Offscreen Chemistry

Ruffle, ruffle.  

With the last tug of his arm—thwip—his jacket is finally on. He rolls his shoulder, getting comfortable in it, and after brushing away a stray hair from his bangs, Rei gives himself a once over in his dorm’s standing mirror.

Tap, tap, tap…

His hair is brushed and his attire is on the formal side. The fair amount of nude makeup, set of fish-bone shaped earrings, and accompanying necklace sit comfortably on his skin. Stepping back and shifting in place, he makes sure every part of his suit is crinkle-free.

There’s a sigh behind him, restrained and full of adoration.

He rests his thumbs inside of his pockets, standing with his weight on one leg as he blinks at himself. Hmm. One of his hands comes up to his neck, pinching the placket of his shirt in consideration. One? Maybe two?

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…

Two might be excessive. Or would it? He undoes a button and takes a step back from leaning forward.

Tap, tap, tap…

No good, he might need a second opinion. “Say, Shiratori-kun?”

“Eek!” Rei watches Aira on his bed fumble with his phone through the mirror’s reflection. It slips, shooting into the air a few times before he manages to catch it in both of his hands—at the expense of a giant omanjuu plush rolling away off his lap.

Rei chuckles. “Sorry, did I startle you?”

“Ahh…!” Aira rescues Hiyori before he faceplants to his doom. “Uh, n-no, not at all! Or, well a little I guess. I was just so focused on putting down some thoughts of mine, that’s all.”

“Hm? What kinds of thoughts?”

“Oh, you know. This and that,” Aira laughs.

“Well, I was thinking… Would you mind sharing some of those thoughts on my outfit right now?” Rei turns around. “It’d be a great help.”

Aira’s eyes sparkle. “You want my opinion?”

“I can’t decide if this would be too much.” Rei tugs his shirt collar. “Should I do it up again?”

“Are you kidding?” Aira sets his phone down on top of Hiyori, rushing over to him. His hands hover in excitement before balling into fists in front of his chest. “It’s good as is, but you could push it with how mature your coord is!”

Aira turns him around to face the mirror and urges him to undo another button. “Yes, like that!”

He launches into a river of words, praising his sense of style, the way his choices bring out his sex appeal and how “lovely” yet cool he looks—almost as if he had rehearsed, or perhaps, written them down beforehand. It’s enough to make him blush.

“Ah, um, but that’s just what I think.” Aira takes a step back. “You could leave it as before.”

Rei laughs, ruffling his junior’s hair. “No, that was quite informative. I think I’ll go with your suggestion for tonight. Thank you, Shiratori-kun.”

“It was nothing.” Aira smiles. “I’m glad to be of help, but…”

“But?”

“Oh, I was wondering what the occasion was, if you don’t mind me asking. Are you going to an event? A photo shoot?”

Rei looks down to the side in consideration before giving Aira a discerning look, a friendly grin, then ultimately, he brings a finger to his lips. “It’s a date.”

 

 

Clink-clunk. A cube of ice slides from its neighbor, disappearing into water below. The drop of condensation Rei keeps an eye on is slowed by sudden friction on the pitcher’s glass, losing the race to the other drop by a close margin. There’s a few giggles that cut through the idle chatter of the room and catch his attention. He looks up to see the source: a couple who took their seats not long after him, gathering their belongings, scooting their chairs back in, and linking arms on their way out.

He picks up his phone and glances at an empty Lock Screen before entering HoldHands, his text messages, and past call history.

Nothing.

It wasn’t like him to forget their date. He stares at the messages he sent after arriving at the restaurant, all left unread.

Has something happened?

He scrolls a little further up in their text log, to hours ago where they confirmed their plans—the texts that his date has read—doing nothing for his anxiety.

What could have…?

Rei sets his phone back down on the table, trying not to think of the worst.

Another couple starts gathering their things and hugging one another. He thinks they were the ones a little after him too. Ah, what a chivalrous gentleman—that’s a push, not a pull—oh, her dress is caught. Now they’re laughing it off.

Vrr, vrrr.

Rei snaps his head back to his table, picking up his phone and reading the Caller ID to be…

Unknown?

Rei sighs, declining it and letting it slip from his fingers. Thud, thud. He’s not in the mood to deal with identity fraud at the moment. If it’s legitimate or urgent, they can leave a message.

Step, step, step…

He feels sorry before he even looks up at the waiter.

“Hello, Sir. Just wanted to check in with how you were doing.” He looks a little awkward, making another round on him.

“I’m fine,” Rei says. “Thank you.”

“Would you like anything else while you wait? More wa…” The waiter stumbles over his usual script, noticing and remembering the near-full pitcher and two glasses on the table. “Ah-”

Rei chuckles at the genuine sincerity of his concern for him. “One of my ‘little brothers’ often tells me I should hydrate myself more too.”

“Oh, is that so? How considerate of him!” The waiter politely laughs. “Well, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to let us know.”

When the waiter takes a few steps away, behind him, Rei catches a glimpse of the state of the waiting room, starting to require its occupants to stand. He glances down before he looks back up. “Sorry,” he catches the man’s attention before he gets too far. “Actually… Could I place an order to-go?”

 

 

“Go! Go! Dash, Dash, Dash! ♪ ”

It’s a wonder how the girl sitting next to Rei is resting her eyes so serenely, when her earbuds are leaking sound like that. Not that he’s complaining though; the catchy, bubbly melody and cheerful female vocalist helps take his mind off of the feeling stewing in his heart.

He watches as the sparse footsteps of different lengths, different widths, and different weights pitter patter throughout the train, stopping when they’ve reached their favored seat or position to stand. There’s not many of them, given how late it’s gotten. He leans back in his seat, looking down at the to-go box on his lap in spite of the lighthearted song.

“Da-da-da Dash! ♪ ”

Maybe he should’ve waited longer. If it turns out they’ve just missed each other once he exited the establishment, all because he was getting too antsy… That’d be so frustrating. Though, there still hasn’t been a message or call from him since.

The instrumental lull builds up to a climactic progression as the beat of footsteps grow louder in the distance.

Rei looks up, watching a small striped blob get clearer and more defined as it reaches the door of the train.

“Da-da-da-da dash, Da-da-da-da dash ♪ ”

The footsteps crescendo.

“Dash!! ♪ ”

Clap, clap, clap! From the live audience of the girl’s song, an applause congratulates the pinstriped salaryman when he crosses his finish line. He leans against the closed doors, clutching his briefcase and heaving a frantic group of breaths as everything begins to move.

“Next stop…”

Unfortunately for his heart, the start of the next song is a somewhat familiar and mellow instrumental, one that brings his head down to his lap again in thought.

It could be that he just forgot. Those texts were hours ago. Maybe work got that hectic. It’s unlikely, but Kanata is human—they all are. He’s bound to forget sometimes; maybe it was today that he did. And, he hesitates to even think about it, but in the case that something has happened, he’d surely hear about it from his unit, or ES staff, or even the news.

If he could just hear his voice…

“Puka, puka~ ♪ ”

Ah-

The girl’s smile widens as she continues resting her eyes.

Whether it’s a cruel joke of the universe or a small gift, Rei finds himself subtly leaning in his seat.

 

 

He’ll hear from him later. Tomorrow. Or if he’s lucky, he could catch him in the hallway or his dorm?

Rei takes his time climbing down a set of stairs. The arch of his foot helps cushion each deliberate fall he takes, his to-go box gently swaying on his finger as he moves. He carefully maneuvers around a person that drops their wallet, before reaching a landing and feeling a vibration not in line with his steps.

Vrr, vrrr.

His heart thumps. He scoots off to the side, towards the rails, taking a peek at his phone. And it’s… yet another call from Unknown.

Has he fallen to the depths? To even consider accepting the call? He lets it ring, and the longer he stares, something within him compels him to answer. It might just be him wishing it was Kanata, he knows, but… His thumb hovers over the button, before he sighs, tapping noncommittally.

Once the call connects, he waits for a greeting after the first few seconds of static that comes with the start of a scam.

Sniffle.

Rei furrows his brows. “Hello?”

The voice muffles a few more sobs.

“…Hel-”

“I’m sorry.” They sniff. “I’m sorry.”

Rei’s heartbeat starts pounding. “Kanata? Kanata, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” Rei calms a little. “I just…” Kanata stifles another sob. “I’m sorry for being late. All sorts of ‘things’ happened and… Sniff. ”

“I can come look for you. I’m exchanging trains right now, where are you?”

“I’m outside of a ‘convenience’ store… The one by…” He mentions a venue Rei finds familiar. “I can, sniff, w-wait in the ‘park’ across from it.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.”

 

 

Beneath a lamppost, a stray hair flirts with the idea of being abducted into its ray of light. It bounces in the wind, its host hugs his jacket closer to his body, and it returns to its drooping, settled state.

Rei drops his to-go box next to where Kanata is seated on the bench, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

“Found ya~”

“O-Oh, Rei…”

Rei laments the slight chill of Kanata’s cheek as he separates from him, walking around to the front. “Whoa, what happened?” His thumb gently traces underneath a small bandaid on Kanata’s cheek before he takes a seat.

Kanata smiles. “It’s a ‘long’ story…”

Rei lets him rest his head against his shoulder as he pets his hair. He listens as Kanata starts from when he wakes, to the cute side of their text conversation, the start of work, and the start of his misfortune.

