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The night is halfway done when Yamato looks down his own shirt, brows furrowed in frustration or confusion, Ryuu can't really tell. He's a bit too preoccupied with how the blush on Yamato's cheeks have travelled from his cheeks to his ears.
“I think I need to go to the gym more,” Yamato states. He now has his shirt lifted up, prodding at his own abs as if testing their quality.
They're good quality to Ryuu, if he asked him.
“Ah, how am I going to reach the ‘Most Desired Embrace’ list like this,” he lets his shirt fall back in place and turns to Ryuu, pouting in a way he only does when he's petulant and drunk.
“I can teach you my workout regimen! Come over to the gym near my house and I'll show you!”
The words tumbled out of his mouth, excited and giddy. He gets an excited and giddy reaction in return, Yamato slapping his back and laughing in delight. Then the rest of the night is a blur and the words are forgotten.
Up until he wakes up with a banging headache and a flood of memories, panic, and regret. Because now he has to keep his promise and actually take Yamato to the gym.
It's not that he didn't particularly like Yamato. He liked Yamato! He didn't have a crush or anything but he liked Yamato.
Ryuu wasn't as close to him as Gaku. He hung out more with Mitsuki because of their mutual interest in sports. But it didn't mean he wasn't friends or he couldn't appreciate him! He has had enough drinking sessions to admire his loyalty and dedication to his group members, his dry sense of humour, his ability to put most of Ryuu's stressors in a more rational relaxed context. He is allowed to think of him as kind, friendly, really really cute when he blushes or starts passionately talking about roomba maintenance-
Okay, maybe Gaku and Tenn were right. He has a crush. He has a big fat crush and he has invited said crush to go on gym dates with him. This was a disaster.
“How on earth is that a disaster?” Tenn levels him one of his dryer looks of disbelief. “You're successfully flirting with your crush. Oh, what a disaster. Your life is ruined.”
The level of deadpan in his voice could kill a small animal, Ryuu thinks. It definitely stung him a little.
“Shouldn't I, I don't know, pace myself?”
“You are pacing yourself. This is just the first move. Now all you have to do is confess your love for him,” Gaku summarized plainly as if love confessions were an everyday task. Maybe it was for Yaotome Gaku who's so straightforward, a rock would be jealous of his bluntness.
Though considering his endeavours with IDOLiSH7's manager, he does have more tact than one would think. But also considering his success rates of said endeavours, maybe his advice wasn't exactly the best one to follow.
“Don't do that. You are already going at a good pace. Just keep at it. Be confident in yourself. You seem to somehow know what you're doing. More than Gaku, anyways, but that doesn't say much.”
Despite his words, Tenn's smile is reassuring. Even if it does only last three seconds before he scowls at Gaku's following retort.
He thinks he can do this. Gradually, eventually, he will win Nikaidou Yamato's heart! He just needs to pace himself.
“I take back everything I've said about you keeping a good pace. How has it been only three weeks and you invite him to move in with you?” Tenn teases.
Tenn looks more amused than anything and Gaku is laughing in the backseat of the car. Ryuu just groans into the corner of the window, hoping to somehow shrink into nothingness.
It has been three weeks of kind-of gym dates and it has been great. Sure, he may have had several existential crises contemplating how he's helping his crush be even more attractive than he already finds him, worsening said crush. Said crises may or may not have been exacerbated every time Yamato would lift his shirt to wipe sweat from his face or leave the communal showers in nothing but a towel hanging low on his hips.
It was worth it for the cooldowns filled with idle chatter and the lively high fives they share after a good workout. They sometimes go out for a drink afterwards, talking and enjoying each other’s presence late into the night. He has to admit, it's nice to have more time to experience Yamato all for himself.
It was on set for another Re:vale, TRIGGER and IDOLiSH7 collaboration when Tsumugi announces the IDOLiSH7 dorms as uninhabitable. There had been a horrible internal leak within the building that resulted in more complications than expected. The members have to move out for the time being until they fix the plumbing and water damage.
