Work Text:
The sun was already high in the sky. Ron was driving, while Toto sat in the passenger seat, leaning his head on his hand and looking out the window. They weren't talking, nor were they discussing the previous evening, even though both knew they needed to make a decision soon.
"Toto… what did you think of that movie?" Ron broke the silence as he turned onto the street where the modeling agency was.
"It was interesting but next time maybe you should pick the movie," Toto replied with an awkward smile. "I don't want you falling asleep in the middle again."
"Sorry. Then maybe we should try horror," Ron smirked.
"I hope you aren’t saying that just because you want to see me scared and clinging to you," Toto sighed.
"What?"
"What?"
They looked at each other and fell into another embarrassed silence. What was stopping them from just dating before they became famous? Now there were strange blurry boundaries between them—boundaries they both wanted to break but never did.
Luckily, the silence didn't last much longer. Ron pulled into the agency's parking lot and they headed inside. Out of the corner of his eye Ron spotted Spitz on the roof, taking photos of the sky and the streets.
At the reception, to their great surprise, they saw Amamiya and Omito Kawasemi. While Kawasemi's clothes barely changed during his visits, Amamiya was dressed less formally than usual—though still in a suit. Judging by her face, she seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
By the time they got closer, Amamiya was already walking toward the lift so she didn't even notice the agency's top models. Kawasemi, however, smiled warmly and looked at the model and the designer thoughtful. No wonder people called him Eagle Eye—he could tell at first glance whether someone was suited for modeling (and now Ron had received the highest score).
"Good morning, Kawasemi-san," Toto greeted. Ron only nodded but that was enough for Kawasemi; he respected Ron for everything he had done to become a model that several agencies were fighting over.
"Good morning. Especially since Amamiya finally came down to meet me instead of making me go up to her," Kawasemi said with a humble shake of his head.
He and Amamiya had known each other since modeling school but their paths had parted at some point, only to cross again later as representatives of two good agencies. People didn't know the details of why their relationship had turned cold.
"By the way, I saw the special issue with your photoshoot," Kawasemi suddenly changed the subject, making Ron and Toto turn away from each other in embarrassment as they remembered what had happened right after it. Seeing their reaction, Kawasemi chuckled. "You two have an interesting relationship."
"Weren't you discussing something?" Ron changed the subject back, making Kawasemi shoot him a sharp look—as if afraid Ron knew too much. But Ron just smiled casually. "Moriarty, right?"
"Yeah, them…" Kawasemi nodded. "More specifically, Milo Moriarty and his disappearance."
Toto and Ron exchanged glances. They had met Milo many times—both when he was the director of the Moriarty Agency and later when he became just a model there, handing the director's position to Alice. And before his "disappearance” Milo hadn't looked… well. Tired, worn out, and the cunning gleam in his eyes had suddenly faded.
"Too bad we never saw him again," Ron muttered. Toto nodded. Even though Milo had caused them plenty of trouble and, like his sister, had tried to recruit them into his agency, there was still something strangely good about him. Or maybe every Moriarty had a bit of goodness in them?..
At some point Milo appeared less and less on magazine covers and runways, until he vanished completely. Alice, who had taken his place as head of the agency, gave no comments. People could get from her only meaningful smiles.
"And Winter? What happened to her?" Kawasemi sighed thoughtfully. He barely met anyone from the Moriarty Agency.
"She just retired," Toto shrugged in confusion. "Ron said it wasn't that simple… but at least she didn't disappear."
Silence fell for a few seconds. There was always something strange going on at the Moriarty Agency, as if they were a cursed family living in a mysterious mansion from some movie.
"Milo might have gone back to England," Ron suddenly said. Kawasemi and Toto turned to him, waiting for him to continue. "I know he owns a big mansion there. He might have moved back, tired of the industry."
"Do you think Alice pushed him to it?" Toto asked uncertainly. Ron shrugged. He couldn't know for sure since he had long refused to work with the Moriartys. Besides, he looked down on them a little anyway.
Kawasemi nodded carefully.
