[oneshot] Kyoko-chan desu
Title: Kyoko-chan desu
Pairing: Taiga x Yasui
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Summary: Yasui is infatuated with Kyoko-chan
Word Count: 4448
Author's Note: I couldn't not write about the whole Gamushara - dressing up episode.
“What?” Taiga asks, glancing at Yasui through the mirror as he scrubs a make-up wipe across his lips. Yasui shakes his head and looks away as Taiga turns the wipe over and starts across his cheeks.
Yasui always enjoys Gamushara recordings but this one has to be his favourite yet. His favourite and somehow his worst because he knows he'll never look at Taiga again without seeing those soft almond eyes lined in black, his slender face framed by long dark hair and the outfit...where to start on the outfit...
“Seriously...” Taiga says, breaking him from his thoughts. “Stop looking at me like that, you're creeping me out.”
There's no sign of it left now, he'd already removed the wig and changed before he even started on the make-up, but even that's gone now too, the long thick lashes peeled off and laying on the counter beside Taiga's hand.
“Sorry.” he says lamely, and his eyes are drawn to Taiga's lips as they twitch in what might be annoyance.
He doesn't even see Taiga again after that until after the episode has aired, and in a way that's good, because he really hasn't been able to think of Taiga as anyone else than Kyoko-chan this whole time. But on the other hand, he knows it will only make it harder the next time he does see him, Kyoko-chan's beautiful face only engraved in his mind that much more clearly now.
He'd taped the episode of course, watching it the first time round with his mother, cringing at her squeals of “Cute!” and “So pretty!” and rolling his eyes at her other comments “What were you thinking picking up that sweater?” and “Honey, that scarf does nothing for your shoulders.”. The second time he watches it it's long after she's gone to bed, and this time Yasui barely even notices himself, or Genki or Matsukura for that matter, all he sees is Kyoko-chan.
She's not even really Yasui's type, Yasui's always gone for the cute, innocent looking girls, but Kyoko-chan looks confident and almost feisty, her style cool and simple but with those little touches, the leopard print hat to add a bit of flare, the fishnet tights and leather jacket to add a little attitude. It's everything together, the whole package, and just the sight of her has Yasui's eyes glued unbreakably to the TV screen.
Just as Yasui had thought, meeting Taiga again the next time is only more difficult. He spends half the Gamushara J's Party meeting staring at Taiga's face, at the slender lines of his cheek bones, the fullness of his lips, their pale natural colour nothing like the high shine lip-gloss but somehow still as inviting. He spends a good deal of time on Taiga's eyes too, watching the animation in them as he talks enthusiastically about song choices, watching them widen in excitement and then his eyebrows furrowing a little whenever he glances over at Yasui and finds him staring again.
“Hey.” says a voice behind him as they start to file out of the meeting room, and then there's a strong grip on his upper arm, tugging him off to the side. He already knows who it is but his stomach still drops in excitement as he turns to face a slightly pissed off Taiga. “This isn't still about the girl thing right?”
His rough informal speech only has Yasui shivering, as vulnerable and innocent as Kyoko-chan had looked darting through the busy street muttering “Yabai”, everything else about her had been collected and sassy. Kyoko-chan wouldn't use polite speech towards him. He's still running those thoughts through his head when Taiga tuts and Yasui remembers he'd been asked a question. “Maybe.” he answers honestly.
“Get over it already. I'm not into that shit.” With that Taiga walks away and Yasui tries after that, tries to get over it, but he just can't help noticing Taiga every time they're in the same room - even if they're not actually working together and even if Taiga isn't even speaking to him any more - Yasui can't help noticing how beautiful he looks, even as a boy.
Of course the realisation that Taiga is just as gorgeous in male form as in female does nothing to quell his desire to meet Kyoko-chan again, even if Yasui is fairly sure that will never happen.
It's after a particularly gruelling dance rehearsal that Yasui gets the message. 'Are you free tonight?' It's the last thing Yasui expects Taiga to ask him after Yasui had tripped over his own feet twice during their duet because he was too busy looking at Taiga to look where he was going. He doesn't even think twice about confirming that he is, and the next text he receives is a time and a place, nothing more.
