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He had been through this so many times already, and yet he couldn’t help the lump in his throat and the uneasiness in his limbs. Lyney stood to the side of the stage, peeking at the audience that had assembled in the Opéra. The show hadn’t even started and he was already sweating, trying to remain calm and slow down his breathing. His eyes wandered from face to face in the audience, but with how light his head felt he couldn’t make out any features at all and forgot the face before his eyes had left it. His gaze stopped only when he recognized the young man in blue, his big hat making him stand out in the front row seat he occupied. The magician wasn’t sure whether Kunikuzushi’s presence helped his nervousness or made it worse.
“Lyney? We should start now.”
He barely registered Lynette’s voice, his hands trembling as he held onto his hat in his hands, staring out into the hall like a deer caught in headlights. The audience seemed to notice the slight delay as whispers arose, and the man in blue looked around with a rather irritated look, before getting up and disappearing out of Lyney’s field of vision.
Taking a few deep breaths, Lyney kept repeating words of affirmation to himself like mantras, as if they could magically help slow down his racing heart. They didn’t, in fact, and he felt all the more pathetic.
What did however take his mind off the upcoming show were the cold hands that reached for his shoulders and turned him around to face Kunikuzushi. Staring at his boyfriend rather perplexed, he slowly calmed down a little to form coherent sentences.
“Kuni? What are you doing back here?”
Kunikuzushi raised an eyebrow at the question, as if the answer was obvious. Lyney couldn’t help but feel even more pathetic, knowing the other man wouldn’t make an effort to soothe Lyney if he didn’t seem like he absolutely needed it.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to tell you that you’re getting worked up over nothing and that I don’t have all day for your theatrics, so suck it up and get your ass on stage”
As abrasive as his words were, his expression was soft and almost concerned about Lyney’s state, the grip on his shoulders gentle. Kunikuzushi stared back at Lyney, his indigo eyes piercing right through him. Lyney blinked, trying his best to believe his boyfriend’s words as he lowered his head a little, the constant stare making him even more nervous.
“I know it’s nothing, I just-”
“You’re right, it’s nothing. You’ve been doing this for years, haven’t you? Everything is going to be fine, so stop being dramatic”
Lyney looked up again, Kunikuzushi’s hands reaching up to cup the magician’s face.
“I’m very bad with words, so please just believe me when I say that you can do this… you’re the best at this.”
As if to prove that he was better with actions than with words, Kunikuzushi’s eyes glanced down at Lyney’s lips for a second before he leaned in, gently kissing Lyney. The magician’s cheeks heated up and turned a deep red, his eyes widened as he processed that they were having their first kiss right now and it was Kunikuzushi initiating it, despite how hard it had been for him to get used to the whole relationship stuff.
When Kunikuzushi pulled away, he was blushing a bit himself but tried hard to distract from it with a frown. Lyney instinctively followed his boyfriend’s movement, not yet wanting to distance himself again. Kunikuzushi scoffed a little when he noticed it and raised his hand to hold Lyney back.
“Get this show done and maybe you’ll get more of that afterwards”
Kunikuzushi’s words made Lyney smile and nod, still a bit nervous about the performance but even more so excited about the prospect of more kisses, because now that he got a taste he never wanted to miss it again.
“Deal.”