Banri Settsu…

…kisses mainly to tease and to claim. You‘re reactions to his sudden kisses are just too good to miss out on. Wether it‘s a simple gasp, a squeak, or one of your cute flushed faces; he loves them all. Don‘t pretend to be upset, he‘ll use it against you one way or another. That smug bastard. In addition, he‘s somewhat of a wholesome possessive. He doesn‘t actually get jealous and tries to keep you all to himself in a toxic way. He does, again, as a teasing way. Give him a little smack and watch his playful side crumble with his laugh, leaving a genuine smile on his lips, as he gazes at you as if you were the only light he‘s ever seen.

.

Juza Hyodo…

…kisses with much hesitancy. If it was anyone else in his position, he‘d probably say something like „How much can ya do wrong in a kiss anyways?“, but it is him in his position…Suddenly he wonders if he could hurt you if he puts too much pressure on your lips. As if that would ever be physically possible with how he melts into a puddle during a kiss. He turns completely into mush, mumbling out a little „thanks“ for no other reason than not knowing what else to say.

.

Taichi Nanao…

…kisses with accidental force. Excitement and endless nervousness come together to overload the poor boy. He‘s trying his best to stay leveled, but more often than not you two end up bumping into each other. It‘s not painful or uncomfortable, just enough to notice.

.

Omi Fushimi…

…kisses you casually, and with a warmth and softness that makes you fall for him once again. This gentle giant is just filled with unconditional love and admiration for you, and it shows in absolutely everything he does for you, kisses are no exception. As much as he‘d love to capture every kiss you share in a photograph, he much rather captures them in his mind and heart instead.

.

Sakyo Furuichi…

You had spent countless times backstage, congratulating the troupe on their plays, and Tsuzuru on the script. You had even spent evenings at the dorms, hanging out with Kazunari and some of the others. But now, it was different.

Now you were spending time at Mankai as Tsuzuru’s partner. Not just a friend, but so much more.

As you approached the dorms, you wondered if you should text Tsuzuru or simply ring the bell. You weren’t sure who would open it, and as much as you wanted to think you were on good terms with many of his fellow actors, you still weren’t as comfortable as you would’ve liked. So you opted for the safer option.

<Tsuzu, I’m at the door.>

It wasn’t long until a message popped on your screen.

<What door?>

You looked around, trying to figure out if there was supposed to be more than one door to the dorms, even if you had always gotten inside through the one you were standing on.

<The entrance door?>

<You’re at the dorms?>

<Yes, I was coming today, don’t you remember?>

You saw his status change from typing to online and then change again. It made your stomach act up.

Meanwhile, Tsuzuru seemed to have started an impromptu gymnastics session. He jumped from the chair he was sitting on, typed and deleted a million questions, and ultimately decided to rush to the bathroom to check his appearance before opening the door.

He had no idea why you were there, but couldn’t bring himself to ask in the end. Had it been his mistake? Had you two made plans beforehand? Because of the way you had phrased it, it didn’t seem you had simply decided to surprise him.

He combed his hair a few times and straightened his hoodie, and then the butterflies appeared. He was going to see you. You were there.

When he opened the door, you greeted him with a smile and a shiver.

“I’m so sorry, you must be so cold, come in quickly.” He instinctively reached for your arm, pulling you inside. The contact lit a fire inside you, melting the cold that was biting at your skin.

“So, what were you doing?” You asked while taking off your shoes.

“Oh, just seeing what new plays were happing around. Fieldwork.” He put his hands inside his hoodie’s pocket and looked at you from behind.

“You want to go see some plays?”

“Yeah, I figured I can also study scriptwriting by seeing the actual performances, not just reading scripts and books.” He shrugged, even if you couldn’t see it. “Want to come with?”

You turned around and flashed him a wide smile. Tsuzuru couldn’t even hear your answer from the waves your reaction had created in him.

“Ah! You’re here!” Kazunari’s voice echoed in the entrance.

Tsuzuru turned around, facing Kazunari. It didn’t take long for him to put two and two together. Tsuzuru sighed, unable to do anything else. But instead of feeling defeated by Kazunari’s ideas, he felt grateful. You were here now.

“You can leave your things in Tsuzuroon’s room.” Kazunari addressed you. “You haven’t seen it yet if I’m not mistaken. And I’m sure you’re extra hyped for it.”

“Hey!” Tsuzuru couldn’t help but grumble. His room was a mess and there was no way he wanted you to see that. Kazunari should’ve given him a heads-up at least!

“Honestly, I do want to see your room.” You looked at Tsuzuru, standing up and finally properly entering the dorms. He didn’t really have any other options. Tsuzuru sighed again, closing his eyes.

“Okay, but just give me a couple of minutes.”

“Ohh, is there something you want to hide, Tsuzuroon?”

The glare Tsuzuru shot him petrified Kazunari. It wasn’t the first time he joked around with him, but it was the first time he saw him reacting in such a way.

“I’ll keep y/n company until you come back, so no need to worry!”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

You laughed and Tsuzuru’s face seemed to soften a little.

“I’ll come back quickly.” He searched for any signs of discomfort in your eyes, but he only found calmness. Once he disappeared down the corridor, you sat down on the sofa next to Kazunari.

