Chapter Text
Insensate in the bath, Azuma didn't so much as twitch a muscle when someone entered and began showering down. He did crack an eyelid when he felt that someone wading into the bath, and then relaxed when he saw it was Sakyo. He never had to make unnecessary conversation with Sakyo. Or, indeed, move a muscle.
The yakuza waded over to him and rested his forearms over the rim of the bath, his elbow just nudging Azuma's. He sighed contentedly, and then silence reigned for a time.
"Thank you," Azuma croaked, once he was able to dredge up the energy. "For sending Yuzo my way with such an enticing script."
"I take it he nailed the delivery," Sakyo commented dryly.
Azuma just chuckled.
"About what you did, bringing Chigasaki and Rurikawa back together... Forgive me. I scorned you for supporting them when I am the last person with any right―"
"Why didn't you tell me about Azami? What you were going through?" Azuma interrupted, touching Sakyo's forearm lightly.
"Shame?" Sakyo murmured, his unfocused naked gaze alighting on Azuma.
"Azami is lucky to have a man like you who loves and respects him," Azuma whispered. "As am I, for that matter."
"No hard feelings, then?" Sakyo ventured.
"I'll always have hard feelings for you, Sakyo."
It would have come across much more suggestively had Azuma not been exhaustedly sinking down the bath wall, the water creeping up his chin.
"That's enough heat for you, I think," Sakyo said as he caught Azuma up and hauled him out of the water. "Yuzo really did a number on you... Should I be having words with him?"
"Don't you dare," Azuma said with giddy cheer as he was propped against the wall to recover.
Sakyo growled. "I won't have you drowning in the bath, Azuma. You have to take more care with yourself."
His mood sobering, Azuma found it in him to sit up straighter and form a grateful smile. "I will. I promise. Now that I know that man can turn my bones to noodles, I'll make sure I have a bath buddy next time."
"You can always call on me," Sakyo told him solemnly. "For anything."
"And you can tell me anything," Azuma promised, holding out his arms for Sakyo to help him up. "For instance, if you're worried you'll hurt Azami when you―"
"I'm not having sex with Azami!" Sakyo cut in, scowling.
"Sucks to be Azami," Azuma muttered, perfectly audibly.
"Azuma..." The sigh was part warning, mostly exasperation.
"I mean it," Azuma said sternly, almost slipping as he rounded on his human crutch. "You can't punish yourself forever without punishing him, too. It's too late to deny it now. Just give yourself a break and let him call the shots for once."
"Look at you," Sakyo said quietly. "You can barely stand. This is the consequence of your decisions, and you're a mature, experienced adult. How can I possibly leave such a decision in Azami's hands?"
Azuma curled his arms about Sakyo's hips and rested his weight on the man as he breathed sensually into a red-tipped ear. "Because Azami's not trying to get casually pounded halfway to heaven by a titan. He wants you. He wants to be with you. He loves you, and he knows you love him enough to treat him right. So just...treat him right, Sakyo. That's all."
Extricating himself, Azuma made it over to the shower on his own two legs and then sank gingerly onto a stool to give his hair a minimal wash. He really was exhausted, boneless...and very, very sore. In so many ways. He'd never admit it, but Sakyo's concern was warranted. He'd have to take precautions next time he was with Yuzo―including a proper prep routine and a lot of water by the bedside. Also, a bed. No more concrete floors. Sakyo, meanwhile, would probably set up candles for Azami and prop him up on pillows with organic lubricant and all the frills. Talk about being spoiled...
Re-emerging from the bath as Azuma finished up, Sakyo rinsed off quickly and then took hold of Azuma's arm when he rose. "I'll help you to bed."
Azuma didn't respond. He just leaned gratefully into Sakyo and basked a little in the knowledge that he was a little spoiled, too, when he let it happen.
*
Sakyo thought long and hard about what Azuma had said to him. It was hard not to dwell on even the most inane thing that man said while dripping wet, naked, and draped all over him―but his advice regarding Azami was particularly persistent. Eventually, after sitting in seiza in the courtyard well into the night, he decided what his next step must be. It simply made sense to consult with Chigasaki and Rurikawa before he committed to a course of action, one way or the other.
The interview commenced the following evening. Sakyo arranged to meet with the couple after dinner in the privacy of Chigasaki's room, where they could speak freely. To Sakyo's dismay, Utsuki and Ikaruga were also present, each reading quietly though cuddled together on the elder's bed.
