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Azami does not know the first thing about romance.
He's heard about it in songs and seen it in the shelves in Muku's room, but he doesn't… really get it. At all. In the slightest. He just knows that it's embarrassing to see. Every time he catches Sakyo looking a little too long at Izumi it turns his stomach, and Christmas is an absolute nightmare of a day to go wandering around town on. Besides, doing stuff like that before marriage is immoral!
Or something!
...He's pretty sure it's immoral, at least. There had to be a reason Sakyo would always talk to him about not going and fooling around with girls before he was old enough. Right?
Azami doesn't want to fool around with girls, though. He might not know anything about full-fledged romance, but he knows enough about crushes to know that he definitely has one. If he didn't, then the fluttery feelings he gets around Kumon have to be a product of some undiscovered disease instead. And Azami's pretty sure that he takes good enough care of himself that he hasn't come down with something.
Anyway, the point is that "fooling around" is off-limits, but surely having a crush isn't? As long as he goes through the proper channels of asking Kumon's family members before making a move, then even confessing will be fine. And Juza already said sure when Azami made his proposal, so now all he has to do is actually confess!
And now's the perfect time. Only the two of them are in the dorm's lounge, and some baseball game is playing on the TV. Azami doesn't really know all that much about baseball. He can follow it well enough, and he accidentally caught that stray ball that one time, but he gets a little confused when the talk gets too technical or when Kumon talks about certain players having good seasons.
According to Muku (who knows the most about love out of everyone in the dorm, Azami thinks), the best time to confess to someone is a) when you're alone with them; b) when you're doing something enjoyable with them; or c) after an especially passionate, heart-throbbing moment.
Right now, they've fulfilled the first two requirements. Azami could get a triple-guarantee of his confession being accepted if the team wearing the dark blue uniforms wins. It's a little nerve-wracking to just confess like that, though. What if Kumon says no? Or worse, what if he has no idea what Azami is talking about and asks him to explain? Telling Muku about those weird flutters and heart palpitations was bad enough! He wouldn't be able to stammer through an explanation to Kumon.
The game switches to a commercial, and Kumon looks at Azami with a huge grin on his face.
"Man, that pitcher is really next-level! Don't you think?"
"Yeah. Super next-level. Also, I have something to tell you."
Kumon's smile doesn't disappear, but he turns on the couch to face Azami fully. "Sure, go for it! Is it about make-up or something?"
"No, it's about—"
Upon closer inspection, Kumon's skin doesn't look as good as it usually does. Which is super weird, since Kumon is one of the few who actually tries to listen to Azami about this sort of thing. Seriously, the guys around here were washing their faces with watered down hand soap before this! Which should genuinely be a crime! But Kumon—Kumon is different. Kumon tries to care for his skin, and even though he forgets sometimes, he's usually got some sort of passable routine. But right now, it looks… rougher, almost? Almost like he hasn't been wearing sunscreen like he's supposed to.
... Completely like he hasn't been wearing sunscreen like he's supposed to.
"It's about your skin! Have you been wearing sunscreen?!" Azami socks Kumon in the arm on instinct. "I tell you every day! The sun's not good for your skin! If you're gonna go outside, then do it properly! And if you don't like the sunscreen I gave you, then you can use some of mine. It smells different than yours, though. But if you don't wear sunscreen, then. . ."
In the end, Azami ends up lecturing all the way through the next inning, until it hits Cinderella Time and he has to leave the baseball game (and the conversation that was supposed to be a confession) unfinished.
The next time Azami tries to confess, he's only fulfilled one of Muku's three guidelines.
Well, maybe it could be stretched a little if Kumon just getting through with a Summer Troupe rehearsal counts as "passionate" or "heart-throbbing." Kumon looks a little bit too tired for it to be either of those things, though. He's herded Kumon back into his own dorm so he can at least try to care for Kumon's skin.
Half of one of the boxes on Azami's shelf is dedicated solely to sheet masks. There's tons of them out there, and he'd probably be a sham of a make-up artist if he wasn't prepared for any potential situation. Plus, he's had to start keeping more around because hardly anybody here even knows how to take care of themselves! Honestly, if Azami has to start yelling at Itaru about Cinderella Time once more…
Kumon's skin isn't even that bad, though. Sure, he's been slacking with sunscreen. But he's young, and young people naturally have better skin than half the old geezers around here. Azami isn't even going to try and convince himself that the purpose of the sheet mask is anything but an opportunity to be alone with Kumon.
Azami plucks one packet out of the masks he's been sifting through. It's a pretty basic hydration one that smells a lot like pomegranates. He turns around and offers it to Kumon.
