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Kaoru was nervous.
For as long as he could remember, romantic gestures and displays of affection came easy to him. At least - to the girls he dated. It was truly the bare minimum if one were to go by the books - buying flowers, eating at an upscale restaurant, a stroll by the beach - but to the many he courted, it was something straight out of a romantic novel. And to be fair, he loved doing them just as much. Nothing compares to the feeling of accomplishment and pure joy that comes out of enjoying quality time with someone where it’s clear they feel the same way.
Now, here in lies the problem. The common denominator among these successful dates was that they were all with women. And none of them were with Rei Sakuma. The Rei Sakuma. Main Attraction Number One. His bandmate. His newly minted boyfriend, the one who is currently on his way to Kaoru’s apartment for the evening in light of Valentine’s Day.
Kaoru gulps. He thinks he did well to prepare for the occasion. His original plan was to do the default fancy date night — perhaps going to a quiet restaurant and taking a walk around the park — but when he bounced these ideas off of Izumi and Chiaki, he was met with staunch disapproval.
Izumi rolled his eyes. “How is that any different to the dates you’ve gone on in the past?” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “If you really want to make this as special as you want it to be — as you both want it to be — I think you need to hit the drawing board again.”
Across the table, Chiaki hummed in agreement, taking a pointed sip of his drink. “He’s right, you know. I don’t think you need to do anything grand for it to be meaningful. Just go with your gut!”
Kaoru deflated in his seat. They were right. They were always right. Recycling previous ideas is lazy. And scummy. Kaoru does not want to be a lazy, scummy boyfriend. He leaned over and laid his cheek on the table, pouting pathetically.
Chiaki ruffled his hair sympathetically. “There there, Hakaze. You’ll come up with something! You always do!” Ah, his unwavering positivity never fails to make itself known. Izumi, however, clicked his teeth and flicked Kaoru’s shoulder. “Get it together, Kao-kun. You have two weeks to figure something out; that’s plenty of time.”
At that, Kaoru raised his head and sat up straight, eyebrow raised. “Oh yeah? What do you have planned, Senacchi?”
“Hmph, none of your business.”
Chiaki snickered. Kaoru shot him a glare, prompting the brunette to raise his arms. “Hey! I’ll have you know that Kanata and I are headed over to Yokohama. We have a whole itinerary!”
Kaoru exhaled dramatically. “‘Kay, fine, fine, I get it. Make it personal. Meaningful.” Sighing again, he gingerly slipped off his chair and grabbed his coat. “Better get some inspiration then…”
After Kaoru had gotten home from his insightful conversation, he resolved to devise a date plan that was better suited for the both of them. He knew Rei would be busy in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, with photoshoots, interviews, and last-minute recordings blocking out a major part of his schedule. In fact, he hadn’t been able to see Rei since mid-January outside of UNDEAD group activities due to how exhausted he was afterward. Just one glance at the star was enough - the small-but-forced smiles, eye makeup covering dark circles. He was happy to see the vampire in passing regardless, but something had to be done about the weight of his schedule catching up to him.
Thus follows his master plan — homemade dinner, dessert, wine, and music at the apartment. He figured that the last thing Rei wanted was to go outside one more time, be perceived by more people and spend more time away from the comfort of indoors. This way, Rei could unwind, and Kaoru could finally (finally) spend time with him one-on-one. It’s a win-win all around.
Cut to the present, February 14th, 6:24 pm. He’s got partially homemade lasagna in the oven (courtesy of Niki and his cookbook, bless his soul), raspberry chocolate melts hardening in the freezer (everyone say, “Thank you, Izumi!”), and red wine ( this was his personal choice) set out on the table. Not to mention the assortment of sides and breadsticks meticulously organized around the center. He mentally thanks his sister for the dining and linen set as he fiddles with the setup one last time. He had received it as a housewarming present the year prior, but he hadn’t the faintest idea what to use it for, granted his schedule keeps him away from his residence most of the time. Until now, of course.