“Nacchan even made me a good luck charm for ‘Virgo’ today…” Kanata nuzzles more against him. “But I left it in the car.”

And then he gets wrapped up in some interpersonal conflict, work mishaps, dropping and breaking his phone, and his train having some issues.

“There, there,” Rei consoles, patting Kanata’s head. “You did good today.”

Kanata lazily lifts his head to give Rei a grateful look. Then his eyes drift to the sides of his head, his neck, his cleavage, and his legs. His smile drops in favor of a frown, brows furrowing. “You dressed ‘up.’ ”

“Don’t worry about it. I just felt like it, is all.” Rei kisses Kanata’s wrinkles. “Besides, you’re here now to see.”

“Mm…” Kanata’s smile returns. A hand comes up to stroke Rei’s jawline, trailing up to his ear. He flicks at the metal with his index finger. Tink, tink. “It looks even better ‘on’ you.”

Rei shifts his mouth towards Kanata’s hand, pressing against it as he flutters his eyes shut. Peck. “Thank you for them.”

“Ehe, you’re ‘welcome.’ ”

Grooowl.

“Ah,” Kanata blushes, pulling his hand away and placing it on his tummy.

“Did you not get anything from the convenience store?”

Kanata looks down with an embarrassed smile. “I used what I had left ‘on hand’ for the pay phone…”

Rei’s heart flutters in a mix of concerned anger, exasperation, and warmth. “Kanata…” His tone borders a scold with a hint of a tease. “Well, you’re welcome to have that.”

“Hm?” Kanata looks to where Rei nudges with his head. “Is this from the restaurant?”

“Thought it sounded tasty.”

Kanata pinches open the stocky paper, letting its walls fall down. “Oh! A cake.” He frees the plastic fork from one of the sides, stabbing a bite. “…It’s bittersweet. I like it.” He stabs another bite, lifting it towards Rei.

“Oh, I’m good.”

“Are you ‘sure’?”

Rei chuckles. “Watching you eat so lively is satisfying enough.”

“Then, thank you for the food~”

Kanata devours the cake in many hearty bites, saving the last forkful to be a more deliberate show. After he wraps his lips around the prongs of his utensil and pulls it from his mouth, he swallows the decadence, licking the excess left on the fork, then places it back down within the box.

And he gives Rei a smile good enough to eat.

“Mm-”

Rei licks Kanata’s bottom lip, slipping in for a quick swipe of his tongue across his love’s, finding the chocolate rich and as bittersweet as described.

“I think it’s on the sweet side.” Rei smiles.

Kanata steals his shoulder again. “But the ‘aftertaste’ is more bitter.” His head shifts against him when he looks up to the sky, and he marvels at the distant sparkles of light alongside Rei before he heaves a sigh. “I really am sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Just a series of unfortunate happenstances.”

“We spent so ‘long’ coordinating…”

“I know, but we’ll get another chance.” Rei nuzzles against Kanata’s head. “I quite like how we are now.”

Kanata sags more against him. “Hm~ I think I do too.”

They spend a while staring at the stars, catching up on what they would have at the restaurant. Another whisper or so gets shared, exchanging lighthearted news of their circles and their agencies—avoiding the more messy of affairs. And, nipped by the chill of the air, their fingers find warmth against one another’s.

Then, between a small pocket of space, a streak that draws across the sky fades as fast as it appears.

“Oh, how pretty.” Kanata exhales.

“Why not make one of your own for once?”

Kanata looks up at him. “You mean a ‘wish’?” He chuckles, turning back to the sky. “I could.”

The “but” goes unsaid, though that doesn’t stop Rei from making one on behalf of him. They’ll realistically have to go through scheduling hell through their own hands, but there’s no harm in wishing for another opportunity to get together anyways. He grins, feeling his thoughts leave him and join with ones from all over.

“What did you wish for?” Kanata pulls off of his shoulder, bringing his face level with Rei’s own.

“Fufu. Was I that predictable?” Rei asks. “I don’t know if I should tell~ It might not be granted.”

Kanata tilts his head cutely. “I can keep a ‘secret.’ Maybe if you say it ‘softly’?”

“Mm… You might need to get closer still.” Rei lets his eyelids lower halfway, tilting his head as well. He watches Kanata do just that—eyelashes fluttering to a rest, brushing past the tip of his nose-

Vrr, vrrr.

They back off before they meet each other’s lips, blinking in a startle.

“What is it?”

Rei finishes digging his phone from his pocket. “A Shining Message, it seems.” Rei opens HoldHands, skimming its contents. “A second confirmation of a drama role. Looks like another reminder to meet with some producers tomorrow.”

Kanata feels his pocket before remembering the state of his phone. “Ah. I think I ‘have’ something like that for tomorrow too.”

Rei flicks up, revealing the rest of the message. “Hm? What have we here?” Unlike his first confirmation of landing the role, the message this time reveals his fellow co-stars—ones he’ll be seeing during the meeting.

Kanata tilts his head again with a hum (as cute as ever).

Normally Rei wouldn’t leak such information, but he has a hunch that Kanata would have received, if not a Shining one, then a regular message with very similar contents. He tilts his phone toward him, revealing the cast sandwiched between a few lines of text. “I didn’t know you auditioned too.”

Kanata’s eyes make a minute movement from left to right, down another line, then shift back upwards to look at him again, all shimmery-like. “I did! You- Then, that means we’ll be ‘seeing’ more of each other soon!”

“It appears so~ And to think, as lovers.” He looks back down at his phone for the time. “It’s so early though… Maybe we should head back to ES.”

“Yeah.” Kanata stands up, lifting the box off of his lap and into the nearby trash can. “Let’s go.” He holds out his hand to Rei, and the smile on his face is almost as bright as the shooting star.

Rei returns the expression, taking his hand and standing up. Then Kanata begins taking a step, leading them toward-

Grooowl.

Kanata stills. He blinks at him, staring for a few moments before the gears spin in his head. His mouth opens in a gasp before he pouts with furrowed brows. He doesn’t need to voice the “Rei!”

“Haha, before that, why don’t we get some rice balls from the store?”

 

 

Back at the Seisoukan, they manage to sneak a kiss with one another in front of Kanata’s dorm. 

“Good night.”

“Sleep ‘tight.’ ”

Rei gets in yet another kiss before waving goodbye, then he walks down the hall towards his own dorm room. He opens the door quietly, stepping inside, blinking a few times to adjust from the hallway’s lighting to the dimness of the room.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I got a little worried!”

The only thing illuminating the room is the blueness coming from Aira’s laptop, balancing at the precipice of death.

“Yeah, good night! And good night to you all as well!”

He closes the door quietly and walks over to the sleeping boy’s bed.

“Huh? What do you mean~? I said I’d stop streaming before the beginning of the next hour, or when my roommate gets back—whichever first!”

Gently, Rei lifts the device off of Aira’s lap and bed, moving it onto his nightstand. “Yes, yes, Jun-kun and I are still set for tomorrow. See you there~”

A gentle music box gets to play a few notes from one of Eden’s songs before Rei closes the laptop, plunging the rest of the room into darkness.

“Mm…” Aira shifts to sleep on his side.

Rei smiles, carefully tucking him in with more of his covers. He goes to undress and change in the darkness, then finally tucks himself in his own bed too. And with his back faced towards his empty neighboring bed, he makes his way to the land of slumber. Or he tries to, for a while.

 

 

———

 

 

He’s a little groggy by the time he gets up and makes his way over to the meeting place, though he kind of expected that. There’s only a few moments to exchange greetings with some of his fellow cast before the meeting begins.

The coffee is decent; the talks don’t drag as long as The Summit for his cup to grow cold—straight to the point of telling them how happy they are to meet with all of them, followed by their introductions, and finally by the distribution of scripts. He also finds the producers nice, and they seem as passionate about the project as the creator of the source material is. He has a feeling he’s going to be honored to be part of it.

After they’re dismissed, his co-stars take a moment to chat amongst each other before they’re due for whatever business they have. Ramming into a wall, after failing to hug his adorable Ritsu, is less nice than all the other pleasantries, but teasing a fellow member of his unit and seeing Kanata again is lovely.

“And there’s my refreshing sea breeze.” Rei cozies up to the side of his love, watching the other four people congregate. “Actually seeing everyone together is interesting, don’t you think?”

Kanata grins. “The ‘relation’ you and your brother have inside and outside the story is really cute.”

“I imagine some part of the casting decision was influenced by that.” Rei chuckles at Koga no doubt calling Isara-kun by his nickname. “That, and the affiliation with our respective agencies and units must be convenient.” Two from StarPro, two from Undead, and two from Knights—it’s pretty clean however you cut it.

“Well, regardless of their ‘motives,’ ” Kanata faces more of his body towards him, inclining his head, “I’m grateful to be working with you~”

“Fufu, likewise.” Rei mirrors the show of lighthearted professionalism. “Are you off to your next job now?”

“Mhm. Ryuseitai is going on a ‘program’ to play a few games with some children. And after that, I’ll be having lunch with Shu.”

“Is that so? I hope you have fun with both events. Be sure to tell Itsuki-kun hello for me.”

“I will~ See you soon.”

“See you soon.”

