as we walk ; geto suguru

Reminiscent

You can't determine whose face is more startled: yours, AJ's, or Mr. Sugiyama's, who obviously didn't anticipate for his two former students to be so shocked at the fact that their existence had collided at one point in the current universe only to be reunited by chance. You don't even know what expression to paint on your face. Should you be happy? Upset? Relieved? Overjoyed, even? Obviously by the widened eyes and slightly ajar mouth that glinted a tongue piercing, he hadn't forgotten about your existence.

AJ's fingers twitch suddenly. The guitar pick made out of a gift card suddenly sparks out of his hand and it flies into the air only to land pathetically on the carpeted floor. On instinct and out of many years of working in customer service and sucking up to strangers, your stuck position suddenly disappears and you automatically sprint for the dropped pick before AJ can even process what had just fallen out of his hands. Though you're at the feet of him, you choose to stare at the poorly cut pick that's pinched between your trembling fingers, an anticipation rising inside of you that reaches the back of your neck which makes all your hairs stand up as you notice the aged Converse tips that nearly mirror the ones you saw back at the back of the venue all those years ago.

Everything seems just like the first time, minus the peppery cigarette smell that's now replaced with a strange, almost-sugary scent that surrounds him.

A shot of courage gets pushed down by means other than your own and carefully, you turn your neck to finally face the one and only.

"Um..." you breathe as steadily as possible. "Y-yours...?" The pick is nearly vibrating from your nervousness.

AJ's eyes don't dart at the pick, but instead, you can see that he's examining your face the same way you're examining his with his eyes barely moving in the same place.

He's aged, no wonder. While the traces of youth are still embedded into his skin, there's nearly-full maturity all over face with a strong jawline overpowering most of his features... all except for the sea glass-replicating eyes that are still ever so slightly downturned with a tiredness that had never fully disappeared from all the years putting up with a hyperactive younger brother who used stolen candy as a fuel source. His nose piercing has closed up, you've noticed, so has the conch piercing on his right ear and the third helix piercing on his left. You just barely catch them, however, under the shower of golden they're nearly hidden in. A spool of dark gold still spreads across his head, but this time, just ever so softly grazing his chin. You know for sure that his hair is still long enough to tie teasing pigtails or long enough to tangle through the bristles of a shared hairbrush that shouldn't really be shared. There's some muscle in his arms that used to be rather skinny by Toji's definition. You suppose that his forceful feeding and consistent "Nothing wrong with gaining' a little beef here and there" nagging had done its job nicely.

Some things haven't changed though. He had always been rather pale. Not Dracula-pale, but pale enough that the slightest embarrassment would cause a bouquet of rose to spread throughout his cheeks sprinkled with exactly two hundred-something freckles that you loved connecting with eyeliner to create fake constellations before he'd tackle you with a hug that'd cause the eyeliner to smudge to your past dismay. You were always envious of his button nose that had the slightest bump on the bridge that was an absolutely perfect spot for pressing light kisses.

Everything that you used to love is still there.

Including the padlock necklace that sits peacefully on his upper chest with a chain that hasn't rusted.

You feel sick.

His hand finally goes to gently scoop the pick out of your trembling hand, the graze of his fingertips startling both of you, visible from how you and AJ stiffen in posture. Something about the little skin-to-skin contact with someone you haven't seen in almost a decade is almost just as nerve-wracking as that first performance in the closed-down venue. You feel hot and heated and dizzy just by being around his presence.