He spends longer than he should on his outfit, trying on every single shirt he owns with his indigo jeans before deciding they all look too dressy and throwing on a plain white T-shirt and chequered grey blazer instead.
It's crowded in the shopping district, but he weaves his way through to the spot where Taiga had told him to wait. He's a few minutes early, but he glances around anyway just in case Taiga is early too. He feels his phone buzz in his pocket and he checks the message, just two words. 'Behind you'.
He spins around and looks frantically until he spots somebody, perched on a low wall, looking down at their phone, long, dark brown hair spilling over their shoulders. There's a thrum of excitement humming through him and he dares to take a few steps forward just as the head raises and then he's looking right at Kyoko-chan.
Taiga's eyelashes bat a few times and Yasui closes the distance enough to speak. “Kyoko-chan...you look incredible...”
Taiga puffs out his cheeks for a moment and then lets the breath go in a huff as he gets up and stuffs his hands into his pockets “Whatever, you're paying for dinner.”
Yasui nods quickly and follows when Taiga starts to walk. He does look amazing, tight black leggings covering his legs, adorned with a multitude of zips and finished off with mid calf studded military boots. His jacket is a pale grey, short and fitted, worn over some kind of oversized, dark grey slogan T-shirt. His hair is lighter than last time, with a heavier fringe that frames his usual pale face, now made up to look simultaneously gothic and feminine.
He rushes to catch up, and the height difference is only a little off-putting. “So where do you want to go?”
“Italian.” Taiga answers easily. “Nothing too fancy though.”
Yasui knows just the place, it's really more a family restaurant than an Italian, but they serve a lot of western dishes and he's certain they do pastas and pizza. It's usually pretty busy too so they won't stand out much among the other patrons.
Taiga doesn't say anything else until they're seated and looking through the menu. “Good choice.” he says, almost smiling and Yasui's own lips are spreading into a grin in response, he feels like the luckiest guy on earth to be here with somebody as mesmerising as Kyoko-chan.
It's Taiga that signals for a waitress, and when he orders Yasui just says he'll have the same, and then they wait in silence, Taiga looking uncomfortably around the small restaurant while Yasui stares at Taiga.
“Damn, you're beautiful.” Yasui says eventually, because he's practically memorised every beautiful inch of the face in front of him and he just has to let Taiga know. Of course it's right then that he notices the waitress beside them with their food and Yasui blushes as he sits back to let her place it on the table between them. Taiga's expression looks amused, and Yasui dares to hope - happy.
The smile on Taiga's face only spreads as he loads up his fork with pasta in some kind of tomato sauce, and then Yasui watches, his mouth watering slightly as Taiga opens his mouth enough to stuff it in. There's sauce on Taiga's lip and Yasui has a few seconds to think about how much he wants to lean in and lick it away, before Taiga's hand moves up to cover his mouth as he chews, his eyes scrunched closed in pleasure as he makes yummy noises.
He looks so cute, Yasui thinks, so feminine and adorably cute. But then Taiga's eyes open and he sobers as he looks at Yasui. “Are you going to eat, or just sit and watch me?”
Yasui would quite happily sit and watch Taiga all night, but he doesn't think that's what Taiga would want to hear so instead he picks up his own fork and digs into his pasta. “It is good.” he agrees after a few mouthfuls and then Taiga nods, his expression dropping into something more comfortable as they continue eating in silence.
“I'm not complaining.” Yasui starts cautiously when they're almost done. “I'm really, really, not complaining...but what's this about? I mean I appreciate it but...”
Taiga rolls his eyes, pushing the remains of his pasta around for a few moments before answering. “The way you've been looking at me ever since we had to dress up...I figured this might help you get it out of your system and we can just go back to normal.”
Yasui has no such hopes, but he appreciates Taiga's efforts. “It's worth a shot.”. Taiga's hand is on the table by his plate, and it's a bold move but Yasui wants to show how much he appreciates it so he reaches out to take Taiga's hand.
