He took a long sip of his drink.
“Yes?”
“I know you take your role as finance manager of the troupe seriously, but you should always remember that you’re part of this too. You helped make this play happen so, as your director, thanks for another amazing run!” The dignified thing to do in that moment would have been to smile and nod, but Sakyo’s throat went dry and the wine he had been drinking did backflips inside his throat.
“Sakyo! Are you okay?” Izumi’s hand shot up, throwing a few slaps to his back, trying to put the drink back on its course down his esophagus. The sudden contact seemed to have the opposite effect. As your director…
“I’m- It’s- fi-ine” he managed to say between coughs. Izumi didn’t seem convinced, insisting he drink some water.
“Be more careful! I’m going to need you if I’m to bring Mankai to new heights.” It was comments like this that made Sakyo’s heart skip a beat, making him momentarily forget that she could only ever be his director, or his coworker, depending on what role he was filling at any given moment. However, his logic would soon kick in to remind him to get his act together and stop acting like a teenager with a crush.
He needed more wine.
“That’s - why it’s- imperative – to…” Before Sakyo could finish his admittedly broken sentence, his head fell on the table, a loud bang making everyone’s heads turn.
“Okay, I think it’s time for bed!” Izumi didn’t hesitate before pulling the drunken man up from his chair, trying her best to distribute his weight on her arms, practically carrying him towards his room.
“What’s up with him?” Banri was the first to notice Izumi passing by, her arms around his fellow troupe member.
“He had a little too much to drink.” Omi, Taichi and Azami appeared from the stairwell, carrying more snacks.
“I thought he could handle his alcohol. Just how much did he drink?” Concern was written all over Omi’s face as he looked at Sakyo’s sorry state, head slumped and cheeks flushed.
“I’m not sure, I thought he would be fine but I guess even a yakuza has his limits.” She said, adjusting her grip on his shoulders.
“Should I take him to his room?” Omi offered, setting aside a plate of freshly cooked snacks.
“It’s okay, I got him. You guys enjoy your night, you deserve it after so many performances.” She was moving towards the stairs before anyone could protest.
“That stupid old man, getting drunk like that…” Azami’s words were mumbled as he looked at Sakyo with an exasperated expression.
Izumi could still hear the liveliness of the party behind her as she led Sakyo downstairs, occasionally sneaking a look to his face. She realized then that she had never seen Sakyo more relaxed than now, half asleep in her arms. He had always kept her at arm’s length, as if he was afraid of getting too close.
She pushed those thoughts away before the evolved into something she didn’t want to face and focused at the task at hand.
“What’s… happening?” His eyes seemed hazy when he looked at her, still heavy from the alcohol.
“You drank too much, that’s what happened. I thought you of all people would know your limits.” It was true that this was the last thing she had expected from him, although she wasn’t as upset as she sounded, mainly because she enjoyed seeing another side of the usually stern and professional yakuza.
“Izumi?” her words were clearly landing on deaf ears, his brain too fuzzy to process the situation.
“That’s right.” He shook his head as if he hadn’t heard her.
“Can’t be.. Izumi… never holds me… like this.” He sighed and his expression in that moment made Izumi see loneliness in his expression she hadn’t noticed before that night.
“Sometimes… I wish that she would.” Sakyo’s statement stopped her dead in her tracks, hitting like a bucket of cold water.
“S-Sakyo?” she tried to jolt him awake, make him explain why he would say this now, but he had fallen back in deep sleep and wasn’t budging.
His words kept replaying in Izumi’s mind even after she had left him in his room and locked herself in hers, trying to make sense of her conflicting emotions.
She wasn’t sure if the prospect of those being his honest feelings or a drunk mistake scared her more. She had wanted to avoid it, trying her best to equate her feelings towards him to those she held for all her troupe members, but it was evident that they went deeper than that. Despite this, she knew that a relationship between them could prove problematic for everyone else and she had always been against romance in the workplace. There were too many things at risk if something went wrong and she didn’t want to be the reason for tension among the autumn troupe members.
One the other side, she was scared to think about Sakyo regretting his words in the morning and rejecting her. Of course, she would never admit her disappointment to him, but the thought of it hurt her more than she had thought possible for a relationship that hadn’t even blossomed yet. And never will.
Izumi tried to prepare for the worst, not allowing her hopes to leave her disappointed.
Sleep didn’t come easy that night.