“So it was your idea.” You looked at Kazunari, and he quickly understood what you meant.

“I wanted to WOW Tsuzuroon. You know the word vacay doesn’t really exist in his vocabulary.” There was nothing you could say to that, even if you knew he could’ve gone about other ways with the plan. “And you haven’t been here in a while.”

“Yeah, since before we started dating,” you muttered, more to yourself than to him. “Have you missed m—”

“You’re dating?” Kazunari interrupted you, chuckling to himself. “Man, I did all this to bring you closer!” He leaned further into the sofa, bringing his hands behind his head. “You didn’t need my help at all, did ya?”

You felt a needle pinching at your stomach. It had only been recently that you two started going out together, that’s why…

“I should’ve picked up on the clues, though. Tsuzuroon has been casually mentioning you every now and then.” Kazunari’s words calmed down the dark spiral that had begun forming in your head. “He also–”

“Okay,” Tsuzuru’s voice could be heard from the corridor. “You can come now.”

“We’ll leave this convo for another time.” Kazunari winked at you, and you giggled. He had managed to distract you and now you were more relaxed than before. You were glad you had a friend like him.

You quickly followed Tsuzuru to his room, glad that you hadn’t taken off your coat yet. You could see your breath as you crossed the courtyard. He turned around a couple of times while walking you there, and you exchanged smiles. You felt giddy.

“Masumi isn’t here now, so you can relax.” He said while closing the door after you.

You remembered him from the plays.

“He’s away visiting his family for the holidays?” You asked while removing your coat and scarf. Tsuzuru promptly took them from you and placed them on top of his coats on the hanger on his side of the room.

“He’s out with Izumi and some of the other guys that haven’t gone back home.” You started casually looking around the room and walked closer to his desk to see the books that were piling up there. There, something surprised you.

“You printed this picture!” You pointed at the photograph hanging from his wall, among quotes from plays and novels.

It was a picture of you two, smiling bashfully at the camera. It had been the first selfie you had taken together, and it showed. But you adored that picture.

“Yeah,” Tsuzuru bridged the distance between you two. “Omi was going to print some photographs and I asked him to print this one for me.” Tsuzuru stared at the picture in an attempt to calm his nerves. Having you in his room was doing things to him. Then, his eyes accidentally roamed over his shelves. “Oh! I need to give you your gift.” He picked up a package wrapped in gift wrapping from above. “I can’t believe I almost forgot.” He giggled, and you felt the urge to hug him. Even if you hadn’t talked about it, you two had bought a gift for the other. You felt comforted by the connection that action proved.

Tsuzuru offered the gift to you, and you two sat down on his bed. It was heavy and sturdy like a book, and you didn’t waste any time, quickly tearing the paper.

“What!” You gasped without peeling your eyes from the cover. “It’s the book adaptation of that series!” You looked at Tsuzuru, surprise, awe and confusion all mixing on your face.

“You looked so happy talking about that series, that I thought…” He smiled looking into your eyes.

“I love it!” You hugged him impulsively, trying to show your emotions. He hugged you back, the book you were holding with one hand still between you. “Ah! I also have something for you.” You let go of him, put down the book and went to your coat, searching the pockets. “Here.” You walked back to the bed, offering him the small gift.

He smiled widely, unable to contain his joy. When he finally ripped the paper and opened the small box, his smile widened even more.

“Wow, I—” he looked at you, speechless.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course I do! It’s wonderful.” He looked back at the box in his hands, containing the bracelet you had chosen. It was a thin chain with a small metallic quill. “Can you put it on for me?” You took it from the box, and he pulled his sleeve back, offering you his wrist. When you finished tying it for him, he quickly interlaced his fingers with yours, preventing you from pulling away. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it. I thought it could maybe offer you some support while you write.” You squeezed his hand, emphasizing your point. “And I love your gift, I can’t wait to start reading it.”

“I’m glad.” Tsuzuru’s features softened, and you felt his fingertips running over your knuckles. “Although I don’t want you going home any time soon, so that’ll have to wait.” A playful smile appeared on his lips, and you slowly leaned forward until you were only a few inches apart. He also leaned in, and you joined in a sweet peck.

A kiss that was soon interrupted by the loud sound of furniture being dragged around in another room. It startled you and you pulled away. Embarrassed by your reaction, you looked away, trying to hide your expression from Tsuzuru.

“Are you hungry? I can make us something quick to eat.” He left the box and torn wrapping paper to the side and stood up, tugging your hand.

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you.” You looked at him again.

“Let’s get something to drink, then.”

You stood up and made to let go of his hand, but he didn’t. He kept holding your hand while leaving his room, walking down the corridor to the kitchen. It made you nervous, shy and excited all at once, but more than anything it filled your heart with warmth.

“Oh, hello there.” When you reached the kitchen, a voice greeted you.

“Azuma, I thought you said work got busier during this season.” Tsuzuru looked slightly taken aback.

“Is that your way of telling me I’m not welcome?” He giggled, looking at your intertwined hands. “And who is the kindred soul?”

You had seen Azuma before in the Winter Troupe’s plays, but you had never actually spoken to him, so you quickly introduced yourself.