Chigasaki sat slouched in his gaming chair with Yuki perched primly in his lap. Sakyo sank into a comfortable seiza, glancing awkwardly up at the unexpected extra pair in the room.
"This is about Azami, right?" Chigasaki said bluntly. "Yeah, they already know. Don't sweat it."
With an internalized groan, Sakyo realized Banri had probably told Chigasaki the whole, sordid tale, and obviously not in complete privacy. He supposed it was pointless to have hoped otherwise, considering the nature of the relationship he was there to learn about.
He gathered his courage and asked how the age-disparate couple had come to be―and at what point they had become intimate. The initial telling of the tale wasn't very informative, but Sakyo gathered that intimacy had been integral from the very beginning.
"Yes, but what posseed you to let a grown man take your innocence in the first place?" he demanded of Rurikawa, frustrated with the lack of parallels he could draw from.
"Let me? LET me!" Chigasaki's outburst nearly overturned the delicate boy on his lap. "Let's get this straight! Yuki flat-out molested me until I couldn't possibly control myself a second longer!"
Rurikawa regained his composure with an elegant little butt wiggle that Sakyo would forever deny admiring. "I wouldn't say I molested you. You were far too willing."
"I literally begged you to stop," argued Chigasaki, gripping the arms of the chair as though to stop himself from gripping something else.
Rurikawa's snort was not so elegant. "No, you warned me what would happen if I didn't stop―which was exactly what I wanted, so why would I stop?"
"You... That's not... What?" Seemingly at a loss, Chigasaki gaped.
"That's exactly what happened, whatever that fantasy land inside your head remembers," Rurikawa said flatly. He turned his stern gaze back onto Sakyo, as if to state that the discrepancy was resolved and they could move on.
"Fine. Then..." Fighting down a blush, Sakyo proceeded with the question he had resolved he must ask. "Was he gentle with you?"
"Yuki was not gentle with me―ow! See?"
"He wasn't asking you! And no, not really," seeing Sakyo's immediate distress, Rurikawa hastened to clarify. "But that was my doing, I guess. He was just as rough or gentle as I wanted. It was...pretty perfect, to be honest."
"But that's not good," piped up Ikaruga, leaning out over the railing of the loft bed. "I mean, your first time... Your first time should be..."
"What Misumi means to say is that it's always better to err on the side of caution. A responsible lover..." Utsuki paused to shoot a pointed glower at Chigasaki. "A responsible lover should maintain control of the conditions to ensure a safe and comfortable first experience, no matter the nature of the demand."
Ikaruga nodded mutely, his eyes downcast, and Sakyo had to ask. "Is there something you wish to add, Ikaruga? I'm listening."
Surprise lighting his features, Ikaruga met Sakyo's eyes and his expression grew resolute. "Even if you love someone...it doesn't mean anything if they don't love you and cherish you back. I don't think you would ever hurt a lover, Sakyo...but I know you'll make sure someone you really, truly love feels loved, and that's what really matters."
Sakyo was at once touched by the sentiment and mortified by the implications. His eyes slid towards Utsuki, who was unable to conceal a glint of fury behind adjusting his glasses. Whoever had hurt Misumi had made a formidable enemy in that one... Two, counting Sakyo... At the very least.
"Misumi..." It was Rurikawa's soft exclamation that gently unravelled the intense atmosphere.
"Thank you, Ikaruga," Sakyo said soberly. "Your faith in me is heartening."
After a few more questions, Sakyo politely thanked all four for the frank discussion and left with plenty of food for thought. He was still chewing it over when he walked past Fushimi and the younger Hyodo kissing soundly in the shadows of the rehearsal studio. He was so shocked, he almost called out to them.
"Shh. Don't disturb them," hissed a voice from out of the shadows of the dorms.
Sakyo frowned and approached for a better look. "Hyodo? I'm surprised you're allowing that."
Hyodo cleared his throat. "I, uh, I guess... Better Omi than...someone who wouldn't be good for him, right? Like, someone really twisted, or someone who doesn't know his own strength, or, I mean, it's not like I could be the one to... Uh. You know. He was gonna start somewhere, whether I like it or not, so... Better Omi'n anyone else."
"I see." Sakyo hadn't encouraged nearly so much babble. There was clearly something eating at the poor lad. "Still, it must be strange for someone you doted on as a kid to be growing up like that before your very eyes..."
Sakyo could understand that. It was another aspect of his relationship with Azami that he struggled with.
"Yeah, well... We all gotta grow up sometime. What counts is that you do it right, y'know?"
