One Shot ~ There's only one answer
Michieda Shunsuke's beauty is strikingly mesmerizing at Music Station TV program.
Meguro Ren is in trouble. Especially because he hasn't realized it's 1st April 2022.
Meguro Ren cannot really say he's the impulsive type, quite rather the contrary.
But ever since his destiny has crossed with the one belonging to a tender kohai of his who goes under the name of Michieda Shunsuke, he's indeed started doing things on impulse.
Trivial things, if anyone had to point out. Things that any senpai would do, he reckons. But still, they seem to be various things that, once Koji started randomly listing aloud to him one day in the dressing room, have apparently become a series of not so completely trivial details anymore.
That day, he had promptly filed them away for future better judgement, but even he himself cannot deny such a list has suddenly made him rather self-conscious and review all his instincts have done while his brain wasn't properly paying attention.
Like, buying Michieda congratulatory presents.
- But the boy deserved them... -
Sending him texts just to make sure he's arrived safely at home in Osaka or at the hotel room he's staying in Tokyo.
- But it's just normal to worry about a teenage innocent soul after all, isn't it?
Sharing with him pictures of his beloved sky carpeted with stars.
- But Michieda's eyes seemed to sparkle exactly like those stars whenever he mentioned them, so... -
Starting out long written conversations or endless phone calls with Michieda, right when Meguro himself is the last person on Planet Earth wishing to pester people with his presence or social needs.
- But they vibe off well, and he honestly cannot remember when was the last time he's had a friendship that makes him feel so naturally at ease whatever the time and place and -
Right now, he's mentally reviewing the list again while sitting with his band members at the Music Station TV show; as he watches the Naniwa Danshi boys perform the impressive choreography of their upcoming music single "The Answer", Meguro is at a loss.
He's having another brand new impulsive desire. A totally improper, lewd and lustful thought. Something he definitely cannot and will not do, for the sake of so many people around him.
He cannot. He absolutely cannot jump on stage and snatch the boy away. An underage boy, also.
He has to resist. He absolutely has to.
**
When the show is over, Meguro is almost glad that, unlike the last time that Snow Man and Naniwa Danshi attended Music Station together at Christmas Eve, there have been no chances of interacting directly with the Kansay boys on screen, this time.
He's not sure his usually unbothered attitude would have made it safely, after all.
His heart -yeah, he has to admit the culprit is his heart- is still pounding a bit too loudly secluded in his chest, while his breath has not gone to its completely regular way yet.
He cannot put the blame on Michieda Shunsuke, either, even though it's his beauty the reason why.
The surreal, graceful, captivating, genderless and breath-taking beauty of his features and gestures that the recent performance have all but enhanced at an almost unbearable level.
And he's glad -oh, so glad- that while on their way back to the dressing room Koji has been boasting non-stop about his lovely Kansai boys so loudly, beside him, that he himself doesn't even have to pretend to pay him attention, for his Osakan colleague would not notice anyway as of now.
"Micchiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!" Koji suddenly screams, diverting him -or maybe not too much- from his flow of consciousness.
"Ken-chan!! Kyohei!! You damn cuties!!" his colleague goes on, and Meguro can distinctly hear his own heart going quickly back to the noisy drum concert he had experienced not more than half an hour before, as he watches Koji literally run at the Naniwa Danshi members coming across them from the other end of the corridor.
As the Snow Man members politely greet and congratulate the younger Kansai colleagues, Meguro Ren would like to disappear and maybe pretend that Snow Man can be made up of eight people rather than nine, just for once and tonight only, he swears.
He doesn't know how to face Michieda's huge and innocent eyes, let alone fake a self-control he's totally unable to gain back.
He cannot.
"I'm so fuckin' proud of you, my boys!!!" Koji squeals in Osaka dialect, melting into Michieda's embrace as Nishihata Daigo and Onishi Ryusei patiently pat their senpai on his head.
As the chatter goes by, with the young idols showing Koji off their cool dark outfit like the guy has openly requested to, Meguro fails to register all the general details, as mesmerized as he is watching Michieda shine -just literally shine- right before him.
The shiny black cape gently swirling around him as he moves, always so gracefully.
Those shiny dark eyes gleaming with pure joy.
