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The sun is setting.
Shizuku had left early for once. Kiyoharu had stayed at the studio longer, goaded on by Gajuu. Tatara had stayed simply because he loved to practice, and them staying longer meant he could stay, too.
Chinatsu and Mako had left to try some new sweets place that had just opened, dragging Shizuku along with them. (It hadn’t been hard to convince her, not when Kiyoharu had been distracted by Gajuu.)
When they finally leave the studio, they are all dripping with sweat. Kiyoharu’s leg twinges a little bit when he climbs the stairs to the subway, but he can't regret it. Not when this means he gets to spend a little bit more time with Tatara.
Tatara is chattering on about something or the other, an ice cream cone in his right hand, and it’s comfortable.
They’re alone, the rest of the world gone home already, and Kiyoharu thinks this is the perfect time to do it.
He waits until Tatara’s done talking, and then interrupts Tatara with a small cough.
Tatara blinks at him, his smile wide as he stops licking at his ice cream.
“I like you,” Kiyoharu says, before he can chicken out. Tatara pauses, and there’s a long silence in which Kiyoharu feels like his heart’s going to beat out of his chest.
Tatara grins, and he throws an arm around Kiyoharu, bringing the two of them closer together. “I like you, too, Kiyoharu!” he says.
It only takes Kiyoharu a minute to process that Tatara definitely misunderstood him. He goes to say something, but Tatara’s already chattering away again. He looks so happy with his ice cream that Kiyoharu can’t bring up the nerve to confess again.
He’ll try again tomorrow.
He’s nervous. His palms feel almost unbearably sweaty.
Tatara’s lacing up his shoelaces when Kiyoharu opens the door. He looks up, and then smiles. It reaches his eyes, and Kiyoharu has to take a deep breath before he can manage anything.
“Will you come with me tomorrow?” he asks, tripping over his words. Tatara blinks at him, but he’s still smiling.
“Sure?” Tatara agrees, but it sounds like a question. “To where?”
“There’s a competition. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
“You don’t have to pick me up,” says Tatara, “I can meet you at the station.”
He shakes his head. Tatara stares, but doesn’t fight him on it.
At eight the next morning, he arrives at Tatara’s house. He’s dressed for the part. His heart’s hammering out of his chest.
Tatara comes out before he can ring the doorbell.
“Hi,” greets Tatara, his eyes wide. “You look nice.”
Tatara does, but he generally looks nice to Kiyoharu so he’s biased.
Kiyoharu’s too nervous to say anything as they make their way to the station, and Tatara’s still sleepy so they’re quiet. It’s comfortable, though.
Chinatsu turns to face them when they get there. She has her hands on her hips. “Took you two long enough,” she complains, loudly, and Kiyoharu stares in horror. Shizuku is standing next to her, but unlike Chinatsu, she’s smiling.
“Oh no,” says Tatara, his eyes wide. He turns to face Kiyoharu. “I told them to meet us at eight.”
“And it’s eight-fifteen!” says Chinatsu, but she doesn’t look too angry anymore. “Let’s go before we’re late.”
They make it to the competition on time. Kiyoharu stays silent and accidentally runs into a few more things than he usually does.
The competition ends with enough time for them to grab dinner. Kiyoharu steals the seat next to Tatara, and Tatara smiles at him. The girls order dessert and Kiyoharu stabs the cake with more force than necessary.
Kiyoharu walks Tatara home.
“Thank you,” says Tatara when they’re standing outside his door. Tatara bites his bottom lip and leans forward. Kiyoharu is too shocked to close his eyes, and then Tatara pats him. On the shoulder.
“You’re welcome,” he eventually comes up with. Tatara beams at him and enters his house.
He wasn’t clear enough last time. This time, he’ll make it clear that the girls aren’t invited.
He asks if Tatara wants to grab something to eat after practice.
Gajuu pops his head from behind the corner as soon as the words leave his mouth. “Oh, Mako wanted to try that.”
“Let’s go then!” says Tatara cheerfully, and finishes putting on his shoes.
Dance practice obviously isn’t working. He stares at his phone for a long hour before finally mustering up the courage to press the call button.
“Hello?”
“Hi,” he says. There’s a pause.
“What’s the matter?” comes Tatara’s voice. “Did something happen?”
He’s belatedly reminded of the fact that they never call each other. They see each other every day after all; phone calls usually don’t happen. “Are you free next Sunday?”