Taiga raises an eyebrow but he doesn't pull his hand away and that's good enough for Yasui. “It's only dinner...” Taiga says all the same, and Yasui can't help but smile.
The waitress makes a reappearance then, and self-consciously, Yasui pulls his hand back into his lap while she turns to Taiga with the desserts menu. Taiga takes it and looks through it, pointing out something to the waitress before passing it to Yasui. Yasui doesn't even really need dessert but he orders ice cream anyway, just so that he can prolong the date as much as possible.
Taiga checks his phone as they shuffle back out into the cool evening air, his expression turning into a frown at whatever he sees there. “Look...I know I said it was only dinner, but we need to find something else to do because I can't go home yet.”
“OK.” Yasui agrees happily, but he's a little curious too. “Why not?”
“My dad will freak if he sees me dressed like this...and my mum hasn't text to say he's gone to bed yet so I can't go home.”
Yasui nods. “I'm sure we can find something to do to kill another few hours.” he says as they head back along the road towards the town. “Wait...your mum knows about this?”
Taiga scoffs, tucking his hands back into his jacket pockets. “Right because I can do my make up like this myself...”
Yasui can't help the visuals of Taiga's mum applying false eyelashes onto her only son, of her painting his lips in dark mauve. “That's...kinda weird, but strangely kind of hot too.”
“You're weird.” Taiga rebuffs him. “I told her it was because you've been eyeing me up like a creep ever since that Gamushara episode.”
Yasui's eyes widen a little. “So your mum knows that you're on a date with me right now?”
Taiga shrugs, and his cheeks look a little pink though that could be either the blusher or the cold. “It's a good thing she likes you.”
“She does?” Yasui asks, and it makes him feel strangely warm inside, the whole thing makes him want to hug Taiga's mum in fact, she likes him, and she's OK with him dating her son, and dressing her son up like a pretty damn sexy lady for him.
Taiga rolls his eyes and then looks around. “There's a karaoke bar here, let’s just get in off the street OK, I don't want to get Friday’d looking like this.”
Yasui nods, eager at the chance of getting to sing with Taiga again. They sing together at least every few months, for Shounen Club or Gamushara, Yasui doesn't care which, as long as he gets to stand on stage beside Taiga. As long as he gets to share those long hours of rehearsals with him, Yasui is happy.
They've barely been there an hour when Taiga's phone buzzes and he gets to his feet. Taiga hasn't been singing as much as Yasui would have liked, but he did manage to get a few duets in, so when Taiga excuses himself and sees he'll see Yasui at work, whenever, he doesn't feel like he's been conned, their date has already been more than he'd ever dare hope for.
The next time he hears from Kyoko-chan, it's weeks later, and though things are nowhere near normal between him and Taiga, he's happy to hear from Kyoko-chan all the same. It's an invitation to Taiga's house this time, the text stark and cold, with not even any emojis, and barely more than instructions.
Still, Yasui will take what he can and ask questions later, and that's how he finds himself on the Kyomoto family's doorstep.
Yasui's heart jumps up into his throat when the door opens to reveal Taiga's mother. “Yasui-kun.” she says with a small smile as she steps back to let him through.
“Kyomoto-san.” Yasui says in greeting, his voice only shaking a little “Good evening.” he adds with a bow before stepping inside and kicking off his shoes.
“It's so lovely to finally meet you.” Kyomoto-san continues as she leads him through into the sitting room. “Of course I watch all of the junior shows and I must say I'm such a fan of yours Yasui-kun.”
“Mom just go already.” Taiga whines, shuffling into the sitting room with his arms folded tightly across his chest. The irritated pout only makes him look cuter Yasui thinks. “You're late already you know, dad will be pissed.”
“Well if you hadn't whined for ten whole minutes about shaving your legs then I wouldn't be, would I?” she answers back with a smirk.
Taiga's frown only deepens “That had nothing to do with it, you just wanted to meet him and embarrass me.”