His shiny, plump, absurdly luscious cherry-red lips.
The shiny glee as the boy giggles with that incredible shy smile of his.
"Planet Earth calling Meme. Third call."
"Eh?"
Sakuma chuckles, a broad grin plastered on his face as Meguro turns to him.
"I'm sorry, you were saying?"
"I was saying to a spaced out Meguro Ren that a certain boy is so pretty and cool today that you should at least tell him, right?" Sakuma winks at him. "You cannot let Koji take all the credits, c'mon!"
"I don't-"
He can barely realize Sakuma patting him encouragingly on his shoulders as his colleague literally drags a complaining Raul away, inviting the latter to join their group members who have already excused themselves and are about to disappear at the end of the corridor.
Meguro is not exactly sure of what's happening when he hears Koji mention his own name, and all of sudden he's got eight pairs of Kansai eyes casted on him straight.
"Eh?"
"See? Whenever I tell you that Meme isn't all deep charming eyes and sexy looks?" Koji groans. "I swear he's mostly like that, which doesn't make him any less adorable, if you ask me. But anyway."
Koji draws closer to him, furrowing slightly.
"Don't you also have something to tell Micchi, by the way?"
"Ehh?"
"Oh my, what's with you today, Meme? You've been eeeeh-ing me even more than usual!"
"But I don't have... I haven't..."
He's fully conscious, even too conscious, of Michieda's eyes on him among the others, and all he can hope about is that Koji, whose arm is suddenly crushing his neck, won't hear the heartbeat whose pounding has reached his throat and ears.
"Meme, listen to me," Koji whispers, sounding almost like a conspirator. "You've been watching my boys' whole performance clenching your fists and biting your lips. I cannot tell -exactly- what's going on here, but I can at least fairly assume that Micchi -who is remarkably pretty today- did leave a strong impression on you once again. Am I wrong? Nee, you can tell Koji-niichan, c'mon..."
"I'm... I cannot-"
"Koji-senpai... it's actually me who has something to tell Meguro-senpai today, and not the other way round," Michieda's voice suddenly tweets, gentle and polite.
They both instinctively turn towards Michieda at the same moment, Koji dragging a nearly lifeless version of him.
"Eh?!" he can feel his voice echoing together with his colleague's, in disbelief.
Michieda bites his lip, bowing even more politely to the two of them.
He cannot help but keep thinking how he's looking astonishingly beautiful. A striking hot and damn temptation, right in front of him.
"I have something to tell Meguro-senpai... if I may," the young man repeats, cheeks rosy and glossy. So tempting.
"See?" Koji tells him, winking. "He may, right? Of course he may. I'm giving you permission so that he may, neee, Meme?"
He feels so shaken by Koji's definitely too near shrilling voice that he's unable to offer any coherent thought.
"We would also love to kidnap Koji-niichan for a while, to tell the truth," Nishihata's voice informs them, as polite and controlled as always.
When he looks at the Kansai boys, he thinks he can glimpse the young Onishi pout knowingly at their front man, but with Koji squealing impossibly loud right into the shell of his ear, there's nothing more certain and distracting in the world than his carefree cheerfulness.
Next moment Koji has relinquished his deadly grip around his neck and vanished with the six young Naniwa Danshi members, and there's only Michieda in sight, staring shyly at him just like he's staring -in a probably very stupid way- back at him.
A part of his brain registers they've been left alone, another one dares thinking he would like to drag him somewhere to get the chance to talk and look at him impudently and endlessly, but... that's not like him.
He should behave, even when his mind has gone totally blank while staring at a young underage boy.
"Michieda-kun, er..."
"I... I just wanted to say... that starting today, I'm not underage anymore," Michieda tweets, eyes proudly locked to his ones, despite the furious blush creeping up on the boy's cheeks.
EH?
He blinks stupidly, again.
Michieda. Underage. The new law. Not underage. Michieda. Informing him... as if...
Why, or even, how come their thoughts seem to connect always so naturally, as if...?
When he realizes he must have been staring back at Michieda -for long, too long- with his most idiotic facial expression ever, he also realizes it might be already too late. But he cannot fake feelings or emotions, he's never been able to.
Michieda is still observing him seriously, allowing him to take his time in that very polite way that makes his heart tumble double in his chest, no matter what.