"By the way, Isshiki, you once mentioned that only person who could surpass Milo is Kamono–”
Ron snorted, cutting him off. He took Toto's hand—a bit possessively—and led him toward the lift. Toto quickly glanced back, not understanding why Ron had decided to leave.
"Goodbye, Kawasemi-san!"
---
Ron held cups of ice cream they had bought at the cafeteria while Toto searched his pockets for the key to his office. Finally, Toto turned around with a guilty look.
"Ron… I forgot the keys."
"What would you do without me," Ron smirked, not surprised at all. He handed Toto the cups and rummaged through his own pockets for something to pick the lock with. He usually tried not to show those skills but he had no secrets from Toto.
Once inside, they closed the door and sat on the couch. Close together, almost pressed against each other. Toto ate fruit ice cream while Ron had chocolate and vanilla, covered in brown sugar syrup.
"Mmm, I haven't had ice cream for a while," Toto hummed, squinting happily. Ron leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Can I try some?"
Toto nodded and brought a spoonful of what seemed to be orange ice cream to Ron's mouth. Ron smiled and carefully licked it all off, then offered Toto his own spoon.
"Try mine. There's not much syrup on it."
"Really?.." The designer looked at the spoon suspiciously but seeing that there really wasn't much syrup he ate the offered sweetness.
"Oh, that's good!" Toto exclaimed in surprise, and Ron offered him more. Toto ate it, then offered his own in return… Those were indirect kisses! Though nogody of them really thought about it, too caught up in eating and taking care of each other.
They had almost finished the ice cream when Ron suddenly put his cup down on the table with an unreadable expression. Toto stared at him in confusion.
"Full?" Toto guessed.
"Not exactly… You got a little messy," Ron shook his head, taking Toto's cup as well.
"Huh? Where?" Because he was used to trusting Ron, it didn't even occur to him that Ron's actions didn't make much sense.
And when Toto licked his lips, Ron let out a nervous breath and moved closer. Toto's eyes widened in shock when he felt warmth on his lips… Ron kissed him hesitantly, slowly. There was clumsiness in his movements but also care and tenderness. Coming to his senses, Toto closed his eyes and kissed back—and Ron grew a little more confident.
Soon Ron even slid a hand into Toto's hair, placing the other on Toto's knee for support. Meanwhile, Toto's thoughts began to scatter and he just left everything for the sensations: the warm breath, Ron's gentle touches, and the intoxicating pull.
Finally they pulled apart. Both their cheeks were red from embarrassment and passion but Ron found the strength to take Toto's hand.
"Toto, it might be strange to say this now… but I love you. You're the light of my life, the best person I've ever met. And I'm crazy about you. Please… will you date me?"
Toto's gaze softened. The designer smiled tenderly.
"Of course I will, Ron," he replied. "I will, my incomparable wonderful Ron…"
Ron couldn't help himself—he pulled Toto into his arms to express his feelings in silence. Their first kiss… with a taste of ice cream.
"Toto, can I kiss you again?" Ron whispered.
"You can but…" Toto hesitated, making Ron nervous.
Then Toto sighed, suddenly pushed Ron's chest so that he leaned back against the couch, and sat on his lap.
"This is more comfortable," Toto murmured before Ron pulled him back into a kiss full of love and tenderness.
With each second Ron grew more confident and Toto felt the model's hands sliding over his body. Toto liked his careful, almost soothing touches.
He buried his hands in Ron's hair and stroked his head, reassuring him to continue. Toto knew: Ron was very happy that his first kiss and confession had come from him…
---
A few days later people at the agency started noticing that Totomaru Isshiki and Ron Kamonohashi had grown even closer. They concluded this because Ron had started more often kissing Toto's neck, cheeks, forehead… and sometimes they were even seen kissing on the lips, though that wasn't something people talked about.
Actually, no one was really surprised by the change. Instead, a new rumor appeared: what if they had already been dating for a long time and had only now decided to show it more clearly? But nobody dared to ask them directly.
As for the fans, they didn't know about this change yet. For them, the relationship between the designer and the model had long been the ideal of perfection and affection so they didn't notice any new hidden meaning in the photos on their pages.