“Nice to meet you. I hope to be seeing you around here more often.” He gave you a smooth smile, and you wondered how many people had succumbed to that charm.

“I can make us some milkshakes if you want?” Tsuzuru let go of your hand and turned around to face you, to gain back some of the privacy that had been lost due to Azuma’s presence.

“I see you’re trying to show off here.” But his presence wasn’t something that could be forgotten so easily.

“Wha—, no, I’m not!” Tsuzuru quickly looked over at you. “Okay, maybe a little bit…” He owned up to it, surprising you.

“Nothing to be ashamed of, Tsuzuru.” He continued teasing, finding enjoyment in seeing how nervous the usually stoic writer could get. “I can also see why this is the first time I’ve met y/n. You don’t want anyone else taking them away from you, huh?”

“Azuma!” Tsuzuru blushed furiously. He felt humiliated and uncool, exactly the opposite of what he wanted to show you. He only dared to look at you for a second, in which meeting your intense gaze didn’t help to calm him down. To try to distract himself, Tsuzuru went to the cupboards and started taking out a couple of mugs. “I can make us some hot chocolate or coffee or something.”

“I’d love a hot chocolate, but it hasn’t been that long since I had lunch,” you hesitated out loud.

“How about making it a milkshake?”

“Make it three,” Azuma quickly added.

“What were you in the kitchen for?” Tsuzuru sighed, suggesting that he should make his own drink, but he still took out another mug from the cupboard.

“You make a great reluctant big brother, Tsuzuru.” Azuma observed him with a placid smile. You decided to move away to not be a bother to Tsuzuru and sat down next to Azuma. “Do you have siblings, y/n?”

That’s how the questions started – where did you met each other, did you see their plays, what was your favourite – while Tsuzuru worked on making the best milkshakes he remembered from one of his part-time jobs. You started feeling comfortable and wondered if there would be more days like this one in the future. Days where you spend time with Tsuzuru at home, and time seems to slow down.

After giving the whipped cream on top the final touch with some ground cinnamon, he handed you the beverages and sat down. You were all savoring your drinks when Azuma decided to stop drinking.

“What do you like about Tsuzuru?”

Sitting beside you, he seemed to choke on the milkshake and coughed a couple of times.

“Enough!” He was still whipping his mouth with a napkin when he reprimanded Azuma.

“Okay, okay, I’m leaving.” He raised his hands in momentary defeat, then took the mug and stood up. “Y/n can tell you alone.” Azuma winked, finally getting out of the kitchen. Tsuzuru sighed, wanting to dig a hole to get inside. First Kazunari and now Azuma… things weren’t going how he would’ve wanted them to. You hadn’t been dating for long, and he worried that he could do something to make you lose interest. He felt extremely clumsy and out of practice – when was the last time he had tried to impress anyone?

Maybe when he had written the first play for Mankai? But what he wanted to show you went far beyond that. He didn’t want you to just think of him as a good enough scriptwriter – he wanted so much more. And it was scary.

You slurped the last drops of your drink and the sound brought Tsuzuru back to reality.

“This was soooo good.” You licked your lips mindlessly, trying to get every last drop of flavor you could. “To be honest, I am impressed.”

He felt a flush of heat travel from his chest to his face. He eyed the hand you had rested on top of the table and moved his hand closer until your pinkies were touching. But before he could do something else, another person entered the kitchen.

“Oh, hello y/n, it’s been a while.” Tsumugi was carrying the watering can in one hand. He needed to use the sink since the hose in the back garden wasn’t working properly at that moment.

“How are the plants doing?” You had spoken to him when Kazunari and Tsuzuru first invited you to the dorms. Kazunari had insisted on giving you a tour of the place, and you had found him gardening.

“They’re doing well, but I see now it’s a shame I didn’t plant any mistletoe,” Tsumugi said while looking between you and Tsuzuru. “Although I am sure you don’t need it.”

That’s all it took for the both of you to get flustered. Tsumugi finished filling the watering can and turned the tap off, seemingly oblivious to the state he was going to leave you in.

“Feel free to visit the garden any time,” he said as a goodbye. When he left, you finally felt you could breathe again. Was it so obvious now that you were dating?

“Sorry about that, they’re all really… an interesting bunch.” Tsuzuru took the chance to take your hand between his.

“Yeah, I kind of had an inkling they’d be like that, Tsuzu.” You saw the worried look in his eyes and tried to reassure him. You were actually having a lot of fun being there with him.

“Hearing you say my name like that… makes me all warm and fuzzy.” The blush that had spread over his cheeks after Tsumugi’s comment intensified now, filling your heart with love.

You leaned your head on Tsuzuru’s shoulder and allowed him to play with the hand he had between his. Meanwhile, you basked in his heat.

Maybe some other resident of Mankai would come soon to interrupt you, but for now, that moment was yours.

.

.

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I hope you enjoyed this, interactions and constructive feedback are highly appreciated <3

Masterlist | AO3

He wouldn’t say that he’s sick. Not sick enough to call out of work, not sick enough to skip class. Really, it’s barely a cold at all, and this is the only day that all of Summer Troupe was available to run through the action scenes for their upcoming production. He’d arranged to help them out with this weeks ago, and a headache and some stupid sniffles weren’t nearly enough to stop him from making it work. 