"I'm..." he trails off, unable to form a decent phrasing. He's feeling happy for the boy and ashamed of himself at the same time, at fault for all the impudent thoughts he had been having before and that seem to cross his mind even more frequently now. Now that Michieda's beauty is all for him and no one else's.
He suddenly feels a gentle grip tugging at his forearm and next thing he knows is that Michieda is dragging him into the nearest empty room and closes the door behind them.
He's too surprised by the boy's unusually bold gesture to be surprised by the fact they're truly alone now, far from the endless chatter coming from the corridors, the only real noise he can hear being the turmoil of his own heart, still furious inside.
"Michieda-kun, I-"
"Do I look like a girl?" Michieda asks, a tinge of discomfort clear in his voice.
"Eh?"
"Please, Meguro-kun. Do I?"
"No! Absolutely not," he quickly replies, at a loss for understanding, furrowing openly. ''I mean... why should you?"
"These spiral braided bangs I've got, they're not exactly..." Michieda trails off, almost in a huff.
"Abe-chan wears them almost all the time, and Sakkun is not far from following his habit," he explains, “but anyway... they're awfully pretty on you," he lets out, swallowing hard.
Michieda's eyes on him widen enormously for an instant, and then the boy chews his lips and looks away, fairly embarrassed.
That's not what he wants, making him uncomfortable.
"I don't think I'd ever think of you as someone who simply looks like a girl," he goes on, suddenly desperate for some further explanation. "That's not the reason why I cannot tear my eyes away from you, anyway. Because what I see in front of me is a gorgeous Michieda-kun."
He blinks himself, wondering whether he's said too much, if he's gone definitely too far this time. Worrying whether the boy can grasp the despicable interest he's got for him, judging from those narrowing eyes.
And exactly because it doesn't make sense to him either, he can't stop himself at all.
"It's true that I... I've only been half or vaguely aware so far. But the moment I saw you today, my insides twisted in a way that..."
He shakes his head.
"I'm sorry I might sound confusing, or even nasty. But I'm... I'm... attracted to you. Gosh, yes, I am."
"Eh?"
Their eyes meet, and Michieda's are huge, innocent, amazingly deep. Piercing inside the avalanche of emotions he cannot keep in place anymore.
"I'm emotionally, psychologically and also physically attracted to you," he blurts out. "To you as Michieda Shunsuke, as the guy you are. I know it's no good, but that's the truth. And... and I would love to..."
He stares again. Michieda is no less confused or shocked than he himself is, but he doesn't falter.
And the impulse, yeah, the impulse is menacing him again.
So astonishingly beautiful, he is. That lip gloss, his combed hair, those doe eyes. Those plush lips, slightly parted in surprise.
He shouldn't act on impulse. He shouldn't act rudely and disrespectfully.
Lips he cannot look away from.
And in the end, he does.
He steps forward, closing the distance between them.
Michieda blinks twice.
It's the last thing he sees, before he closes his lids and leans down to brush the boy's lips with his own, and pulls immediately back, not daring touching him anywhere else with his hands.
It’s the first thing he sees again, Michieda’s beautiful eyelashes fluttering in utter confusion.
"Is it... an April fool?" he can hear the boy's trembling voice ask.
"Eh?"
That's not the reply he's expecting. Not at all.
It's so unpredictable, dealing with him. So thrilling, at the same time, with that Kansai spirit popping up when one would least expect it.
"Do you want it to be?" he finds himself asking instead, in a rather husky voice.
He can see him bite his lips, and it's so absurdly cute he cannot help but grin softly.
"Kindaichi-kun would say there is only one truth," Michieda confesses, not looking at him.
"Which one? Wouldn't you tell me?"
He can see him shyly shake his head.
"I'm not willing to tell you," Michieda retorts in a small but steady voice, "... but I'm willing to show you."
"Please show me, then," he kindly encourages him.
It's another gentle peck on the mouth, what Michieda offers him, fleeting and shy, and he's so surprised he nearly gasps.
When Michieda pulls back, the only thing he manages to notice is how the lip gloss on the boy's mouth is not shiny anymore, gone matte after the contact with his own mouth.
The thought alone drives him crazy, while a swarm of something hot is pooling up into his stomach straight.