His duties as an idol continue in the meantime, catching only glimpses of Kanata from across the hall, on television, or social media, and he gets the luxury of a few short words in the dorms here and there. But eventually, the fateful day comes where they can have a bit longer with each other.

 

 

———

 

 

He yawns. It’s stupidly early. For the scene in question though, he knows it’s a necessity and it could be worse. Kaoru and he finished a night performance a few hours ago without a hitch, and he managed to get some hours of a nap in, but man…

“Get some more rest, I’ll wake you up a bit before we get there.” Koga offers.

“My, what’s this? How reliable you’re coming to be.”

“Oh shut it, that’s hardly worth praise.”

Rei chuckles, crossing his arms and leaning his head to rest in the sloped hammock that is his seatbelt, pressing against the pillow of his window.

As promised, his junior wakes him up with enough time to blink off the grog, before they need to exit the car and prepare for the shot on the beach. He finds himself wanting to keep his eyes shut for a little longer during makeup, but opens them dutifully when the artist requests him to. And after he puts on his dark-colored yukata—flashing as much skin as he does in the producer’s exclusive outfit for him—his sandals make soft scrunches in the sand.

“Nom, nom, nom.” Rei buries his face into Kanata’s neck, hugging him from behind. It’s nostalgic feeling long hair on him again. “You’re so unguarded, a demon would’ve spirited you away had I not claimed you already.”

“Good morning, Rei~” Kanata laughs, turning around after Rei releases him. But when Rei goes bewildered, staring, Kanata hums in question.

Having read through the original manga (after pestering Hasumi-kun for a borrowing term), Rei had an idea of what Kanata would be wearing as a god of the sea breeze. The patterning is on the feminine side, featuring a more bolder blue and hints of white, pink, and purple. Seeing it brought to life, sewn and dyed by professionals, adorning one of the people he loves, he’s left breathless.

“Are you feeling okay?”

Rei smiles. “It suits you.”

“Ah, you mean, ‘this’?” Kanata spins once, flaring his arms out slightly. “Hehe. It’s a little different, but it reminds me of the clothes I wore during a certain ‘festival.’ ”

“Right… something with Wisteria was it?” Rei hums. “I recall our Adonis was very grateful to have participated. I so wished to have been able to make it, if not to appreciate the bold step of a fledgling junior, then to see how dashing you were.”

“I wouldn’t have been as ‘dashing’ to watch as you think. It was difficult to move around quickly in those clothes.”

“Oh? But how are you now?”

“The fit of ‘these’ clothes feel better. But that’s not to say the producer’s handicraft at the time was ‘inferior.’ ” Kanata says. “Rather, that rogue wanted such elaborate clothing for the ‘character’ I played as.”

“Fufu, if that person were to hear that, after all the work I heard he was doing during the time, he might be hurt.”

“If criticizing his work on such an old ‘event’ hurts him, I’d be worried about his future. But anyways…” Kanata glances downwards and back up. “I think you look quite handsome too, Rei.”

“Thank you.” Rei laughs. “Though, I don’t recall it being quite time to flirt just yet. We’ve not even met in the story.”

Kanata steps forward, grabbing a hold of his hands and tilting his head in that charming way of his. “I wasn’t ‘acting’?”

Rei grows closer still, finding his head tilting too, ever so slightly. It’s still a tad dark out, and the staff seem to be hard at work, preoccupied. They can get away with this, surely. A simple peck wouldn’t ruin either of their makeup too.

“Shinkai-san!”

Ah…

“Eh?” Kanata separates from Rei and turns to face the staff trying to flag his attention. “Oh! Yes, coming!”

He looks back at Rei, offering a consoling smile. It might be here they realize the reality of Rei’s wish, feeling the grains of sand beneath them, feeling them fall as each tick of time passes.

Rei sighs, smiling himself as he watches Kanata leave him. After he finishes with the defining sunrise shots he has, it’ll be soon time for him to enter too. If napping is out of the question, he should better review the script one last time.

 

 

The effect is less pronounced after seeing him earlier, but the feelings that well up in him are still substantial. He can ignore the prickly feeling of the rising sun, the weariness he begins to feel, if it meant he could see more of this view.

Kanata’s eyelashes flutter closed in a blink, opening and then slowly drifting over to look at him. And all the while, a gentle breeze lifts strands of his hair to flutter delicately back down. The rays feather into them, making them appear greener than usual.

Rei walks deliberately, slightly sinking with each step. He comes to a stop, paces away, and offers a genuine smile to him.

Kanata makes a soft noise of surprise, a sigh mixed with a moan not entirely voiced—one Rei would say that only he had a luxury of hearing, if not for the mic hidden in their clothes.

Rei makes a pointed attempt to glance downward before bending down to scoop a seashell, letting the individual sands skirt off of it as he straightens back up. He looks from the shell to Kanata, holding it out to him.

Kanata remains bewildered, facing toward him in caution, before melting in a smile.

“Cut! That’s good.”

While the hustle bustle around them moves toward setting up a little further inland, the two of them linger in their meaningful look toward one another. But soon enough, they join the movement without another word, acknowledging the short moment they had as Rei and Kanata, instead of their characters, through their hearts.

The next few scenes, with solely Koga and him, go smoothly without trouble—though Rei makes his first blooper after bursting out laughing at the fact that Koga’s wolf ears actually move.

“What god of moonlight laughs at who howls in respect of you?!” Koga’s ears twitch in response, setting off another fit in Rei.

Rei apologizes, and he makes up for his blunder by finishing the rest of the scenes without another giggle. Then finally, the last scene that requires the three of them comes.

Koga raises his leg over a plant at knee-height, stepping over. “ ‘You’ve been staring at him for how many days now? If you’re not going to say hello—which I still have reservations with—then c’mon, let’s go!’ ”

“ ‘It’s only been three. And you didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to.’ ”

“ ‘I’m just worried. You don’t know how these loner types will act.’ ”

“ ‘But you certainly grew tame by my hand, didn’t you?’ ”

Before Koga can wholly act out his embarrassment, Kanata rustles through some bushes to the side of them, strolling through the path of the forest, and slinking to hide behind a tree, all to peer at the beach.

Ritsu and Izumi are sharing an umbrella, taking a quick stroll before it’s time for their shots in the island’s forest. Though of course, they won’t be shown in the Final Cut; the cameras aren’t even on them. Instead, there’ll be extras—children running and playing alongside the coast—and Kanata acts accordingly, sighing with wonder.

“ ‘Look, see! There’s nothing that can come from a god that’s too curious about humans!’ ” Koga whispers.

But Rei’s character begs to differ. He looks upon Kanata in adoration, falling in love with those kind, inquisitive eyes… Ones that reflect humanity within that aura of loneliness.

Like back then.

“Cut!”

 

 

———

 

 

Day by day, shoot by shoot, Rei starts to wonder if he should’ve worded his wish a little more explicitly. While it’s fun on its own to be with Kanata in a working environment, the more they act with each other, the more he wants to breach the boundaries of their characters. 

It wouldn’t be much of a problem if they could spend more time outside together, but now he’s starting to second guess himself. Maybe he looks too sweetly at him. Too desperate, too familiar. Is he portraying the way in which his character falls in love properly? Ah, his hand is so close…

“Cut! Stop, stop.”

The two of them startle and stop their walk through the forest, looking to the director.

“Shinkai, you reached for Sakuma’s hand too early there.”

“Ah! I’m so sorry.” He bows with a flush.

And it would seem the desire to blur reality and story goes for Kanata as well.

“From the top!”

Kanata looks sheepish when he lifts his head, but he relaxes when Rei subtly offers him his hand on the walk back to the start of their path—before letting go once the cameras start rolling again.

 

 

“Good work today.”

Kanata exhales after his chug of water. “Good work.”

Rei can tell from the way he smiles at him that the longing they both share is still present. “I’m looking forward to next time—at least we’ll have an excuse to have a kiss. You know, I wouldn’t mind if you blunder a few times during that.”

“That’s ‘tempting.’ ” Kanata grins. “But I don’t want to purposely embarrass myself as a professional.”

“Haha, I know. I was joking.” Rei wants to sigh, really starting to feel the trough of their rut starting to entrench them. Even when they’re finished filming now, a script of their post-work chat starts to form. “I’m off to a live house now. You?”

“ES.”

As expected, different directions as usual.

“I’ll…” Kanata still has his small smile, but he looks down, “be ‘seeing’ you.”

While Rei can’t change the script of the drama, he can at least attempt to alter it in real life.

“Mm?” Kanata’s eyes go wide before relaxing into the caress of his shoulders, the softness of Rei’s lips. Peck. “Rei…” He’s still a little surprised when Rei moves away.

“If anyone asks, just tell them we were practicing.”

“Hehe.” That smile from earlier returns bigger. “Okay~”

“See you,” Rei says.

And at least the goodbye he receives this time is less despondent.

 

 

———

 

 

The thought of their soon-to-be “first kiss” today makes Rei feel amused, but it also comes with a problem to ponder.

They haven’t had the opportunity to do much of it lately (or at least not as long and unhurried as they pleased), but they’ve kissed so much now… What was it like again?

Technically Kanata’s first kiss with him wasn’t even Kanata’s first—Wataru had already snatched his lips ( and Shu's, and Natsume’s) like the kissing demon he is. By the time Rei got to him, it was already too erotic; he recalls how, having been familiarized with that sort of pleasure, Kanata’s half-lidded eyes and pouty mouth begged for one right after another, another, and another-

“Please open your eyes and look up?” his makeup artist requests.

