Work Text:
The dorm feels like an entirely different place in the dead of the night, when everyone's asleep.
Without the playful bickering from Iori and Riku, the screams of Tamaki and Nagi while they're playing games together, and the chuckling from Yamato, Mitsuki, and Sogo who's sitting on the sofa nearby, the dorm feels silent. Empty halls and silent rooms fill the place; though they'll be filled with laughter and joy once again when the sun rises.
Those are the thoughts that cross Nagi's mind as he gets up at 3 am to get a glass of water.
"Water..."
Blindly stumbling in the dark, he walks towards the kitchen, only to find the lights in the common room on despite the rest of the dorm being pitch black.
"Why are the lights on?" He thinks to himself as he silently yawns.
Curious, he takes a peek into the common room.
With his vision still blurry from waking up a few minutes ago, Nagi saw the silhouette of Mitsuki's back in the common room. Mitsuki was standing in the middle of it, reading something off of a stack of papers, all while having a frustrated look.
Nagi reckoned Mitsuki was practicing his script, but why was he doing it in the common room in the dead of the night?
Curiosity overtook Nagi as he steps into the common room.
"Mitsuki...? What are you doing up at 3 am?" Nagi said drowsily, a reminder of the fact that they were both supposed to be asleep at an ungodly hour such as this.
"Nagi!? What are you doing up at this hour?" Mitsuki turns around, shocked by Nagi's sudden appearance, and he hurriedly hides the papers in his hands behind his back. "I was trying to look through my script!"
"In the common room at 3 am?" Nagi stares into Mitsuki's eyes.
"..." Mitsuki keeps silent for a bit as he looks down at the floorboards, forcefully breaking eye contact with Nagi.
"I'm... trying to practice a dance for the role of a character I'm playing..." Mitsuki begins after a slight beat of silence. "The last part requires me to waltz with the female lead, so I was trying to practice..."
"Oh... why not practice in the afternoon then?"
"I didn't want anyone else to know that I was struggling to waltz..."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Mitsuki! Everyone has to learn to get better!"
"But still..." Mitsuki gave a dejected look as his voice lowers.
They both fall silent.
Mitsuki steals a glance at Nagi, who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Okay! I understand!" Nagi chimes in after a while. "I'll teach you how to waltz then!"
"Huh!?" Startled by both Nagi's voice and proposal, Mitsuki exclaims.
"Nagi, you know how to waltz!?"
"I used to waltz back in my home country! It was common for me to have to waltz all the time!"
"I see..." Mitsuki looks up towards Nagi.
"So you can teach me how to waltz then, Nagi!?"
"Of course! Just follow my lead, Mitsuki!"
ㅤ
ㅤ
1, 2, 3, 4,
1, 2, 3, 4...
Nagi guides Mitsuki's steps as they gracefully spin around in the common room, with the occasional misstep of Mitsuki stepping on Nagi's feet by accident. Even so, Nagi doesn't mind the misstep, as evident by his laughter every time Mitsuki does it.
They step, they sway, and they do a natural turn; all while holding onto each other and laughing at the fact that they're waltzing in the common room at 3 in the morning. Mitsuki listens to every piece of advice that Nagi gives as they waltz again and again, trying to perfect Mitsuki's techniques.
Nagi's hand felt warm in Mitsuki's.
At some point, Mitsuki had perfected his techniques. Even so, they kept on waltzing; not for practice's sake anymore, but instead to let this dreamlike moment remain as it is.
ㅤ
ㅤ
After what seems like an eternity, they finally stop to catch their breaths.
"That was really fun...!" Mitsuki said while slightly panting, clearly out of breath from all the waltzing.
"I'm glad you enjoyed that, Mitsuki! Now you can play the role perfectly!" Nagi beamed.
Mitsuki notes that Nagi's smile looks the best when he's satisfied with being able to help someone, but it's not like Mitsuki will ever tell him that.
"Is that how the scene ends? If not then I can help you to practice!" Nagi asks as he takes a seat on the couch.
As that question leaves Nagi's mouth, everything pauses.
At that moment, Mitsuki tenses up, which doesn't go unnoticed by Nagi.
"..."
Mitsuki simply stares at Nagi with a tense look on his face while avoiding eye contact.
"Mitsuki?"
Mitsuki snaps out of his trance as Nagi calls him.