"You're skin's gonna get old if you don't hydrate it enough," Azami says. "The sun dries it out, you know!"
Kumon nods. "Right, right. Uh, how long do I have to put this one on for?"
"Ten, fifteen minutes," Azami says. "It's not a long time. We can chill here for it."
He gestures for Kumon to sit at the low table in the center of the room. By now, Azami has given Kumon so many face masks that he knows how to properly put one on by himself. Which, honestly, is a bigger feat than it sounds like. Azami's pretty sure he's told Juza a million times that you have to put on moisturizer after you wash your face, and he still can't remember! Why can't he be more like his brother?!
Speaking of which… a quieter Kumon is kind of cute. He's on his phone right now, and if Azami had to guess, he's probably looking at some game analysis from the game they watched together the other night. Or he could be developing the backstory of that weird demon prince character he talks about sometimes. Either way, the thoughtful look on his face makes Azami's cheeks burn, and it spreads to the tips of his ears when he realizes he's gonna have to say something about it soon.
"So how was rehearsal?" Azami asks. "Also, I have something to tell you."
"It was good!" Kumon says, sounding a little sleepy. "We finished all the blocking today. And I learned that my costume's gonna have a cool hat."
"Oh, that's cool," Azami says. He rests his chin in his hands, elbows on the table. "What kinda hat?"
"A really cool one." When Kumon sets his phone down, he sees that a digital file of the script is pulled up. "I gotta start rehearsing with it as soon as it's ready so I know how to keep it on my head! Oh, but what was the thing you were gonna tell me?"
Kumon's a lot more awake now that he's gotten to talking about the show, and it's honestly a little nervewracking to try and think of the right way to say I like you when Kumon's looking at him so earnestly. Maybe Azami should just keep it to himself a little while longer. He's waited for a bit already, so a bit more wouldn't hurt? He's really gotta think of something to say though before so much time passes that it's weird and—
And Azami has never been more grateful for Sakyo entering the room at the worst times. He looks a little startled to see Kumon there, though.
"If you're in the middle of something—"
"It's fine!" Azami says, a little too loudly. "Kumon's almost done. He's taking care of his skin so it doesn't end up shitty like yours!"
"Damn brat."
Thankfully, Kumon seems to forget that Azami had anything to say at all. Eventually, he goes back to his own room, and Azami is left wondering if confessing is the right idea.
Ugh. Third time's a charm, right?
Azami's been trying to push the idea of confessing away for a little while, but it just isn't working. He's been thinking about it constantly. Like, he wants to try, but he also really just wants to keep his mouth shut at the same time. He's placed a strict no-confession-attempt rule on himself, but he thinks about blurting it out at the worst times. Like when they're stuffing breakfast in their mouths before leaving for school. Or when Kumon's got a cute, concentrated look on his face in the middle of his math homework. Or every single day when they walk home alone together.
It's been gloomy the entire day. Kumon had been so certain it would clear up by the afternoon that he refused to take an umbrella, but it's been hours since then, and there's not been a single gap in the clouds. In fact, they've gotten even darker since the last time Azami checked, when he was staring out the window in his literature class.
"It's really awful out today," Azami says. "Also, I have something to tell you."
"I feel like you've had something to tell me the past few times we talked too." Kumon tilts his head. "Is it something serious?"
"Nah, not serious." Azami pauses. "Well, kinda serious. It's very serious. I just can't find the right time."
Kumon hums. "Yeah, I get that."
The light changes, and they hurry across the crosswalk. The other side is a little more crowded, but Kumon sticks close enough that talking to each other won't be a hassle. Somehow, the closeness makes Azami's heart race. Isn't something like this considered indecent?! Sure, they're not holding hands, but being so close when one of them is romantically interested…
Oh, Azami's been so horrible, though. Earlier, he was even wondering if it'd rain during their walk home. He couldn't get the thought of having to hide from the rain with Kumon out of his mind! He just kept thinking of them having to squeeze close together under an awning or something. He'd get to feel Kumon's warmth, be surrounded by his scent… It's a reprehensible fantasy. If he could allow himself to think of that, then what was next?! Actual hugging? Kissing?
Azami fidgets with one of the buttons on his blazer as they come to the next crosswalk. They have to wait for the cars to stop again; it's better to focus on how annoying it is, though, rather than getting too wrapped up in his perverted fantasies. Azami almost wants to call in a favor from the Ginsenkai just so they can cut this walk short.
"Sometimes there's no right time, though," Kumon says, slightly startling Azami. "Sometimes the best time is right when you think about it!"
"Like now?"
"Like now!"