Seriously, it’s not that big of a deal, but from the way that Omi reacted to him this morning, you’d think that he was dying or something.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” he’d asked, eyeing Banri suspiciously across the kitchen counter. He wasn’t even making breakfast this morning, so Banri’s got no clue idea why he was even hovering out here like some sort of anxious parent. Okay, well. He does know the answer to why he’s doing that, but it doesn’t mean he should be in the kitchen judging Banri’s health at fuck-off o’clock in the morning.

“Just peachy,” he smiles wryly, “exactly like the last five times y’asked the same question.”

“I’m not trying to pester you,” Omi sighs. “Don’t push yourself, alright?”

Banri rolls his eyes. He’s fine. He’s an adult who can watch after himself, and he’s not going to argue with Omi’s baseless concerns when he still hasn’t had breakfast. He already has enough of a headache without picking a needless fight—not a headache because he’s sick or anything, he just hasn't had any caffeine yet. Really. As soon as he’s had some coffee he’s sure he’ll be fine.

Classes are fine. He doesn’t remember anything from that, but it’s not like that’s ever hurt him before. He’s not like Hyodo or Tenma that has to listen to lectures fully and study the notes afterwards, he’ll just skim the slides before exams in a few weeks.

As he makes his way back to the dorms, he starts to feel like the day is dragging. His feet feel heavy, and even after food and water and caffeine, his head still aches, his ears popping every time he swallows. One of his classmates that takes the same train line home asks him if he’s doing alright, and Banri nods, the words he says after the question going completely fuzzy in his head, barely even processing as he tries to carry on a conversation while they stand on the platform.

All he has to do once he gets back is the Summer Troupe rehearsals. That’s all he has left to do, and then he can go lay down and sleep off this headache. It’s been such a pain in the ass to arrange Summer Troupe’s schedules to get them all in the same place at the same time. Between Tenma’s filming schedules, Kazunari’s class schedule and additional commissions, Misumi’s erratic part time jobs, and his own class, work, and rehearsals, this was the first day in weeks that they were all properly available to do this. No matter how sick he is, he absolutely cannot bail on them.

Not that he’s even really that sick. It’s probably just the stuffy air in the train.

Back in his room, he goes to change into practice clothes, but the siren song of laying down just for a bit is too much for him to resist.

He’s got time, anyway. They aren’t even supposed to rehearse for another two hours. Just a quick nap, and then he’ll be completely prepped to work with Summer Troupe. A nap to sleep off the headache and he'll be fine.

~0~

When Banri wakes up, he feels like he’s been run over by a motorcycle—no, make that a whole ten motorcycles. His head throbs and his eyes water and every muscle in his body aches as he comes into consciousness, he can hardly breathe and his sinuses burn any time he moves his head.

“Fuck this,” he groans into his pillow, incomprehensible. His voice rasps as he speaks, and he winces at the feeling. Why today of all days?

He really needs to get up and join Summer Troupe. And maybe take some medication. And drink some water or something because his throat aches every time he swallows. There’s any number of things that he could do right now to make himself feel better, and about thirty things he can think of that he would rather be doing than feeling like this, but his pillows are calling him, and would it really be so bad to just lay back down? His head wouldn’t feel so heavy if he did that, and he can’t imagine anything worse than trying to clamor down the ladder from his bed while he feels like this.

Groaning again, he rolls onto his back, the light stinging his eyes. Summer Troupe. He has to help with Summer Troupe. Just that and then he can go back to sleep.

He moves to sit up, but the sound of the latch on the door alerts him instead, and rather than getting up, he finds himself looking over the railing. It’s not like he doesn’t know who’s coming in, but he’d prefer to spare himself the humiliation of letting Hyodo see him so miserable and debating even getting up.

Hyodo fusses with the paper bags he brought back, not even acknowledging Banri at first. They’re pretty nice, some sort of name brand store, but Banri would bet he just bought socks   or something. As if Hyodo would ever really put money into his appearance—he’s really squandering his build with that face and those clothes.

He sets the bags aside onto his desk (not put away, of course) and drops his schoolbag by the wall. It’s only after this that he looks up to see Banri watching him. He looks normal for all of two seconds before a weird look crosses his face, making Banri’s stomach twist in a way he doesn’t like–but that’s just the cold, surely.

“Are you okay?”

Banri rolls his eyes. “Why does–” his voice cracks on the vowel–”everyone keep asking me that?”

“Y’ look like shit, Settsu.” He definitely walked right into that answer, but it doesn’t stop him from glowering at the response.

Banri huffs. At this point, he should just leave, and let Banri be alone with his pain and suffering. He didn’t ask for company anyway, but instead of this, Hyodo steps forward and reaches out to him, putting the back of his knuckles onto his forehead. It’s a flip of the script he wasn’t expecting, and he almost snaps at him for it. The only time he wants his hands on him is in a good and proper fight.