"Ah, yeah? Oh, sorry... yeah, that's how the scene ends." Mitsuki manages to stutter out, but Nagi has a gut feeling that Mitsuki doesn't mean that.
"Mitsuk-"
"Look at the time, it's almost 4 in the morning! We both have work by late afternoon tomorrow, so let's go back to sleep! Goodnight Nagi, see you when we walk home together tomorrow!"
Before Nagi could even call out to him, Mitsuki speeds off towards the exit of the common room.
He watches helplessly as Mitsuki closes the door behind him, unable to say anything.
Outside of the common room, in the dark hallway, Mitsuki silently curses himself out for being both an idiot and a coward.
Mitsuki couldn't bear to tell Nagi that the final scene ends with a kiss.
ㅤ
♮
ㅤ
"Mitsuki-san? Mitsuki-san?"
He snaps out of his trance.
"Yes, sorry?" He gives the staff calling out to him a gentle smile.
"You seem out of it today, is everything alright?" The staff's tone was gentle, which made it clear to Mitsuki that he was asking about him out of genuine concern.
"I slept too late last night because I was focused on practicing, but I'm alright, sorry to worry you!" Mitsuki gives his usual wide grin, which makes the staff sigh a breath of relief.
"Alright, but please do inform the staff members if you're feeling unwell!"
"I will, thank you for your concern!"
As the staff member leaves, Mitsuki can't help but space out again.
He feels guilt-ridden that he lied to Nagi about the script last night, but it's not a big deal, right? Nagi just offered to teach him how to waltz, not reenact the scenes in the script. Plus, it's not like it matters to Nagi, he's not even part of the casting in the drama. And even if he did tell Nagi how the scene ended, it's not like Nagi would act it out with hi-
"Filming will begin in 5 minutes---!"
Before Mitsuki could let his train of thought spiral into unknown territory, the staff members called out to all the cast members, indicating that the filming will begin soon.
Mitsuki gets up from his seat nearby the set and mentally prepares himself to film the final scene.
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
1, 2, 3, 4,
1, 2, 3, 4...
Mitsuki does the steps exactly as Nagi taught him last night.
A step, a sway, a natural turn, and the waltz ends with Mitsuki pulling the female lead in. He stares at her for a moment, clearly being reminded of the fact that he did this all with Nagi last night.
A slight silence and tension linger in the air.
He forcibly shakes that thought out of his mind, and he leans in for a kiss with the female lead, successfully ending the scene.
"Cut!" The director called out, "And that's a wrap!"
Applause from the staff could be heard as both Mitsuki and the female lead took a bow, indicating that the final scene has been completed and thus the filming has come to a close. The staff handed them both a towel and a water bottle as they walked off-set, taking a seat to rest.
Mitsuki sat down, yet he felt that he was unable to rest.
Despite the ending scene being filmed without any difficulties, uneasiness still plagues Mitsuki's mind.
The final scene felt... unsatisfying to Mitsuki. It felt like something was missing.
Was it perhaps his performance that made it unsatisfactory? He thought about requesting for the scene to be shot again. Yet somewhere deep down, something tells him that nothing will change even if he were to shoot the scene again a thousand times.
If that's not the case then, what is?
Mitsuki frantically flips through the pages of his script, hoping to find a clue to the cause of his uneasiness. After flipping through the script back and forth, he finally stops on the part about the waltz.
It keeps reminding him of Nagi for some reason. The way Nagi held onto his hand as they spun around, dancing the night away. The way he kept on stepping on Nagi's feet, yet never he never seemed to mind. Nagi's smile, the way they kept dancing, and the scene could've ended with-
"Ah."
Mitsuki realizes the source of his uneasiness.
Yet he was too afraid to admit that was the source of his worries. He was afraid of what it meant for him. If he had been honest with Nagi about how that scene ended... what if he was met with rejection?
Tons of thoughts race through Mitsuki's head, yet he didn't want to think about any of them.
He jolted up from his seat, as an attempt to forcibly cut his thoughts short.
Mitsuki looks at the clock. It's 6:30 pm. Mitsuki had promised Nagi to wait at his set until 7 pm so that Nagi could pick him up and they could both walk home from their jobs together.
But he isn't sure if he can bear the guilt of lying and the burden of his thoughts when he meets with Nagi in a bit.
