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It isn’t a habit so much as a two or three time accidental occurrence. Surely something only becomes a habit after it’s happened a dozen times? Maybe even more! And this is definitely only the fourth time Tanaka’s thought about doing it since the last time he actually did it. If he follows through with it then it would be the fourth time. And isn’t there a rule that says you have to follow-through with the fourth thought if it would make it the fourth time? Tanaka sighs, it can’t be helped; it’s not like he makes the rules.
The difference this time, he supposes, is that he actually went to the shop and bought it himself instead of borrowing Saeko’s. The sizes were a little confusing and he got the distinct impression that the women behind the till were laughing at him so there was no way for him to sneakily try anything on and so he’s accidentally ended up with two. The first one is a slightly too snug, cutting into the jut of his hip bone in an unpleasant way (and for this reason definitely does not count as his fourth time). He discards it on his bed pretty rapidly. The second one slides over his thighs, clinging to his waist almost perfectly. He fastens the buttons at the side, slides the zip up and turns to face himself in the mirror. He flexes his biceps. It looks cute on him. The soft, flowing material compliments the hardness of his leg muscles and his toned stomach nicely. Maybe he should remove his socks. He has one leg perched on the edge of his bed, fingers rolling his sock slowly down when his bedroom door bursts open, rattling into the wall behind it.
“You said you were home alone tonight so I–” It’s like Noya walks face first into an invisible wall he stops so completely. He stares at Tanaka, not blinking. Tanaka stares back. Maybe he could just leave and disappear into the night never to be seen again and Noya would never even notice. He’s not really dressed for that though. Tanaka breaks eye contact to stare at where his hands have paused half-way down his shin. He coughs, placing his foot back onto the floor.
"So you…?” He prompts, willing Noya to be as spectacular and weird as he always is and to breeze through this situation as if it’s completely normal. When the silence persists Tanaka folds his arms in front of his chest and coughs a few times. He’s never felt uncomfortable being topless around Noya before (or anyone really) but the atmosphere is making him wish he’d kept his shirt on. It’s only when he takes a step towards Noya that the tension snaps out of him, jolting him into life again as if Tanaka trod on a magical switch.
“That’s a skirt.” His voice is all squeaky. The same way it gets when he’s really excited or scared and Tanaka wants to slap himself and then Noya because if a little skirt is enough to scare his best friend away, well, then their friendship didn’t run as deep as Tanaka thought it did.
“Yes,” he tugs at the bottom of the skirt just in case it’ll grow a few centimeters longer to force Noya to stop staring at his thighs like that, “it’s a skirt.”
“A school skirt.” Noya’s eyes flick upwards, searching Tanaka’s face. “Nee-san’s?”
“No.” Tanaka’s never been great at lying, but even if he were it’d be impossible for him to lie to Noya. That doesn’t make it any less embarrassing. “I bought them.”
“Them?” Noya wheezes, eyes so round in his head that Tanaka worries that they might physically roll out of his skull. Tanaka flaps behind him at the other skirt splayed out on his bed.
“Yeah, that one was a little tight...” He trails off, not sure where he was heading with that and stares at the skirt on his bed. He can feel heat creeping from his neck and bleeding into his face and doesn’t want Noya to notice. “It’s not a habit,” his reasoning is a lot less convincing when he says it out loud, “this is only like the fourth time.”
“The fourth time,” Noya echoes in a daze. Tanaka still can’t bring himself to look at him. “And you’re only now telling me?”
“What?” Tanaka chances a glance in Noya’s direction, eyebrows furrowed sternly to try and distract from the glow of his face. Noya takes a tentative step towards him, swallowing visibly.
"You could have told me,” the quiver in his voice completely betrays how steady he seems as he walks towards Tanaka. “Like if this is something you were,” he pauses, tongue darting out to wet his top lip, “curious about.” He continues to get closer to Tanaka, slowly and surely, but with a strange look in his eyes.
“I’m not curious!” Tanaka backs away from Noya a step, eyes wide at the quirk of Noya’s lip when he does so. “Skirts are cute,” that’s just a fact. Noya nods, completely in agreement. “School skirts especially.” Another nod, another step closer. “I just thought maybe,” he flounders, it’s a little embarrassing to admit he wanted to look cute too. Even to Noya.
“You look cute.” Relief floods so quickly through Tanaka that he physically feels it bursting from inside him. Of course Noya was only concerned that he’d kept something from him. Of course Noya would never judge him for something like this. Noya’s eyes dart away from Tanaka’s face for the first time, dropping slowly to his body. He huffs out a breath from the side of his mouth, pink edging high onto his cheeks, and then his gaze snaps behind Tanaka to where the first skirt lies. When he finally meets Tanaka’s gaze again, Tanaka knows he’s in for trouble; there’s a wicked gleam to Noya’s eyes that wasn’t there before.