Ahem. Yes, that's too much. When he teased Kanata about messing up their kiss, he wanted it to be nothing but that—a joke. For the sake of their naive and blossoming romantic love, Rei should make an effort to remember to be more chaste, lest he be the victim of irony.

“You’re all set!”

Rei thanks the staff member with a small bow before he walks around, scanning the set for his blue-haired beau. All the while, he makes small greetings here and there with the people that don’t look too focused on their work. And eventually, in the corner of the set he finds him.

“What are you doing, hiding away like this?”

“Oh, hello, Rei.” Kanata looks up from where he sits. “I wasn’t ‘hiding.’ This just seemed like a ‘cozy’ spot to try and remember how my first kiss with Wataru ‘felt’ for today.”

Rei laughs, lowering himself into a squat next to him. “I see. I was just thinking about that earlier myself.”

“Hm? But I don’t remember you being ‘present’ then?”

“I wasn’t. But maybe I should’ve been, so I have material too.” Rei nudges Kantata’s shoulder with his own.

“Hehe, ours is ‘NG’?” Blue strands of hair dip toward the floor when Kanata turns his head more toward him. “What about the others?” 

“Wataru’s was too playful,” Rei waves his hand, “the atmosphere’s all wrong. Then Shu’s was too spontaneous. Our characters lean in with a bit more intent.”

“Nacchan~?”

“Natsume…” Rei watches as the staff in the background continue setting up for them, humming. 

Natsume’s does share the same way in which he eased into the kiss like he did with Kanata, and despite the fact Wataru had beaten him to the punch, their boy still maintained that innocent and adorable shyness in contrast. Yes, he remembers it. The way he blinked at him with a flushed face once they pulled away from each other, the hesitation of leaning back in for more, while his eyes did all of the begging—the hesitation.

“Actually, that might work.”

Yet, despite his mental efforts, Rei blunders the sensitive timing of their meeting of lips.

“Take two!”

 

 

———

 

 

Unlike the past few shoots, Rei’s been instructed to avoid seeing Kanata for the session he’s making his way to. For a second, he thinks it has finally come to a point where he’s been letting his feelings interfere with the portrayal of his character, but he was quickly reassured when they explained that it was to capture a genuine reaction out of him. And after thinking about what they’re going to film for today, he realizes the intent.

So while Koga and Kanata film their own scenes, Rei reviews his own lines, opting not to do too much image training, and relying on what emotion springs from him in the moment.

When it comes time for the scene, it can’t be helped that Rei is able to catch a glimpse of his boyfriend whilst on standby to enter the room. He tries not to look too much, instead focusing his attention on his junior.

“ ‘I-I just wanted to scare you, not have them kill…!’ ” Koga drops down to his knees at Kanata's side.

“ ‘It’s… not your “fault.” It’s mine, after all… for falling in love. I took him away from you.’ ”

“ ‘No, that’s not-’ ”

“ ‘If we meet again in another life, will we be “friends” again…?’ ”

Koga goes wide-eyed, finding his hand on top of Kanata’s chest, squeezing the reddened fabric.

“ ‘How come, after what I’ve done to you, you’re-’ ” Koga swallows. “ ‘...You would be kind to me, even in another life?’ ”

“ ‘It would be “lonely” otherwise… wouldn’t it?’ ” Kanata gives a small smile, before his head loses its strength, gently rolling to the side.

“ ‘To you, I also-’ ” Koga cries. “ ‘I…’ ”

Rei takes a breath. He readies himself to enter the scene, watching as Koga suddenly lifts his head to look over in his direction before giving a final glance to Kanata in remorse, then bolting off. He lingers a bit before his cue, stepping into the room cautiously, moving with adrenaline only when he makes a show of spotting Kanata’s body on the floor.

He screams out a name, rushing over, sliding onto his knees, and tainting his hands a bright crimson when he checks Kanata’s wounds.

From where he stood, it already seemed gruesome, but seeing him this close, so still, bloody, and with a dullness in his eyes that looks too genuine…

Rei scoops his neck into his arm, grabbing his shoulder.

He gently jostles him, trying to delude himself that Kanata will spring back into life with a few pleading questions.

Is this how it would have felt back then? Holding the battered body of a god the moment he falls? To be so close, yet so removed from his fate, a fate he could have perhaps changed… A tear falls from him, landing on Kanata’s cheek.

No. It was an inevitable event within a narrative—that pitiful boy’s narrative. It was the very same narrative that allowed him to meet Kanata, befriend him, and fall in love with him along with the others. The same one that allowed him to be revived with him, to begin life anew.

But that doesn’t change the fact that it hurt.

Rei guides Kanata’s eyelids to rest with his hand, holding his body closer to him. And while he’s professing his love, whispering a name, and reciting his lines, he hopes the way his fingers grasp at cloth conveys his gratitude that his body remains warm against him.

He sobs. He sobs and he sobs, clutching Kanata dearly until he promises: “ ‘I’ll come find you, so until then… just a little longer. Wait for me.’ ”

And though Rei can clearly hear the resounding “Cut!” from the director, he hesitates in his parting, until he feels Kanata take a breath that reanimates him, until Rei can feel those hands of his support himself to peel away from him and give him a bright-eyed smile.

“Good work.”

Rei’s own breath surprises himself, but he manages a shaky exhale and replies, “Good work.”

Shu was right; sometimes it might be nice to harbor strong established feelings for the sake of art.

 

 

When they change, grab their belongings, and say goodbye this time, Rei wraps his arms around Kanata once again.

It may be his residual sentimentality, but he hopes his hug is warm to him—warm as the first familial-like one he received, or as warm and earnest as the very hero who saved him.

And though Kanata doesn’t answer him through words, he squeezes back just as strongly. “Have him eat ‘lots’ and ‘lots.’ ”

“I will. I don’t think he needs to be told that though.”

Rei proves to be correct when the two of them sit beside one another in a cozy beef bowl place not too far from the set. Already on his second bowl, Koga scarfs down the warm and filling clumps of rice and meat while Rei chews deliberately.

He looks down into his bowl, swirling more of his egg yolk into his rice with chopsticks.

“Thank you for naming us Undead.”

Koga swallows his mouthful. “Hah? Where’d that come from?”

Rei smiles. “Nowhere but the heart.”

 

 

———

 

 

It’s a bit of a whiplash going from a death to the beginning of a life—a shared life—but such is the reality of film.

Rei squints at the glittering waves and shimmery grains of sand, reflecting bits of high noon. Given the chance to see Kanata in such a light, he did think that he wouldn’t mind how the rays of the sun beam against his skin, or the way it brings out his fatigue… but he’s also starting to rethink that.

“Hello~”

No. Nevermind, that’s something he stands by.

Like the first time Rei has seen Kanata in his ensemble, he’s in awe with how beautiful he is—this time being adorned not only by his costume that has a few new embellishments, but by a seashell headdress fashioned together by seagrass and flowers. The bright sun rests atop his hair like a thin veil, ephemeral, radiant, alluring.

Kanata hums, amused. “It suits me?”

“You’re so gorgeous, I almost want to lock you away, so that none else may see.”

“Nope, no can do.” Kanata wags a scolding finger at him. “We’re idols, after all—we exist to be ‘ogled’ at.” 

Oh, yes. How could he forget? He shares a laugh with him. 

“Thank you.” It’s a little shy this time, the way Kanata acknowledges his own appearance.

Rei thinks he understands. It’s not everyday you get dressed to be married. Obviously they’re filming, but they’ll be seriously reenacting the village customs within the story, sharing sake with one another where land, sky, and sea may bless and watch over them. It gives him butterflies too, thinking about the fact that this might be the closest thing to a legitimate wedding between them, where others may bear witness to the celebration of their love.

“Oh, should we find some ‘shade’ before we need to film? You’re starting to look a little ‘weary.’ ”

“That sounds heavenly…” He doesn’t want to do a disservice to his makeup artist either by sweating and withering away before they’re even on screen. “I also wanted to talk to you about how we should kiss.”

“Hehe, again~?”

“You know the nuance is different here.”

So they find a palm tree to sit under, a little secluded from the rest of the staff and actors, to go over their script.

Rei taps a few lines he has underlined. “I’ve been struggling with how to portray elation yet uneasiness here.”

“Not too ‘much’ to make it tense, but not too enthusiastic… Self-consciousness? Or worry?” Kanata hums. “The ‘emotions’ do feel delicate… Why don’t we practice? For ‘real’ this time.”

Rei chuckles. “Sure.”

“Then,” Kanata’s finger glides across the page. “Why don’t we start here then?”

Rei skims the line before he devotes his attention to Kanata, taking a hold of his hands tenderly and placing his thumbs against knuckles. He recites his vows, watching the way Kanata’s face brightens and melts with each word he utters. They’re words he imagines he would similarly say if they were to be wed.

And when he feels Kanata’s lips lightly pressed against his… here in the relaxing shade, away from the prying eyes of camera lenses… he remembers again, the double-edged nature of harboring strong feelings while in pursuit of art.

There isn’t supposed to be tongue.

“Mm.”

There’s no nipping.

“Mm!”

And he doesn’t let go of his hands to grab his face.