Except–

Well–

His fingers feel so very cold on Banri’s clammy and overheated skin. With brows furrowed, he brushes the hair away from Banri’s face, smoothing it down the same way he always does to Kumon or Muku when they’re sick or have just come inside from a windy day. It looks stiff and fussy from the outside—Banri has said as much aloud—but being on the other side of it is surprisingly nice. It’s steadying and full of concern, the same anxiety that makes Hyodo so insecure about everything also is this: unwavering personal interest and worry over those around him. 

On a normal day, Banri would swat his hand away, complain that he's not a child. He's older, after all, and doesn't need to be babied even when he's sick. But as it stands, his head is still killing him, and his body feels like he was knocked flat on his ass from a fight, and the soothing touch isn't something he can find it in himself to stop.

Hyodo sighs and pulls his hand away, and Banri bites back the protest on the tip of his tongue.

"I'll tell Summer Troupe you aren't coming," he says, the decision made for him.

It takes a moment to process the words. "Wait--" he sits upright and his head goes spinning, feeling like someone drove a nail right through his sinuses. He clutches his head in pain, squeezing his eyes shut.

"You're burnin' up, Settsu," he reasons, crossing his arms. "'s not a good idea to exhaust yourself."

It took ages to arrange this rehearsal. A stupid cold isn't going to get in the way. He needs to—his head throbs in pain. Through the glassiness of his eyes he can see the expression on Hyodo’s face, full of pity and sympathetic pain. It’s always overwhelming to be on the other end of his gaze, whether he’s on stage or off it, Hyodo’s full attention feels like it pins him to the spot.

"Go back to sleep. I'll let 'em know."

God, this feels pathetic. He can do nothing but nod before he hears Hyodo leave the room again. More sleep sounds...really nice, actually. Really, really nice.

~0~

The next time he wakes, it's to the sound of a pill bottle rattling inside a plastic convenience store bag. The sound of it makes his ears pop, and he feels disgustingly damp under the sheets. The fabric clings to his skin from sweat, and there's definitely drool on his pillow from having to breathe through his mouth instead of his nose. Gross.

He hasn’t even opened his eyes before the bag is unceremoniously tossed…directly into his face.

“Ow, what the hell?” he snaps as he sits up. “Seriously?”

“I’m goin’ home for the weekend. Don’t hurt yourself.”

And with that, the door latches shut again, leaving Banri to his own thoughts and the bag now sitting in his lap.

It’s from the convenience store just around the corner, a packet of painkillers and a few packets of snacks that he’s sure Hyodo knows he likes. It’s long past dinnertime, and Banri is reasonably sure he hasn’t eaten anything today, not that he really trusts his memory.

With great effort, he pulls himself down the ladder, and on his desk is a bottle of water and a coffee that he knows wasn’t there when he crawled into bed earlier. It’s almost sweet. Maybe it even is sweet how considerate the gesture is, and even though Hyodo himself isn’t here, there was an effort made to watch after him.

It’s a little bit overwhelming. He wishes he could blame the feelings on the fever, or that he could point to something else that’s making him feel like this, but it’s impossible to blame this on anyone but his own self. When he was at home, he’s unsure if anyone would have even noticed he wasn’t feeling well. If his grades were up and his parents weren’t getting calls about him being in trouble, then the only person who would have cared was his sister—and even then, it would only be to complain about him being an annoyance.

He can’t really remember the last time that someone was paying attention to him like this. He definitely doesn’t remember the last time that someone took care of him when he was sick.

It’s so overwhelming he’s nauseous—he’ll claim it’s dehydration for now, just to get the feeling to go away.

He peels off the clothes he’s been wearing all day, changes into proper pajamas, and crawls back into bed with his Switch. A part of him still hates to admit that Hyodo was right. He did need to hydrate and eat, and his head hurts a hell of a lot less after taking some painkillers, but it’s not like he’ll ever admit that part aloud. Hyodo probably knows anyway, he shouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

~0~ 

He's trying his absolute best to be present.

It's a rare weekend that all of them are at home together, especially so close to another Summer performance. Mom was thrilled, and Dad came home from work early to make sure that he could have dinner with all of them. He should be giving them his full attention, shouldn’t feel reluctant to go sit down and watch a baseball game with Kumon, but he’s struggling to focus, his head lingering somewhere around the Mankai Company dorms, hoping that Settsu didn’t do something stupid like trying to help Summer Troupe or attempting to cook something for himself. The last thing they need is a trip to the hospital over burns or because he gave himself a concussion after falling asleep in the shower.

He can be so, so stubborn sometimes, and even though he knows he’s plenty capable, Juza wants to go back and make sure that he’s alright, make sure he’s been drinking fluids and isn’t pushing himself too hard. Juza doubts that he is—he didn’t seem like he was in any state to be out of bed, let alone actually doing anything—but the worry is nagging at him regardless. He shouldn’t message him, there’s no way he would respond, but he wants to anyway. Maybe he could message Taichi and get him to check in? That feels creepy.

He’s stressing over nothing. And he knows that he is, but it feels impossible to stop at this juncture, like when he thinks he’s forgotten his wallet when he heads out and can’t focus on anything else until he makes sure he has it with him. That sort of thing.

“Is something wrong?” Kumon asks, a little later in the evening while they’re trying to watch some B-rate slasher film from a few decades back. Juza lost track of the nonsense plot a few minutes back, but Kumon seemed to be having a good time.