"And it sets your mind at ease knowing Fushimi is so caring?"
"Yeah," said Juza without hesitation. "Kinda like you. He knows what a hard life looks like, an' he won't let Kumon go through that."
"Kinda like me," Sakyo repeated under his breath.
Another thought-provoking encounter...
The next afternoon, Sakyo was making coffee when Minagi and Citron descended on the kitchen, mid-discussion.
"Dude, do not make the same mistake I did and hold back your feelings because you're afraid of them. Masumi literally broke up with me out of nowhere because I didn't tell him I loved him. It damn near broke me."
"Oh, yes. Confiscating one's feelings is of the uttermost importune!"
"You mean, it's important to confess how you feel," Minagi corrected out of habit.
"This is what I said! Because I did not tell Guy, but Guy loves only me, so he was going to wait forever! Tragically ever after!"
"Feelings aren't everything," announced Sumeragi, traipsing through and poking around in the fridge. "If you ask me, balance is pretty important, too. Look at me and Aki. He tried to treat me like a novice and take care of me and ended up trying to run the show. I nearly kicked his ass to the curb."
"Isn't it only natural to want to take care of a younger lover?" questioned Minagi, his tone brimming with all-too-personal curiosity.
"If I'm old enough to love, I'm old enough the call the shots. Since Aki got that through his head, things've never been better," Sumeragi replied, polishing an apple on his shirt.
Citron perked up. "In bed, you mean?"
Sumeragi paused and shot him a suspicious glance, then shrugged it off as Citron being Citron. "In everything. Sure, there are gonna be things he's got more experience in than me, but that doesn't make my opinions any less valid. Age isn't the be all and end all. Take Azami! That kid's got Sakyo here wrapped around his little finger! He knows what he's about. Age has nothing to do with it."
Having walked in at the top of that spiel carrying a load of groceries, Banri practically choked. Sakyo shot him a dark look and he miraculously managed to keep his mouth shut.
"I mean, that's all well and good for you," Minagi began nervously, "But some guys can be prone to some really far-fetched ideas, so you gotta be careful when you're the mature one in the relationship."
"Oh, so that's why Masumi was runnin' around doing your laundry 'n shit last week." Banri chuckled. "What'd you do, crack some joke about how he'd make a great wife?"
"That's such an outdated stereotype!" Minagi complained. "I just mentioned... I always had to do laundry for my little brothers and it was nice that Masumi could pick up after himself. I didn't think he'd take it into his head to start doing my chores, too!"
"Ha. Fat chance of Azami gettin' ideas like that!" Banri scoffed.
"But we were speaking of Tenma," said Citron, cocking his head in curiosity.
Sakyo took his coffee and made a hasty exit as Banri tried to cover his tracks. "Yeah, nah, I just meant that Azami's even younger than Masumi, but he ain't likely to go doin' nobody's laundry or nothin'. Over a random comment. From his older lover. If he had one. Anyway, neither'd Yuki. You just got the luck 'a the draw, Tsururu, my man."
"Ah, now, I am younger than Guy but he does my laundry always!" Citron announced loudly.
"That's because he's practically your servant!" shouted Minagi.
"He is my boyfriend!"
"Is there even a difference with you!?"
Sakyo was grateful for the news program blaring in the living room and wearily sank onto the sofa to savor his coffee. His mind churned with precautions.
Let him lead, but insist on remaining gentle.
Don't disregard his opinions just because he's younger.
Make sure to tell him he's loved.
Don't hesitate to show the depth of your feelings.
Be careful not to plant ideas in his head.
Treat him like an equal and trust in his maturity.
Accept that you are a better option than the potential alternatives.
Do it right.
Sakyo was sure that some of that advice was contradictory. How was he supposed to know which to follow and which to disregard? He was beginning to feel more confused than ever.
"You okay there, Sakyo?" Making their way through from the front door, Tsukioka and Takato were carrying impressively light flyer packets. They must have been out doing improv and generating interest.
Sakyo belatedly realized he had been mussing up his hair and growling in frustration. He huffed and turned a helpless gaze up at the dependable pair.
If Banri had told his bestie everything, Azuma had probably told Tsukioka at least the gist of it. Sakyo actually hoped so, because he was soon baring his soul to the psych major.
"Sakyo, if you're worried about the impact your relationship could have on Azami's future, perhaps it's best to consider the alternatives," Tsukioka reasoned. "The obvious choice would be to leave―remove yourself from the equation entirely."
