I keep thinking about the mechanics for how to make kazumaji happen outside of adrenaline fuelled lovemaking , like obviously majima isnt going to solicit him for an actual relationship because whatever they have going on is already more than he expected to get because majima isnt a wanting man he gets dealt his hand then he plays (plus hes waiting for someone else , he cant leave and have his story end with kiryu , they both know this) , kiryu isnt a wanting man either i mean not for his love life but you know this guy fights like hell to get what he wants. He doesn’t exactly have a problem pulling girls but its the commitment after thats the issue , he always has someplace to be thats not here no matter how suave and charming he is youre gonna be wondering why he ghosted you for three years then find out he just got released from prison the point is that he doesnt follow through. Once youre done with him then youre done and very rarely is he gonna come back (unless he wasnt actually done with you). Majima offers to help him out in osaka and kiryu says no no no see ive left you behind i have to live this next chapter of my life properly now , without you. He has this inability to understand that people want to spend time with him thats not him helping them / repaying him a favour / working together to achieve a common goal. You literally cant assume he’ll be around you really have to cling tight or he’ll find some reason to fuck off and by then you cant even ask him to stay because Shit is it a good reason. Y0 nishiki got so so fucking close to showing kiryu he didnt need to have any redeeming qualities for people to like hanging out with him. He didnt need to be fun or like to party or entertaining at all , just him sitting quietly on a nearby barstool and maybe clapping along is enough to make his night fun as hell. Im sure kiryu realises that he can be distant and lack initiative , im sure this self awareness has convinced him that hes an undesirable long term romantic partner , and majima fucking up big time with mirei also forces him to internalise the fact that hes not a good partner either. So the two of them have to really really Really want something to start it because otherwise theyd be gracefully and expertly sidestepping any mention of commitment , pirouetting around the word “partner”, assuming they’ve made things clear when no discussion had taken place. They dont figure it out because its obvious to everybody thats not them, all the thinly veiled offers to be useful to each other, the leaning forward when they speak to each other , the open mouthed kisses with tongue , they want each other. More than one time , more than This... but how does one communicate something they havent realised yet ...

Calls and Answers

Day 23 - Good Captains Go Down With Their Ships @ygo5dsmonth2019​

Summary: When a confession doesn’t go to plan, at least Aki has someone to comfort her. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad that she didn’t get the answer she was looking for. Crow/Aki

Word Count: 1098

Aki sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. Her tears had long run dry. She could get through this, that’s what she kept telling herself. She had to face the facts. Yusei didn’t love her, despite everything. Trusting her with Stardust Dragon, telling her she had a beautiful smile, quiet moments between just them two. After all that, she was just a friend and always had been.

She decided earlier that day to confess her feelings to Yusei. Despite still being in her first year of studying abroad in Germany, she decided it was the right time. A long distance relationship could still be on the cards. She chickened out the night she said goodbye to Yusei, but she was a little stronger now.

How quickly that changed.

Now, Aki was sitting alone in her dorm room. Her friends had gone home for the weekend. She doesn’t have that option, but she made the decision to go to Germany to become a doctor. She wanted to help people and this was the best way to get there.

Aki’s phone began to ring. She dreaded looking at the name. No, it wasn’t Yusei. Instead, it was Crow. She liked Crow, she found Crow the easiest to talk out of anyone who was in Team 5D’s. Despite all of his criminal markers, he was the least intimidating of all the guys.

“Hello?” Aki’s voice cracked. This was the first time she had spoken since the ill-fated video call.

“Hey Aki.” Crow sounded tired. “I’m back in Neo Domino for the next week-”

“Crow, I’m in Germany, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that.” Crow’s usual joking tone was missing. Aki knew something was wrong. “One of the kids is sick and I’m just wondering-”

“What’s wrong with them?” Aki smiled, this wasn’t the first time that this had happened. Crow loved his kids, it made Aki respect him that much more. “Who is it?”

“Ah, it’s Hikari. Poor kid has the worst immune system, even by Satellite standards.” Crow chuckled, although it sounded somewhat forced. Crow described her symptoms, and Aki knew it wasn’t serious. She suggested some types of medicine, even if she couldn’t remember the brand names, and plenty of rest. “Aki, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Don’t thank me, it’s what I’m training to do.”

“I should thank you,” Crow insisted. “You’re good at this stuff and I’d be lost without you.” Aki couldn’t help but flush at his words.

“So I guess you’re off to the pharmacy now?” Aki asked. She didn’t want Crow to hang up, she needed some sunshine right now.

“In a minute,” he hummed. There was a pause. “So I was talking to Yusei earlier.”

Oh no.

“What did he say?” Aki tried to keep her voice calm, but she knew she was failing.

“I’m sorry,” was all he said.

“Thanks,” Aki’s voice was dry. She didn’t want sympathy.

“If it helps, I’ve been there.” Aki squinted in confusion. “It gets better.”

“Wait, what? Who?”

“I liked this girl, but she liked someone else. I got over it, I guess. I can talk to her now without completely wanting to die.”

“Are you saying Yusei likes someone else?”

“You weren’t there for the Yusei and Kiryu stuff, but yeah, he does.” Aki exhaled slowly. She hadn’t looked at Kiryu in that way, she assumed he was just an old friend. Suddenly, things started to make sense.

“Who’s this girl anyway?” Aki needed something to distract her, and this would do.

“Ah, it’s no one.” Crow suddenly sounded nervous, then it clicked in Aki’s mind.

“Crow, do- did you like me?”

“Ah shit,” was Crow’s response. “I mean-”

“Be honest.”

“Okay, fine. I may have liked you back then, but I’m over it now.”

There was silence on the line as Aki processed everything. Crow liked her. It didn’t seem real.

“That must have been rough.” She finally said. “I was such an idiot back then, and now I suppose. My life revolved around Yusei back then.” It was true. She had taken a class in Physics, just so he could help her with her homework. “God, I’m so pathetic.”

“You’re not pathetic.” Crow chuckled weakly. “No one’s pathetic here in the Broken Hearts Club.”

“Broken Hearts Club?” Aki echoed, she couldn’t help but laugh. “How long did you even like me?”

“Well, I liked you the first moment I ever saw you. And I gave up when you moved away. You told me that you wanted to confess to Yusei, remember?”

“Oh gods, I did.” Aki put her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry, I didn-”

“You didn’t know. I know. It’s okay.”

“I still want to apologise.” Aki sighed. “I idolised him. I couldn’t shut up about him. And all you did was support me. I can’t imagine how hard that was for you. Thank you.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. At least, I still get to be your friend.” She could hear the sad smile in Crow’s voice.

Friend. That word stuck with Aki. Maybe that’s what was wrong all along. She idolised Yusei. He saved her from Divine, and herself. She looked up to him. She wanted to be like him, and with him. She remembered the last time she felt that. Divine.

Crow was different. They were friends. Equals. That’s what should be the base of a relationship, she realised. Crow wasn’t so bad. He was handsome, despite his many criminal markers.

She found herself thinking of Crow differently now. Perhaps it was the half confession, or the fact Crow never said that he stopped liking her, only that he gave up on pursuing her. Suddenly, she pictured herself with Crow. She wasn’t ready now. Hell, she wasn’t even sure if she properly liked him. But, the thought of it was appealing, and that was new. Maybe one day, she thought to herself, now that Crow doesn’t have to give up on her completely.

“Yeah, that’s a great thing to be.”

Bonus:

Later that night, Aki’s phone buzzed. She was sleepy and her eyes blurred as she looked at the screen. It was a text from Crow.

Crow: u up? wanna video chat? promise i wont make you cry lol