He wants to kiss him again. Kiss him more, lick his lips. Possibly taste him.
He shakes his head, not believing his own thoughts.
"Was it not good?" Michieda has the courage to ask, making him widen his eyes.
"What? No, I-... it's just that I do not know how to..."
That's not true. He actually knows how to. He's just chickening out. And he doesn't want to. Not here and now.
He wants...
He cups Michieda's cheek with one trembling hand, the other one raising further up to tuck away a rebel strand of that neatly combed hair.
He leans to meet Michieda's red lips, without pulling back this time. It's soft, softer than he could ever imagine, and the boy's light breath tickles him in an agonizing way. He captures his upper lip with his parted mouth, having him gasp faintly.
He likes it. There’s the chance they both do. He presses in, angling better.
He doesn't expect to feel Michieda's gloved hand behind his nape but it's welcome -oh so welcome- and it merely urges him to deepen the kiss, trying it out with his tongue.
It's early, too early to push things on him. And yet the tip of Michieda's tongue teases him as if reading his mind and his mouth opens just as easily, soft and wet for him to access cautiously.
As he tentatively licks the seam of Michieda's lips and the latter tries out how to suckle at his curious tongue best, a jolt of sheer pleasure hits and invades him thoroughly, making it seriously difficult to think straight, pull back even less.
Even so, there must be some part of his brain mercifully spared from the madness of the moment, a part which keeps repeating him he's making out -not furiously yet, but it might be just a matter of time- with Michieda Shunsuke in the spare room of some television studios.
He groans feebly when he forces himself to pull back, panting slightly.
Michieda's eyes are staring at him, a thousand sparkles nestled beyond them, so many like he had yet to see in the night sky he adores losing himself with.
I like you so much, he would like to say, but it's Michieda suddenly pronouncing those words on his behalf instead.
He cannot help but grin and bend again towards him, this time letting his forehead rest against the boy's, eyes closed and breath still heaving.
"Me too, I like you so much," he whispers to him, “sorry for not having told you sooner. Sorry for being this dull.”
“Uhm, nope… Meguro-kun could never be…”
“I guess I was just horribly scared of trading whatever thing was going on between us with something this risky,” he blurts out, suddenly realizing what he himself had yet to get into focus yet. “I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.”
“Same here,” Michieda tweets, “but I’m happy Meguro-kun decided to take the risk in the end…”
He smiles, relieved. He's never been happier to act on impulse and allow those impulses to take over him completely, for once.
"Ne, Meguro-kun… How about joining us for dinner? Koji-kun will also be there," Michieda asks him, fingers reaching down to thread with his own.
The boy’s gloved hand feels so small and tender into his. It feels as if it strangely belonged right there, and when he squeezes it, warmth radiates throughout the whole of him.
"Raul and the others will kill me if I do," he admits.
"Please tell them all to come along…,” Michieda precises. “Koji-kun is family. Meguro-kun is also family, now. All Snow Man members are, as well.”
He smirks, admitting to himself how there's really only one answer, after all.
The one coming from a certain boy's mouth.
He’ll have to learn a lot from him. They have time.
Notes:
The story refers to the modification operated last 1st April 2022 in Japanese Civil Code, with young people now becoming of age at 18 years old instead of 20. Meaning i.e. Snow Man's Raul turned 19 recently and he's of age now, just like Micchi is, despite the latter being one year older XD
Sorry for this belated fic. As you can easily guess, I started this out last 4th April after watching 1st April Music Station, but due to a few RL (super long) issues going on in the meantime, I only finished (rushed) writing it lately. And it’s embarrassing, considering how even Micchi’s Birthday came up in the meantime, several months later.
I hope you enjoy anyway. I also hope Micchi could have his best 20th Bday ever <3
Also, the kiss scene had me quite torn in writing it. I mean, according to his personality, I guess Meguro would never ever force a kiss on anyone, let alone someone like Micchi. And yet, I cannot blame him for stealing a kiss in this story, because Micchi looked so gorgeous and kissable and I told myself even someone like Meguro would not resist.
So. That's it. Sorry, Meguro-kun, I'm the only one to blame <3
Oops forgot the note about the title: it's obviously a pun/portmanteau of Micchi/Kindaichi's line "There's only one truth" and NaniDan's single "The Answer"
Meguro Ren is in trouble. Especially because he hasn't realized it's 1st April 2022.