The shrill of the oven timer cut through the memory. Kaoru shot a glance at the clock before retrieving his oven mitts.
6:35, he thinks, he should be here soon.
With the meal cooling on the counter, Kaoru channeled his pre-date jitters into lighting candles and perfecting the ambiance. The apartment is dimmed just enough such that the candlelight stands out against the spread of fine china but not enough that one would be fumbling through the darkness. A fireplace screensaver idles on his TV as he fumbles with his speaker. Deep breaths, Hakaze. You got this. It’s perfect. Everything is perfect…
The doorbell rings, jolting Kaoru out of his skin. He hoped the black-haired man didn’t hear his yelp.
“Coming!” Kaoru yells as he rushes to the door. He bangs his foot into the side of the chair, leaving him hopping and stumbling. Great start, fucking great.
The blonde takes a deep breath. Go time. Tucking his hair behind his ear, he gently opens the door. Rei stands tall on the other side, with a bouquet and champagne in one hand. The vampire shoots Kaoru a smile. “Good evening, Kaoru-kun.”
All air is sucked out of Kaoru’s body as he takes in the sight before him. His mouth hangs open unintelligently. Rei is clad in a deep v-neck blouse, the dip stopping well past his chest. The sleeves are loose, extending just before his wrist. Rei's lithe frame was seemingly accentuated tenfold, paired with straight-cut black slacks and a thin silver cross chain. His makeup - oh, don’t get him started on his makeup—piercing red eyes framed with thin, black eyeliner and minimal red eyeshadow. Kaoru’s eyes dart to Cupid's bow… his lips… his neck…
Rei clears his throat. “Oi, Kaoru-kun. My eyes are up here.” He says with a playful hilt.
Kaoru’s blood takes a sharp U-turn in his body, cheeks and ears burning crimson. “S-sorry, you just- you’re so- wow…” He stutters out. He’s lost all command of the Japanese language in 5 seconds. How fitting.
Before he can say anything else utterly embarrassing, he steps aside and gestures for Rei to enter his place. Step one complete.
Kaoru shuts the door and follows suit. The pair find themselves in the kitchen, where Rei takes in the scene. Kaoru takes the opportunity to shift their dinner to the table and remove the chocolates to thaw.
“Kaoru-kun… I’m touched.” Rei says, turning to face Kaoru. He wraps his arms around his waist and pulls close, pressing their cheeks together. Kaoru throws his arms on his shoulders, swaying with him. “It’s the least I could’ve done, especially after the month you’ve been having.”
Rei leans back, still in their embrace, and chuckles softly. “Oh~ Has my condition been obvious?” Despite his playful tone, the exhaustion in his eyes is palatable.
Kaoru hums in agreement and understanding. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind Rei’s ear and caresses his cheek. They really aren’t much older than the rest of their peers, the two of them being 23 and 22, respectively, but the hustle and bustle of their careers age them in ways only those in the profession understand. Lack of personal time and privacy is one thing, but being on the road —or in the skies — most of the time, being stretched thin with contractual obligations… Exhaustion doesn’t begin to describe it. Add a chronic illness to the mix, and your days become a game of tug-of-war between your career and your health.
The blonde trails his hand to the back of Rei’s neck and looks up at him, locking eyes with burning sincerity. “Happy Valentine’s day, Rei-kun.” He tilts his head and smiles shyly, still fiddling with the hair at the base of the vampire’s neck. He’s 99.99% sure he looks beet-red, but fuck it. He can’t help that Rei turns him into a steaming pile of lovey-dovey mush.
Rei leans forward and captures Kaoru’s lips in a kiss. At this point, if Kaoru wasn’t already overheating, he was now. If he were a kettle, steam would pour out of his ears. He tightens his grip around his neck and lets himself sink into the feeling. Rei is warm despite his undead nature, his lips soft and sliding against his own. He can feel Rei’s vanilla chapstick smearing itself all over his mouth, but he can’t even bring himself to care. He can’t even bring himself to pull away and take a breath. He can’t muster up the courage to admit this verbally, but he really, really missed moments like this. He missed Rei. Anyone with eyes to see and ears to listen could tell the both of them were in their honeymoon phase with the way they were both all over each other when they had a moment to spare, but he hadn’t gotten it all out of his system yet. He wants everything - the hugs, kisses, fleeting touches, lingering glances - everything. And he wants it all the time.