“Oh, yeah. ‘S fine,” he answers after a few beats. Kumon doesn’t look like he believes him, but he settles again, his legs dangling over the armrest of the couch casually.

He tries to focus on the movie again, but the sound of their father doing dishes in the kitchen is distant but distracting, and his phone feels like a brick in his pocket, nagging at him just to check in. The movie isn’t going to recapture his attention at this point. 

“Are you sure something’s not wrong?” Kumon asks again, a little too observant for his own good.

“I might go back to the dorms tonight,” Juza sighs in defeat.

Kumon hums understandingly. “Because of Banri?” 

Juza doesn’t answer. That’s probably enough of an answer for his brother anyway.

“Well,” he shifts a little, trying to puzzle out something appropriate to say, or maybe filtering out something he shouldn’t say, “drive safe if you do.”

“I will.”

~0~

The dorms are quiet when he arrives back home, late at night. There’s a soft light filtering through the crack beneath Room 103, and some light noises from behind closed bedroom doors, but it’s well into the time of the evening where almost everyone has retired.

There’s still a weird anxiety lingering under his skin. He knows that Settsu is fine, really—he’s nothing if not independent—but for some reason, it’s a relief to hear the familiar clicking of buttons when he steps back into their shared dorm room, a good enough sign of life reminder that Juza doesn’t need to see anything else.

All the lights in the room are off, leaving the blue light of the Switch as the only light source in the entire room. He can only just barely make out Banri’s features tucked behind it, his brows furrowed in concentration. Juza doesn’t remember the title, but he’s been playing some sort of point and click puzzle game lately.

“It’s actually kind of challenging sometimes,” he’d remarked in the afternoon a week or two ago. He always tells Juza about the games he’s playing, even though Juza can’t think of any activity he’d like to do less than play a puzzle game inside all day. He still likes hearing about them, though. It’s one of the few things that Settsu seems to get genuinely excited about outside theater.

When the door latches shut behind him, Settsu jolts slightly, looking up at him from where he sits, curled up in his bed, with both his own and Juza’s blankets pulled onto his bed.

“I—“ he freezes up, voice sounding rough still—“I didn’t think—“

Juza clears his throat. “You’re feelin’ better?”

There’s a long pause.

“…Yeah.”

He gets ready for bed in silence, only the quiet shuffling of clothing and Settsu tossing his blankets back over the railing.

It’s tense and awkward until both of them are settled. Settsu still hasn’t pressed a button since he first entered.

He hears a deep breath and another shift from Settsu.

“Thanks, by the way,” it’s barely a whisper, “for earlier.”

“Jus’ want our leader to feel better.”

There’s a sound that sounds like laughter.

“I won’t apologize if you get sick later.”

Itaru: is sitting on the couch. Just picks his feet up and sits cross-legged. Doesn’t look up from his game. But at least he’s playing, right? Laughs every time someone falls or something breaks. He won’t even try to get up. He bribes people to bring him snacks from the kitchen. When he has to go to the bathroom, he gets Citron to carry him there. (Hey, when Mom’s strong enough to carry Dad, you take advantage of it, right?)

Citron: “Oh nooooo! The floor is lava! We will all yearn!” (Tsuzuru: *sigh* Burn. We’ll all burn.) Just starts jumping around because he doesn’t understand the game. (“No, no! This is how it’s done in my country!”) The game is explained to him three times. Once he understands, he gets a little too enthusiastic and is declared a public menace. He still steps in lava. Yuki refuses to let him into the safe zone. Citron is eventually declared a safe zone himself and helps or carries people to their destinations.

Chikage: Never turns a hair, never looks flustered. Also never touches his foot to the floor again. You have no idea how he does it. He’s just magically where he wants to be and no one saw him move. He shows off by continuing to play the game for weeks after the fad passes for everyone else. He just considers it good practice. What it’s good practice for no one wants to ask.

Tenma: Oh my GOD he doesn't have time for these childish games! S-so what if he’s avoiding the floor? There was a spilled drink! He’s practicing for a role! It’s for team-building! It - shut up! It’s not like he actually ENJOYS playing games with you plebes! (Tsundere gonna tsun.) Eventually wears through his own defenses and just starts laughing and playing along and even Yuki doesn’t call him out. Like Sakuya, he didn’t get to play games as a kid. Every time he drops the pretense and allows himself to enjoy silly things, it makes the others happy.

Yuki: declares his shoes to be lava-proof. If everyone else can be childish, so can he. Also, he is absolutely not jumping around in a skirt. He has his dignity, you know. Instead, he puts himself in charge of the time-out space. Renames it the Sewing Safe Zone and anyone who falls in lava has to help him with costumes. Sits there on a floor cushion and huffs and clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes and seems mildly annoyed by the shouting and laughter and chaos . . . But when no one’s looking, he’s smiling and enjoying the atmosphere. Also enjoys teaching the losers how to sew.

Misumi: this boy barely touches the floor as it is. Once someone explains the rules, as far as he’s concerned, the floor is all lava all the time. Declares all triangular spaces to be safe. Will 100% pick up people and carry them around while still avoiding the floor. At one point he grabs Taichi and races around the entire dorm without ever once touching the floor. Taichi’s scream-laughter only gets louder when Sakyo starts yelling and trying to chase them down. They both wind up punished, even though they don’t break anything.