“What?” He hedges, unsure but also a little excited. Noya just said he looks cute; he’s feeling all jittery, like there’s something buzzing underneath his fingertips. Noya places a hand on Tanaka’s waist, but pushes him a little to the side instead of pulling him forwards like he sort of expected him to. He turns to look at Tanaka, smile matching the look in his eyes, and utters six words that leave Tanaka more than breathless.
“I want to look cute too.”
“Uh.” Tanaka’s sure the buttons on Noya’s blazer usually make soft popping noises as he undoes them – has collected the sound underneath his own hands before – and he knows that it makes a light swishing sound whenever it slides down his arms, off of his shirt and onto the floor, but he can’t hear anything save for his own blood thrumming in his ears. Noya flares his shirt back unnecessarily when he shuffles out of his trousers, throwing a wink over his shoulder. “Yuu.”
“What?” Noya puffs out his cheeks like a hamster, blush more noticeable than ever. “We agreed we’d be together now.”
“Yeah, but you don’t–”
“Together!” Noya tunnels into the skirt head first, which Tanaka suspects has more to do with him wanting to have the final say on the matter than him actually believing that’s the correct way skirts go on. That is until he lets out a strangled yelp from underneath the pleats. “Together means you have to help me!”
“Yeah, yeah, I got you.” It only takes him one step to be by Noya’s side, hands gentle as they attempt to guide his head and arms out of the top of the skirt. Noya squirms underneath his touch, spluttering out a laugh when Tanaka inadvertently digs him in the side. “Stay still.”
“Don’t tickle me then!” Tanaka growls at the back of his throat playfully. Noya is pretty ticklish. And it would be a shame to let this opportunity pass-by. He turns Noya around just a little more, just so he can get the feel of where his rib-cage is properly, and then he attacks, fingers descending mercilessly. Noya topples backwards onto his bed almost immediately, shooting out a hand from under the skirt to drag Tanaka on top of him.
“Yuu,” he complains, despite hearing Noya echoing his laughter back at him.
“You started it!” Tanaka shifts, finding the edge of the skirt to drag it down into place and grinning when Noya’s dishevelled head pops into view.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” Noya pushes at his chest with the palm of his hand, touch familiar and tender as his smile grows across his face. When Tanaka is hovering over his side he shuffles the skirt down, smoothing it into place and zipping it up slowly. “There.” He seems satisfied. “Now we match.”
“Almost.” Tanaka’s heart has started to thud again, the embarrassment and nervousness he felt when Noya first caught him threatening to return. But this is Noya. His best friend – recently turned boyfriend – who’d only been upset about not being included. There's nothing for him to be embarrassed about here. He watches, as fascinated as he was the first time, as each shirt button he pops open reveals inch after inch of Noya’s toned stomach. “There.” His shirt is still hanging loosely off of his shoulders but it will do. Noya grins when Tanaka’s hands don’t really leave his body; one stroking down the length of his skirt until it finds his bare thigh as the other trails a pattern towards his hair.
“You like it.” It’s not a question but Tanaka hums in agreement anyway.
“You look really cute.” Noya reaches out to trace the waist line of Tanaka’s skirt.
“You get it now, right?” He pinches Tanaka’s side when he’s met with a blank expression. “What would you have done if you’d have just found me like this? Damn Ryuu I almost exploded on the spot!” Tanaka snorts, remembering the stricken look Noya had worn when he’d kicked open the door.
“Well! I didn’t expect you to burst in!” Noya arches up, reaching a hand around to squeeze Tanaka’s bum, humming thoughtfully.
“I’m glad I did.” He smirks, using one leg to hook behind Tanaka’s knee and drag him back on top of him. “To think I missed seeing you like this three times already. It’s criminal!” The view from on top of Noya is almost too much for Tanaka to bear. It takes more concentration than he’s willing to admit to stay focused on their conversation and not loose himself in the dips of Noya’s muscles, the light trail of hairs leading down from his navel and disappearing beyond the slightly lighter skin he can see peeking out from over his waistband; it doesn’t get as much sun as the rest of him.
“Why did you come over again?” Noya raises an eyebrow and a leg at the same time, skirt sliding down a fraction. He curls a hand around the back of Tanaka’s neck, guiding him down until their foreheads are almost touching; breath warming each other’s faces.
“To keep you company of course.”
“Of course.” Tanaka echoes in a amazement, words almost lost on Noya’s lips as he tugs him into a kiss.