Azami… has never been so close to a confession before. Sure, the other times he tried, but it wasn't as serious as now. But if Kumon says it's okay, then it really is, right? Would it be wrong to consult with Muku first? Oh, but it might be hard to get ahold of Muku between now and the time they reach the dorms…
So now. He's doing this now. Right now.
"Okay," Azami says. "Kumon, I—"
It's just Azami's luck that the rain finally starts to pour right when he's about to open his mouth.
"Um, maybe that's a sign!" Kumon grabs Azami's arm and pulls him across the crosswalk. "Later, okay? Definitely today!"
Azami can barely keep up with Kumon's speed, but he has a feeling that 'definitely today' is not going to happen. They're both going to be too busy with a tech rehearsal tonight, and Azami would rather die than confess during something so stressful. That might be a crime, actually.
They're soaked when they make it back to the dorms, and Kumon ends up trailing water through half the building when he runs to get Azami a towel.
Azami is nice and dry by the time rehearsal starts. He doesn't actually have to be there until later, but it's not like he's got something better to do. He'd rather do his homework on the floor in the back of the theatre's house than somewhere in the dorms with someone breathing down his neck. Even when he puts his headphones on, he feels like someone always tries to make conversation with him.
No one's putting on their make-up yet, but Azami ends up in the dressing room anyway. Before the actual tech rehearsal, Summer Troupe is running through it first. Even run throughs require costume parts, though. Costume shoes are always required for run throughs, but right now, Yuki is struggling with putting on a few too many petticoats, and Misumi's got a jacket with extra arms attached.
And Kumon got off lucky—all he's got to wear for rehearsal is the hat he was talking about a few weeks ago. It's more stupid-looking than cool-looking, but Azami's not going to say something like that. Not when Kumon still looks so stoked about it.
"Wow, you look like you're just standing there, taking up space," Yuki says, drawing Azami's attention away from Kumon (who seems like he does not know how to pin his hat to his head). "Help me with this skirt. I need it tied."
"Sure," Azami says, crossing over to him. He kinda has to shoulder Kazunari out of the way—he's too distracted talking Muku and Tenma's ears off.
"Tie it as tight as you can." Yuki hands the laces of the skirt to Azami. "If it sounds like my waist cracks, just keep going."
...Odd instructions, but Azami does what he's asked. Every time he thinks he's pulled the ties tight enough, Yuki says it's still too lose. It's really ridiculous, actually, since the skirt doesn't seem tight at all. But Yuki makes him do it until the dressing room is almost completely clear, save for the two of them plus Kumon, who is still trying to pin down that stupid hat.
Yuki inspects the tied skirt in the mirror and takes a deep breath. "Cool, I can still breathe. You gotta get better at tying, though."
With that, he turns on his heel and leaves the dressing room, propping open the door.
And Azami is alone with Kumon. And he kind of wants to say how he feels. And he still doesn't know if he really should or not, if it's gone so horribly the past few times he's tried.
Azami sits on the dressing room counter, right near where Kumon is standing. "Do you need—"
"No, I've got it," Kumon says. "I think this is enough pins."
He straightens up to admire his reflection in the mirror, and Azami takes the opportunity to try and poke the hat off his head. It doesn't even budge. Maybe he does know a thing or two about pinning.
Kumon moves to stand directly in front of Azami. Azami gets even more of a height boost from the counter, so Kumon kinda has to tilt his head up. "Does it look good? Can you see any of the pins?"
"Um, a couple of them. I can fix it."
Azami leans in a little closer. The dark pins really stand out against Kumon's hair, and all of a sudden… All of a sudden Azami feels so fluttery again. This isn't even romantic! He's just fixing Kumon's mistakes! But his hair is so soft and his face is so pretty… And when Azami's finishing fixing the pins, he's just kind of rearranging pieces of Kumon's hair, and Kumon's just letting him. What's that all about?
Kumon glances up, meeting Azami's eyes. "Oh, didn't you have something you were gonna say earlier?"
Azami's breath catches in his throat.
But Izumi calls for the run through to start before Azami can even get a word out, because of course she does. Kumon backs up, apologizing—they were way closer than Azami thought they were—and waves before he disappears into the backstage hallway. Moments later, Azami can hear the heavy door to the wings slam shut, and he knows the run through is really about to start.
(He almost wishes Yuki wasn't a part of the show. He's not super close to Yuki, but they're both prone to sitting in the dressing room for long periods of time while tech rehearsals run. And Yuki might know how to approach something like this, anyway.)
