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“So, the first thing you have to do,” Adachi said as he got off the couch, “is sweep them off their feet. Kasuga, stand up.”
Ichiban startled at being called on the spot, but immediately stood. “Oh right. uh…” He looked unsure of where to put his hands, but looked to Adachi for assurance. “Should I get closer?”
The next thing he knew there were hands grabbing him by the upper arms and he was being swung in an arch towards the ground. He couldn't help the sharp gasp from his mouth as he seized Adachi by the front of his jacket to keep from falling, but a hand quickly slid to his back to hold him up and another gripped his hip to pull him close.
With eyes wide and teeth clenched, Ichiban stared up at Adachi's confident face.
“See, just cradle them in your big strong arms, and muah, they're all yours.”
Ichiban sounded a little dizzy. “I think I might snap their neck doing this...”
Nanba made an exasperated noise. “No no no. You're moving too fast. Look at him. He looks ready to run away.”
“You're crazy,” Adachi snapped at him. “This is a look of awe, and more importantly,” he said, sounding pleased, “a hint of lust.”
“Looks like fear to me.”
Adachi grunted in complaint, but pulled Ichiban up and plopped him on the couch “Kasuga, what do you think?”
Ichiban thought it was nice that the two of them were helping him with learning about romantic gestures. He didn't ask them to, but it couldn't hurt to see what he might not have thought of before.
“I mean, it still felt nice to be held. Just…” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Maybe without all the swinging around.”
“See. Terrible advice.”
Adachi crossed his arms. “All right Mr. Suave Debonair. What's your grand idea?”
Nanba stood from his own chair. “Look, you don't have to get complicated.” He sat near Ichiban. “Give me your hands.”
“Holding hands?” Adachi scoffed. “What are you, in grade school?”
“It's step one. Have some patience.”
“Patience?” Adachi looked scandalized. “Romance is supposed to be a whirlwind of emotions! If you're taking your time, then there's no thrill to it. Kasuga, do you want fast and passionate, or slow and boring?”
Ichiban had been mentally psyching himself up for Step One, but got distracted at the question. “I have to choose?”
“Don't listen to him, Ichiban.” Nanba held out his hands and waited until hesitant ones were placed in his. “Now, get in close,” he directed. “Stare at them like you're looking directly into their soul.”
Ichiban made an unsure noise. He had seen this before in movies, two people fall for each other and, gazes locked, slowly move in to–
“W-wait, are we going to–kiss?”
“Kiss?” Nanba straightened up, surprised, while Adachi burst out laughing. “You're rushing things. What did I tell you? Patience .”
“Who would've thought you'd be the one to be bold and take the first step,” Adachi teased. “Maybe we don't need to teach you anything after all.”
“Oh, knock it off.” Ichiban glared at him, and Nanba took the interruption in stride.
“Let’s continue. Lean forward.”
Ichiban scooted closer at the command until their thighs touched. There wasn't much space left between them, but Nanba still looked at him expectantly.
“I–” Ichiban's eyes darted over their hands and legs, parts that were already touching. “How much closer?”
Nanba encouraged him gently. “Until it feels right. You gotta go with your heart on this.”
Ichiban looked like he was trying to solve a particularly difficult problem. “My heart,” he repeated slowly, putting the pieces together. “Right…” He'd always been told he was full of heart, that his heart was big, so this should be easy.
“All right.” He nodded with conviction, moving in. “I can do this.”
But when he realized their faces were only inches apart, Nanba's eyes bright and focused on him, he lost some of that confidence.
“See,” said Nanba with a smile. "Look at the connection we have. There's no one else in the world right now but us.”
It was such a sweet thing to say that warmth went straight to Ichiban's face. With that type of attention on him, everything felt hot, his palms going damp.
Flustered, he pulled away to dry them off. “Sorry.”
“And you said I scared him?”
“That's why you wear gloves,” Nanba said easily. To make his point, he held up his hands to show the ones he wore. “Absorbs all that moisture.”
“No,” Adachi interjected, waving an arm like he was knocking away that absurd plan. “Terrible idea. You're missing out on the skin-on-skin action.” Both Nanba and Ichiban stared at Adachi's hands, and he immediately knew why but still brought one up to look at the glove he was wearing.
“Shit, do we all wear gloves?”
Ichiban grinned. “I only wear mine in battle.”
Adachi sat on the other side of him on the couch, arm resting on the backrest by Ichiban's shoulders.
“Well, get ready, Kasuga,” he said with confidence, pointing at him. “‘cause you're gonna learn why they call love a battlefield.”