Rei broke their kiss shortly after, dizziness catching up to the both of them. “Thank you, my dear. I cannot convey the depths of my gratitude in mere words, but this truly cured all that ails me~”
Kaoru can’t help but snort affectionately at his flowery manner of speech. “Mmm~ Thank me after dinner and drinks~ Let’s have a bite before our food goes cold.”
“Yes, yes~ Let’s eat. Frankly, I’ve been looking forward to this meal all day.”
And so the couple takes their seats and begins the meal. Kaoru thanks the universe, Niki Shiina, and his own rusty cooking skills for pulling it together this time. They spend most of the time eating in comfortable silence, save for a few questions about each other's day and some idle chatter about happenings around Ensemble Square.
“The atmosphere around Ensemble Square has certainly lightened this time around,” Rei says, wiping his mouth on his cloth napkin. “The decorations around campus were striking~ I’ve seen quite a number of our juniors filming challenges and taking candid photos of each other. Fufu~ How innocent are the youth~”
“We technically count as ‘the youth’ as well, you know? Still, that’s refreshing to hear~ They should be able to let loose among the chaos.”
Rei nods in agreement. “That’s true… Though sometimes, I wonder…” He trails off.
Kaoru raises an eyebrow. “Wonder what?” He dips the last of his breadstick in his olive oil, swirling slowly,
Rei lowers his gaze to his empty plate, pausing for a moment. The soft crackle of the fireplace screensaver loops in the background. “I wonder… what it would be like to have more free time... more energy for moments like this.” He raises his head once more, eyes glassy.
Kaoru feels a pang in his chest. It's no surprise that Rei feels this way - his days of putting others before himself to his own detriment are long gone. Gone with his graduation from Yumenosaki, and even more with the gradual increase in resources, personnel, and counseling for idols in Ensemble Square. But when it's your career, your fans’ happiness on the line, you can’t help but go back to being selfless. It helps that they both have a decent amount of experience under their belts so that the fast-paced nature of these schedules doesn’t overwhelm them as much as they used to, but they could only suppress their emotions for so long.
Kaoru leaned forward, swiping his thumbs under Rei’s eyes. A stray tear catches on his finger and rolls down to his wrist. “Oh, Rei-kun…” Once again, he finds Rei’s cheek in the tender embrace of his palm.
Rei closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. Perhaps this was a way to ground himself, keep his emotions from boiling over and turning this night into something more… vulnerable.
Kaoru brings his other hand around and holds the solemn man’s face in his palms. “I know we can’t help when work gets too much, especially given our status in the industry, but…” He tilts the man’s head up, swiping his thumbs under his eyes once more, “Please… please call me, text me, hell — snail-mail me if things get tough.” He moved his hand to stroke his black locks.
“The last thing I want — the last thing anyone wants — is to see you repressing how you feel. I don’t want to see you break, R ei .” His voice breaks saying his lover’s name.
Rei’s eyes flutter open at that. He wraps his hands around Kaoru’s wrists and gazes lovingly, eyes tear-free and full of adoration. “Ah… Kaoru~ How can I resist that request when you ask me so earnestly~” He kisses the inside of the blonde’s wrist, gaze meeting the man’s eyes.
For the second time this night, Kaoru shortcircuited. The blush must be apparent on his face because Rei cackles at the sight. Flustered Kaoru is becoming his favorite sight to behold; it’s an amusing deviation from the blonde’s usual confident persona.
“Kaoru-kun~” Ah, the honorifics are back. He drawls his name out, lifting the pitch at the last syllable.
Kaoru squeaks. Quite literally. Squeaks. He’s mortified enough to yank his hand back unceremoniously and cover his face. Is this how the girls he took out on dates felt when he ramped up the charisma by 100%?