Azami ends up just sulking his way into the house. He already knows the best chair for sulking in is the one right up against the tech booth. Sometimes, that chair isn't even there. It has to be removed from time to time if a spotlight needs to be placed there instead. But it's far enough away from everything that Azami feels like he can sulk with no judgment, and that is exactly what he chooses to do.
Kumon does not know the first thing about romance.
What he does know is that his feelings for Azami are getting to be impossible to push away. The only thing powering him through is the fact that Muku accidentally blabbed to him about Azami asking for confession advice. If it weren't for that, Kumon would have gone completely crazy already!
...Even though he's kind of already going crazy. He's pretty sure Azami's tried to confess a few times already, but every time, something stupid keeps happening, and Azami clams up. And Kumon doesn't want to push him too far. Azami would probably have a meltdown if Kumon tried to ask him out without consulting Azami's parents (parent? Just Sakyo? Just his actual father? Kumon doesn't even know that). He's better off just waiting for Azami to do something himself.
But it's such a horrible wait! Kumon wants to kiss him now. Would Azami let him kiss him?
He spent way too much of the run through sneaking glances at him. Azami sat way in the back of the theatre, but Kumon could still see him! He had a textbook or something open on his lap, but he wasn't looking at it any of the times Kumon glanced over. He was mainly staring off into space or half-watching the performance.
It makes sense, honestly. They were having a moment! A whole moment! And then rehearsal just had to start! Totally unfair. The second time today that Azami might have finally confessed, and it didn't work out at all. What was the point of carrying around a lucky charm every day if it wasn't going to bring him good luck? Even Azami's upset about it, clearly!
Kumon ends up pouting all the way through putting on his costume. Azami hasn't gotten into the dressing room yet, since he mainly just checks if everyone's make-up is okay rather than actually doing it for everyone, but Kumon really wants him there. Even if Azami doesn't confess today, or this week, or even this month, he just wants to be around him. Azami's presence is that soothing.
"If it helps," Muku says, untwisting one of Kumon's suspender straps, "I think he's trying really hard. I've been doing my best to help out, but I don't think taking advice from a nosy, seahorse-brained dummy like me is moving things along very well…"
"Seahorses mate for life, though!" Kazunari chimes in. "It's super romantic."
"Still!" Muku sighs. "I'm sorry, Kyu-chan. I hope it works out."
"You hope what works out?"
Azami's presence makes Kumon flinch and Muku jump out of his skin. When did he get here?! Muku starts sputtering, all half-beginnings of some explanation, but Azami opens his mouth again before Muku can get full words out.
"I hope your make-up is about to be working out." Azami crosses his arms. "Kumon, you've barely got any of it on. Tenma and Misumi are already warming up on stage with no mistakes in theirs. And they're slow as hell."
"Actually, he said he needs your help with it!" Muku takes a huge step backward, leaving tons of space between himself and Kumon. "Kyu-chan doesn't get make-up at all still!"
Kumon loves his cousin, but he's not ready for something like this all of a sudden?! What is Muku trying to do with a move like this? They were already super close to each other earlier that evening; Kumon's going to die if it happens again!
"I mean, you've been fine before," Azami says. He leans against the counter. "Just do what you think you should do. If it's wrong, I'll correct you."
"Okay, got it!" Kumon gives him a thumbs-up before he moves to start actually applying his stage make-up.
Which feels weirder with Azami watching him like that. There's just something about Azami's gaze that makes Kumon feel a little stupid. And not even in the bad way! He feels stupid in the floaty way, like he'll forget his name or something.
Azami's just too pretty for his own good, though. He's tall, and his skin is always flawless. Seriously, some mornings he talks about his skin being bad, but Kumon has never once seen a pimple before. Plus his face is so cute! He still looks pretty young, but his features are sharp enough that he ends up looking super masculine and cool… It's hard not to look at him all the time!
Kumon gets about halfway through his make-up before Azami stops him and steps way too close to him. He leans forward to inspect Kumon's face, just close enough that he can feel Azami's breath (?!?), and Kumon feels like he's about to die. He's not sure if Azami notices, but Kumon keeps looking at his pretty eyes and his pretty lips and, oh God, this really isn't good. Kumon's brain is completely malfunctioning.
"You're not putting on that powder evenly," Azami says, plucking the brush from Kumon's fingers. "If you don't put it on evenly, you're gonna have ugly patchy spots under the stage lights. Or some spots on your face are gonna look shinier than others. Either way, it'll be super gross, so just let me—"
Kumon doesn't know what possesses him to do this, but he leans forward and closes the distance between them before he can stop himself.
