dumbshow | i have cut to the feeling on repeat

[gaze....... he shrugs. you would think that, and yet??]

He's subtle. Sometimes it's scary...

[he fiddles with his phone a bit more while Joe looks for the remote. he doesn't have any more texts to s—aw fuck.]

We didn't ask him to give Yamato that awful drink. Think it'll be better or worse to drink in the morning?

Better. So much better in the morning.

[ that's not terrifying at all, is it? joe actually chuckles and casually tosses the remote onto the space on the bed between them. at least he's not dangling it in his face? that's an improvement, right? ]

I'm giving you the ultimate control here, Dai. Pick something to watch~

Why? You're not gonna watch it.

[he chuckles as he says this and picks up the remote anyway, but... be real... also: realizing he said this out loud. oops.]

I mean... w-what's even on late night TV?

[ listen he could just be implying that joe's glasses are off and he's going to sleep. he did give gentleman's honor.... ]

Eh. Lots of anti-balding products.

[ he sounds like he knows these late night advertisements quite well. falling asleep to background noise and all that jazz.

oops he's playing with that hoodie string again. just cut his hand off, it'd be better. ]

Old people can't even stay up that late...

[duh, that's totally the truth. Daichi flips through some channels... commercial, commercial, movie that started 30 minutes ago, commercial...]

Man, I wish I had a TV in my room.

[off topic but okay Daichi. he says nothing about strings and in fact just scoots closer to Joe automatically, while still engrossed in his channel skimming. see how cool he is? there's no reason for all this space between them.]

[ the coolest.

joe is starting to realize that daichi is actually a lot calmer about this then he originally gave him credit for. then again, he's an eighteen year old guy, not some fair maiden that's never touched someone's hand before. ]

You're right. My bedtime is promptly nine.

[ what a joker!! if daichi is scooting closer he'll drop the strings and instead hook his arm around his shoulders. that's quality comfort. ]

And why not? Your parents against fun?

Well, my grades already aren't, uh, great, and apparently watching TV is mind poison. Or something. The grades part is fair enough...

[he'd study even less with a personal tv? maybe the reason his parents believe him every time he says he's studying somewhere is because they have hope.

anyway, he's definitely nervous because he's generously imagined all kinds of sharing the bed with a cute special someone scenarios, not because he deeply values his hand touching chastity. although the older dude element is a new development and he has to re-think all of his dumb teenage fantasies.

not right now. he'll save that for some other time. he's very comfortable slouching against Joe in a new and interesting location.]

[ the crisis can happen on your own time, daichi. joe isn't sure he's well-equipped to handle that at this hour. ]

I can tell you what my GPA was to make you feel better~

[ that's terrifying. but joe is employed at an international business company so it can't be all that bad? like foreign trade, that's gotta be some kinds of smart. right? right.

the fidgeting hand hasn't stopped, just relocated from strings to absently rubbing half-circles against daichi's forearm. ]

From like forever ago? I'll pass.

[old man!! his grades aren't the worst ever, okay, just not that great.

Joe probably isn't well-equipped to handle anybody's "gayer than I previously thought" epiphanies at any time, but it will be short-lived since they already made out on the couch. that's all the experience Daichi has to his name now... it's hard to argue with.

but he's relaxing here, at his incomprehensible Daichi pace. the touch against his arm is nice, and for a moment he lapses into thoughtful silence. not about grades—]

Um- hey, Joe... I know it's kinda, sorta really obvious by now but I didn't say it and I feel like I probably should? Uh— [Daichi.] Well, I really like you. There.

[ ...........

there's a long stretch of silence. and then joe just laughs, tilting his head so that he can muffle the noise into daichi's hair. his entire body is shaking from the peels of laughter but he can't stop himself. what in the fucking fuck? ]

Geez, I had no idea. Thanks for that enlightenment~

[ i fucking hate tildes. either way, joe is still laughing into daichi's hair, the sound tapering off as he smiles and presses a chaste kiss to the hair instead. ]

[wow, both of these actions are as obnoxiously Joe(tm) as possible. let him have his actual confession! let him have this!! he needs at least one cliche.

he articulates all this by dropping the remote and sputtering out a protest against all that laughing, but he doesn't try to shove Joe's face away from him this time. if he wasn't laughing at Daichi's perfectly normal confession, this would be kind of adorable...]

Oh, come on. One of us had to say it. [that's the rule?] I should've known it'd be me.

[he's so Mature.]

Thought we skipped that step when you asked if you could call me your boyfriend.

[ he's trying not to combust into laughter again. he really does appreciate daichi's eagerness to do this right. it's reassuring as hell and joe should probably tell him that but he doesn't. when you're a cool dude that doesn't take many things seriously you probably shouldn't go around telling people you have a lot of self doubt. maybe not about yourself but how others value and perceive you.

anyway. ]

Heh~ Do you want to hear me say it back? [ it's a half-chuckle against his ear. right against his goddamn ear. ]

[right this second he perceives Joe as a punk—no. maybe a little. Daichi who waits until late night tv cuddling in bed to say "I like you" has enough fumbling over words to get over on his own, but for all Joe's (honestly very bizarre) quirks, he does appreciate him. one day he'll use his grown up words to say it.

anyway grumble mumble don't call him out, bad boyfriend, etc.]