His mother opens her mouth to answer but then her phone starts ringing from the small black clutch bag perched under her arm. It's the first time Yasui has noticed that she's dressed up too, she looks youthful and beautiful in a long black dress and blazer. “That'll be your father. I'd best go.” She wanders over to Taiga and gives him a firm squeeze around the shoulders. “Remember to use protection...that dress won't look half as cute with a baby bump.”
“Mum.” Taiga snaps. “Cut it out...”
His mum just lets out a light laugh and pinches his cheek before turning for the door. “Have a good night boys, I'll let you know when we're on our way home...”
With Taiga’s mother gone, Yasui has nothing to distract him from looking at Taiga, really looking at him. He hasn't forgotten the shaving his legs comment either and his male instinct draws his eyes there immediately. Taiga's feet are bare, and sure enough his legs are bare too, smooth and hairless all the way up past his knees where the navy and white polka dot dress ends. The dress itself is cute, a halter neck, straight cut across the top with a white trim that masks Taiga's flat chest, tighter around the top and flaring out in the style of a skater dress. Taiga is wearing a small white shrug over it too, the material of it thin and almost lace like.
When he looks up at Taiga's face, his expression is annoyed but for the hint of nervousness in it, he swallows hard. The style of his make-up is entirely different, his face still that flawless porcelain but his eye make-up is much lighter save for the thick line of black liner flicking out past the ends of his eyes, his lipstick is a lot brighter too, a deep cherry red that adds a splash of colour to it all.
Yasui recognises the wig as the same one from last time, only this time there's a navy headband sitting in it, finishing off the look and Yasui does another full sweep, just to take it all in again. “Wow...you look...” he starts but Taiga interrupts him.
“I'll finish dinner.” and just like that he disappears behind a door.
Yasui is dumbfounded, unsure if he's supposed to follow or to make himself comfortable. Instead he goes to his bag and takes out the box he'd picked up from the bakery on his way here. Taiga had told him to bring dessert so he'd stopped off at his favourite bakery and selected two pieces of the sickliest looking chocolate cake he could find.
“I brought cake.” he announces as he slips through into what seems to be the kitchen.
“Oh.” Taiga says, glancing at him a little distractedly. “The fridge is over there.”
Yasui follows Taiga's directions and places the cake in the fridge before turning back to Taiga and the pans he's deliberating over. “Can I help?” he asks awkwardly.
“It's fine, mum cooked most of it already so it just needs heating up, go sit down.”
Yasui follows orders and heads back into the other room. There's a lot of clanging and banging from the kitchen and a few times he gets up to go and help, but then he's not sure if that will only irritate Taiga, so he stays where he is instead.
Eventually, and Yasui's sure it only feels like such a long time because he's nervous, because he's alone with Taiga, in Taiga's house while his parents are out for the evening, eventually, Taiga re-emerges from the kitchen with some bowls and chopsticks. He sets them down on the table and goes back for more dishes, before finally coming back out with just a jug of what must be barley tea. He sets that on the table and then nods in Yasui's direction. “It's ready.”
Yasui sits down as Taiga starts taking lids off of pots and it all smells delicious, mainly the large bowl of nabe in the centre and Yasui is already licking his lips when Taiga tells him lightly to dig in. He does just that, not forgetting his manners, and then settles back to eat and admire Taiga from across the table.
He's heard lots of good things, both from Taiga and other juniors alike, about Kyomoto-san's cooking and they weren't wrong, everything is amazing, enough so that he even forgets his nerves for a while as they eat. Taiga doesn't have much to say, so Yasui fills the silence between mouthfuls with stories about other juniors. Taiga doesn't offer much conversation of his own, but he's listening, nodding along, smiling and answering Yasui's questions and then they're done eating and Taiga excuses himself to clear the table.
Yasui feels silly sitting there at the empty dining table so he moves back to the sofa in the living room, and when Taiga emerges from the kitchen a few minutes later with their cake, he joins Yasui there. Taiga tucks one leg up under him, and Yasui shuffles just a little closer as he takes his cake.