"Didn't he already try that? Didn't work out so well, by the sound of things," Takato scoffed.
"As Takato says, my withdrawal only hurt Azami and drove him right into someone else's arms in the end," Sakyo confirmed.
"At least it was Banri and not some low-life..."
Sakyo didn't acknowledge the brawny actor's rather pertinent comment. He had already thanked his lucky stars many times that it wasn't one of the younger gang members who had caught Azami's interest.
"Running away doesn't solve problems. The past always catches up with you."
Mikage trudged into the living room and flopped onto the sofa with a yawn, Sakuma hot on his heels.
"'Soka's so wise! I promise, I'll never run away if we have a fight, 'Soka!"
"Let's just not fight, Saku. I'd rather nap with you than argue..."
"Okay!"
Mikage proceeded to do exactly that, and like clockwork, Sakuma went under astoundingly easily a moment later.
Tsukioka looked alarmed, perhaps at the swiftness of the intrusion, or perhaps at the apparent contagiousness of narcolepsy, but he pressed on in little less than a stage whisper. "Ahem. So, as I was saying, the alternatives..."
"You could always let Banri be his first," suggested Takato.
Sakyo's low growl was entirely reflexive, and caused Tsukioka to pale.
"Or...you could just wait..."
"By which time," Takato concluded, "Azami will probably have convinced Banri to do it already, anyway. Don't you growl at me. I'm just being real."
Sakyo reined it in.
"Right, so... There you have it. What you decide to do about it is up to you," Tsukioka said abruptly, dragging Takato to his feet in tandem and making a hasty exit.
Sighing, Sakyo knew it was time to come to terms with his demons. He was dragging out the inevitable, and everyone else seemed to know it.
"You can't punish yourself forever without punishing him, too," Azuma had warned. "Just treat him right."
Treat him right... Hear him out and talk things through as he would with anyone he considered an equal... Trust in him, and let him take the lead...
It wasn't a plan, but it was a starting point.
*
Banri knocked softly, hoping he wasn't bothering anyone. "Azuma?" he called, a touch hesitant.
The door opened to reveal Azuma in shirtless splendor, halfway through weaving his hair into a plait. He turned and wandered away from the door without saying anything, giving Banri room to enter. There was something a little offputting about the lack of a greeting or questions, though, and it gave Banri pause.
"I don't s'pose you could do with a bunk buddy tonight...?" he asked, not stepping over the threshold just yet. "Sakyo and Azami have some shit to talk about, so..."
The glance back and dryly raised eyebrows said it all. Azuma didn't believe for a second that the complicated pair would be talking for long before things went south―in the physical sense. Banri didn't much believe it either, but Sakyo had seemed pretty resolute either way, so he gave the pair some space. But he wasn't in the mood for whatever kinky shit Juza and Muku were probably up to, either, so he'd figured he might as well try his luck.
"You can come in. I won't bite unless you ask me to."
A little disturbed by Azuma's flat tone, Banri did enter. He closed the door behind him as the timeless beauty tied off his plait and sighed.
"Dude, are you...y'know...good? You just seem kinda―"
"The truth is, if you're here for sex, I'm not really up to it at the moment. If you're desperate, I suppose I can prov―"
"I'm not looking for sex. Shit, you think that's all I want from you?" Banri took a quick step forward, reaching for Azuma's arm, but his eyes caught on some bruising just above the waistband of the man's low-riding tracksuit pants. "Did someone hurt you? Tell me. I'll fuck'em up."
Azuma turned with wide eyes, as though surprised by Banri's anger. His expression softened then, and he regained some of his usual charm.
"Nobody hurt me, Banri. I'm just a little worn out."
"From what, hard use?" Banri growled, still itching for a name.
"Exactly," Azuma said softly, wrapping Banri up in his arms and leaning their foreheads together. "Just the way I wanted it...but I appreciate you wanting to protect me."
"'Course I do," Banri murmured. "You're more than just a piece'a meat. You know that, right?"
Azuma chuckled, and his face tilted until their lips brushed sensually. "I know," he whispered.
"I'm serious," Banri breathed, fighting the siren call of those lips. "There's so much more to you than...just..."
"I seem to recall a desperate young man assuming I had a standard fee for blow jobs," Azuma teased, still lingering within kissing distance.
Banri extricated himself and pushed his hair off his face in hopes of cooling down. "I never prop'ly apologized for that. I was bein' a moron."