...
"I'll be taking my leave now!"
With a loud exclamation to the staff members, Mitsuki quickly grabbed his stuff and left.
ㅤ
♭
ㅤ
Nagi's photoshoot had wrapped up by 7 in the evening.
With a polite bow towards everyone, Nagi packed up his things and left the photoshoot studio.
Walking on the busy streets and looking up at the evening sky, Nagi notes that the sky had a vibrant orange hue. It reminded Nagi of Mitsuki.
Since his photoshoot studio was within walking distance of Mitsuki's film set, Mitsuki had promised to wait for him so that they could walk home together. With that in mind, Nagi called Mitsuki on his phone, intending to tell Mitsuki that he was on the way to the film set.
...
...
...
"Hi, this is Izumi Mitsuki! I'm currently away, so please leave me a voicemail after the beep!"
Huh? That's weird.
Nagi was surprised when he was met with Mitsuki's voicemail greeting instead of Mitsuki himself.
Mitsuki almost always picks up his phone instantly whenever someone calls, did something happen to him? Maybe Mitsuki went home before him due to some unforeseen circumstances and simply forgot to inform him? No, Mitsuki's never too careless, he always informs someone if he can't make it to the plans they make by the last minute...
Nagi stared at his screen, seemingly lost in thought.
After a bit of thinking, he picks up the pace and races towards the set Mitsuki filmed on today.
ㅤ
ㅤ
"Mitsuki-san? Ah, he left earlier!" a staff member informed Nagi as he arrived at the set.
"How long ago did he leave!?" Nagi exclaimed, still out of breath from the sprint he made from the studio to the film set.
"Ah? Let's see... that was around half an hour ago...?"
"Did he mention where he was going?"
"No, he just said that he was leaving... is something wrong with Mitsuki-san?"
"No, it's alright, thank you!" Nagi hurriedly rushes to a secluded corner in the rest area of the set, all while typing in some numbers into his phone.
With a trembling hand, Nagi puts the phone to his ear after hitting dial.
"Please pick up..."
...
...
"Hello?" A groggy voice could be heard from the other end of the phone, clearly indicating that the recipient had just woken up.
"Yamato! Is Mitsuki at home?" The anxiousness in Nagi's voice was too obvious despite his best attempts to sound calm, which Yamato takes note of.
"Huh? Mitsu? He hasn't returned yet, Tama and I are the only ones at home right now."
"..."
"Nagi? What's going o-"
Before Yamato could finish his sentence, Nagi hangs up as he rushes back to the set where Mitsuki was at just half an hour ago, all while the phone in his hand keeps vibrating with calls from Yamato. Nagi has a really bad feeling about this.
ㅤ
ㅤ
"Did anything happen to Mitsuki while filming today?" Nagi attempts to question the staff members in an attempt to figure out where Mitsuki had gone.
"No..." One of the staff member recounts, "But Mitsuki-san did seem like something was troubling him earlier today. I had asked him if he was okay, and he responded saying that everything was alright."
Nagi furrows his brows, seemingly lost in thought as he tries to figure out why Mitsuki left before they could meet up. Did something happen to Mitsuki recently that has been weighing on his mind?
Nagi suddenly recalls Mitsuki's secretive behavior the night before. He hesitates to ask about it, fearing that he may invade Mitsuki's privacy. But he needed all the clues he could get to look for the currently missing Mitsuki. With a sharp inhale and a strong determination to look for Mitsuki, Nagi asks the staff member,
"How does the scene that Mitsuki filmed end?"
ㅤ
♭♮
ㅤ
Mitsuki stares at his reflection in the water, unmoving and expressionless.
Having escaped to the nearby park an hour or so ago, he's not sure what he should do now. He knows that Nagi must be worried sick by now, yet he still can't bear to look at Nagi right now. He doesn't want to know what Nagi might think of him.
His reflection in the water of the fountain looks pained. Was that what he looks like right now? He sighs, unsure of his next course of action.
The sun is setting, maybe he should go home, for now, to avoid worrying anyone. Maybe he should get something to eat at a nearby restaurant and lie to everyone else saying that he went to have dinner with the other cast members. Maybe he should tell Nagi that his phone died. Maybe he should tell Nagi they can walk home together next time. Maybe-
"Mitsuki!"
