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“Haruka-kun!”
The last time Haruka got picked up at the school gate was when his grandmother decided that was a good idea, back when he was like, six.
So maybe, just maybe, Haruka feels a hint— a huge hint— of embarrassment when being called by this actual working adult who also happens to be from a rival group.
Nanase Riku is the most recent on Haruka’s ever-growing list of problems, long after Kujo Tenn not giving him enough attention, and more importantly, Utsugi-san not responding to his advances at all , after whatever his group members are doing at that particular moment and of course, after Haruka’s confused classmates.
“Iorin, is Rikkun picking you up today?”
A part of Haruka considers saying something like, no, isn’t it obvious it’s me he called out for? , but that would imply he might be happy about this situation, so he won’t.
“No, he also didn’t ask to meet me.” Izumi seems less happy about this situation, suspiciously so.
If his rabbit chats are any indication, Izumi spends a nonzero amount of time telling Nanase what to do, when to do it and what to do in case he somehow failed the initial order. That on its own is weird enough, but weirder perhaps is how casually they do that, and how Nanase still seems like the one in control despite all that.
But avoiding Nanase for any of those reasons would be cowardice, it would be something Kujo Tenn would do, and Haruka would never do something Kujo Tenn would do.
So he awkwardly positions himself next to Nanase and accepts his fate.
“Ehehe, I didn’t think you’d come along, Haruka-kun.”
“Why not?”
“You hate Tenn-nii, so I figured…”
“That’s…” Haruka does not hate Kujo Tenn anymore so much as he still deeply, desperately wants to have everything he has had, and more.
Then again, Kujo Tenn does want Nanase in a way, doesn’t he?
“And since you hate Tenn-nii, I figured you wouldn’t go out with me.”
“Go out with you? Where?”
Now Nanase is pouting , and Haruka wonders how Kujo Tenn and Izumi have been handling that for as long as they have.
“Haruka-kun,” the way Nanase stresses the syllables makes Haruka want to melt into the floor, “Iori said you’re the smart type, you know?”
“I do get good grades!”
Nanase has this stupid look on his face, the look of someone who has long passed high school and is vaguely enjoying Haruka’s plight. And then he says it. “Well, grades won’t help us with this one. Haruka-kun, wanna date me?”
“Like, go out for coffee?” For a bit, Haruka wonders why Nanase would word it that way, but maybe it’s Rokuya’s bad influence.
This time, Nanase rolls his eyes, and Haruka really, really is contemplating leaving.
“Like go out for coffee, play the pocky game, pretend to kiss and so on.”
“Eh? Pretend ?” Haruka would like to be less confused, but like Izumi had warned him previously, Nanase does not know how to get to the point, at all.
“Or did you want to date for real? That’s also okay, but I do have someone I have feelings for…” Nanase bites his lip, oddly pensive about this question no one posed to him in the first place.
Haruka crosses his arms. “So you want to fake date. Like in those bad dramas Acchan likes?”
“Yeah, like that!” Nanase’s eyes light up, and Haruka is not quite sure if this guy is actually not younger than him.
“And why would I do that?”
“It’ll make Tenn-nii very mad!”
That, of course, is a good point. Not only will it make Kujo Tenn talk to him, it will also make Utsugi-san be annoyed with him, and that means he will be able to finally, finally get to his actual end goal— getting into Utsugi-san’s pants— and that would be amazing .
“I mean, sure, but…” It is then that the concerning part about this occurs to Haruka. “Why do you want to make Kujo Tenn mad?”
Nanase laughs, the way you laugh at a kid who asked a stupid question in school. “You’ll get it when you’re older.”
“I’m just one year younger though?!”
“I just wanted to copy Yamato-san’s line!”
“That didn’t sound like Nikaido at all.”
“Anyway!” Nanase stops in his tracks. “Will you go out with me?”
“I already said ‘sure’ though…” Haruka can feel the blush creeping up his face, because even though this is fake dating, he has never dated anyone before.
(Despite Kujo’s delusions of Haruka being Acchan’s boyfriend.)
“Really? Great!” Nanase moves in for a hug, and Haruka wants to die about right now. “I’ll be in your care then, Haruka-kun!”
“Alright, Haruka-kun, kiss me.”
Haruka’s heart nearly stops. “You can’t just say that out of nowhere!!”