Meguro Ren cannot really say he's the impulsive type, quite rather the contrary.
But ever since his destiny has crossed with the one belonging to a tender kohai of his who goes under the name of Michieda Shunsuke, he's indeed started doing things on impulse.
Trivial things, if anyone had to point out. Things that any senpai would do, he reckons. But still, they seem to be various things that, once Koji started randomly listing aloud to him one day in the dressing room, have apparently become a series of not so completely trivial details anymore.
That day, he had promptly filed them away for future better judgement, but even he himself cannot deny such a list has suddenly made him rather self-conscious and review all his instincts have done while his brain wasn't properly paying attention.
Like, buying Michieda congratulatory presents.
- But the boy deserved them... -
Sending him texts just to make sure he's arrived safely at home in Osaka or at the hotel room he's staying in Tokyo.
- But it's just normal to worry about a teenage innocent soul after all, isn't it?
Sharing with him pictures of his beloved sky carpeted with stars.
- But Michieda's eyes seemed to sparkle exactly like those stars whenever he mentioned them, so... -
Starting out long written conversations or endless phone calls with Michieda, right when Meguro himself is the last person on Planet Earth wishing to pester people with his presence or social needs.
- But they vibe off well, and he honestly cannot remember when was the last time he's had a friendship that makes him feel so naturally at ease whatever the time and place and -
Right now, he's mentally reviewing the list again while sitting with his band members at the Music Station TV show; as he watches the Naniwa Danshi boys perform the impressive choreography of their upcoming music single "The Answer", Meguro is at a loss.
He's having another brand new impulsive desire. A totally improper, lewd and lustful thought. Something he definitely cannot and will not do, for the sake of so many people around him.
He cannot. He absolutely cannot jump on stage and snatch the boy away. An underage boy, also.
He has to resist. He absolutely has to.
**
When the show is over, Meguro is almost glad that, unlike the last time that Snow Man and Naniwa Danshi attended Music Station together at Christmas Eve, there have been no chances of interacting directly with the Kansay boys on screen, this time.
He's not sure his usually unbothered attitude would have made it safely, after all.
His heart -yeah, he has to admit the culprit is his heart- is still pounding a bit too loudly secluded in his chest, while his breath has not gone to its completely regular way yet.
He cannot put the blame on Michieda Shunsuke, either, even though it's his beauty the reason why.
The surreal, graceful, captivating, genderless and breath-taking beauty of his features and gestures that the recent performance have all but enhanced at an almost unbearable level.
And he's glad -oh, so glad- that while on their way back to the dressing room Koji has been boasting non-stop about his lovely Kansai boys so loudly, beside him, that he himself doesn't even have to pretend to pay him attention, for his Osakan colleague would not notice anyway as of now.
"Micchiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!" Koji suddenly screams, diverting him -or maybe not too much- from his flow of consciousness.
"Ken-chan!! Kyohei!! You damn cuties!!" his colleague goes on, and Meguro can distinctly hear his own heart going quickly back to the noisy drum concert he had experienced not more than half an hour before, as he watches Koji literally run at the Naniwa Danshi members coming across them from the other end of the corridor.
As the Snow Man members politely greet and congratulate the younger Kansai colleagues, Meguro Ren would like to disappear and maybe pretend that Snow Man can be made up of eight people rather than nine, just for once and tonight only, he swears.
He doesn't know how to face Michieda's huge and innocent eyes, let alone fake a self-control he's totally unable to gain back.
He cannot.
"I'm so fuckin' proud of you, my boys!!!" Koji squeals in Osaka dialect, melting into Michieda's embrace as Nishihata Daigo and Onishi Ryusei patiently pat their senpai on his head.
As the chatter goes by, with the young idols showing Koji off their cool dark outfit like the guy has openly requested to, Meguro fails to register all the general details, as mesmerized as he is watching Michieda shine -just literally shine- right before him.
The shiny black cape gently swirling around him as he moves, always so gracefully.
Those shiny dark eyes gleaming with pure joy.
His shiny, plump, absurdly luscious cherry-red lips.