Mitsuki perks his head up suddenly, thinking that he was hearing things.
As he turns around to find out if the voice was all in his head or if it was real, he was shocked by the presence of the very person he was meant to meet up with an hour ago. Unsure of what to do he quickly tries to hide his face and run away, but to no avail as Nagi catches up to Mitsuki.
"Mitsuki! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"..."
Mitsuki remains still and doesn't say a thing.
"What's wrong, Mitsuki? Tell me what's on your mind, please."
"..."
Silence continues to linger between Mitsuki and Nagi.
None of them say anything to each other, standing together wordlessly in a brightly lit park at night, with Nagi grasping onto Mitsuki's hand tightly to make sure he doesn't try to run away again.
"..."
"I..." Mitsuki begins.
"I'm... sorry."
"What for?" Nagi tilts his head, puzzled at why Mitsuki would apologize.
"I made you worried... by running away without telling you..." Mitsuki feels more and more guilty with each passing second, but his need to make sure that Nagi doesn't worry about him overrides his guilt.
"I still found you in the end, so I'm no longer worried." Nagi gives Mitsuki a gentle smile, which makes Mitsuki's heart ache even more. Why is Nagi so gentle towards him, even after he lied to him and broke a promise to him which made him worried? Mitsuki couldn't understand.
Before Mitsuki could say anything, Nagi continued.
"I went to your set and heard about the drama you filmed today! The staff members were praising your waltz!" Nagi beamed. "They said you did the final scene with a kiss very well, too!"
At that moment, Mitsuki forgot all about the things he wanted to say. All he could do was stare in shocked silence. Of course Nagi would find out about it sooner or later, Nagi went to his film set to look for him, after all.
"Sorry... I couldn't bring myself to tell you about how the scene ended..." Mitsuki deliberately left out the part where he didn't tell Nagi to avoid getting greedy for a kiss from Nagi, but it's not like it matters that much, Mitsuki convinces himself.
Nagi falls silent for a while, seemingly deep in thought.
"Okay! I understand!" He chimes in after a while, "Let's waltz here then!"
"Huh!?" Mitsuki, more confused than anything, shot his head up to look at Nagi.
"Don't worry, just follow my lead!" Nagi says with a wink as he extends his hand, indicating for Mitsuki to grab hold of it. Mitsuki, still in a state of confusion, holds onto Nagi's hand without truly knowing why Nagi would suggest waltzing in the park at 8 pm in the evening.
ㅤ
ㅤ
As the sun sets behind the both of them, dying the sky with a brilliant yellowish orange, they both hold onto each other's hands. With Nagi humming a tune and Mitsuki following Nagi's lead, the waltz they both danced seemed to be a scene out of a fairytale; ultimately whimsical and dreamlike.
1, 2, 3, 4,
1, 2, 3, 4...
They both step, they both sway, and they both do a natural turn. As they both danced, their surroundings seemed to blend into the background. All they could focus on was the way they gracefully twirled and the way they seemed to be having fun with one another. Mitsuki steps on Nagi's feet by accident, and Nagi simply laughs.
"Nagi... thank you." Mitsuki says as they're both in the middle of waltzing.
"Huh? What for, Mitsuki?" Nagi responds while leading the dance without fail or any signs of being distracted.
"For being here." Mitsuki's smile was so wide it reached his eyes.
Nagi responds with a smile as well, as he ends the waltz by pulling Mitsuki in closer.
They both stare into each other's eyes for a split second, still out of breath from all the dancing.
"Mitsuki, can you close your eyes for a second?" Nagi says with a sense of gentleness in his voice that makes it hard to deny his request.
Mitsuki nods, and closes his eyes.
In the next moment, Mitsuki felt a sensation of warmth on his lips. The warmth brought along a feeling of softness to it, a softness so tender it could possibly make Mitsuki melt. He swears that in that moment, all he could think about was how delicate the feeling was on his lips. His mind seemed to forget about all that he's been worrying about, focusing solely on this moment.
Once the warmth left his lips, Mitsuki opened his eyes again, only to find Nagi smiling with the same gentleness from before. This time, Mitsuki gave a gentle smile back towards Nagi. His heart was racing.
Nagi held his hand out once again.
"Shall we continue to dance?"
They both held onto each other tightly as they began to waltz once again, the two of them dancing the night away together.
ㅤ