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It started… weirdly.
Itto had been bothering Ayato ever since they met.
Not in a bad way, of course.
Just in an Itto way.
Even after Itto found out Ayato was the head of the Kamisato Clan, he didn’t get scared nor get angry when he found out Ayato lied and hid his identity to him.
To be completely honest, Ayato never expected Itto to be angry at all because he doesn’t get angry . He simply expected Itto to stop inviting him to his little games and rambling about things like the cute oni that he is.
One day, Ayato didn’t expect Itto to show up uninvited to the Kamisato Estate. That went on for the next day, and the days after that. He would always yell things like:
“AYATO LET ME IN I WANNA CHALLENGE YOU TO A WASABI EATING CONTEST!” or bringing him a bouquet of beetles (yes, beetles) because “some people told me that people with high positions like you loves collecting rare and shiny objects, so that means you like things like this, right?!”
Ayato only chuckled at that and he would accept all his gifts.
To everyone’s surprise, Ayato didn’t mind. In fact, he started looking forward to the chaos.
“He’s like a walking earthquake,” Thoma had commented once.
“A very loud and adorable earthquake, if that’s what you want to call him.” Ayato replied, sipping his tea with a tiny smirk.
At first, Itto didn’t realize he had a crush. He just thought Ayato was cool . Like, really cool. Like, “ugh why is he so smooth and graceful and has nice hands and looks good holding a fan what the heck is wrong with me” kind of cool.
Then he started getting nervous around him. Not because Ayato was intimidating (Itto feared no man, he always said), but because every time Ayato looked at him with that mildly smug, slightly amused face, Itto’s brain just… poof. Gone. All thoughts erased.
Reset. System error.
Meanwhile, Ayato? Oh, he knew.
He knew for months.
He’d catch Itto staring at him mid-conversation, completely zoning out. He’d catch Itto fixing his hair before visiting. Once, he overheard Itto rehearsing a compliment behind a tree. (“You have… cool eyebrows. No, that’s dumb. Say his voice is cool. No, that’s worse. OH MY GOD—”)
Still, Ayato waited. He was patient.
Until one day, during a Lantern Rite festival, Itto tried to confess.
“T-this doesn’t mean anything but I just think you’re kinda… you know… uh…”
Ayato tilted his head, “I’m afraid I don’t know. Care to elaborate?”
“I LIKE YOU OKAY?!” Itto yelled, nearly knocking over a food stall.
Ayato blinked once, then smiled.
“Well,” he said, leaning in just enough to make Itto freeze, “it’s about time.”
And that was that.
Itto passed out ten seconds later.
They’ve been together ever since.
Ayato still teases him daily. Itto still brings him weird “ romantic ” gifts (like a rock shaped like Ayato’s face). And somehow… it works.
It was chaos, but that’s their thing.
Months after Itto and Ayato started dating, Itto realized that they still haven’t kissed and he got very bothered by that fact.
Every time Itto sees him, he’s like, “Alright. This time. I’m doing it.”
And then he chickens out. Every single time.
One day, Shinobu casually asked, “So… has Ayato-san ever tried to kiss you?”
And Itto just screams.
Days later, the oni knocked on the door of his residence.
When Ayato opened it, he found Itto standing awkwardly on the doorstep, his hands were clenching and unclenching at his sides.
“Itto,” Ayato greeted. He was pleasantly surprised to see Itto this fine morning as he was expecting for him to be out with his gang today. “Did something happen to your gang? I thought you were going out with them today?
“W-what? Nah, nothing happened!” Itto said quickly, voice cracking just a bit before he covered it up with a too-loud laugh. “You think anything could happen to the Arataki Gang under my watch? Pfft! As if! I just… told the boys we’re rescheduling onikabuto hunting. Priorities, y’know!”
Ayato blinked, clearly amused. The corner of his lips curled upward, eyes narrowing in playful suspicion, “Oh? So you ditched them to come here? I’m flattered. What's the occasion? Or…” he tilted his head slightly, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Itto froze.
“I, uh… well… I was just, y’know…” He cleared his throat, tugging at the collar of his shirt. “I happened to be in the area, alright?! Just takin’ a casual, totally normal stroll that coincidentally brought me right here to your door! Not weird at all!”
He laughed nervously and immediately looked away, “Definitely not because I’ve been thinking about something. Or someone. Nope. That’d be crazy, right? Haha..”
Ayato raised an eyebrow, his expression turning devilishly smug.
