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The dorm kitchenette felt small during the day whenever multiple people poked in for their meals, but now that everyone was asleep, the shared space was perfect for the pair. Inumaki and Okkotsu stood facing each other, their hands found practiced purchase — Inumaki slid a hand into Yuuta’s waiting one, the other resting on Yuuta’s shoulder while Yuuta’s free hand rested on Inumaki’s back — before they began to slowly sway. The late-night rain outside tapped ceaselessly at the windows and roof, contesting Yuuta's phone on the kitchen table playing some song in a language that Inumaki didn't know: he thought in the back of his head it sounded cheesy. He'd ask Yuuta to translate it for him later.
"Hey, you don't step on my toes anymore." Yuuta praised, but Inumaki couldn't help intentionally nudging his foot instantly after. The taller sorcerer pulled him in closer, causing the pair to sway sharply as bubbles of laughter flooded Inumaki’s ear. "It's fine, we don't have to stop if you're getting better at it!"
That was all the reassurance Inumaki needed. Over time, the contact with someone he trusted, with someone he knew wanted to be around him was nice.
He didn't remember how Yuta becoming such a well-versed dancer came up in conversation; as far as their conversations usually went, sign language was doable. In times when the cursed speech sorcerer felt irregular in sharing so much of his thoughts, Yuta didn't mind being the one to fill in the audible silence between them. It was just another one of his kindnesses, and something that made Inumaki's cheeks ache with a concealed smile.
'Damn it,' He relented that his own mistake was pretending his fondness for Yuta was something else entirely, that it was his own doing. He rested his head against Yuta's shoulder, eyes shut and mind grew comfortably sluggish. 'How did I let you in so easily?'
By this point, calling what they were doing dancing would be an overstatement. Both of Inumaki's hands rested on the taller sorcerer's shoulders and Yuta held Inumaki's back. They went on like this while the song playing in the background seemed to end just as soon as it started, and their movement eventually slowed to a stop.
"Hey, Inumaki?" Yuta began.
'Ah, am I overstepping his boundaries?' Inumaki suddenly felt sheepish, small and wanting to grow even smaller to escape the embarrassment he felt. Yuta didn't notice though — he took a half step back to better look at Inumaki.
"You would tell me if I did something that made you uncomfortable, right?" The words came out calculated and almost mechanical. Inumaki looked up for clarification that things were alright, but their eyes met and his breath caught in his chest. Those familiar sapphire pools of eyes were warm with sincerity, yearning.
Intent.
'Yeah. Definitely.' Inumaki responded, subconsciously. His state of disbelief was so strong from what was happening, what he thought and hoped was going to happen, he didn't care if Yuta could hear how loud his heart was beating.
"Then, uhm — can I kiss you?"
Inumaki's hands found purchase on Yuta's forearms, unable to break the other sorcerer's gaze.
"Yeah-" Inumaki accidentally speaking was enough to jolt him out of his trance, but it didn't seem to phase Yuta. Instead, his large calloused hand reached up to cup Inumaki's cheek. Leaning into it, Inumaki noticed just how warm it was.
'He's nervous about this; maybe more than I am. Well, it wouldn't be Okkotsu if he didn't work himself up about it.'
Lost in his own thoughts, Inumaki didn't anticipate the flush of slightly chapped lips against his. It was gentle; testing for a reaction in the cursed speech sorcerer. Inumaki returned it with a row of faint, teasing pecks over Yuta's top lip from end to end. It was meant to be cheeky, but the hesitation from the other sorcerer worried Inumaki that it scared him. If anything, Yuta's next kiss held much more intent: his head tilted, deepening the kiss so his nose pressed against Inumaki's cheek while his hands sank into the sides of the cursed speech sorcerer's hair. Admittedly, Inumaki's toes curled a bit at that. The speech sorcerer stifled a soft moan on the other's lips. They slotted between his lips and he sucked at Yuta's bottom lip just slightly, drawing out a shaky gasp out of him.
And then Yuta's teeth sank against Inumaki's bottom lip. Too hard.
Inumaki groaned and immediately jumped back with his hands to his mouth.
"O-oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" Yuta chased the other sorcerer and gently pried his hands down to assess the damage. It had raised slightly, but that was all. He thumbed the underside of Inumaki's lip. It probably wasn't necessary, but he attempted to use his reverse curse technique on it.
"Sorry, I should've...I don't have a lot of experience kissing, so…" Yuta admitted abashedly, rubbing at the back of his neck with his eyes to the ground.
"You mean you didn't go overseas and learn some lip locking techniques with those dance moves?" Inumaki signed with a smirk.
" No, of course not!" Yuta groaned and buried his face in his hands, back against the wall. "I'm so lame, I'm really sorry Inumaki."
Inumaki didn't bother signing this time, not when Yuta wasn't even looking at him.
"Dork."
"What?"
"Not lame. Just a dork."
Yuta frowned at him.
"Did I ruin my chances of getting another kiss?" Inumaki finally relented to the irritation already beginning to tickle the back of his throat and signed this time.
The other sorcerer huffed with a grin. "I feel like I should be asking you that."
"Don't take it so hard. It's not your fault I'm quite the snack."
"Uh-huh. Then, maybe to be on the safe side we'll call it a night for kissing." Yuta pushed himself off the wall and made his way to his phone, still sitting at a table, until Inumaki darted in front of him.
"Wait, one. Just one more, please?" The speech sorcerer closed the distance between them and snaked his arms around Yuta's torso until he got an answer.
Yuta couldn't help but comply. He reached down to cup Inumaki's cheek like before and gave him one slow kiss. Then another. A third.