Muku: Second only to Misumi and Taichi in how good he is at this game. First, he’s played before with his family any number of times. Second, he’s light and strong and his control over his body is one of the few things he’s actually confident about. This is easier than doing hurdles in track, for sure! Is the only one (other than Misumi) to dare to use the light fixtures as monkey bars. Drops onto the chair. Leaps from chair to couch, steps carefully on the coffee table, and compares himself to a ninja prince. Tries to get Misumi to teach him how to backflip from the coffee table to the couch. Sakyo and Izumi can’t shout NO fast enough. Muku gets sent to the Sewing Safe Zone for his own Safety. Refers to himself as a book dropped in a puddle while he sadly sews.

Kazunari: is 100% live-streaming the chaos to the Mankai Insta page. He is eventually cajoled into playing for a while, but he has a lot more fun watching and documenting. Within a week, there’s a new painting hanging in the common room. It’s done in sumi-e style, bare inked lines indicating form and movement, minimalist figures in mid-leap or sprawled on the floor. In Kazu’s love of playing with art rules, it’s not purely black-on-white - the blurred figures have tiny splashes of color indicating hair or clothing color. The energy and fun in the painting is almost electric.

Kumon: used to play this with Juza and Muku all the time! He’s an athletic kid, so he’s doing pretty well getting through the common areas. But strangely, to everyone’s surprise, he just…stops. He finds a place to sit and cheers on everyone else. It’s not that he doesn’t want to play, it’s just that he suddenly remembered the last time he played this game. He was still living at home and broke one of his mom’s vases. His parents are usually really patient with being gentle with him about things, but he still got into a LOT of trouble. The idea of repeating that moment, with Sakyo yelling at him and the whole dorm to witness it, spikes his anxiety. He’ll carefully avoid the floor, but he’d rather join in the laughter and general watching.

Banri: fucking glides across the furniture like Jesus walking on water. Laughs at Juza every time he struggles. When he gets bored (pretty quickly) he gathers pillows and stuffed animals and starts chucking them at people to get them to fall. “How will you get better without a challenge? None of you are me!” Eventually, Azami creams him in the back of the head with a HUGE floor pillow and actually knocks him off the back of the couch and onto the floor. Guess you lost, Banri. Get your ass to the Sewing Safe Zone. After his time-out, he restricts himself to torturing Juza.

Juza: of course he’s played this game before! It’s just….been awhile. He’s a big guy, and the longer legs might seem like an advantage, but the full-on bulk of him is hard to move like this. He’s good on stage when he’s choreographed, but this? He winds up in the SSZ any number of times. Pisses off Yuki because he takes up a lot of space and he also can’t sew. Keeps getting distracted (and hit with pillows) by Banri. After having enough of his roommate, he throws one of the stuffed animals at him. He might not be as into baseball as Kumon, but he’s always pitched for his brother. Also, those awful clown things at amusement parks? The ones that you have to throw balls at to knock them down and then you get tickets? Yeah, guess who has the high score on that. Beans Banri in the face hard enough that he gets knocked off the couch AGAIN. Get your ass to the Sewing Safe Zone, Part 2.

Taichi: BRING IT ON! Lives and breathes the game. Basically FLIES from one piece of furniture or safe space to another. Manages to make it from the common room all the way across the dorm into his own room and UP TO HIS BED without touching the lava. Muku makes him a construction paper crown to celebrate being King of Lava Jumping. Taichi insists on a second crown for Misumi, and the two of them continue the game every time they’re bored. Which, for Taichi, is pretty often. Also, everyone laughs when he makes a really good move and Banri commented that it’d help his agility on stage. Wins all around!

Omi: As the biggest guy, he basically just walks across the room, only having to take a short hop to get from one piece of furniture to the next. Only plays once, though. He’s concerned about the combination of his weight and landing on top of the furniture. Also, as much as he’s having fun and he’ll join in on the dorm shenanigans once in a while, he definitely feels that as the oldest young one (Sakyo, Chikage and Winter Troupe are basically the Adultier Adults - no one can define Itaru as an adult, really) he’s got to set an example. He enjoys the fact that a lot of the younger kids look up to him, and wants to model good behavior. Also REALLY doesn’t want to piss off Sakyo, given the consequences.

Sakyo: No. He’ll walk across the room like a motherfucking adult, thank you. Watches the proceedings like a hawk. Anyone who breaks anything or costs the dorm money winds up in a bunny suit on Veludo Way. He walks around the room glaring at everyone and everything until he gets called out by Azami and (surprisingly) Tsumugi for ruining everyone’s fun by being an uptight stick-in-the-mud (well, Azami calls him something worse, and Tsumugi is more polite, but that’s the gist). He replies that he’ll leave, but if anything gets destroyed or broken, EVERYONE IN THE ROOM will be out on Veludo in a bunny suit.