“Oh? Now this is getting interesting.”
He stepped closer to Itto, their faces were so close to each other Itto thought Ayato would kiss him, but he didn’t.
“You’re stammering. And blushing. Are you sure you're not here to confess something to me, Itto?”
“Wha—HEY! I don’t stammer! I talk with style, alright? And… and I’m not blushing,you are!” Itto shot back, arms flailing as he tried to regain his usual bravado.
Ayato chuckled, “You’re getting louder. That’s how I know I’m right.”
“I—I just thought maybe we should talk about something! Serious topic!” Itto insisted, waving his arms dramatically. “Totally normal relationship stuff! Not a big deal at all, just, you know—SOMETHING I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT EVERY SINGLE NIGHT FOR THE PAST WEEK.”
Ayato folded his arms as he barely held back a laugh, “Well, now I have to hear it.”
Itto groaned and covered his face with one hand.
“Ughhh, you’re impossible. Fine! I’m coming in. But if I trip over my own feet or say something embarrassing, you’re not allowed to make fun of me—
Arataki Itto’s honor!
”
Ayato stepped aside smoothly, “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of it… darling.” He winked as he said it.
And, that made Itto nearly trip on the doorway.
Once inside, Ayato gestured toward the living room. “Make yourself comfortable. Want something to drink?”
“Do you have a Dango Milk? I’m really thirsty from all the walking I did earlier, haha..,” Itto mumbled, already flopping onto the floor—except it wasn’t a flop, it was more of a stiff, awkward perch, like he had no idea what to do with his limbs.
“Of course.” Ayato went on to grab the Dango Milk (and the tea he was drinking earlier) and placed it on the table. Afterwards, he joined him with grace, folding himself neatly on the cushion on the floor opposite Itto. He rested his chin on one hand and regarded the oni with open curiosity.
“…So?” he prompted after a beat of silence.
Itto stared at the floor, then the ceiling, then the decorative fan on the wall to his left like it held all the answers to the universe.
Ayato tilted his head, one brow arched. “You’ve been here a full minute and you haven’t spoken once. That alone is enough to cause concern.”
“I—I’M FINE,” Itto blurted out, way too loud.
“…Right,” Ayato replied dryly, clearly unconvinced. “You definitely look like someone who’s fine. Should I start guessing? Or are you going to spare me the game and tell me why you really came? Not that I mind of course.” Ayato smiled.
Itto felt something when he saw him smile. ‘He is so pretty’ He thought to himself.
“LOOK, OKAY, I’M HERE BECAUSE—” He threw his arms in the air, then immediately dropped them and groaned, rubbing his face. “…Just give me a second. I practiced this.”
Ayato just chuckled and nodded to let the other know that he’s listening.
He inhaled sharply, face still flushed, before launching into:
“So, uh… not that I’ve been keepin’ track or anything! I mean, who does that, right? Ha! Totally not me. But like… we've been dating for a while now, and uh… I just noticed—we haven’t, y’know… kissed yet? Not that I’m complaining! You’re great! Amazing, even! But also maybe we should fix that? Or not! Unless you want to. Do you want to? Because I wouldn’t mind. I’d actually like that. A lot.”
Ayato raised a brow, clearly entertained.
“Oh? You want me to kiss you
that
badly?”
Itto blurted out in one breath, “YES AND I WANNA KISS YOU TOO BUT I’VE BEEN TOO SHY, WAIT NO FORGET THAT… DO YOU WANNA BATTLE ONIKABUTOS WITH ME?!”
Ayato laughed under his breath.
“Come here, you big baby,” he said as he sat up, and grabbed Itto by the shoulder to pull him in for a kiss.
Itto froze.
And then Ayato’s tongue slid past his lips, confident and smooth and entirely in control.
Itto made a small, strangled noise in the back of his throat.
“Shh,” Ayato whispered against his mouth as he smirked. “Be quiet, darling. Let me handle this.”
Itto could only nod, barely able to breathe, and much less speak. His brain had absolutely shut down. Steam was probably puffing out of his ears if anyone looked close enough. His hands hovered awkwardly before finally clutching the fabric of Ayato’s sleeves, like it was the only thing keeping him grounded.
Ayato kissed him again, deeper this time, slow and coaxing, until Itto stopped thinking entirely and just leaned in.
‘So this is what kissing feels like,’ he thought faintly as he melted into Ayato’s arms, heart pounding so loud he was sure Ayato could hear it.
He could.
And he was very, very pleased with the reaction.