"Not really." Azuma shrugged, and that tired tone began to creep back into his voice. He moved over to the low bed he slept in when someone spent the night and got comfortable. "Just because I don't need to whore anymore doesn't mean I never have. But I like sex. I like the novelty of different partners."
"Even if they leave ya with bruises?" Banri asked, unable to stop himself from sounding a little saddened by that prospect.
Azuma's eyes glittered faintly as he said, "Especially when they leave me with bruises." However, he beckoned Banri over, and his face took on a hint of vulnerability, looking up at the looming form. There were measures of both hope and reflexive anxiety in his eyes. "Bruises left by another man are a lot to accept, I know."
Reaching down, Banri trailed his fingers down Azuma's plait, considering the intent behind those words. For someone who knew Azuma's proclivities and was just another casual cock to be had, it wasn't that hard to accept... But if a guy wanted something more personal...? If a guy looked up to Azuma and saw the beauty in his soul and not just his face...? Yeah, that could make another man's marks tough to swallow. Tough...but not impossible. Banri had Sakyo to moon over, after all. But Sakyo's heart was taken, so there was nothing stopping Banri from letting himself catch feelings for someone else...
"I ain't one to judge. You wanna get bent in half and screwed halfway to heaven, that's your right. I don't think I could bring myself to be rough with ya like that, though. Not you."
"You're always welcome in my bed, Banri," Azuma told him quietly, as though answering the inquiry Banri had made at the door. "To cuddle, or otherwise. Just..."
"No otherwise for now. Not til you're feelin' better. I'm all for that cuddle, though."
"I'd like that."
*
Sakyo had invited Azami into his bunk for an intimate but very serious discussion. They talked about various sexual dynamics, and what it meant to have that kind of physicality with someone you loved as opposed to a purely superficial connection. They talked about what Azami already knew about sex and what he wanted to know. And when they were all talked out, they fell asleep, Sakyo insisting on keeping his back to Azami to avoid temptation.
What he did not expect was to be woken by Azami rocking softly against him and kissing his exposed shoulder. Painted nails trailed along his belly and delved into his trackpants.
"Azami?"
"Shhh... Trust me..."
Stroking firmly, Azami bit gently at Sakyo's earlobe. He was so hard at Sakyo's back it was almost alarming.
"I learned a lot from Muku and his manga collection, and last night, I learned a lot about you... How you like it. What steps you'd wanna take... I promise, I won't hurt you, Sakyo. If you'll let me...I wanna make you feel good..."
"Hurt...me? What do you―?"
"I'll be real gentle. I know you haven't done it this way a lot, but I know I can make it good. Just say yes."
Sakyo couldn't form a single other word in his head. He moaned his consent, his cock twitching eagerly in Azami's hand.
Never once had he considered the prospect that Azami might want to take him, and as a result, he hadn't stopped to wonder whether he might want that. Suddenly, there was nothing he wanted more in the world. He could feel Azami pressed up against him―feel the boy's height, his martial-arts trained muscle...the size of him... He still had a little more growing to do in that department, but he had a sizeable tool for his age. Plenty to pleasure a lover with, at any rate.
The boy's strokes were firm and confident, and Sakyo was quickly overheating. He began to kick at the hems of his pants, hooking the elastic waistband under his thumbs and tugging downwards. Azami followed suit, rubbing his bare erection against a plush ass cheek while he nibbled Sakyo's collarbone.
The sudden, chill touch of lube in the absence of Azami's heat at his back made him gasp. He didn't question where Azami had been keeping it and since when.
"Sorry. Shoulda warned you, I guess," Azami murmured, rubbing his slick fingers deeper into Sakyo's crack in search of his entrance.
"It's cold," Sakyo responded. "The polite thing to do is warm it in your hands first."
"Noted," said Azami, trying to poke his finger inside. "Next time, I'll make it nice and warm for you."
With a sigh, Sakyo rolled over a little to better bare his hole to Azami's groping fingers. "Do as I tell you," he instructed.
Banishing the obligatory embarrassment, Sakyo walked Azami through the prep, from circling his entrance gently to twisting an eventual three fingers in wide, sweeping circles. It was true that Sakyo hadn't been taken often. It had been a long time since he had sought to have someone inside of him. Since the man he had most admired had disappeared, in fact...
Azami listened closely and learned fast. By the time those thin, nimble fingers withdrew from his stretched hole, Sakyo was dripping like he'd sprung a leak.
"How do you want me?" he gasped.