Azami: ….what is this? Never really played with kids his own age, so hasn’t ever done this before. Another big guy, but young enough that he’s still unsure how to work his long limbs. He keeps overshooting and crashing into things. He’s worried about bruises and considering quitting until Sakyo tries to ban the game. Red flag at a bull. Now he’s going to figure out how to play this damn game even if he has to cover his whole body in concealer tomorrow. He gets into the swing of it pretty quick after that, but it almost immediately goes from a fun game to a fierce competition. Who he’s competing against isn’t clear. (Sakyo. It’s Sakyo. Even though Sakyo isn’t playing.)

Tsumugi: Probably the least athletic person in the entire dorm. Tasuku actively tries to discourage him, reminds him of similar disasters when they were younger, but he’s intrigued. After a few minutes of thought, he grabs two throw pillows. Drops one pillow on the ground, steps on it. Drops the other in front of him. Steps on it. Wriggles around slowly to pick up the one behind him. Wriggles to face front. Drops pillow. Steps on it. It takes him almost twenty minutes to cross a room like this and everyone is howling in laughter by the end of it, but he’s really proud of himself. Tasuku just sighs and figures it’s a good balance workout.

Tasuku: isn’t playing. This is for kids, why would he - what do you mean, the floor might be lava in the next show? Ugh, fine. Now the most athletic member of the dorm is emulating Misumi and basically parkouring his way from room to room. Far less worried about landing on the furniture with his weight, at least until he hears something crack in the couch. Is glad for the agility training he did for Dance With Butterfly. Takes it super seriously. Eventually decides it’s actually a really good practical workout. At one point, he gets Tsumugi to climb on his back to add to the difficulty. Has a fierce memory of them doing the same thing as kids, so strong he almost trips. Drags his friend off for a cup of coffee.

Hisoka: is sleeping in the lava. One of the smarter troupe members spreads a blanket over him, and the edges of the blanket are now an island safe zone. When he wakes up, Hisoka ninjas his way back to his room for marshmallows, then ninjas his way back to his little island safe zone and goes back to sleep. Never touches the floor once. (Doesn’t even realize they’re playing, to be honest.) Taichi is hella jealous but the rest of winter troupe just rolls their eyes. They’re used to this shit.

Homare: unsurprisingly, joins in with enthusiasm. He’s reasonably strong, pretty agile, and has the long limbs to go with his height, so he can work his way across the room without too much of a problem. But then! He sees what Tsumugi is doing and the border between following the rules and breaking them sparks his creativity. He takes off his suit jacket and lays it on the floor - “like over a puddle for a beauteous maiden!” - and steps on it. Then his vest. Then one shoe, then the other. By the time he makes it to the doorway, he’s in his boxers and the guys are torn between laughing and yelling at him to put his clothes back on. There is a declaration - “None of you appreciate art!” and Homare drops his last article of clothing to make the last step out the door and theatrically walks back to his room, laughing and bare-ass naked.

Azuma: he might be elegant and graceful and capable of participating, but there is no way he’s compromising his dignity by jumping and crawling. He will, however, offer helping hands to someone trying to make an extra-long leap. Then he goes back to his glass of wine. Spills his wine all over himself when Sakuya almost lands in his lap after a mistimed jump. Sighs and wonders what the fuck happened to his quiet, refined life. He can hear the laughter even while changing clothes in his dorm room and decides that, ruined clothes or not, he likes things better this way.

Overall, Itaru cherishes his partner and all the affection they have to offer

But careful that you don‘t play into his hands, dear director

He likes getting all sweet and touchy with you to get away with things sometimes. Like, when he really just wants to cut rehearsal and go grind for a game, for example. He‘ll try to use his position as your boyfriend to get you to do that favor for him and let him leave early.

So stay on your guard when he wraps his arms around your waist and presses soft kisses to the side of your face; he‘s prefers showing physical affection behind doors, so he‘s definitely up to something

And as an other example of how he uses your affectionate side for himself— He drops your name a lot during work related parties that he only goes to for reputation purposes. “I‘m afraid I have to go already. Yes, I haven‘t given my dear their daily dose of affection today. They‘ll make me regret it if I come home so late, haha.“, “Oh what a shame, but I understand! My spouse is the same way. So, see you at the office, Chigasaki-san.“ Mission success.

His colleagues think you‘re way clingier and unforgiving than you actually are, but you don‘t have to know that

And for the last example! Good luck kisses. He plays a lot of Gacha games and hardcore games he needs a lot of skill and concentration for, so, why not have you give him all your luck through a few smooches? He also found out that having you sit on his lap as he does Gacha pulls increases the chance of getting the things he wants! What? Unromantic? But, it‘s a win-win, isn‘t it? You love the attention, and Itaru loves the SSRs

Don‘t get me wrong, he doesn‘t use you for his personal gain ALL the time lol, no, he actually basks in the affection and love alone in soft, quiet moments

Every morning he places his head on your chest, silently begging for you to comb your fingers through his messy morning hair, everytime he leaves for work, he makes sure he gets his goodbye kiss from you, and of course a welcome back kiss whenever he returns

He seeks comfort when he‘s in a bad mood in your cuddles, spooning you from behind as he burries his face into your neck

Like I said earlier, he doesn‘t do PDA, so please try to limit your open affection to private moments as well. Pushing you away would be awkward, and he wouldn‘t like to handle your upset self