“L-let’s just crack open some wine.” He fumbles with the cork remover and shakily pours Rei his drink. Thankfully, nothing spilled — he does not want to deal with stain removal in the morning, especially not on such an expensive gift.
“Many thanks~”
Kaoru wordlessly pours his own drink, swirling it around a little. The earthy, wood tones are a testament to the price tag (and bottle). If he can thank his old man for one thing (and only one thing), it’s his drink palette.
“Cheers, Rei-kun.” He raises his glass, regaining his courage to make eye contact.
“Cheers, Kaoru-kun~”
The chime of their glasses clinking continues to echo in their ears as they down one, two.. three more drinks. The couple finds themselves on the couch, lazily balancing their fourth drink between their fingers. Kaoru himself has Rei draped across his lap, cheeks flushed and tucked into his shoulder.
His shirt’s ribbon has come undone around his waist, making the shirt a lot looser than originally intended. Consequently, this gave Kaoru a generous view of his chest and abdomen. To be more specific (and much to his glee), Kaoru can see Rei’s pierced chest, nipples sporting one short, silver bar each. He recalls the day Rei got them the year prior; he meant to sport them discretely — at least until they healed fully — but a playful slap to his chest resulted in unbearable agony and a (rather quick) confession. Thus led to many, many airbrushed photo shoots to ensure the onslaught of prying questions from interviewers (and fans) was kept to a minimum.
Ironically, this new bodily accessory marked the start of Kaoru’s woes. Granted, he had always had feelings for Rei no matter how hard he denied it, but the new freedom yielded from graduation and this… boldness from his fellow Main Attraction proved detrimental to his willpower. And his ability to “B-but he’s a guy!” his way out of every situation. Kaoru has gotten used to the view of Rei in tight shirts, though, and he couldn’t be more thankful.
Kaoru himself is disheveled, as well, the alcohol blanket of warmth prompting him to unbutton his dress shirt and lose his blazer somewhere on the floor. He couldn't care less at the moment though, with such an enticing man in his embrace, he could stay like this forever. He takes another sip of his wine and sinks into this heat.
“Mmm~ Kaoru-kun.” Rei props his chin up, wiggling in an attempt to sit up straight.
“Rei-kun? Do you want to go to bed?” Kaoru inquires, albeit hesitantly, not wanting to move from this spot.
“No, no. Just wanted to call your name. Kao~ru~kun~” Every. syllable. enunciated.
They fall back into a peaceful silence. Kaoru’s eyes are on the verge of drooping shut. God, how he wishes he was one of those energetic drunks. Wine always has this effect on him, which is why he steers clear of it for any occasion aside from romantic endeavors. Even Rei, who usually maintains his composure before and after the involvement of alcohol, is rendered quite pliant and snuggly. It’s a cute look, though — Kaoru won’t complain. The older man is often seen doting on others, so it’s fun when roles are reversed.
Rei, lolling his head on his shoulder, jolts Kaoru out of his drunken reverie. He mumbles something unintelligible, curling into Kaoru’s chest.
Kaoru pokes his forehead with his index finger. “Rei-kun? Whaddya say?” His words slur. Oh dear, he’s further gone than he thought. Perhaps getting up isn’t the best idea…
“Ah, Kao~ru~kun,” Rei punctuates again, “I said.. I love you.” He sits up straight (with some minor support from Kaoru) and locks eyes with his boyfriend.
“Thank you for such a wonderful —” he hiccups, “evening. This was the most relaxed I have felt in… a while~” He sways towards the end of his proclamation, prompting Kaoru to support his back with his right arm.
Kaoru’s bashful persona remerges, though with less intensity than before. “Anything for you, Rei,” his voice drops to a whisper, “Anything for you.”
In hindsight, Kaoru doesn’t know why he was so nervous. This evening was by far the best he’s ever had; with how it ended, there’s bound to be more in the future.
He quickly glances at the now sleeping figure in his arms. Oh yeah, there’s definitely going to be more.