The shiny glee as the boy giggles with that incredible shy smile of his.
"Planet Earth calling Meme. Third call."
"Eh?"
Sakuma chuckles, a broad grin plastered on his face as Meguro turns to him.
"I'm sorry, you were saying?"
"I was saying to a spaced out Meguro Ren that a certain boy is so pretty and cool today that you should at least tell him, right?" Sakuma winks at him. "You cannot let Koji take all the credits, c'mon!"
"I don't-"
He can barely realize Sakuma patting him encouragingly on his shoulders as his colleague literally drags a complaining Raul away, inviting the latter to join their group members who have already excused themselves and are about to disappear at the end of the corridor.
Meguro is not exactly sure of what's happening when he hears Koji mention his own name, and all of sudden he's got eight pairs of Kansai eyes casted on him straight.
"Eh?"
"See? Whenever I tell you that Meme isn't all deep charming eyes and sexy looks?" Koji groans. "I swear he's mostly like that, which doesn't make him any less adorable, if you ask me. But anyway."
Koji draws closer to him, furrowing slightly.
"Don't you also have something to tell Micchi, by the way?"
"Ehh?"
"Oh my, what's with you today, Meme? You've been eeeeh-ing me even more than usual!"
"But I don't have... I haven't..."
He's fully conscious, even too conscious, of Michieda's eyes on him among the others, and all he can hope about is that Koji, whose arm is suddenly crushing his neck, won't hear the heartbeat whose pounding has reached his throat and ears.
"Meme, listen to me," Koji whispers, sounding almost like a conspirator. "You've been watching my boys' whole performance clenching your fists and biting your lips. I cannot tell -exactly- what's going on here, but I can at least fairly assume that Micchi -who is remarkably pretty today- did leave a strong impression on you once again. Am I wrong? Nee, you can tell Koji-niichan, c'mon..."
"I'm... I cannot-"
"Koji-senpai... it's actually me who has something to tell Meguro-senpai today, and not the other way round," Michieda's voice suddenly tweets, gentle and polite.
They both instinctively turn towards Michieda at the same moment, Koji dragging a nearly lifeless version of him.
"Eh?!" he can feel his voice echoing together with his colleague's, in disbelief.
Michieda bites his lip, bowing even more politely to the two of them.
He cannot help but keep thinking how he's looking astonishingly beautiful. A striking hot and damn temptation, right in front of him.
"I have something to tell Meguro-senpai... if I may," the young man repeats, cheeks rosy and glossy. So tempting.
"See?" Koji tells him, winking. "He may, right? Of course he may. I'm giving you permission so that he may, neee, Meme?"
He feels so shaken by Koji's definitely too near shrilling voice that he's unable to offer any coherent thought.
"We would also love to kidnap Koji-niichan for a while, to tell the truth," Nishihata's voice informs them, as polite and controlled as always.
When he looks at the Kansai boys, he thinks he can glimpse the young Onishi pout knowingly at their front man, but with Koji squealing impossibly loud right into the shell of his ear, there's nothing more certain and distracting in the world than his carefree cheerfulness.
Next moment Koji has relinquished his deadly grip around his neck and vanished with the six young Naniwa Danshi members, and there's only Michieda in sight, staring shyly at him just like he's staring -in a probably very stupid way- back at him.
A part of his brain registers they've been left alone, another one dares thinking he would like to drag him somewhere to get the chance to talk and look at him impudently and endlessly, but... that's not like him.
He should behave, even when his mind has gone totally blank while staring at a young underage boy.
"Michieda-kun, er..."
"I... I just wanted to say... that starting today, I'm not underage anymore," Michieda tweets, eyes proudly locked to his ones, despite the furious blush creeping up on the boy's cheeks.
EH?
He blinks stupidly, again.
Michieda. Underage. The new law. Not underage. Michieda. Informing him... as if...
Why, or even, how come their thoughts seem to connect always so naturally, as if...?
When he realizes he must have been staring back at Michieda -for long, too long- with his most idiotic facial expression ever, he also realizes it might be already too late. But he cannot fake feelings or emotions, he's never been able to.
Michieda is still observing him seriously, allowing him to take his time in that very polite way that makes his heart tumble double in his chest, no matter what.