“Yeah,” says Tatara, and then almost immediately, “But shouldn’t you be asking Shizuku?”
“What.”
“Well, aren’t the two of you…” he trails off. “I’m sure Shizuku wants you to ask her.”
He’s reminded of a memory long ago, when they were only ten and Kiyoharu was only just beginning to convince Shizuku to dance with him. She had cried when he told her he liked boys.
“Will you come?” he presses on, and Tatara hums.
“Okay,” he says.
It’s cold out.
Kiyoharu shoves his hands into his pockets and waits patiently for Tatara to come out.
Tatara comes out five minutes later, and he comes with mittens for Kiyoharu’s cold hands.
They take the train to a shopping district. They get a snack to munch on as they browse the shops, and Kiyoharu loses track of Tatara briefly when they pass an arcade. He walks in to find Tatara at the DDR machine. They get tokens and Tatara smiles at him when they start the machine. Kiyoharu loses his breath at the sight and has to look away to choose a random song before he blushes.
Tatara’s absolutely abysmal at it, and Kiyoharu hides a laugh behind his hand as he destroys the song. Tatara’s eyes are shining as he watches Kiyoharu sweep song after song and soon there’s a crowd behind them.
Kiyoharu drags them away before anyone can recognize them.
They get fast food for lunch. Tatara devours the burger they buy and steals fries off Kiyoharu’s plate.
They somehow end up at the studio. Tatara’s having trouble with how quick the tango is and Kiyoharu can never say no to his crush.
“I just don’t get how you do that one move,” says Tatara. “I watch it, and I think I can do it, but my feet don’t move fast enough.”
He stares at Tatara because he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Tatara unable to do a move before.
“Can you show me?” continues Tatara. He’s biting his lip.
Kiyoharu doesn’t answer, and instead pulls Tatara in close. He spins Tatara around and then dips him, his heart beating fast all the while. He only shows Tatara once, and then Tatara’s doing it on his own once they separate.
He’s reminded of why he likes Tatara so much when he watches. Tatara’s been the only one to get his heart racing recently; ever since Tatara had stolen his place that one competition, he had only been more and more fired up about dancing. He had been worried he was losing his drive before Tatara came along, what with his knee hurting and no one posing a threat.
And then Tatara had swept in as a relative rookie and had danced Kiyoharu right off his feet.
He had only continued to improve.
And right now, in front of him, is Tatara showing off his immense improvement. His stature and grace are already extremely different from when Kiyoharu had first met him.
His heart feels full.
“I like you so much,” he blurts out before he can stop himself and Tatara spins too fast, falling from the increased momentum. He barely catches himself with a hand, and lands on his bottom a second later.
He’s staring at Kiyoharu with wide eyes. He opens his mouth, then closes it, and there’s a long silence between the two of them.
“I like you, too,” says Tatara eventually.
Kiyoharu’s heart falls.
He doesn’t know what to say. He can’t believe he’s confessed twice now, and that the second time’s going to end up exactly like the first.
He feels like running away.
He closes his eyes and is about to turn when Tatara continues.
“But not as a friend.”
Kiyoharu’s eyes fly open. He stares at Tatara.
Tatara looks determined. He gets to his feet and approaches Kiyoharu. The way Tatara’s biting his bottom lip belies his outward confidence, but Kiyoharu can’t bring himself to say anything. Not with the way Tatara is staring at him.
“And I don’t care if you like Shizuku. And that well, the two of you are probably the most ideal couple in the dancing world. Because I like you, Kiyoharu. And you don’t have to like me back that way, I just wanted you to – “
He cuts Tatara off before he can continue. He takes a quick step forward and pulls Tatara into a kiss.
Tatara’s eyes are dazed when they break apart. “You like me?”
“I confessed to you!” he can’t help pointing out and there’s a brilliant flush on Tatara’s cheeks.
“I thought you meant as a friend,” says Tatara, and Kiyoharu can’t stay mad when Tatara slips his hand into his.
“I know,” laughs Kiyoharu. “I realized when you invited Chinatsu and Shizuku to that competition.”
Tatara’s eyes get impossibly wider. “Was that a date? Was today a date?”
He nods, and Tatara covers his eyes with one hand, groaning. “I’m such an idiot,” says Tatara. “I was so nervous the whole time and it turns out you like me too.”
Kiyoharu grins and tugs Tatara’s hand away from his face. “I like you, not Shizuku,” he says, now that he’s allowed to do so, and kisses Tatara for the second time.