---
The crowd of fans burst into excited screams when Toto came out of the building holding several bags of gifts from other "celebrities." Ron followed behind, also carrying bags. Since Ron had more bags and security guards were crowded around the stairs, Toto smiled and offered him his hand—which made the fans squeal even louder.
"I'm going to lose my hearing soon," Ron smirked, holding Toto's hand.
"Don't worry, Doctor Mofu will cure you even if you die," Toto replied. Ron pouted.
"You're so cruel!"
"Not at all—I'm just taking care of you."
Since they weren't trying to lower their voices, the fans nearby immediately started repeating their words to the rows behind them. Ron thought it was funny.
"Well then, thank you for your care, Toto," Ron said as they stepped onto flat ground. He lifted Toto's hand so that it rested on top of his, leaned toward it, and left a light kiss on the designer's fingers.
Cameras clicked all around—from journalists and fans alike. Toto sighed. "He's hopeless. Whether we're dating or not, he'll always find a way to draw attention to us…" he thought, watching Ron break into a wide smile and interlace their fingers.
Ron seemed to have a habit of acting shamelessly, with hints, when they were in public. In private, he became quieter as if Toto's presence calmed him and he didn't need to prove that he cared, that Toto was already his.
"How many years have you known each other?! Please tell us!" a particularly loud shout came from the crowd. Ron and Toto turned toward it without slowing down and answered at the same time,
"A lot." They always answered that question that way. Did they ever bother counting when they first met?
When they got into the car and the doors closed behind them, they both let out a relieved breath. It was much quieter now. They had already agreed that they would be driven to Toto's place.
As they drove, Ron rummaged through the bags looking for sweets and shared his observations with Toto. For example, he hadn't seen anyone from the Moriarty Agency but he had spotted Winter hiding in the shadows. Or: some models had looked at their pair with adoration and jealousy. Or: a group of designers had been discussing the upcoming afterparty! Toto wasn't surprised by that and didn't ask for details.
"Hmm. I know about thtat—I am a designer, after all," he nodded. "I was invited too. The ticket was really nice."
Ron looked at him in surprise.
"Really? Why didn't you say so?"
"Because I turned it down."
"I thought you wouldn't mind chatting with other designers."
Toto smiled and patted his shoulder.
"But I'd rather spend time with you," he whispered. Ron's eyes sparkled with joy and pride. "Alright, tell me something else."
---
Ron peeked quietly over Toto's shoulder as the designer opened the door to his apartment. Ron rarely visited it, though it seemed strange.
Toto's apartment was a bit smaller than Ron's but everything inside was neatly put away, in its place. Almost no framed photos. Everything was in pastel colors but Ron wouldn't call the atmosphere "boring"—he liked it. It was like Toto: simple at first glance but deeper and more attractive on the second.
"Leave the bags here, we'll sort them out later," Toto said, pointing to a spot near the couch.
"Hey, can I stay overnight?" Ron suddenly asked, looking around the room.
Toto didn't even turn around. "Stay, I don't mind. I'll just get another blanket."
Ron beamed. Of course he hadn't doubted he'd be allowed to, but so quickly!..
"I think I had a few pillows in my workroom…" Toto muttered and headed toward a slightly open door. Ron followed him, realizing how long it had been since he'd been in that room.
It was the room where Toto kept fabrics, design sketches and other work things Ron didn't know much about. But it also held every magazine (or at least certain pages from them) that had ever printed Ron's photos.
Ron couldn't help but smile, proud of how carefully Toto kept those photos. He walked over to one of the magazine shelves and flipped through them. It seemed there were even the ones from the beginning of their careers together.
Suddenly Ron's gaze caught on some photos on the desk. He frowned, realizing that they weren't his photos but… Milo's. He stared at them while Toto carried the pillows into the living room.
Seeing Ron's interest, Toto looked at the photos too. Then at Ron's frown—Ron hadn't even noticed him. Toto had to wave a hand in front of Ron's face before Ron finally looked at him.