“Ah-” Peck. “Rei… is this really ‘unease’?” Kanata asks, not the slightest bit annoyed or confused.

“No.” Rei chases after him for another quick kiss. “But maybe once I get this out of my system I can portray it.” While they’re still Rei and Kanata, while they have the spare moment. “…Indulge me?”

And it’s the way Kanata looks at him, like he wants to do nothing but that, to give into desire he, too, has been keeping at bay… But then, his eyes shift somewhere behind him, to the source of the footsteps that grow closer.

“Wow, you two do look alike.”

They both blink at the woman, slowly leaning away from one another.

“Ah- Excuse me!” She bows. “I’m an intimacy coordinator who’s been working with your brother and his co-stars recently, Sakuma-san. It’s a pleasure to meet you both, and of course Shinkai-san as well.”

They both smile in response.

“Oh, likewise.” “Nice to ‘meet’ you too.” 

“I’m a fan of your guys’ work, so it means a lot to meet with you two.” She bows once again. “I was told you were comfortable with the kiss scenes, but I wanted to introduce myself before we work together on the more intimate one! I’m sorry for interrupting though, I’ll leave you to your practice now!”

She starts to leave them with a wave and a grin that leans toward a fangirl rather than a polite professional, but it’s endearing nonetheless—a little Shiratori-ish, if Rei were to compare. 

“Oh, but if at any point you feel uncomfortable, even with the kisses, that’s what I’m here to help mediate for! It was nice meeting you!”

After reciprocating the wave and grin, Rei turns to his side. “Hm, have you met with one before?”

Kanata doesn’t need to ponder. “No, this is the first time for me. I haven’t had a ‘need’ to do many mature scenes yet, which is why my manager initially expressed ‘concerns’ with this role.”

“Even though they seem to be fine with your gravure shots?”

“Those can still be considered ‘classy’—the scene we’ll be doing is a little naughtier,” Kanata says. “Have you met with one before?”

Truth be told, even if Rei has had the opportunities to do more mature scenes than Kanata, he’s never had to meet with one—until now that is. “No, it’s a first for me too. I guess it goes to show they’re putting a lot of care into everything.”

That’s the thing. Though a little disappointed that they were interrupted once more, the personal greeting, from one of the many people working to make this drama a reality, serves to remind Rei of his responsibility as an actor. So at least while he’s on the clock, he needs to honor the work.

“Shinkai! Sakuma!”

“Ah… Well, hopefully, that was enough out of your ‘system’ for you to hold out.” Kanata gives him a sympathetic smile.

Rei grins. “Yeah. I think I’ll manage.”

And this time, he does.

 

 

Once they relocate and successfully film a few more scenes inside of a set, they’re done for the day. 

When they finish changing, they decide to walk in the hallways together with their footsteps slowing before they have to part ways. They exhale through their noses, pinkies not quite ready to unwind from one another. It’s just them again. No characters, no cues, nothing. They wish it could last.

Once Kanata opens his mouth to say his usual goodbye though, the muffled sound of rushing water swirling through a vortex interrupts him, causing him and Rei to glance at the man who came out of the door a few paces from them.

And when they go back to facing each other, the corners of their mouths turn, sharing a knowing twinkle in their eyes—as if they’ve just whispered an inside joke. No, they shouldn’t. They know they need to get going, especially with Rei’s manager waiting for him.

Rei lets out a groan, nudging his knee between Kanata’s legs and running his hands up his lower back. He imagines the tingles running through Kanata’s spine while his fingers dip into the line that bisects him. He ignores the slight discomfort when his knuckles bear the brunt force of Kanata pressing against them and the wall, kissing him deeper.

“ Hah, R- Mm, mm!”

The moan tickles against Rei’s lips, sweet on his ears, as his very tongue against his.

Finding their way to cushion Kanata’s plump bottom, his fingers press up against his cheeks, coaxing Kanata to grind more against him.

“Mm… Nn-” The arms around his neck pull him closer, securely, trustingly.

Rei lifts, and Kanata spreads his legs. His knee lightly bangs against the stall door, rattling the lock before wrapping them around his waist. Then he lets Kanata catch his breath, pressing more kisses against his neck as compensation, bringing their lower halves closer still.

“ ‘Good,’ ” Kanata gasps. “Feels ‘good,’ Rei… Mm-!”

The neighboring stalls are empty, and so are the urinals, but as much as Rei wishes to hear the room fill with those gasps, echoing those moans of his name like a homemade AV… Should someone else arrive, they need to keep as quiet as they can.

It tickles against his lips again—more pleasant than the cloth that’s starting to grow tight, itchier.

Fuck. Rei shivers as Kanata’s ankles cross against his lower back and ass, squeezing him desperately. He pulls away for a breath of his own, growing indecisive and greedy for wanting to watch Kanata’s face scrunch in pleasure, but wanting not to part from those lips.

“More?” Kanata pleads, half-lidded.

Rei lifts him up again from the beginning of his sag, scraping the back of Kanata’s shirt against the wall and delivering that delicious friction of their front once again.

“Ah~ Mm, nn…”

Peck. “Even more?” Rei whispers against Kanata’s ear, grazing his lobe between the planes of his lips, the side of his canine.

Kanata whispers back, “Yes… yes, more~”

Peck, peck. “You want to come like this?” Another shiver runs through Rei. “Advertising us…” Peck. “Ruining our pants, so everyone knows what we’ve done here?”

“Mm, no… Hah, wanna ‘feel’ Rei…”

“You wanna feel me?” Rei breathes. Vrr, vrrr. “Feel me where?” Peck.

Kanata moans. His eyebrows slant, starting to look more conflicted. “Ah-”

Vrr, vrrr, vrrr.

Those ankles around his waist start to loosen. No. He kisses Kanata again. “Mm, hah, mm.”

Vrr, vrrr, vrrr, vrrrr…

The tips of Kanata’s shoes hit the tile and the weight on Rei’s hands lighten. Tearing himself from Kanata, Rei pulls his phone out to hover over the toilet seat with a shakily strong grip.

A breath is taken. Tap. “Hello? Ah, yes. Yes… Apologies for the hold up. I’m on my way.”

Sigh. Rei faces back to his beloved, showing the full extent of his weariness on his face. His forehead slumps against Kanata’s shoulder, and he feels palms sliding up his back moments after, cradling him.

“…Hey, Rei?”

“Nn.”

“On the last ‘shoot’ of ours, you’re free after, right?”

“Nn.”

“Let’s ‘go out’ then.”

“Nn?” Rei lifts his head. “I thought you had something?”

Kanata shakes his head with a smile. He brings his hands to gently cup the sides of Rei’s face, like a mother consoling a teary child who just scraped his knee. “I was going to personally announce something new at Aoumi, but I can ‘delegate’ that to someone else.”

“…Are you sure?”

“It’s not too important, I’ve ‘done’ so before.” Kanata says. “I miss you more.”

Rei exhales. “I miss you too.” Peck. “That's something to look forward to now.”

“Mhm.” Kanata smiles. “Mm-” Peck, peck. “Ah, Rei…” It’s breathless, like another second of contact would melt him away.

“Aha, right… See you soon.”

“See you ‘soon.’ ”

And with that, Rei leaves Kanata to stew in the pleasant warmth of his arousal for just a little longer.

 

 

———

 

 

Finally.

Finally, finally, finally.

Since they don’t have many scenes compared to the others, Koga, Kanata and he can finally finish up filming today.

It’s going to be a brutal time though. From the remaining outside shots to the indoor ones, it’ll be jam-packed. And to top it off, the schedule says to end it off with a bang. Literally. Rei’s bedroom scene with Kanata will mark the end of their work for the project. He can’t tell if he’d rather have taken an extra day for it or not, but he figures at least the sweat’ll be real during the deed.

With the general morale of the staff and a date with Kanata to look forward to though, Rei pushes through the day—the scorching hot, sunny day. Miraculously, it’s probably the most amount of perfect takes he manages to do that saves them all some time, and yet, they all still feel the rush.

It’s probably what gets to him during lunch, when all he can stomach is a few bites of bread and a chug of water. But seeing Kanata and Koga eat heartily, as they do, helps Rei get down a few more bites. And with some more mutual encouragement, they finish the outdoor scenes not long after, then breeze through the indoor ones.

With Koga leaving for his and Adonis’s radio appearance, the preparations for Rei and Kanata’s last scene make way. People get the boot for their closed set conditions, they themselves meet with their intimacy coordinator to run through the scene for good measure, and everything goes so smoothly it makes Rei tremble with anticipation of it being over soon.

In the moments leading up to it happening, as they lounge on top of a futon in their shorts and bathrobes, Rei hears Kanata thank a staff member who brings him water.

“Rei?”

He blinks, refocusing on reality and looking behind him and a little to his side. “Yeah?”

“You okay?” He holds one of the cups out for him. “Here.”

There’s a slight tremor and tingle in his hand when he raises it to take the cup. “Ah, thanks.”

“Almost done.” Kanata cheers his cup. “Let’s do our best.”

“Mm.” Rei makes an effort to smile before downing the water like a shot. “Let’s.”