“I-I would offer my own place to house you but I don't think my father, I mean, the president would allow that.”
“MEZZO” can stay with me. I have enough room for two more people and it's convenient for me as their manager,” Banri offers.
He's met with cheers from Tamaki-kun and polite gratitude from Sougo-kun.
“Me and Nii-san can stay at our parent's place. Nanase-san can join us since we have a guest room.”
“What, really? Iori! Thank you!”
“It's easier to keep an eye on you if you're living in the same building.”
“Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!”
Mitsuki squeezes between the two of them.
“Stop fighting already! Imagine the trouble you'll bring our parents arguing like this!” he sighs, “But yeah, we can house Riku. It’s no problem!”
That left Nagi and Yamato.
“I can house one person at my place,” Gaku offers, surprising everyone.
“Oh, me!,” Nagi volunteers, surprising everyone again, “We have the new Magical Cocona: Starry Side Adventures to finish watching together!”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Nagi squeals in delight before throwing himself at Gaku, his arms wrapped around his neck as he rambles in excitement about what Ryuu assumes is anime. Ryuu doesn’t miss the way Gaku blushes at the hug. He’s always had a thing for blondes.
Then, he sees almost in slow motion, Yuki moving to open his mouth and Yamato tense, preparing for impact. In this slow motion moment, Ryuu also processes the thoughts that 1) Yamato doesn't like being with Yuki for some reason, 2) Yuki is probably going to offer him a place to stay, 3) his own house has a guest room and 4) he is really, really gay.
So he blurts out the following:
“Yamato-kun, move-in with me!”
All heads turn to him. He can feel the embarrassment creep up his neck almost immediately. Maybe he didn't need to shout but his dumb crush-mushed brain doesn't seem to know basic human decency.
“I j-just mean, you already go to the gym nearby my place so it's probably convenient for you. It's okay if you would rather not! Don’t feel any pressure!”
He can feel Gaku and Tenn's eyes on him. He does not need to look at them to feel their eyebrow-wiggling auras.
Instead he looks at Yamato whose eyes are widened in surprise. His face softens into a smile that leaves Ryuu all warm inside.
“That sounds great. Thank you, Tsunashi-san.”
‘You look great’ is what Ryuu would like to say as he walks into the kitchen to find Yamato in an apron that hugs his waist in just the right way. He has some of his fringe clipped back cutely, as he folds a dumpling in his hands, humming lightly. He was in a plain shirt and jeans rolled up, showing off his calves. The rice cooker is working its way behind him and the pot simmering lightly for the miso soup.
It has been almost a week of their living together. They don't see each other much. They don't have many schedules that match up. Most of Yamato's was filming and press related to it while Ryuu had more focus on ads and photoshoots.
At the end of the day they would often share a drink and some time together. They would order takeout or cook for each other. It was the third day that Yamato first gave him a lunch box to take to work, filled with hard boiled egg rabbits and flower cut vegetables. It was the fourth day when Ryuu returned the favour.
He learned of Yamato's taste for bland food and his sensitive tongue. He had a preference to more traditional Japanese flavours and favoured red-bean taiyaki as a dessert even though he has to blow on it a hundred times before he can take a bite.
He gets to hear him snore and mumble to himself in his sleep when he forgets to close the guest room door. He gets to watch him study a script religiously, piles of borrowed books surrounding him to help him research his character. He gets to see him smile fondly at his robot vacuum cleaner, sometimes leaning down and cooing at it.
It's a little too fast how attached he has gotten to living with Yamato. He doesn't know how to describe the emotion he feels, coming back to see the younger man after a long day at work. Or the way his heart flutters when he hears him greet him from the living room every other day. He doesn't know how he is going to handle it when he finally leaves.
He also doesn't know how he ended up in this position, hugging Yamato from behind and gently grasping his hands to show him a dumpling fold he recently learned. He is trying his best to focus on guiding Yamato’s slender fingers but the heat of his body pressed to his front and the tickle of his hair against his cheek is very distracting.