“Was everything okay with Sakyo yesterday?” Omi asked as he and Izumi were preparing breakfast, before the members starting waking up. The mention of Sakyo’s name caught her off guard, almost making her drop the orange she had been carefully peeling.
“Of course! Why would anything be wrong?” She hated how defensive she sounded, causing Omi to appear more concerned than he had been previously.
“He just seemed pretty out of it. I wonder if he’ll wake up hangover…” He lowered his head, clearly wanting to question her outburst but having no desire to pry in classic Omi fashion.
“Speaking of, I bought some hangover pills earlier, can you make sure he takes them?” Izumi took the packet out of her pocket, offering it up to Omi, who didn’t seem convinced.
“Why don’t you give them to him yourself?” His tone was worried but he still took the pills off of her.
“Well, you know how I am, busy busy busy.” She tried to play it off with a smile but she had always been a ham actor and this was no exception.
“I don’t mean to pry, but are you sure nothing happened between the two of you?” Before Izumi was forced to come up with an excuse, the man himself walked into the room, looking slightly more pale than usual but much more put together than he had been the night before.
“Good morning.” His voice was still hoarse and it caused his words to play over in Izumi’s mind once again, triggering a flight response.
“I need to head out, I’ll see you later!” She pushed off her apron and rushed out of the room, not giving time to either men to question it.
“Is something wrong with Tachinaba?” Sakyo asked, looking at her disappearing down the corridor. Omi shrugged, gesturing to the hangover pills Izumi had left with him.
“I’m not sure… She told me to give these to you, make sure to take them.” Sakyo looked over the packet, his brain trying to piece together the events of last night but finding his memory failing him.
“I guess I pushed my limits too much… Did I do something last night?” He had always prided himself in his ability to maintain control and had faith in his alcohol tolerance. He found it hard to believe both had failed him so much, but his fuzzy memories of the events left him questioning both of those things.
“As far as I know, you fell asleep and the director helped you back to your room. You seemed pretty out of it.” Sakyo’s eyes widened. Tachibana helped him to his room? Had he done something to upset her? Questions flooded his mind but he tried to keep them at bay, insuring himself that, no matter how much alcohol he had, he wouldn’t hurt her.
This was also a notion he questioned in the following days.
“And that concludes today’s meeting. You’re dismissed.” The leaders said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, leaving Sakyo and Izumi alone for the first time in a few days.
“Since you’re here, we need to discuss Rurikawa’s request to increase the costume budget for winter’s next play. I don’t think-“ Izumi was standing up before he could finish his sentence.
“Sorry, I need to run, but I can take it up with Yuki personally.” And with that she was off, leaving him once again bewildered. During their time in Mankai they had developed a system that allowed them to work together to deal with any issues that came up. Their differences had always helped them come up with the best middle ground between practicality and creative freedom and that was something he appreciated from the beginning, but after autumn’s celebration she had been avoiding talking to him beyond the standard good morning.
Sakyo tried to convince himself that it was simply a result of her packed schedule, but as the days went on it became evident that Izumi was purposely keeping a distance, which caused his nerves to worsen by the day. Just what had he done to cause such a rift?
“Sorry, I’m helping out at a friend’s troupe today, but you can discuss it with Tenma, he’ll know what to do.”
“Sorry, I need to get to the store before they close”
“I don’t think I can make it, I have some errands to run today.”
This went on for a week before Sakyo’s patience reached its limit. The disconnect between them was evident and had begun to affect the preparations for winter’s next play, as well as their search for a new member.
It was close to midnight when Sakyo encountered Izumi in the hall and decided to make a move.
“Tachibana! We need to talk.”
“Sorry, I’m-“ before she could run away from him again, he took her arm, pulling her towards him, pinning her to the wall in one swift motion. With his arms on either side of her head, he was effectively blocking her swift escape from the conversation. She was momentarily stunned, eyes staring at him in disbelief.
“S-Sakyo?” it was only then that we realized how close they were, making him pull back instinctively, his face growing flushed.
“I apologize for this. But we really need to talk.” She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, avoiding any eye contact.
“Did something happen?” It was rare to see Izumi, the same person who had eaten his ear off about shutting down a theatre troupe she wasn’t even a part of at the time, so shy in front of anyone, especially him. It was one of the things he loved about her.
“You’ve been avoiding me. I want to know why.” She didn’t seem surprised at his response, having expected that this conversation would need to happen one way or another.
“I’ve just been really busy and…” His glare must have stopped her from finishing whatever excuse she was going to throw in his face, leading to a deafening silence.