"Why do you have photos of that idiot?" Ron asked directly.
Toto smiled softly. "Are you jealous?"
Ron pressed his lips together and didn't answer.
"You can tear them up. I don't need them anymore." Ron immediately tore the photos into tiny pieces, and Toto barely held back a laugh.
"Sorry, Toto. I guess I really was jealous," Ron admitted quietly, throwing the pieces into the trash.
"That's okay. It's kind of cute," Toto giggled. Ron leaned in and kissed him, wrapping an arm around him. His warm breath tickled Toto and he kept laughing, sensing the same jealousy in Ron's movements. "Alright, alright, Ronny, let's deal with our gifts."
Hearing the affectionate nickname Ron smiled happily and agreed to do something with the pile of bags.
They sat on the floor and started pulling things out of the bags. Different things were put in a separate bag: candies, cookies, expensive coffee or tea. And there was more food than anything else. Nothing special, just polite gifts, though some useful things appeared too. Even a few bottles of alcohol, but almost none of Kamonohashi's favorite syrup.
After an hour of sorting Ron stretched tiredly, put the alcohol bottles in the kitchen (he and Toto rarely touched them) and sat at the table.
"So, what do you want? Coffee, tea?" Toto asked, meeting his eyes. Then a sly gleam appeared in the designer's gaze. "Or me?"
With that, he turned away so Ron wouldn't see the blush on his cheeks. Ron coughed, clearly not ready for such an offer. Toto quickly turned back and came over to pat his back. His worry even made the blush disappear from his face.
"Are you okay?.. I was just joking, sorry."
Ron didn't even know what to say. Toto carefully sat on his lap and Ron immediately buried his face in Toto's neck in embarrassment.
"Don't tease me like that, Toto…" Ron sighed.
"But someday you'll answer 'me,' won't you?" Toto murmured, half teasing, half hopeful.
Ron mumbled something unintelligible but probably agreed.
They sat in silence for a few minutes like that.
"If you want, you can… sleep next to me. In the same bed," Toto whispered carefully. "We haven't done that yet, have we?"
Ron's hug tightened. Toto smiled—Ron definitely wanted to.
"It'll be dark soon. I'll bring all the pillows to the bedroom. You can go take a shower and relax in the water," Toto continued gently. Ron slowly let him get up, ruffling his hair along the way. Toto pouted but felt happy when he saw the bright sly smile on Ron's lips.
"I hope he never stops being embarrassed or I'll lose such a cutie," Toto thought, watching Ron head to the bathroom.
Since Ron had stayed over before, he had a few spare clothes here, so he didn't have to struggle with Toto's clothes.
---
When Toto came out of the shower, drying his face with a towel, he found Ron already lying in bed, playing with a few of Toto's plush toys.
"Do you really sleep with these?" Ron asked. Toto nodded.
"How could I leave your gifts on the shelf to gather dust?"
Ron happily put the toys on the nightstand. Toto turned off the lights and drew the curtains. Then he finally got into bed and covered himself with the blanket. They hadn't taken out a second blanket since they'd decided to sleep together. "But if you steal the whole blanket—I'll just push you off the bed and cover myself with another one," Toto had threatened earlier.
"Good night, Ron."
"Good night, Toto."
But about ten minutes later Ron spoke again. Toto wasn't asleep yet so he turned around.
"You know, Toto, I'm kind of cold and there's not enough space here," Ron reported calmly.
"Should I get another blanket?" Toto offered, but Ron looked at him like he was an idiot. "Oh… so you want to cuddle? Okay."
Ron smiled slyly. Toto felt him move closer and press against him, possessively draping one arm over Toto.
---
About a month had passed since that night…
Toto was sitting in his office at the agency, finishing a design of Ron for some magazine. When Amamiya had explained what she wanted, Toto had been confused at first but then his admiration for the possible result won him over.
"Toto~! Did you call for me?" Ron peeked into the office with a pleased smile. "Spitz said you needed me to try on a costume."
Toto turned around. "Yes, that's right. Come in."