"I'm..." he trails off, unable to form a decent phrasing. He's feeling happy for the boy and ashamed of himself at the same time, at fault for all the impudent thoughts he had been having before and that seem to cross his mind even more frequently now. Now that Michieda's beauty is all for him and no one else's.
He suddenly feels a gentle grip tugging at his forearm and next thing he knows is that Michieda is dragging him into the nearest empty room and closes the door behind them.
He's too surprised by the boy's unusually bold gesture to be surprised by the fact they're truly alone now, far from the endless chatter coming from the corridors, the only real noise he can hear being the turmoil of his own heart, still furious inside.
"Michieda-kun, I-"
"Do I look like a girl?" Michieda asks, a tinge of discomfort clear in his voice.
"Eh?"
"Please, Meguro-kun. Do I?"
"No! Absolutely not," he quickly replies, at a loss for understanding, furrowing openly. ''I mean... why should you?"
"These spiral braided bangs I've got, they're not exactly..." Michieda trails off, almost in a huff.
"Abe-chan wears them almost all the time, and Sakkun is not far from following his habit," he explains, “but anyway... they're awfully pretty on you," he lets out, swallowing hard.
Michieda's eyes on him widen enormously for an instant, and then the boy chews his lips and looks away, fairly embarrassed.
That's not what he wants, making him uncomfortable.
"I don't think I'd ever think of you as someone who simply looks like a girl," he goes on, suddenly desperate for some further explanation. "That's not the reason why I cannot tear my eyes away from you, anyway. Because what I see in front of me is a gorgeous Michieda-kun."
He blinks himself, wondering whether he's said too much, if he's gone definitely too far this time. Worrying whether the boy can grasp the despicable interest he's got for him, judging from those narrowing eyes.
And exactly because it doesn't make sense to him either, he can't stop himself at all.
"It's true that I... I've only been half or vaguely aware so far. But the moment I saw you today, my insides twisted in a way that..."
He shakes his head.
"I'm sorry I might sound confusing, or even nasty. But I'm... I'm... attracted to you. Gosh, yes, I am."
"Eh?"
Their eyes meet, and Michieda's are huge, innocent, amazingly deep. Piercing inside the avalanche of emotions he cannot keep in place anymore.
"I'm emotionally, psychologically and also physically attracted to you," he blurts out. "To you as Michieda Shunsuke, as the guy you are. I know it's no good, but that's the truth. And... and I would love to..."
He stares again. Michieda is no less confused or shocked than he himself is, but he doesn't falter.
And the impulse, yeah, the impulse is menacing him again.
So astonishingly beautiful, he is. That lip gloss, his combed hair, those doe eyes. Those plush lips, slightly parted in surprise.
He shouldn't act on impulse. He shouldn't act rudely and disrespectfully.
Lips he cannot look away from.
And in the end, he does.
He steps forward, closing the distance between them.
Michieda blinks twice.
It's the last thing he sees, before he closes his lids and leans down to brush the boy's lips with his own, and pulls immediately back, not daring touching him anywhere else with his hands.
It’s the first thing he sees again, Michieda’s beautiful eyelashes fluttering in utter confusion.
"Is it... an April fool?" he can hear the boy's trembling voice ask.
"Eh?"
That's not the reply he's expecting. Not at all.
It's so unpredictable, dealing with him. So thrilling, at the same time, with that Kansai spirit popping up when one would least expect it.
"Do you want it to be?" he finds himself asking instead, in a rather husky voice.
He can see him bite his lips, and it's so absurdly cute he cannot help but grin softly.
"Kindaichi-kun would say there is only one truth," Michieda confesses, not looking at him.
"Which one? Wouldn't you tell me?"
He can see him shyly shake his head.
"I'm not willing to tell you," Michieda retorts in a small but steady voice, "... but I'm willing to show you."
"Please show me, then," he kindly encourages him.
It's another gentle peck on the mouth, what Michieda offers him, fleeting and shy, and he's so surprised he nearly gasps.
When Michieda pulls back, the only thing he manages to notice is how the lip gloss on the boy's mouth is not shiny anymore, gone matte after the contact with his own mouth.
The thought alone drives him crazy, while a swarm of something hot is pooling up into his stomach straight.
He wants to kiss him again. Kiss him more, lick his lips. Possibly taste him.