“Oh so that's how you do them!” Yamato exclaims in his arms, oblivious to Ryuu’s internal predicament.
Of course he chooses to twist around and beam up at Ryuu. His smile is wide and lopsided as he holds up the dumpling in victory. He has flour against his cheeks and his eyes are creased in delight. He is so close, so warm and really, really cute right now.
So as per the whims of whatever higher power there is, he continues his trend of uncharacteristically bold moves and kisses him.
Their teeth clash a bit and it is a bit awkward with the upside down position and Yamato having to crane his neck to meet him. But once Yamato fully turns around and loops his arms around Ryuu’s neck, bringing him closer, letting him trap him against the edge of the tabletop, it is amazing.
He melts into the kiss, holding his waist and cupping the jut of his hip. He felt Yamato’s fingers tangling in his hair when he slides a knee between his legs and slip his tongue into his mouth.
He suddenly feels hands pushing him away then lips and tongue trailing up his neck. He can't help but groan and dig his fingers into Yamato’s hair to keep him in place. He snaps out of it when Yamato starts unbuckling his belt. He pulls him away by the hair, earning him a gasp that sends a jolt of heat straight through him which he tries his best to ignore.
“Wait,” he breathes out. Oh, wow, is that his own voice? It sounds so rough, “We still have to cook dinner. Tenn and Gaku are coming over.”
He half-whimpers half-moans when Yamato presses closer again, wrapping his arms around Ryuu’s waist. He’s looking up at him with bright eyes and flushed cheeks and bruised lips and it's all Ryuu can do to hold desperately onto the rapidly fading image of a disappointed Tenn in his mind to keep himself under control.
He tells himself they still have a lot to do.They still had about 20 dumplings to cook, the table has yet to be set, they haven't prepared drinks. He's held out for this long, he can pace himself-
“We have time,” Yamato says. He licks his lips and shifts his thigh more insistently between Ryuu's legs.
All thoughts of pacing and disappointed group members fly out the window.
They did in fact, have time to run out of the bedroom and finish the leftover dumplings,set the table and settle on juice and canned beers for drinks. However, they had no time to clean up.
“I would congratulate you on your relationship but I wish you wouldn't expose minors such as myself or Rokuya to knowledge of your sexual activities,” Tenn states, gesturing to their mess of clothing and clearly sex-mussed hair.
Nagi, the surprise guest for the night, cheers for the both of them. He completely ignores Tenn’s obvious disdain. He waxes poetic at the table about their love, emotional and physical. It gets Yamato spluttering and blushing and Gaku teasing the both of them. But Ryuu really can't be too bothered when Yamato is holding his hand under the table.
He likes holding Yamato’s hand. It's too big a gesture for Yamato to do in public often, even among friends. He needs to be a little tipsy like he is now, curled up on his chest and laughing at Mitsu and Sougo’s drunken rendition of Re:vale’s No Doubt. He holds Ryuu’s hand that is resting on his stomach, fingers intertwined.
IDOLiSH7 dorms are repaired soon after their ‘dumpling dinner romance’ as Yamato likes to call it. They are now celebrating the reopening of their dorms and Yamato and Ryuu’s brand new relationship.
He's a little disappointed that Yamato chose to return to his halls instead of staying at his. But he's left behind enough clothing and other bits here and there at his place. It is a silent reassurance that he will visit Ryuu often, perhaps staying overnight more than once in a while.
Or Ryuu staying at Yamato’s overnight as he does later into the night, with his arms wrapped around him and his nose buried into messy brown hair. His fingers play lightly at the abs that Yamato worked so hard on. He presses a kiss to the nape of his neck earning a small noise that stirs through him. He cuddles closer around Yamato, like he can't get enough of how he fits in his arms.
Maybe in the future, Yamato will move in with him and they can sleep like this every night. But for now, they'll simply have to pace themselves.