Nanase tilts his head. “Wait, is it your first?”
“...Yeah.”
“Oh, that’s a no then. My first was with Tenn-nii when I was 11, so I didn’t consider it…” Nanase leans in anyway, camera pointed at them. “Don’t worry, we’ll fake it!”
That seems like a surprising amount of confidence to Haruka. “...You have experience, huh.”
“I am your senpai, after all!”
It takes less than a week of Nanase posting pictures on his Rabbitter for Kujo Tenn to text Haruka.
>> Isumi Haruka. What is the meaning of this?
Suck it, Kujo Tenn. Haruka is very happy with himself.
<< nanase asked me out and i accepted lol
He supposes disclosing that this was Nanase’s idea will make Kujo Tenn run to him, which is exactly what Nanase wants, so.
Now if only Utsugi-san would—
Three knocks on the door.
“Come in!” Haruka pockets his phone.
“Isumi-san, I understand you’re that age now, but—” Utsugi-san sighs. “Couldn’t you have consulted with me beforehand?”
“You got a problem with it?” Haruka is less happy about this situation than he expected to be, because Utsugi-san still doesn’t get it.
“Dating someone from another agency can be difficult to navigate. Of course, I want to respect your feelings and—”
“So you’ll date me?”
“Me?” Utsugi-san points at himself, like he just heard something incredulous, like Haruka hasn’t been very explicit about wanting Utsugi-san to praise him and give him attention.
“You’re from Tsukumo Pro, right? And you don’t want me to date someone from another agency.”
“But don’t you have feelings for—”
“I don’t.” Haruka rolls his eyes. “That’s just something Nanase came up with to get Kujo Tenn to talk to him.”
“But you kissed?” Utsugi-san seems perplexed by this, like fake dating to gain someone’s attention isn’t the oldest trick in the book.
“I told Nanase it would be my first kiss, so he faked it.”
“...Isumi-san’s first?”
“Y-Yeah.” Haruka can feel his cheeks heat up. But this is not the time for him to lack confidence, so, “Wanna change that, Utsugi-san?”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to do that.” Despite saying that, Utsugi-san closes the distance between them and sits down next to Haruka.
“But you came over anyway.”
“That’s because I care about Isumi-san’s wellbeing.”
“Because you’re my manager?”
“That, too, but…”
“‘But’?” Haruka leans over, bracing himself on Utsugi-san’s knee. “‘But’, Utsugi-san?”
Haruka knows very well that Utsugi-san has a soft spot for him. Why else would he go out of his way to praise Haruka this much all the time?
(Aside from Haruka asking for it, of course.)
“I think Isumi-san is amazing.”
“Say it again.” Haruka pulls at Utsugi-san’s collar.
“Isumi-san, you’re amazing.”
Haruka knows his nerves are catching up to him, but this is not the time considering the situation, so he climbs on top of Utsugi-san’s lap. “I’ll stop dating Nanase if you kiss me.”
Utsugi-san laughs lightly. “Maybe I underestimated you, Isumi-san. Ryo-kun did say you’re—”
“Don’t talk about him, kiss me .”
And then Utsugi-san complies. He pulls Haruka in, tangles his fingers in Haruka’s hair and kisses him.
…It is so, so much better than what TV made it look like.
“Isumi-san…”
Despite the initial protests, Utsugi-san seems to be into it. He touches Haruka’s sides, nibbles at Haruka’s lip, and it is exactly what Haruka needed.
Feeling wanted.
It was this simple all along, Haruka realizes, and he wishes he’d done this earlier, but Utsugi-san doesn’t let him think about it much, because he breaks the kiss and shoves two fingers into Haruka’s mouth.
Somehow, that feeling goes straight to Haruka’s crotch.
Haruka can’t think straight. “Utsugi-san, I—”
“We should probably go to my apartment.”
<< nanase i think we have to break up
>> did your manager finally notice you!!!
<< … yes
>> that’s great
>> i also succeeded
>> i’d send you a pic of tenn-nii sleeping but i want to keep it to myself
<< thanks but i also really didnt want it
<< you wont get a pic of utsugi-san either
>> well it was a nice week of dating
Next to Haruka, Utsugi-san stirs. “Did you break up?”
“Yeah.”
Utsugi-san frowns. “We shouldn’t make our relation public because—”
“Ugh, just shut up and kiss me."