 

 

“ ‘Hah, hah…’ ”

It’s hot. They’ve long since been indoors, but Rei feels almost as if the sun has followed him from outside. He suspects the pain throbbing away at his skull is probably from all the lights in his periphery. That, or the moment work is over, he’s getting ramen with Kanata with extra chashu and fishcakes- No. Ugh… His stomach begs to differ. Maybe something lighter. Damn, it’s hot. He feels woozy, and definitely not in the sexy way, but he hopes that it doesn’t come across as anything other than being love-drunk.

Kanata remains lying beneath him, looking up at him with a similar feeling of love-drunkenness. His tongue caresses the roof of his mouth, flirting with the dangerous line of calling out his name and what his character actually says.

He continues to ruffle the futon beneath them, stroking between Kanata’s thighs in time with the sound of his pants. He almost wishes he were actually manipulating fingers around something less empty and something much warmer, or stretching and entering something tight, but in his current state, he doesn’t trust himself to make it feel as good as it could for Kanata. And… there’s also the cameras.

He grabs Kanata’s hips. " 'I can’t any longer, I’m coming in.’ ”

Rei drops his head to the nook of Kanata’s neck, stealing a moment to mask how drained he suddenly feels. Long hair extensions tickle his nose as he exhales a sigh, and when he brings himself to rest more against the foam padding between them, Kanata sobs out a name other than his.

Rei suppresses a groan when he lifts his head up, brows scrunching in concern. “ ‘Are you okay?’ ”

Kanata laughs, teary eyed. “ ‘I’m just so happy… to “connect” with you like this…’ ”

Rei smiles, kissing him once. “ ‘I am too.’ ”

Kanata moans, dropping his head back into the pillow when Rei rocks up into the foam pad.

They’re more subdued—those little cries of his. In a dull, almost muffled sort of way, he wonders how much of those moans are his character, and how much they are a conscious form of censoring.

“ ‘I’m close…!’ ” Rei pants.

“ ‘Mm, ah, me too!’ ”

They repeat these lines and these movements of their bodies like a broken record, capturing angle after angle, all until it comes to an end as a shout: “Cut! Good job today!”

Immediately, robes get thrown on the two of them by staff members after Rei shrugs the blanket off of them. Removing himself from Kanata, he sits cross-legged on the edge of their futon.

He exhales, sweaty as hell. It’s like they had gone through the motions; all of the exercise and none of the reward, none of the payoff. But now, after they get changed, they can finally spend some time together going out.

“Good work~” Kanata breathlessly chuckles, still partially laid beside him.

Good work, he thinks he says. 

“Rei?”

When he stands up, he starts to sway, and in the last moments of clarity, he notes that reality shouldn’t be missing spots, nor should it suddenly just flip sideways.

 

 

Within his chest, a swirl of anxiety stirs him awake with a few blinks. 

The white ceiling is different. Definitely closer than the ceiling he last saw. But despite that he’s lying in an unknown room, he feels safe; he feels snug, wrapped comfortably underneath something light. And even with the weariness of his vision, the bulbs beside him are less harsh than when they were shooting. 

Oh.

Beads of water run down from the towel on his head, as Rei turns his head to see Kanata sitting up against the headboard of a bed—one he also realizes he’s on—watching the television across from them. It’s muted, displaying a multitude of blues, the fish that inhabit them, and some subtitles his eyes glaze over.

“Kanata?” he croaks.

Kanata whips his head to look at him. “Oh, you’re up!” He lifts the cloth from his face, returning it to a small basin on his nightstand.

“What happened? Where are we?” He can’t tell if Kanata’s hand is cooler, warmer, or the same temperature as his forehead.

“Hmm.” Kanata brings his hand to his own forehead. “You had a mild fever. I caught you when you ‘fainted,’ before you hit your head. And then I brought you to this hotel. You slept quite a bit, but you should take it ‘easy’ for the rest of today.”

“Ah.” Rei looks at a window’s curtains, to the lack of sun being blocked. “I’m sorry… we were supposed to have a date after all that filming too. But I just-“

Kanata hushes him, placing a finger on his lips. He slightly pouts. “Don’t ‘push’ yourself. If you aren’t feeling well, you aren’t feeling well.” His expression lightens. “We can ‘go out’ by staying ‘in.’ ”

Rei feels the last bits of anxiety flow out of him when Kanata pulls his finger away. “I guess you’re right.”

“I am~” Kanata giggles, lifting a bag from his side. “Now, would you like some rice balls from a ‘convenience’ store?”

Rei nods as he hums.

After filling his stomach with some much needed fuel, Rei slouches against the headboard, letting his eyes rest as Kanata gets up to make him tea. He gets about five seconds of them closed before his eyelids fly open in alarm. Kanata plus an electric appliance.

Kanata returns with an intact cup and steam gently swaying upwards, noticing the expression on Rei’s face. “You didn’t need to worry. I even had it ‘running’ for a bit while you were still ‘out.’ Wataru told me over the phone, very carefully, which button to ‘press’ this time.”

Rei sighs with a grin. “Before you, I wasn’t aware boiling water in an electric kettle would be so dangerous…”

“I’m not ‘great’ with hot water after all.” Kanata places the cup on top of the nightstand near Rei’s side, then walks around to sit next to him. “But Souma says it ‘brings out’ the flavor and aroma of tea. Apparently this type is good for fevers.”

Rei blows on the liquid, giving it a taste. “Mm. It’s nice.”

“I’m glad.” Kanata reaches behind him to adjust his pillow. “Well, since we’re staying ‘in,’ do you have anything you want to watch?”

The television is still playing what seems to be a documentary of ocean life when Rei looks back over to it. He doesn’t feel in the mood for anything particular, so he shrugs. “What you were watching works. You can turn the volume back up.”

“Okay~” Kanata reaches for the remote, bumping the meter up a small chunk of pixels. “Too soft?”

“It’s fine.” He doesn’t expect the narration that fades back in to be English, but now that he’s less bleary-eyed, he can read the subtitles if he gets lazy with actively listening to the language.

Kanata places the remote back where it was, before he scoots closer to him and gradually rests the weight of his head on his shoulder.

After Rei takes another sip of tea, he takes a deep inhale of Kanata’s hair, smiling and pressing a kiss against him. Whatever sweat he had from earlier has already been washed away, leaving his natural sheen. “Oh, sorry.” Rei pulls away a little. “Do I smell?”

“Mm?” Kanata dips his nose toward his nape, taking a whiff. “Not really. I ‘gave’ you a towel bath earlier.”

“Sorry for the trouble,” Rei says in thanks.

Kanata smiles. “Not at all. Now give back your shoulder!”

Rei laughs, returning the body part that belongs to him. He sighs with the return of weight, giving the documentary a few minutes of his attention before it inevitably shifts to his boyfriend.

Now that he has the luxury to, he takes the time to admire the way Kanata’s eyes shine in amusement, watching sea anemones dance in ocean currents. His exhales are relaxed and steady, as comforting as his presence alone. Rei stops listening for the familiar English words in favor of focusing on Kanata’s breaths, noticing a shift in his own breathing pattern to match. He exhales in content. 

This isn’t bad at all.

Kanata lazily grins, eyes drifting over to look at him. “Is it too ‘boring’ after all?” 

“No.” Rei kisses him on his temple. “I’m just too distracted. I could watch you for hours.”

“Hehe, like a stalker~?” Kanata yawns.

“Are you tired? You can rest. We had a long day and you even took care of me.”

“No… It’s still ‘early’ to go to bed. I want to stay ‘up’ with you longer too.”

Rei smirks. “Oh? Stay up how?”

“Not like that, pervert~”

“You really have no ulterior motives? Then can you explain why you had lube and condoms in the convenience store bag?”

“I was ‘running’ low on my personal supply.” Kanata says as a matter of fact. “Since I was getting food anyway, I wanted to restock.” He blushes. “And besides, you aren’t ‘feeling’ well.”

“I’m feeling better now.” Rei leans his forehead against Kanata’s. “See?”

“Mm… I don’t want to ‘wear’ you out like earlier, or ‘stick it in' and push it.”

“If you’re so concerned,” Rei slips a hand between their torsos, stroking Kanata’s thigh, “you could ride me instead.”

Kanata blushes with a smile, looking down at the small movement of fingers.

“Or is that too much work?”

Giggling, Kanata looks back up to him before giving him a peck. “You’re never too much ‘work.’ ”

Rei scoots himself forward until he lies down at about the same time one of Kanata’s legs lifts over his waist. He’s given a few moments to adjust to a comfortable position before thigh meets thigh, body heat radiates into him, and forearms plant beside him.

“Fufu.” Rei slides his palms up both of Kanata’s sides when he leans over him. “They were fools not having you like this.”

Peck. “You’re the one who said you’d be ‘jealous’ if I showed off my back~” Kanata grinds his crotch against him with a sigh. “It would have been out of ‘character’ too.”

Rei’s hips lift with each rolling press. “I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that sort of thing anymore.”

“Mm.” Lowering his chest, Kanata slots his lips against his. It’s light, shallow—a reminder of their first kiss on camera. “I wonder~?” He repeats the light graze, pulling back in a shy manner, despite those lidded eyes suggesting anything but.

“Ah.” The silhouette of his dick grows as Rei walks his fingertips around his waist to Kanata’s lower back, tucking underneath the hem of his shirt. “You have the will to continue teasing me? After all the blue balling we’ve gone through the past few weeks…”

Kanata leans in again. “Hehe. No, just kidding~ I’m at my limit too.”