He shakes his head, not believing his own thoughts.
"Was it not good?" Michieda has the courage to ask, making him widen his eyes.
"What? No, I-... it's just that I do not know how to..."
That's not true. He actually knows how to. He's just chickening out. And he doesn't want to. Not here and now.
He wants...
He cups Michieda's cheek with one trembling hand, the other one raising further up to tuck away a rebel strand of that neatly combed hair.
He leans to meet Michieda's red lips, without pulling back this time. It's soft, softer than he could ever imagine, and the boy's light breath tickles him in an agonizing way. He captures his upper lip with his parted mouth, having him gasp faintly.
He likes it. There’s the chance they both do. He presses in, angling better.
He doesn't expect to feel Michieda's gloved hand behind his nape but it's welcome -oh so welcome- and it merely urges him to deepen the kiss, trying it out with his tongue.
It's early, too early to push things on him. And yet the tip of Michieda's tongue teases him as if reading his mind and his mouth opens just as easily, soft and wet for him to access cautiously.
As he tentatively licks the seam of Michieda's lips and the latter tries out how to suckle at his curious tongue best, a jolt of sheer pleasure hits and invades him thoroughly, making it seriously difficult to think straight, pull back even less.
Even so, there must be some part of his brain mercifully spared from the madness of the moment, a part which keeps repeating him he's making out -not furiously yet, but it might be just a matter of time- with Michieda Shunsuke in the spare room of some television studios.
He groans feebly when he forces himself to pull back, panting slightly.
Michieda's eyes are staring at him, a thousand sparkles nestled beyond them, so many like he had yet to see in the night sky he adores losing himself with.
I like you so much, he would like to say, but it's Michieda suddenly pronouncing those words on his behalf instead.
He cannot help but grin and bend again towards him, this time letting his forehead rest against the boy's, eyes closed and breath still heaving.
"Me too, I like you so much," he whispers to him, “sorry for not having told you sooner. Sorry for being this dull.”
“Uhm, nope… Meguro-kun could never be…”
“I guess I was just horribly scared of trading whatever thing was going on between us with something this risky,” he blurts out, suddenly realizing what he himself had yet to get into focus yet. “I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.”
“Same here,” Michieda tweets, “but I’m happy Meguro-kun decided to take the risk in the end…”
He smiles, relieved. He's never been happier to act on impulse and allow those impulses to take over him completely, for once.
"Ne, Meguro-kun… How about joining us for dinner? Koji-kun will also be there," Michieda asks him, fingers reaching down to thread with his own.
The boy’s gloved hand feels so small and tender into his. It feels as if it strangely belonged right there, and when he squeezes it, warmth radiates throughout the whole of him.
"Raul and the others will kill me if I do," he admits.
"Please tell them all to come along…,” Michieda precises. “Koji-kun is family. Meguro-kun is also family, now. All Snow Man members are, as well.”
He smirks, admitting to himself how there's really only one answer, after all.
The one coming from a certain boy's mouth.
He’ll have to learn a lot from him. They have time.
Notes:
The story refers to the modification operated last 1st April 2022 in Japanese Civil Code, with young people now becoming of age at 18 years old instead of 20. Meaning i.e. Snow Man's Raul turned 19 recently and he's of age now, just like Micchi is, despite the latter being one year older XD
Sorry for this belated fic. As you can easily guess, I started this out last 4th April after watching 1st April Music Station, but due to a few RL (super long) issues going on in the meantime, I only finished (rushed) writing it lately. And it’s embarrassing, considering how even Micchi’s Birthday came up in the meantime, several months later.
I hope you enjoy anyway. I also hope Micchi could have his best 20th Bday ever <3
Also, the kiss scene had me quite torn in writing it. I mean, according to his personality, I guess Meguro would never ever force a kiss on anyone, let alone someone like Micchi. And yet, I cannot blame him for stealing a kiss in this story, because Micchi looked so gorgeous and kissable and I told myself even someone like Meguro would not resist.
So. That's it. Sorry, Meguro-kun, I'm the only one to blame <3
Oops forgot the note about the title: it's obviously a pun/portmanteau of Micchi/Kindaichi's line "There's only one truth" and NaniDan's single "The Answer"