Trapped Behind Words: InuOkko

Chapter 6: Painted

The day had come. Toge prepared himself to visit Yuta. He decided it would be best to be more natural - no contact lenses, no hair gel, only Inumaki Toge. He packed a light bag, mainly consisting of his Switch and various clothing items. It wasn't guaranteed that he would be spending the night, but it was definitely an option Toge was more than willing to take.

Gojo's warning came in three separate texts. None of them told Toge not to go to Yuta's, but they all insisted on taking time for healing. Judging by his interest in Yuta, it was more than likely they had spoken, and Yuta naively mentioned the hangout. Toge believed it wasn't time to heal if Yuta didn't get to make his own decisions. Fragile or not, the black-haired man was an adult.

After the meeting on Tuesday, Yuta had sent several videos that hit Toge in the sweet spot. It felt too good to be true. It felt like Yuta was designed to taunt him. Truthfully, Toge baited Yuta into sending a voice memo of his laughter. The blond knew it wasn't the right thing to do and probably broke some kind of ethical code, but he wasn't a doctor, so he didn't care. Gojo wasn't even a doctor; he had his graduate's degree in psychology, but that was not a doctorate degree.

Toge found himself replaying Yuta's laughter when he wanted to feel happier. It was Thursday, and he listened to the message thirty-seven times. But who was counting? He was.

The thought of taking an Uber or Lyft was slightly bothersome, but it could be overlooked. Toge knew what he wanted, and when that was the case, there was nothing stopping him from attempting to reach it. The blond planned his outfit ahead of time. Yuta seemed to pay a bit more attention to him when he was in shorts and a tank top, so he took inspiration from the carnival look and decided to wear a similar pair of athletic shorts in light gray and a black muscle tee that cuffed above the bicep.

Thoroughness was the name of the game. When Yuta came over, Toge was in his own territory, so placing himself in Yuta's domain would be an adjustment. These minor appearance changes would all help him gain some more footing in Yuta's innate home.

"On my way," Toge sent the message to Yuta as the Lyft driver arrived outside.

The drive was much shorter than the way to the carnival, so it wouldn't be too bad. Yuta was so sweet when Toge thought about it. On the way to the carnival, Yuta held his hand. There was no way for the black-haired boy to realize that the blond had anxiety about social driving, but somehow he did. Yuta's hands were so soft and warm that Toge wanted to touch them again.

The driver was in a small blue sedan. He didn't seem like the talkative type, which was way easier than someone asking about Toge's plans. Though he always left a note about his inability to speak, drivers would still try to strike up a conversation. When this happened, it was difficult to convey that he didn't talk, so he opted to wear headphones the entire time and avoid the possibility. He would rather seem antisocial than deal with explaining his disability.

While the ride was short, it was still awkward, as all ride shares were. The driver was fairly vocal about other drivers on the road - while most of his comments were quiet and under his breath, they were still present. Headphones seemed like overkill for the ride, but they were more necessary than Toge expected. He kept his composure, the same way Gojo - out of all people - had taught him. The goal of these rides was the destination, so that was what the blond tried to focus on: Yuta's apartment, or more importantly, Yuta.

Once they approached, Toge began to understand Yuta's situation a little bit better. The complex was small and rather dirty. More importantly, it was located on the side of town Toge was always warned about. His parents weren't from the city, but they lived in the same district, so when Toge decided to move, they did their research.