"Can we do it facing each other?" Azami suggested. "I wanna see your face."
Touched, Sakyo twisted onto his back, reaching up to Azami's cheek and stroking it with his thumb. "I'd like that, too," he said. "Let me put on my glasses."
Uncharacteristically eager to please, Azami grabbed up the case tucked between the mattress and the frame and plucked out Sakyo's glasses, slipping them carefully into place. He immediately coalesced before Sakyo's eyes, his cheeks red with arousal and his pupils wide and alluring. He still wore a loose shirt, but Sakyo liked the way it draped, decorating his naturally sexy form.
"You're so beautiful," Sakyo whispered, his tongue utterly unguarded under the heat of that needy gaze.
"Shit, Sakyo. Way to make a guy feel manly," Azami grumbled.
"No, I mean it," Sakyo insisted, positioning himself to make it easy for Azami to slide between his thighs. "Not just your looks―though beautiful is apt enough―but you. All of you. You're beautiful to me, Azami. I love you. Truly."
"I love you, too, you stupid... Fuck. I mean, I love you, too, Sakyo."
As Azami loomed over him, shifting to find the best positioning, Sakyo smiled softly. "Can you do something for me?" he asked. "Can you call me Furuichi?"
Azami licked his lips, nudging his hard, teenaged cock against Sakyo's backside. "Furu..." He paused, shook his head. "Ichi... I love you...Ichi."
He gave Sakyo no opportunity for comment, finding his leeway and driving forward until he popped deep, to the roots. A moan spilled from his shapely lips, still tinted pink with gloss.
"Kiss me," Sakyo begged, needing those lips with a vengeance. "Azami..."
Groaning, his eyes shut tight, Azami bent down until Sakyo snatched his lips in a deep kiss of pure connection. He dined on Azami's tongue while the boy wriggled and jerked within him, feeling whole at last.
Azami was neither devastatingly huge, nor skillfully practiced, but once he adapted to the tight heat of Sakyo's ass sheathing him, his raw enthusiasm was more than pleasing. The sheer fact that Azami was fucking him was enough to make Sakyo emit a low, thready groan. The bold, hard strokes of athletic young hips stoked him quickly to a lingering precipice. He could have cum at any moment, but he refused to do so before Azami coated his insides. To cum together―to share the wonder of that moment with the one he loved―was worth any effort.
"Why aren't you cumming?" Azami huffed, sounding mildly offended that his own efforts had not been immediately ratified. "What am I doing wrong?"
"Nothing," Sakyo breathed, stretching to wrap his arms around Azami's ass, pulling him deep. "I'm waiting for you. I want us to cum together."
Without warning, Azami's eyes widened, and then he jerked hard, splattering Sakyo's innards with the first gout of his spend. Instantaneously, Sakyo's eyes rolled up and he threw his head back, his own orgasm triggered by everything from that hot spurt to the slack-jawed bliss that had overcome Azami's usual, cultivated expression. Locked together in throes of ecstacy, they fed on each other's vulnerability and pleasure until both collapsed limply, completely spent. It was like nothing Sakyo had ever experienced―as much a first for him as for Azami, and the genuine emotion of it brought tears to his eyes.
"I love you, Ichi."
Sakyo nodded, too choked up to reply.
"Was that...? Was that okay?"
He nodded again, wishing a nod could convey the magnitude of just how okay it was. Not that he had the words to do so, regardless.
Finally, the tightness in his throat and behind his eyes eased. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Huh? For what?"
Shifting so that Azami could rest against his shoulder, Sakyo threaded his fingers through raven hair. "For everything," he replied. "Don't question it. Just... Thank you."
"Uh, okay... Thanks..."
"No, it's not..." Grunting, Sakyo moved to plant a firm kiss on Azami's lips. "I'm grateful to you, for loving me―and for letting me love you."
"Dumbass," Azami responded shyly. He was adorably flushed with embarrassment at the earnest words. "I'm the one who's grateful you'd waste your life on a brat like me."
Without thought, Sakyo growled and rolled, covering Azami with his body. His inibitions melted away entirely, he spent the rest of the night teaching Azami a great deal about sex in a shockingly brief timespan.
When Banri found them the next day, the two were top-to-tail, engaged in a rather unconventional luncheon. When he made to duck out, however, Sakyo ordered him to get his ass in gear and join them―unless he had more engaging lunch plans. He did not.
*
Another year, another slew of developments, and little by little, the Mankai dormitory blossomed with love and laughter as spring came around once more.