Onodera got lost.

It was one train ride and it was the same every day and Takano needed to find him, oh god, he'd simply, suddenly disappeared and he was on this train somewhere. He had to be. One minute he'd been leaning against the window, the lights bouncing off his hair, and he'd been amazing to look at. Takano had suddenly felt shaky fingers slipping into his palm right before he'd disappeared. It had been so sudden. Frantic, Takano pushed past women and children and men even though the idea was stupid. The possibility wasn't there in a crowd like this. He'd have to wait.

His knuckles turned white gripping the standing pole. He tapped his feet.

He could barely make it to his stop.

He jumped off.

He found out his fucking phone couldn't pick up a signal inside the station, and he wasn't leaving; what if Onodera was still on the train? Or maybe, Takano had missed him getting off and he was already at the apartment. His palms felt empty; he squeezed his phone, and once he was outside and walking up the sidewalk it buzzed back to life.

3 Missed Calls from Ritsu

Takano hummed. The weak signal in that station had caused more than one catastrophe in the past, but it had never involved Onodera before. But he'd called. Was he worried? Takano smiled as he called Onodera back.

"Onodera, good, you-"

bip bip bip bip…. Call Disconnected

Grinding his teeth, he wiped it away from his ear and glared at the screen. What the fuck? Now it read:

4 Missed Calls from Ritsu

He paused in the middle of the street, pondering over the integrity of technology. Had they thought, at the same time, to call each other and they fizzed out each other's calls? And then again it buzzed, urgently.

Incoming Call from Ritsu He picked it up, sighing in relief. "Onodera?"

"Takano! It's me."

"What do you think you're doing, running off like that?" Takano started down the street again. He didn't know what about Onodera made him snappy, but he pushed back all the time and it had never had seriously negative consequences. He pouted at the phone.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" said Onodera, breathing heavily. "I was looking for you, too!"

"You can't scare me like that! Jesus!"

Onodera laughed. "You were scared?"

"Of course I was! What's with you? You didn't think I'd be a little scared after you disappeared so suddenly? Where are you?"

"I'm in the direction of the train station. I'll be there in two minutes."

Even though Onodera couldn't see him, Takano nodded and tried to hang up. Just like he could read his mind, Onodera yelled from his end of the line, "Don't hang up."

Takano frowned. "Why not?" he asked.

"… I want to stay on the phone with you."

"Huh?"

"Um, I have something to tell you. I should probably wait, but I don't want to. I've been waiting to say this all day. I didn't mean to lose you." Onodera chuckled. "That's where everything got messed up. I had a plan. I'm sorry, Takano. I don't know how I lost you like that."

Takano paused in the middle of the street. His hand fell off his hip. His mouth hung open. The softness in Onodera's voice was too familiar and too much like Oda's.

It was apologetic. It was healing. It was killing him. Onodera sighed heavily into the phone, saying nothing.

Then, he whispered, "I was terrified."

Takano couldn't say anything. This was too real, and that which was too real was too much; he didn't even know what this was. What was Onodera trying to say? Haughtily, almost dismissively, he cleared his throat. And, looking up, he could see Onodera walking down the hill as he walked up it, and they stared at each other, their phones to their ears.

"W-well, Onodera, what?" Takano tried to put his hand on his hip but it slid off. "Are you some seven year old afraid of losing his parents on the train or something? That's stupid. Come over here."

"Takano." Onodera stumbled down the hill toward him. Maybe this was a dream. Takano's arms hung, limp; his phone clattered to the sidewalk. This wasn't Onodera, this was another of Takano's fantasies, he'd fallen asleep on the train, Onodera was still lost. Obviously. In the middle of the street, Onodera clung to Takano's shoulders, catching his breath; Takano grabbed him and hugged him.

"I had a plan," said Onodera, almost bitterly.

"Shut up, you idiot," muttered Takano. "Running at me like we're in a corny romance movie. What's wrong with you? And what's up with your voice? I swear to God, Ritsu, you're really like a lost seven yea-"

"Listen for once, Takano. I need to say something. I've been planning it all day and I'm sure of it, and if I don't say it now I'll-"

"-r old lost on the train. What are you going on about? I-"

"-'ll lose my nerve. I had a plan. I love you."

"-I don't understand you, I-"

"-I love you!"

"-I don't know what you're going on about, you idiot and-"

"I love you!"

"-I don't care about your plan, Onodera!" Takano yelled. He shook Onodera's shoulders because this was a cruel joke to play on a waiting man, and Onodera looked so fucking smug under his shadow like he knew something. "Listen to me! If you're pulling my leg, I-!"

He was so beautiful. Onodera was so… beautiful.

He couldn't take it if this was a joke.

Onodera started to laugh. Takano pressed his lips so hard into a line that the skin turned white. Onodera reached up and, without explanation, without giving Takano anything but the necessity for faith in him, without granting even that, he kissed Takano. Right there, on the street, at midnight, Takano's cell phone shattered into a thousand plastic pieces under their feet, he kissed him.

Takano pulled away. He tried to look angry; he held onto Onodera's shoulders so hard, his knuckles turned white. Onodera didn't even flinch.

"But why-"

Onodera shook his head. "I love you."