Maybe it's because he's wanted to express his feelings for weeks. Maybe it's because he's a teenager and gets too excited thinking about someone's lips. Or maybe he's stupid, because Azami pushes him away, red-faced.
The brush clatters to the ground, and Azami dashes out of the room.
Muku smacks his palm directly into his forehead. "Kyu-chan!"
"Oh, so you're stupid stupid," Yuki drawls. "You better go after him."
Kumon's frozen for a moment, but he nods and runs out of the dressing room.
He thought he would have to run much farther than he actually has to—he finds Azami in the backstage hallway, on the stairs leading up to the wings. Azami's face is covered completely with his hands, and… is he crying…?
"I'm sorry!" Kumon blurts. "Seriously, I'm super sorry! I didn't want to hurt you or scare you or anything! I just…"
Suddenly, Kumon understands why it's been so hard for Azami to get the words out. His heart's pounding like crazy! How's he supposed to say something so serious, especially like this?! The only thing comforting him is the fact that Azami's looking at him now. Thankfully, he's not crying. The redness in his face hasn't gone away, but at least he isn't crying.
"I just really like you."
The words come out softer than Azami would expect, coming from Kumon.
Kumon doesn't look like he's embarrassed at all, though. Totally unfair. Can he really say things like that so earnestly without feeling the slightest bit flustered? Kumon's confidence make Azami's words easier, though. He still has to take a breath to compose himself, but he can at least get them out.
"I like you too," Azami says, and it feels like a weight's been lifted from his shoulders. "Sorry I ran. But it's awful to do stuff like that in public! Especially before marriage! And especially in front of everyone!"
"Woah, you said it!" Kumon laughs, very loudly but not in a way that makes Azami feel made fun of. "I didn't think you would? I kinda expected, like… Like you'd tell me to ask your dad for permission or something first."
Azami shrugs. "You can do it retroactively, I think."
Kumon smiles like he doesn't get it at all. And he probably doesn't, but that's just fine. It's cute how he does his best even when he has no idea what to do, and Azami wouldn't have it any other way.
Kumon extends his hand to help Azami up from his seat on the steps, and Azami doesn't let him let go in the quiet, empty hallway. If there's no one around to see it, then shouldn't they make the most of it? Besides, Kumon's hand is as nice to hold as Azami thought it would be. He holds Azami's hand tight enough to be reassuring but not so tightly that it hurts, and he lets go at a safe distance away from the dressing room's door. Which Azami is glad for, because he doesn't think he'd be able to look Muku in the eye if he was caught doing something like that with Kumon.
Only Yuki and Muku are still there, seemingly doing nothing. Yuki's got the entirety of his stuffy costume on, but he makes it look so effortless. Muku, however, looks like he's been worrying the whole time they were gone. Honestly, he probably was.
"You worked it out," Yuki drawls. "Good for you. Let me guess: no holding hands until three years into the relationship, and your first real kiss will be at the altar."
"Oi," Azami snaps, "holding hands is fine if it's in private, no matter how long you've been together."
"In private…" Muku shoots Kumon a look. Azami doesn't understand why he looks so exasperated. "Well, I'm happy for you two anyway! I wish I could have helped, but I'm just—"
Muku's interrupted by Izumi's call to start the run through—five minutes until places.
"We'll let her know that you're gonna be a sec!" Muku says. "Right, Yuki?"
"Wait a sec—"
Muku doesn't wait for Yuki to finish, instead grabbing him by the wrist and yanking him out of the dressing room. "Cool!"
"What's up with them?" Kumon asks. "Muku's super weird sometimes."
"For sure," Azami agrees. "Okay, I'm gonna finish your make-up for real this time."
This time, Azami can finish applying everything he needs to without any unexpected interruptions. Kumon sits still, and the atmosphere is much easier than it was before. Azami thought he was going to die with how close they were earlier, but he doesn't mind it now.
When the make-up's all finished, Azami scans the dressing room to make absolutely sure they're alone. And when it's clear that they are, he leans in and presses a kiss to Kumon's cheek.
"I-It's to get you back! That's it!" He glances towards the floor; his cheeks are really starting to hurt with how much he's blushed today. "G-Good luck with the rehearsal. U-Uh, I'm gonna watch…"
"Thanks! I'm gonna do my best just for you!"
Kumon smiles when Azami meets his eyes again, and he scurries out of the dressing room, prompted by the sound of the stage's curtains opening.
Azami still can't focus on his schoolwork during this run-through, but at least now he can properly focus on the show. It's a relief to see that everyone's make-up is faring well, especially since most of them did theirs without Azami's help. Everything looks flawless, actually.
...Save for the faint lipstick mark on Kumon's cheek.