Ron obediently entered and locked the door. Toto took a hanger and a box from the closet but only handed the clothes to Ron. Then he sat down in an armchair and closed his eyes so he wouldn't press on Ron with his gaze while Ron changed quickly and neatly. He always did that, though sometimes he got too carried away and would help Ron undress or dress instead. But Ron never had time to stop him or object so they silently agreed that it was normal.
"Done."
Toto opened his eyes. Ron indeed finished. Toto got up from the chair and attached something like a scarf to Ron's shoulder—it probably would drape over his back and flutter in the wind. Then he handed Ron a few bracelets and lightly brushed Ron's hair back. Finally he took out the main item from the box.
"Where did you get this?" Ron asked in surprise, seeing the metallic gleam. Handcuffs.
"Huh? Well, I almost made them myself. They're not real, don't worry—you can take them off easily." Toto shrugged. "Though considering you 'couldn't take off' that collar…"
Ron looked away. "I don't remember that," he said but Toto just snorted, blushing slightly.
"Alright, give me your hands. I need to check how they'll hold."
Ron looked from the handcuffs to Toto. There was something appealing about them, just like the collar. Smiling calmly, Ron held out his hands and the designer put the handcuffs on him.
"Shake your hands," Toto said. Ron obeyed. "Raise your hands. Lower them. Shake again. Do they slip? Do they rub?"
Ron shook his head. They fit perfectly. Even too perfectly… Not heavy but you could feel their weight. They didn't fall off his wrists either.
"Great, then now…" Toto nodded, reaching for the handcuffs.
But instead of taking them off, he suddenly grabbed them and pulled down, forcing Ron almost to his knees. The model's hair was messy again and he slowly lifted his gaze to Toto.
The designer looked down at him, admiring his slightly stunned expression. At the same time Ron didn't hurry to stand up, even though with some effort he could have done it without using his hands.
They silently looked at each other, thinking about everything and nothing. Back at the photoshoot many people had been watching them—including their friends. But now… they were alone.
Toto tugged the handcuffs up and unfastened them, sighing in frustration.
"I'm afraid we can't ruin the costume…" Toto said, looking away. He could no longer look calmly at the way Ron was looking up at him. There were too many emotions in those bright blue eyes for Toto to stay calm. Most importantly, what he saw in them was complete trust.
"Does he really like it so much when I try to dominate him?.." flashed through Toto's mind, making him suddenly dizzy. He turned away, pressing a hand to his mouth. His face burned.
By the time Ron changed back, Toto had managed to calm his racing heart and turn around.
"Hey, Ron, didn't it hurt when I… pulled the handcuffs?"
"N-no, it's fine, Toto," Ron replied but Toto wasn't sure he should trust someone who had liked being in handcuffs.
"Hold out your hands."
"Are you going to put the handcuffs on me again?!" Ron gasped, Toto almost hit him. Where had that obedience gone?! "Okay, sorry, I couldn't help it."
Ron held out his hands and Toto carefully examined his wrists. There were almost no marks from the handcuffs, even though they weren't meant for that kind of activity.
"Good, you are really fine. Sorry, I got carried away again by your perfect appearance… But I really didn't mean to do anything like that! Well, you know, my body acts faster than my brain…"
While he was talking, Ron carefully pulled Toto closer, then buried his face in Toto's fluffy hair and a few moments later started kissing his neck. Toto didn't move as Ron showed his tenderness and unexpected need for touch, until he felt Ron barely nibble on his neck.
"You're… so caring, Toto. I want to take you on a date."
Toto smiled softly, feeling warm inside. Undoubtedly, he felt happy every time he saw Ron. Days, months and years passed but their unexpectedly started bond hadn't weakened at all. Toto would gladly go on thousands of dates with Ron Kamonohashi!
"So where are you taking me?" Toto teased. Ron smirked.
"To a Nyo-Nyon concert, I suppose."
"Aren't you jealous of her?" Toto barely held back a laugh.
"I know I'm hundreds of times better!"
"Oh, then I'll be watching to see how you get the tickets."
Well, they both knew that Ron would manage to buy them... all for the sake of his beloved Toto.