No. Yes. Not if you're just making fun of me. [he turns his head just barely, to save his innocent ear and give Joe a great, badly-angled look.] I know you do, but... y'know.

[#sap]

[ he knows? what does he know, daichi? that you're sappier than him? that you're bad at words? that he's also bad at words?

joe lets daichi's ear escape, just to save them both some embarrassment. it's short-lived, though, because joe is reaching for daichi's hand to clasp in his own. it's pretty innocuous at first but then he lifts them up in the air and has the audacity to kiss the back of it, eyes shutting. ]

I know.

[all of the above? what Joe actually does isn't the "yes Daichi I like you too" he was... expecting? anticipating? but just this once he'll let Joe get away with being unnecessarily roundabout. it's just...

well it's embarrassing, but this incredibly romantic surprise hand kiss makes his heart all but flip over entirely. is he blushing again? maybe it's not obvious.

either way, he doesn't actually say anything. there's a few beats of silence before he tugs his hand away from Joe's so he can touch his cheek, first just his fingertips then cupping his jaw while he leans in to kiss him properly.

so everyone knows everything, amazing.]

[ daichi, making out on a bed is scandalous. you never know what's going to happen.

joe, for once, doesn't say something to ruin the moment. there's no hearty chuckle or fiddling with strings or fries. all there is is a slight quirk of a smile against daichi's lips as he returns the kiss. just as properly. it's gentle as fuck, slow, almost reverent.

the neglected hand begins to softly trace a line down daichi's spine. ]

[hey, this is chaste. probably. he's not trying to get wild, just express his many soft feelings. earlier felt mostly like fumbling around - good fumbling, dont get him wrong, 10/10 would make out with again - but there's a definite seriousness behind this kiss that draws him in even further. the touch against his spine makes him shiver and he's not even embarrassed by that, pressing his whole... everything more insistently into the kiss.

so he's really into Joe? that's the lesson we're learning again, here. he can even keep this up for longer, until he blindly puts his other hand down on the remote and abruptly changes the channel to something much louder and bonks his forehead into Joe's face in surprise.

nice one, Daichi.]

Uh—s-sorry. So... yeah.

[ wow. that's not even surprising.

the bonk hurts briefly, sharp and then dull pain that ebbs away fairly quickly. joe flinches and instantly rubs his forehead. and he's laughing. so he isn't upset, that's good. it'd be surprising if he were, considering how clumsy he is and how much trouble he's caused for daichi since they've met each other. ]

We're gonna need to practice your aim.

[ look, he's smiling and even daring to curl his fingers into the fabric of the hoodie at the small of daichi's back. ]

[Daichi deserves the laugh, this time... he frowns - okay he pouts, he's pouting, moving his hand from Joe's face to rest at the back of his neck. he supposes that went about as well as it could, even if he Daichi'd it up.

so—well first he looks down to fumble for the volume control on the remote and turn it down, god, no more of that. then it's back to getting wrapped up in his feelings and, well, Joe. thankfully they're both warm and comfortable, although the reality of liking someone who actually likes him in return is going to be a fresh surprise every so often for a little while. wow. a whole relationship.]

I've got great aim where it counts. [kissing, he means. the smooching.] You distracted me.

And you took it out on the poor remote? For shame.

[ he's aware he's being a complete goober right now but that's just his brand. trademark that shit. joe does that whole spine thing again, because he's fully aware of what distracted daichi. honestly, he doesn't mind it at all and it wouldn't be daichi if things went perfectly. it wouldn't be him, either, if he's being honest with himself. but the realization that things are still going well, that daichi isn't rethinking it because of a few hiccups, is great news.

speaking of great things - ]

You distracted me first~

[ jesus christ. ]

[everything Daichi does is a hiccup eventually; he'd probably be more concerned if things were going flawlessly, waiting for the other shoe to drop. that "just kidding, fun joke though right?" so on some level it's much better that Joe keeps messing with him and he keeps providing fun prop-based humor.

he hums low, very scolding except that it isn't at all, idly playing with the ends of Joe's hair.]

Because you carried me in here. I dunno, man, I think I'm winning this one.

[ that's okay. daichi is going to learn very quickly that joe tends to sort-of-melt whenever his hair is touched. it's not very obvious and it's as melty as someone like joe can visibly be, but he looks instantly relaxed and much less animated. ]

It's a competition now, huh?

[ no. don't, joe. don't - ]

All right. [ final last words? too late he's going to (gently) grab daichi's chin and drag him in for another awe-inspiring kiss. ]

[ah, the hair touching power he now holds. as much as he notices, which might take a little while, but he likes doing it anyway.]

Well—

[not really? no? but he won't say no to being pulled into another kiss, giving up on the rest of what he was going to say to just hum against his lips. yeah, that's awesome, keep it up. he gets a smooch and dissolves like the sap he is.]

[ he's the best, he knows. you don't need to tell him that

but this is worse than joe first thought. daichi really is a hopeless romantic. and by worse he means the best. the absolute best.

the hand on daichi's back will continue its trek, up and down, until he has the gumption to skirt fingertips along the hem of the back of the hoodie. how bold! how daring! ]

[so bold! so intimate! Daichi hums again, somehow finding a fraction of space left between them that he needs to lean further to compensate for. he has no objection to that wandering hand...

just don't make any real sudden movements because he's sensitive?]

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