Rei’s hands roam over Kanata’s back, revisiting the beautiful line that is the curve of his spine with the tips of his digits. Kanata breaks his rhythm and grinds down just a little longer when Rei grazes his nails along it. He loves how he can feel each muscle tense, trembling slightly, until he eases into the touch with a slight shiver.

“Nn.”

Thank God or whatever phenomenon that led to the billions of years of evolution just for this. The respirations they both take, the feeling of soft, smooth skin, the fact they reproduce sexually, with the reminder growing more present between them…

Rei’s hands drift back down, grabbing a hold of Kanata’s ass and giving him a soft squish.

“Ah~” A bit of saliva disappears.

“You never told me back then.” Peck. “How you wanted to feel me.”

“Wasn’t it ‘obvious’?” Kanata kisses him one last time, then pushes off of his arms and sits his cheeks more on him. His hands move to plant behind him as support. “I ‘wanted’ you here.” He slowly grinds against him, squishing his fingers in return.

It’s a stark contrast to the natural light of a sunrise. What feathers into him as a rim light is nothing but an illusion of color, a set of pixels from behind him that cast a light blue hue. It almost blends into his hair, like he had emerged from the screen to drown him deeper and deeper into pleasure.

“I wanted you to ‘fuck’ me,” Kanata breathes, “wanted you to come inside like a little ‘secret’…” A noticeable twitch happens at the front of his pants with a thrust of his hips.

Rei narrows his eyes at him, moving to grab Kanata’s hips. As he sinks down into him, Rei guides him into the buck of his hips, drawing out the motion as he lifts the both of them centimeters off of the mattress.

“Ah…” Kanata leans off of his hands when Rei settles back down. Ziiip. He lets out a sigh when his cock springs out of its stricter confinement, tip prodding against a damp spot of his underwear. After he pulls both pieces of clothing down to his thighs, he walks his knees off to Rei’s side, bringing his legs closer, to completely take them off.

Quickly grabbing his zipper, Rei gets rid of his own clothes, before Kanata can take off his shirt and walk himself back to hover in position again.

“So you wanted me raw and dry?” Rei whistles. “Like now?”

“Oh, hehe,” Kanata laughs in a cute blush. Leaning over to the side of the bed, he rummages for the lube and condoms in the store bag, nudging aside an extra rice ball. And before he can upright himself, he moans when Rei gives him a playful slap of the ass. “Mm, be careful with my ‘goods,’ Rei~”

“Sorry,” Rei smiles, rubbing the pinker cheek in a soothing circle. He watches Kanata dress him with the condom and apply a generous amount of lube on it. When it runs down his length and reaches his pubic hair, the coolness feels more noticeable, but he’s warmed right back up with an accompanying massage.

The excess lube is then scooped up by Kanata’s fingers up to his rim. It’s quick and dirty; he slathers it, slipping a finger inside for a few squelches, then shoves his second finger in for just as long before pulling out. “Hah…”

Rei can’t even comment on how fast of a prep it is when Kanata grabs him by the base, angling his head to prod at his entrance only twice, before warmth consumes him.

“Fuck.” “Yes~”

Opening his eyes after realizing he’s squeezed them shut, Rei sees Kanata throw his head back. His Adam's apple bobs when he swallows, and he slowly tilts his way back to neutral, looking down at him with a blissful smile.

The way Kanata grips him feels looser than he expected with such rushed fingering, but not as loose as if he had made love to one of his other boyfriends prior. “Heh, did you touch yourself in the shower?”

Kanata slides his slick hands onto his torso. “I thought you would be ‘out’ longer.” He rocks once, slowly bounces, then rocks some more. “Mm, ah, I ‘needed’ it… Was that bad of me~?”

“Was that the only place you played with?” Rei reaches to lightly wrap his hand around Kanata’s cock, and he feels a small clench in response.

“No, ther-” Kanata interrupts himself with a gasp interlaced with that high-pitched moan of his. “There too, there!  ” His hands slide back down to Rei’s tummy, off of him to plant behind as support again.

“Haha.” Rei tries to angle himself to help hit the spot Kanata just found. “And your chest?”

“Ah, nn, the water…” Slick, slick. “When it ran down my body, hah, felt good enough.”

“Then you’re not as bad~” Rei starts to make longer strokes. “But still pretty naughty.”

The way Kanata mewls makes him throb hard inside of him. Oh how he missed these little noises of his. Unrestrained, cuter, more obscene than the ones he let out during their scene together. Rei licks his lips, gradually increasing the speed of his hand.

“Rei, mm, Rei…”

Kanata’s mouth parts with a series of pants, dropping his hips to match the pace Rei sets with his strokes. The slap of skin on skin grows louder with each of his bounces. His thigh muscles tense, pulsing in their strain, burning in their stretch. The sound of their contact disappears in a lull when he settles into his descent, rotating his hips counter-clockwise against him, moaning a whimper like a yawn that accompanies a shaky morning stretch.

Rei chuckles into his own moan, flipping the grip of his hand.

“Ah, ah, yes~” The base of Rei’s cock is squeezed tighter as Kanata goes rigid. He feels Kanata’s nails graze the insides of his legs when they retract to grasp the bed sheets between them. “W-Wait~ No! Ah, nn!” His feet point inwards, outwards, creating gaps between each toe with a stretch.

Rei focuses his attention on Kanata’s head, jerking him loosely in a tease. “Hm? Which is it now?”

Kanata breathes rapidly, scrunching his face. His cock bounces against Rei’s hand when the pad of his thumb flicks under his dick. “I just don’t…” he pants, opening his eyes for a moment to somewhere far away. He relaxes only to clench down again. “Don’t wanna ‘come,’ hah, so soon, mm, and have it end…”

Rei completely lets go of Kanata’s cock, grabbing him by his hips and flipping him over. 

“Ah~?!” Kanata’s arms splay out to the sides. “Mm!” Peck, peck.

“Go ahead.” Rei exhales, kissing him again. His abs relax more when he moves to plant his hands on the mattress. He ruts deeply inside, finding that particular angle again, and swallows another of his moans.

“Rei…” Kanata gasps, moving to sift fingers through the back of his hair.

“I won’t let it end so soon.” Peck. “So let it out, come as you like.” Rei brings his hips back, thrusting hard and fast to bring Kanata up to the edge again. Slick, slick, slick.

“Mm, mm!” Legs wrap around his waist, tilting the angle of his entry. He readjusts. “Nn~!” And he drives himself in and out of the twitching ring around his cock until he hears a beautiful melody cried into his ears. 

“Come- Coming, coming!”

Rei fucks him throughout his orgasm, pressing his chest against him and keeping him from squirming away from the elongated grazes of his prostate. Kanata’s breaths fight against him, coming out short, hiccup-y, warm on his neck. Cum spurts between their bodies. The back of Kanata’s heels tremble, his fingers curl around strands of his hair, and he clenches him in short and long beats.

Feeling the arrival of his own turn coming, Rei bites his lip, slowing his thrust to a short rock of the hips. He maintains as much of the same angle as he can, gently grazing himself in time with each wave that sweeps throughout Kanata’s body. He swallows, listening to the hitch of Kanata’s breath. “Hah, hah, hah…!” There’s a final long beat of a clench, and then the grip on his dick relaxes.

“Mm…” 

Rei lifts his head to gaze into Kanata’s teary eyes before he dips his head lower. He licks his top lip, nibbles on the bottom, and he tugs with teeth seconds after. All the while, Kanata’s hands drag downwards on his scalp, running down the sweat on his neck to cradle his shoulders, then to rest on his lower back.

“Further.” Peck. “Further down,” Rei exhales. “Prep me.”

Kanata’s breath mingles with his. “Prep?”

There’s a twitch of Kanata’s cock that makes Rei smirk. “I said I won’t let it end so soon.”

“But will you be…?”

“You doubt my strength even after that?” Rei giggles and kisses him, resting his forehead on his as a further persuasion. “I want you to make me come too.”

“Hm?” Kanata’s eyes look down between them, realizing Rei’s persistent state. “Hehe. Maybe you’re the ‘naughty’ one.” He grins. And despite the slight shake of his head, he lowers his legs for his fingers to reach Rei’s cheeks. 

Moaning with the stretch of his rim, Rei replies, “I am a demon, after all. Ah-”

Kanata slips his tongue in his mouth while his fingers gently massage him apart. He pulls skin taut, releases after a second or two, then starts to pull again. After each repetition, he encourages him to grind against him, keeping the pit of his core warm while he’s still inside Kanata’s body.

Eventually Kanata parts from his face, looking over behind him, near his pillow at the headboard.

“Hm?” It comes out of Rei more like a whine.

“I need to ‘get’ the lube.” Kanata rests his head back down. “Unless you want me ‘raw’ and ‘dry’?~”

“Oh,” Rei chuckles with the familiar line. “Well…” He slips a hand between them, stroking Kanata’s half-hard dick upwards and scooping what’s on his stomach before he reaches behind towards his ass. “Maybe raw’s fine.” His fingers coat a bit of Kanata’s as he slathers it on his entrance. “There, lube.”

“Mm, like I said. ‘Naughty.’ ” Kanata grins.

Rei happily moans again in their kiss, rocking forward against Kanata’s body and backward against the prod of his fingers. He shivers when a knuckle breaches him, tugging on skin from the inside. Another digit soon follows, and then another. He finds himself rocking back more and more until the sensation leaves him.

