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Tsukinaga Leo is a wonder, and Izumi spends a lot of his time with Leo just looking at him and taking in as many details about him as possible.
Some days, he’s mesmerized by his eyes. They’re incredibly expressive, and Izumi is able to discern exactly how Leo is feeling by meeting his gaze. Perhaps Izumi simply knows him very well, but the way his eyes glitter when he’s struck by a bolt of inspiration, or the way they cloud over when he’s not feeling well, or the way they soften when Leo meets Izumi’s gaze, give a glimpse into Leo’s soul in a way that not even his words do.
Other days, it’s his hair. His hair is as vibrant as his personality, and despite the unkempt way Leo keeps it, it remains beautiful. Izumi is a perfectionist, but that’s what draws him to the imperfections in Leo— he admires and envies the way Leo is able to live with the present, as screwed up as it can become, without letting the little details bother him in the same way it does with Izumi.
Lately, it’s his hands. Leo has a pianist’s hands, with long fingers that are able to span multiple keys when he plays, and Izumi loves watching him play.
Izumi recently purchased a second-hand piano from a local music store in Florence— and he initially meant for it to be a surprise for Leo. Early this morning, when the piano was supposed to be delivered, Izumi tried his hardest to get Leo out of the apartment, but Izumi’s insistence made Leo even more determined to stay. Leo therefore saw the delivery of the piano, and Izumi thinks, despite his plan not working out as intended, the surprise in Leo’s eyes turning into joy as he realized what was being delivered was a sight Izumi wouldn’t give up for the world.
The second the delivery workers leave their apartment, Leo takes a seat at the piano bench. Izumi purchased an upright piano, knowing their living space doesn’t have room for anything larger than that. The piano is stained a warm brown, and there’s small engravings of flowers along the side of the instrument.
Leo’s hands traverse the keys, playing scales softly and increasing in volume. Izumi doesn’t know much about playing the piano— he had to consult Ritsu when picking a piano to purchase— but he assumes this practice is to feel the weight of the keys, to gain an understanding of the piano and its abilities.
Leo laughs slightly, almost in disbelief. “Sena, I really can’t believe you,” he says, removing his hands from the keys. “This is incredible!”
Izumi rubs the back of his neck, flushing slightly. “It’s really not that big of a deal,” he says, as nonchalantly as possible. He just set aside some money from his paychecks until he had enough money to purchase a good-quality secondhand piano.
Leo looks at Izumi, who’s sitting on a chair beside the piano. Leo’s hair is coming out from his ponytail, as usual, and the strands that frame his face almost glow with the light of the sunrise. “I know you didn’t buy this piano for yourself, Sena,” Leo replies softly. “Thank you.” There’s such a gentle, loving look in his eyes, and Izumi can feel himself melt as they meet each other’s gaze.
Leo, after a beat, returns his attention to the piano, and he begins to play a progression of chords. Izumi recognizes it as the beginning of Clair de Lune by Debussy. Leo regularly plays the piano, especially when he’s working on a composition, but he doesn’t play pieces other than his own very often. Leo seems to have this piece memorized, as he doesn’t have any sheet music to guide him and yet he plays with confidence. Leo is free with the tempo and dynamics of the music— slowing down and speeding up the music at will, and expressively playing some parts of the music at a higher volume, and then softening his touch at the more delicate portions.
The piece transitions into a faster, more fluid section, and Leo’s hands deftly fly over the piano. Izumi’s mesmerized by the skill Leo exhibits with the piano, and the way his fingers stretch to play the phrases of the music.
When Izumi looks at Leo’s face, his eyes are narrowed in concentration, and he’s absentmindedly biting at his bottom lip as he plays. A lock of hair falls in his face and Leo tries to blow it away, but the hair doesn’t budge, still falling down the middle of his forehead and likely obstructing his vision. Izumi reaches out to tuck it behind Leo’s ear, and Leo falters in his playing— a dissonant chord in the middle of the beautiful melody. He recovers quickly, but Izumi notes a faint blush high on his cheeks, and he can’t resist a smile at that.
Izumi is so lost in Leo’s playing that it takes him by surprise when the piece begins to slow down. Leo takes the piece out of time for the last section, finally ending it with a graceful movement up the piano.
Letting the last note ring in the air, Leo turns to face Izumi. “I know that piece is so overplayed, but it’s one of the first pieces I learned to play. Did you know that, Sena?”
Izumi shakes his head wordlessly.
“It’s actually part of a longer piano suite called Suite bergamasque , but sadly, no one pays attention to the other movements in it,” Leo says. He turns back to the piano, and begins playing another melody in a different key. Izumi notes that the smooth phrasing in the music has a separate feel from the former movement Leo played, and Leo’s hands expertly play the notes in the music without a hint of hesitation. He doesn’t play the whole movement, and stops at a natural pause in the music.
“That was the beginning of Prelude ,” Leo says, removing his hands from the piano. “It’s my favorite movement in the piece, actually.”
“It’s beautiful,” Izumi replies honestly. He enjoys listening to Leo talking about music, because it’s then that Izumi sees his truest self. Leo is energetic when talking about music, especially when he’s struck with inspiration for a composition, but it’s also through music that Izumi sees Leo at his calmest, his most peaceful.
Leo reaches out to cup Izumi’s face, and Izumi feels the pinpoints of contact— Leo’s thumb brushing against his cheekbone and his fingers resting against his neck. Izumi feels a shiver down his spine at the contact, and he reaches up to hold Leo’s hand, feeling the warmth of Leo’s skin between his own.
“You’re beautiful, Izumi,” Leo says, his voice unsteady on Izumi’s given name.
Izumi feels the heat rising to his cheeks. To divert the attention, he brings Leo’s hand to his lips, and presses a gentle kiss to Leo’s knuckles. He begins peppering kisses all over his hand, pausing against the raised skin of the fading scars on his hand. He looks through his eyelashes up at Leo, and Leo’s face is tinted a beautiful pink, his eyes wide and bright. This emboldens Izumi, and he moves his focus up Leo’s arm, pressing a kiss to the inside of Leo’s wrist. He can feel Leo shudder at the contact.
Izumi moves forward so he can reach the base of Leo’s neck, at the expanse of skin that his shirt leaves exposed, and he rests his head there, kissing the junction between his neck and shoulder. He makes his way up the column of Leo’s neck, stopping at the corner of his jaw to place one last, feather-light kiss to the area. Izumi draws back and observes, with a great satisfaction, the way Leo has come completely undone, his breathing unsteady and his face flushed completely red.
At Izumi leaning back, Leo whines. “You’re not even going to kiss me properly after all that?”
Izumi grins. “I just wanted to see the results of my work,” he replies teasingly, before leaning in to capture Leo’s lips in a proper kiss.
Leo surges into the kiss at the first contact, lacing both his hands through Izumi’s hair so he can pull Izumi closer to him. Izumi is equally eager, resting a hand on Leo’s back while the other grips his skin high up on his thigh. Leo’s hands pull at Izumi’s hair when Izumi tightens his hold, and Izumi makes a noise at the back of his throat at the feeling.
Izumi’s legs start feeling sore after a few minutes, due to him having to lean forward practically off the chair he’s sitting on, and he breaks the kiss, gasping for breath. Leo is in a similar position, but he regains himself enough to smile fondly at Izumi, tracing a finger on the palm of Izumi’s hand. Izumi shivers.
“I love you, Izumi,” Leo says quietly— peacefully.
No matter how many times Leo says those words, it never fails to make Izumi feel the same as he did the first time he heard them, his heart so full that it could burst.
“I love you too, Leo-kun.”