“Did I do something while intoxicated?” He was scared to hear the answer, the events of the last week having filled him with uncertainty about how much he could rely on his composure despite the effects of alcohol. His attraction to her could have led to him saying or doing something inappropriate, no matter how much he hated to think of that possibility.
“You mean you don’t remember what happened?” She asked, her shoulders dropping, releasing days worth of anxiety.
“That’s right, even though I’m ashamed to admit it…” His tone must have implied what he had been thinking prompting Izumi to shake her head.
“No, no, you didn’t do anything, you don’t need to worry! Even drunk you’re a gentleman and you were pretty much asleep when I took you to your room.” She was finally smiling again but he couldn’t help but think there was disappointment hidden behind it, hoping it was simply his paranoia talking.
“You don’t need to stress about it anymore. Um, you wanted to talk to me about finding a new member for the winter troupe?” On the outside it seemed that the issue was resolved, but the knot in Sakyo’s stomach was still there. Still, he ignored it, going back to work mode, hoping it would resolve itself soon.
When Izumi tried to fall asleep that night she kept going back to the conversation she’d had with Sakyo. When she heard that he didn’t remember what he’d said she had been relieved that she wouldn’t have to face her own feelings, but she couldn’t help her disappointment, a part of her still hoping that that had been Sakyo’s truth. No use dwelling on it now… It’s better this way.
A few days later Sakyo’s and Izumi’s relationship had returned to normal, the pair working together in earnest to make up for a non-productive week.
After the hiring –if you could call it that- of Guy, preparations for the Winter troupe’s play were underway, leaving Izumi busy with practice and Sakyo with distributing their funds.
While Sakyo was happy that the issue had been resolved he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a piece missing in Izumi’s story.
He was on his way to run some errands when the puzzle was completed in his mind by the last person he had expected to solve the mystery.
“Sakyo! “ Misumi appeared in front of Sakyo in an instant, almost like he had jumped from the first floor balcony (He probably had)
“Ikaruga? What do you want?” The younger man had a concerned expression on his face, a contrast to his usually aloof personality.
“It’s about the director.” He offered Sakyo one of the two onigiri he was holding but the older man refused, more concerned about what Misumi needed to tell him about Izumi that was so urgent. The boy took a bite of his snack before answering.
“Kazunari said I should tell you…” If Miyoshi is involved it can’t be anything good.
“Yes?” Sakyo felt himself getting impatient, prepared to give him and Miyoshi the scolding of their lives for worrying him over nothing.
“Remember when you drank too much and fell asleep? You looked a bit like this onigiri.” Sakyo nodded, fighting the urge to question how he resembled a triangle.
“You told the director that you wanted her to hold you more.” Sakyo was momentarily stunned, thinking that he must have misheard.
“What?”
“Well, we weren’t sure if you were talking to her. It looked like you thought it was someone else.” As the realization that Misumi wasn’t joking hit him, his brain entered panic mode, connecting the dots between Izumi’s words and attitude for the days following the celebration. You don’t remember what happened?
His expression must have turned murderous, because Ikaruga run away, finding shelter with Kazunari, who had been watching from afar.
“Don’t be like that, it wasn’t that big of an L. At least you didn’t have to get rejected!” One look from Sakyo and the two summer troupe members were retreating to the safety of the dorm, leaving him alone to process his thoughts.
That was practically a confession, right? He had confessed to Izumi in the worst way possible. He had never wanted to confess in the first place, content to let his feelings live and die with him, having no desire to put her in an uncomfortable position and compromise their relationship and Mankai in the process. It had been this way since they met as children and he would have succeeded were it not for his nerves, leading to him drinking way beyond his limits. His self control often left him when it came to her, but he never thought it would be his undoing.
Izumi had clearly decided to drop the topic when she discovered he didn’t remember what he’d said, putting the responsibility on Sakyo to decide whether or not the matter needed to be addressed. It should have been an easy decision. Izumi seemed to have forgiven him in the last few days and if he continued pretending he didn’t know it could stay that way.
In spite of this, the idea of having to go on not knowing exactly how she felt, or even worse, her assuming he would say this to anyone while drunk filled him with dread, leading to a wave of anxiety as he considered his options.
She had seemed relieved to know he had forgotten the event, but Sakyo still remembered seeing disappointment in her expression, quickly masked by a quick smile and wave of a hand. He tried to convince himself that it was wishful thinking, but hope once again found root in his heart as he thought about what this could potentially mean for them.
