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Mizuno still walked Kazamatsuri home that day, even though their departure was accompanied by a predictable ruckus of catcalls and wolf-whistles.
Kazamatsuri's good cheer might be proof against any and all humiliation, but Mizuno's exhilaration was tempered by intense bouts of embarassment. On the way to Kazamatsuri's place, he found making conversation even more awkward than usual -- especially since even the common pleasantries they were accustomed to exchanging on their walks suddenly seemed like transparent attempts for him to get into Kazamatsuri's pants.
Mizuno blushed for the fourth time in twenty minutes.
"Miz-- uh, Tatsuya?" Kazamatsuri's hoarse voice broke through Mizuno's daze. He sounded unusually tentative.
Mizuno kicked himself for letting his own worries cause him to ignore his friend. Kazamatsuri was probably pretty confused. "Yes, sorry, what?"
"Uhmm..." Kazamatsuri stopped and scratched the back of his neck, and his face scrunched up adorably, the way it did whenever he was thinking about something really hard. Mizuno stopped too, and waited.
Kazamatsuri didn't quite avoid his eyes, but he seemed to be almost shy for once. "It's really true? What Shige said?"
Mizuno put his hands on Kazamatsuri's shoulders and bent down so that their foreheads were almost touching. "It is true. Is that okay?"
Kazamatsuri swallowed and nodded. He grabbed one of Mizuno's hands off his shoulder and dragged him off the path, pulling him down the slope to the overpass where he often liked to practice. Mizuno willingly let himself be led, laughing a little at the abrupt change in plans, until Kazamatsuri stopped beneath the overpass. Mizuno's eyes were still adjusting to the sudden shade, so it took him a moment to confirm that he wasn't hallucinating when Kazamatsuri whipped off his t-shirt and let it float down to the ground. Mizuno took a hissing breath in surprise and caught the scent of Kazamatsuri's skin, seasoned with the sun and the light tang of fresh sweat.
He sat down on the concrete, hard.
Kazamatsuri stood in front of him, breathing heavily and blinking at Mizuno, clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides.
"K-Kaza-- Wha--?" was all Mizuno could manage to choke out.
"Go ahead," said Kazamatsuri.
"Go ahead?" Mizuno was sure his eyes were bugging out. With an effort, he brought his voice down from his panicked screech. "What do you mean, 'go ahead'?"
"Well, Shige said--"
Mizuno groaned and covered his eyes. That wasn't enough, so he drew up his knees and tucked his burning face against them, wrapping his arms around his head and wanting to die.
He heard a rustling sound and then felt the press of a small, warm hand against his shoulder. "Mizuno?" Kazamatsuri asked, concern evident in his voice. "Is it, is it not true, after all?"
Mizuno looked up, and Kazamatsuri was kneeling next to him, peering at him seriously. "Why don't you tell me exactly what Shige said," he suggested. "And then there won't be any confusion."
"Okay!" Kazamatsuri agreed brightly. "Well, Shige said that you liked me, so I told him I liked you, too. Then he said, 'No, Tatsu-bon likes you,' and I said that I liked you, too. Then he kind of sighed and said, 'Tatsu-bon wants to lick your nipples and bite your chest' -- or maybe it was bite my nipples and lick my chest, I can't remember -- and that you'd want to do some other stuff, too, but he didn't say what exactly, and he said you liked me like that, and that's when I told you that I liked you, too. Remember?"
"Oh."
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kazamatsuri watching him with an expectant face and a smile, which slowly dimmed the longer Mizuno was silent. Kazamatsuri started to back up and, without consulting him, Mizuno's hand shot out and latched onto Kazamatsuri.
"Sit down," he said, still not making eye contact. Kazamatsuri sat, and Mizuno tugged him closer, tucking him into his side. Mizuno savored the feel of the smooth, warm skin under his hand for a moment, before gathering his courage and turning to face his friend.
"Okay, it's true. All of it." Kazamatsuri made a pleased noise and settled closer. "But I think that maybe we shouldn't rush the, uh, the -- the -- the shirtless part."
Kazamatsuri looked pointedly down at Mizuno's hand, which was tracing circles on the bare skin of Kazamatsuri's upper arm. He flashed a mischievous grin back up at Mizuno, who felt it like a kick to the gut. With cleats.
"But it sounds like fun," said Kazamatsuri.
Mizuno gave up and buried his head in Kazamatsuri's neck. Kazamatsuri giggled and Mizuno bit him.