Peck. “How do you ‘want’ me?”

Rei doesn’t need to think. “Like earlier.” He pulls out of Kanata with an exhale, rests on his knees for only a moment before he sits on his ass and scoots back toward the headboard. Slipping his condom off, he begins to twist and tie it (before realizing he doesn’t need to), then disposes of it. And after finally lying back down, he spreads his legs for Kanata.

It’s a sequel of visuals. The blue hue returns to act as Kanata’s backlight when he slots himself into position. “Ready?”

Rei hums, taking a few breaths.

On his third exhale, the pressure at his rim gives way for Kanata to enter and stretch him smoothly. He lingers, letting him get used to the size before he licks his lips. “Don’t say I ‘wore’ you out or ‘pushed’ you afterwards.”

“Mhm~”

Kanata isn’t fully hard with the first few thrusts, but that quickly changes. As he settles into his own pace, the press of Rei’s prostate grows firmer, making him groan.

“Ah, nngh…”

There’s a somewhat infuriating thing about having sex with Kanata as a bottom—in a good way. It’s a battle between anticipation and letting go. He fucks you as he likes, and you’re grateful for each roll of hips that happen to match with your desires. But you could be kept at the edge of an orgasm for eternity, find yourself coming nonstop, or just become lost in time, kindling a fire that never seems to die.

That’s not to say he flat out doesn’t listen to requests; he’s still a benevolent and attentive lover. But for the four of them that know him intimately like this… they tend to indulge him in his ways.

But then again, begging works to be heard.

“F-Faster. Nn…” Rei moans. “Kanata, faster, please.”

“Mm?” He kisses him. “You can ‘go ahead’ first, if you’d like.”

Rei pouts. “No… I want to come with you, not my hand.” And the moment it’s uttered, he thinks he should’ve worded his wish a little better.

He feels his face warm in anticipation—a bit of fear—despite the way Kanata serenely voices his “Okay~”

He pounds him as he asked, spreading his legs apart and towards his chest to the limits of his hamstrings. Fuck. O-Oh, fuck. His heart thumps against his chest, his thighs. He sucks in air, throwing his head back.

Kanata’s pants grow closer and closer, gathering on his neck. He’s kissed, sucked, and then licked from one side to another. The hands on his legs shift to his hips when Kanata starts to press his torso against his, and Rei’s own hands wrap around his back, as do his legs around his waist.

“Kanataaa…!”

It’s so much, it’s-

Rei seizes against the press of Kanata’s chest, coming hard against his relentless thrusts. The waves of pleasure clash with each graze of his prostate, and each new wave that gets birthed are like oscillations that refuse to synchronize—taking away the coherence of his babbles, leaving his hands weak.

Face heated, he keeps his eyes squeezed tight. His legs’ grip on Kanata’s waist slips with each slap of skin, each hot exhale that further warms his face.

“Ka- Ah…! Nn!” The pitch of his own voice is unrecognizable. His heart pounds in a way that defies death. He’s melting.

Kanata kisses him like he’s the one who contracted a fever. It’s desperate, sloppy, deep. His tongue fucks his mouth as if it’s not enough between their bodies.

“More, just a little more.” Kanata pants without that drawl of an aloof god. “Close, so close.”

So Rei accepts it. He receives all of Kanata’s pleasure his meager vessel of a body can take. He’s lightheaded, seeing spots, but he’s with an almost spiritual awareness of all the individual sensations firing off from within.

Inside of him feels like putty. So sensitive. So good, so sore. There’s a cramp-like twitch that he thinks might be another orgasm, or the remnant of his first. He can’t tell—it’s all too otherworldly.

A deep thrust, and Kanata collapses on top of him, whimpering against his ear and rutting painfully close against his entrance. He bucks into him with a satisfied whine and finally settles down, heart beating at the same frantic pace as his own.

Feeling that graze of a breath against his neck, Rei’s fingertips twitch on top of Kanata’s back. He’s fucked so loose. He can feel the pulses, the cum leaking out of Kanata, pooling at his tip.

Rei moans, satisfied within their stillness. And yet, his cock twitches with that taste of contentment, lingering arousal swirling in his face and core.

Kanata starts to gather his strength in his hands to lift off of him, but Rei holds him close. His jelly-like legs wrap around Kanata’s waist once more, settling comfortably with a roll of his hips. Mm…

Rei rocks once more, smearing himself against the bottom of Kanata’s stomach.

Kanata exhales a laugh-like breath, letting himself fully relax against him. His skin presses against Rei’s dick like a warm hug and Rei thrusts into it. His bucks, shallow as they may be, manage to squeeze out another small orgasm from him, pooling and smearing more of his cum against Kanata.

Rei sighs, riding the last tiny waves of pleasure that flow out of him. And with the pulses of his dick slowing down, he feels the haze of lust part from his body, welcoming the feeling of sleepiness instead.

Kanata, finally being able to lift from Rei, smiles down at him, blinking against a strand of hair that always seems to appear when damp.

It brushes against Rei’s forehead when Kanata kisses him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Rei pecks Kanata back. And before he’s dragged off to the land of slumber, he asks with a light chuckle, “When can we do this next?”

“Hmm~? Well, we can ‘coordinate’ it~”

 

 

———

 

 

An elderly voice starts to narrate a tale of yore, passed along from father to father, sister to sister, wolf to man.

A crash of waves, the jingle of wind chimes, laughter of children accompany footage of scenic shots—of a beach, of a village, a forest.

The old man continues, revealing more of the tale… A tale of love that blossomed between gods from long ago.

“ ‘Man, why is it always in the boonies?’ ” Mao’s voice cuts in abruptly.

An upbeat, catchy melody with a female vocalist plays, as the perspective cuts to one of Mao defeatedly staring at a map. A few kanji appear next to him in front of the countryside background.

“ ‘Never thought I’d be bumping into you again…’ ”

There’s another cut to Ritsu holding a bike near a wooden sign, mouth parted in surprise. More kanji stylishly appear next to him on both sides.

A montage of out-of-context footage plays featuring the two of them before it cuts to black and a sentence that reads: Another face they haven’t seen since childhood…

“ ‘Hey.’ ” Izumi sheepishly greets, holding a hand up in greeting. Kanji starts forming at his palm and trails down to his elbow.

Mao and Ritsu’s voices overlap as they shout, “ ‘Mitsuki!?’ ”

What will become of these reincarnated gods?

“ ‘Wait. My hair used to be blue?’ ” Mao lifts his head from a sink after he washes his face, eyes snapping to the reflection of Kanata behind him. He’s standing next to Ritsu in front of a shrine when the latter half of his line is voiced. “ ‘And long?!’ ”

Ritsu deadpans, turning his attention from who they were both looking at. “ ‘ That’s what you gleaned from the old man’s exposition dump?’ ”

The screen then transitions to a still of a colored backdrop, with the promotional poster and the cover of the first volume of the adapted manga. A few lines give credit where it’s due.

Then, Izumi voices his line over a shot of Koga crying outside of a screen door, squatting with bloodied hands covering his mouth. “ ‘I never meant to be the one to drive us all apart. I… loved you. Both of you.’ ”

Suddenly, it’s silent. The screen goes black for a brief moment, before the sound of waves and the sound of wind chimes ripple through.

Koga irritatedly peeks from behind a tree, ears twitching.

The waves recede from Kanata’s bare feet, then the perspective steps back into a faraway shot of him looking out at sea.

As the golden rays creep into frame, sand compacts under footsteps and Kanata’s face becomes the focus when he shifts to look at the source of the sound.

Rei is smiling, and he holds out a shell.

STREAMING SOON. The release date slowly fades in from the black screen and then the screen shifts to one final list of names.

Clap, clap, clap. The studio’s audience congratulates the exciting conclusion of the trailer-viewing as well as Rei, Kanata, and their show’s host.

“That was the teaser of ‘Ungodly Whims’! Well? How was it, everyone? Was it to your expectations? I’m certainly excited!”

There’s a couple of cheers from their audience.

“Like Rei said… We are ‘playing’ supporting characters, but if we manage to get you to ‘fall’ for them in the time they’re on screen, we would be very happy.”

“I’m sure with your performances, it’d be easy to!” the host says. “Now before we go, we can squeeze a few last comments, if you have any?”

Rei and Kanata look at each other before breaking into a smile.

“Well…” Rei thinks his eyes may be a tad flirty, but he continues. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked on this project—it was a lot of fun. Although it was a little hard at times, it was nice that everyone involved was so passionate. And it also helped that we are close friends, aren’t we, Kanata?”

“Mhm~ I found that our ‘offscreen chemistry’  was a good foundation for the portrayal of the characters.” Kanata giggles.

“Aw, how sweet! That’s what we like to hear.” The host sighs amicably. “I would love to get into how far back your history goes and all—but oh! That’s all we have time for. Be sure to check out Sakuma Rei, Shinkai Kanata, and Oogami Koga as predecessors to the characters of Sakuma Ritsu, Isara Mao, and Sena Izumi in their upcoming drama! Thank you guys, and thank you all!”

And the three of them wave goodbye.

 

 

 

Love @Shiralovely

     Ahhhh!!!! It looks so good??? I can’t wait to post my thoughts as I watch T^T Feel free to mute me then!!