He needed time to think.
The rehearsals of winter’s new play had been keeping Izumi busy the past few days and despite Guy’s issues with self expression, there were no issues she thought herself incapable of solving. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, except one thing.
Sakyo was avoiding her.
It had only been a few days since they’d returned to their normal selves when one morning Izumi said her usual good mornings and he shut her off with a mumbled “I need to go to work.”
She couldn’t think of anything that could have caused the shift, considering they’d been fine just the previous day. The issue became apparent when she tried to discuss the expected expenses for the costumes and set pieces, with him refusing to so much as look at her for more than a few seconds, let alone talk.
Izumi couldn’t allow this to get in the way of their latest play and –though she tried to ignore this- it hurt her to see him unable to be in the same room as her. She needed to fix the problem at its root.
She got her chance a few nights later, finally managing to corner Sakyo on his way to his room.
“Sakyo, we need to talk.” The man slowed down, but didn’t stop completing, likely hoping to seek refuge in his dorm.
She wasn’t going to let that happen.
Her hand wrapped around his before she could think too much about the consequences, pulling him towards her with as much force as she could master, which was not a lot, especially not for a yakuza like Sakyo. Still, it was enough to make him turn to face her for the first time in the past few days. He seemed stunned and his face was flushed, reminding her of that night.
“Stop running away from me.” She thought her was putting on her angry face but after a few seconds, Sakyo laughed, confusing her further.
“W-what are you laughing about?” It was rare to see Sakyo smile- let alone laugh and no matter how upset she was she couldn’t deny how good it looked on him.
“I’m sorry, this is just giving me déjà vu.” She was the reminded of the way Sakyo had cornered her a few days ago, almost exactly like this and couldn’t keep a laugh from escaping her.
“We like to keep things complicated It seems.” Sakyo nodded, some of their past comfort with each other returning as the tension was somewhat relieved. Whatever it was, it wasn’t something they couldn’t fix.
“Sakyo, I told you the night of autumn’s closing night that I need you to achieve my goal of helping Mankai bloom into a successful troupe.” She paused, trying to calm her nerves.
“Whatever is going on with you, I’m sure I can find a way to fix it. I’m the director of a previously declining troupe, it’s what I do. So please, just talk to me.” Sakyo’s eyes widened, negating any thoughts he had of making excuses again. He took a few minutes to reflect before finally speaking up, seemingly resolved about something.
“I remember what happened that night… Well, I don’t remember but it was relayed to me.” It was the last thing she wanted to hear and it made her want to crawl into a hole and disappear into oblivion. She wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t come out and Sakyo must have taken that as her rejection.
“I apologize for making you uncomfortable. I hope this won’t impact our work relationship in the future, but if you want to keep your distance I -“ she couldn’t let him finish.
“Sakyo, wait.” She was still unsure, but she knew she would always regret missing her chance if she stayed silent.
“Were those your true feelings? Was what you said true?” She knew what the easier answer would be. They could go on acting like it had never happened and remain good friends. It would become a distant memory, surrounded by what ifs. Still, it wasn’t the answer she was hoping for.
“Yes.” When Izumi faced Sakyo’s violet eyes his conviction was clear. There was no hesitation, no ifs or buts. It was all Izumi needed to embrace her own feelings.
“I meant it when I said I need you, Sakyo, You’re important to me, more than you know. I admit I was shocked that night, which was why I tried to run away from confronting your words.” Izumi could see the resignation painted on Sakyo’s face, ready to accept her decision.
“But I was also happy.” He looked up at her, clearly surprised.
“I was scared that if I accepted this I would be risking the relationship we’ve established all this time, but looking at you now I don’t think I have anything to fear. I love you, Sakyo.” She was scared he would be taken aback by her confession, but she needed to make her feelings clear to him , needed him to see that this wasn’t settling or pity, but love. It had taken her time to accept it herself, but she didn’t want to ignore her heart any longer.
“Izumi.” He took a step towards her, hesitantly taking her face in his hands. Before she lost her nerve, she rose to her tippy-toes, pressing their lips together.
She didn’t need sparks to fly to know that this felt right. Kissing him felt as natural as breathing and she wondered what she was so afraid of.
“I’ll try to make you happy, for as long as you’ll have me. I love you too, Izumi.” She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, trying to hide her burning face. She could get used to this.
“Thank you.” Sakyo’s words were whispered as he looked at her face, so peaceful in her sleep.
