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It was probably because of Kanata, at first. Tadaomi couldn't help but grow fascinated by his fixation with Haruka - the way his grin intensified when it was his twin glaring at him. That curiosity led Tadaomi's eyes to focus on Haruka more and more, trying to study him, wondering what it was about him that interested Kanata so much. As each day passed, he couldn't help but wonder if there were other sides of Haruka, ones that he could eke out on his own.
It was a simple experiment, an urge to see what happened if he mimicked something Kanata liked to say. Would Haruka make that angry face, would he be disgusted and avoid him? It seemed a little cruel to do it without asking first, but Tadaomi was desperately curious...
Haruka already seemed uncomfortable being alone with him this long, with Tadaomi's gaze on his face. "Kurama-senpai, did you need something from me?"
It was now or never, he supposed. Tadaomi smiled widely, and said, "Haruka-kun, I love you."
"H-huh?!" Rather than the blanching of his face that Tadaomi expected, Haruka's cheeks turned red. "What the hell's that mean, th-that you like me...?"
Hm? Wasn't that strange. The words were harsh, but the delivery came out awkward. Tadaomi had never seen Haruka like this before, staring at him wide eyed. Was he embarrassed? But not in the abrasive, angry way he got around Kanata. Tadaomi tried again, adopting a more serious tone of voice. "I love you."
Haruka's face only grew redder. He took a step back, looking around the room as if he expected someone to pop out of the shadows, but of course there was only the two of them. "Did someone put you up to this? Did.. Kanata tell you...?" Haruka's face went dark, and he was muttering to himself. "That bastard... He's always making fun of me..."
"Kanata-kun had nothing to do with it," Tadaomi corrected him immediately. "It was entirely my own decision. But... I'm not sure about your reaction. What would Kanata-kun have told me?"
Haruka looked at him, really looked at him, staring hard at his face. Tadaomi met his gaze, wondering what information Haruka hoped to gain from his eyes. Soon he relented, dropping his head. "That I... like you, too."
"Oh." Tadaomi blinked. His heartbeat sped up a little, overwhelmed by Haruka's response. It was beyond any of his wildest expectations. He wanted to ask Haruka a lot of questions about it - how long had he liked him for, why had he chosen Tadaomi of all people, why hadn't he confessed his feelings before now? The most pressing question rattling through his mind, he asked right away, "Are we dating now, then?"
Haruka hesitated, then turned his head to the side. After thinking on it so long, Tadaomi was sure he would refuse, but his words came out mumbled. "Uh. If you want..."
"I've never dated before," Tadaomi said, a little giddiness in his voice. "Can't we try it out?"
Haruka slowly nodded. "Yeah." The pink tint returned to his cheeks as he looked up at Tadaomi. "Yeah. I'd like that a lot."
Perhaps Tadaomi should have expected it when Haruka grabbed his arm and pulled him in. Kisses were things that couples did, but Tadaomi was still surprised when their lips met. Haruka's were softer than he expected, warm against his - and gone in the next moment.
"Ah. My first kiss." Tadaomi pressed his fingers to his lips. How strange, that he wanted to try it again...
Haruka's eyes widened. "Ah, sorry, I should have asked first." He let go of him instantly, but before he could retreat too far, Tadaomi grabbed his hand.
"Hehe, don't worry. It was really nice." An unexpected result, but... The lingering warmth from Haruka's lips was flowing through him now, making his chest feel warm, too. He was looking forward to seeing what it was like - being Haruka's boyfriend.