There's chocolate on the corner of Taiga's mouth, Yasui tries not to notice it, and when that doesn't work he thinks of telling him, but Taiga looks so pleased about the taste of the cake and Yasui hopes that it's a reflection on the rest of the evening too, that it's been good, it feels like it has and the atmosphere is good, and just right, and the timing is really perfect.
He expects Taiga to push him away as he kisses the chocolate away, but Taiga just freezes, inhaling audibly when Yasui flicks out his tongue to clean up the last of the chocolate, and then Yasui slides over the few centimetres it takes to line their lips up properly.
Taiga doesn't kiss back, his lips still frozen slightly parted, but he doesn't stop Yasui from kissing him, not until he lets his tongue run along Taiga's lip again. Taiga pulls back sharply and Yasui is prepared to be scolded, but he's only met with hurt confusion when he looks up into Taiga's eyes.
“Yasui.” Taiga says quietly. “This...the wig and the make-up and the clothes...you know that it's not real right? I'm not a girl...”
“I know.” Yasui says easily, of course he does, but right now he can't even care. He reaches out to cup Taiga's chin, pulling him closer again but their lips have barely even brushed together before Taiga is pushing him away.
The look Taiga flashes him looks some mix of hurt and annoyed and then Taiga is on his feet and running off upstairs. Yasui just sits in silent shock for a few moments, unsure what he's supposed to do, and then he hears the shower turn on upstairs.
He grabs his jacket and is halfway through shrugging it on when he changes his mind, whatever this is about, they should at least talk about it or something. With a sigh he tosses his jacket back onto the sofa and makes himself useful by gathering up the pots in the kitchen and starting to wash them.
It doesn't take long before the shower shuts off and then the sound of a hair-dryer starts. When that stops it takes a few more minutes before Yasui hears footsteps padding back down the stairs, accompanied by hurried paws. He listens carefully as the front door opens, and the footsteps retreat back across the floor, and then Taiga is stepping into the kitchen, his pretty dress replaced with grey sweatpants and a faded navy T-shirt. “I'm almost done here.” Yasui says in answer to Taiga's baffled look.
“I thought you'd have left...” Taiga says quietly.
“I thought we should talk...” Yasui counters, and then there's the sound of yapping and Taiga leaves the room again.
When Taiga re-enters he has Anzu-chan huddled in his arms, he's talking to her softly as Yasui finishes up the pots and something about it makes his heart melt.
“I know you're not Kyoko-chan.” Yasui says as the last of the water drains. “In some ways you're still exactly like who I think she would be...but in other ways you're not at all...and I don't even think that matters.” Taiga is just looking at him in apprehension. “Should we go sit down?”
“OK.” Taiga answers quietly, but it still takes a few seconds before he sighs and moves, placing Anzu-chan back down on the floor and heading back out of the kitchen to plonk himself down on the living room sofa.
“Taiga...there's just one thing I don't understand...” he starts, and when Taiga looks up at him he continues. “Why would you dress up like that for me? You already said you're not into that and you really don't seem to enjoy doing it...so why? Why would you do that for me?”
Taiga lets out a long breath and shrugs, but it says more that he doesn't know where to start than that he doesn't know what to say. “The way you've been looking at me ever since that first time...it was annoying and creepy...but not because of you...it was how it made me feel.” Taiga starts, looking down at his hands as he continues. “It's one thing being on stage in front of the fans and knowing that they adore you...but I've never had somebody that really knew me look at me that way before. You kept looking at me like you were infatuated with me...and it was all because you saw me dressed like a girl...”
“So it made you feel good about yourself to dress up like that for me?” He tries to keep his voice even, he's not even really sure how he feels about Taiga's explanation, flattered and happy with a fair lug of disappointed too maybe, but he still doesn't even really understand.
“That's part of it...” Taiga agrees, and he glances at Yasui's face momentarily. “Whenever I caught you looking at me like that, it made my chest feel tight” he clutches at the front of his T-shirt for emphasis as he looks up at Yasui, seeming to consider his face carefully. “And then before I realised it...just the thought of you looking at me like that...then just the thought of you at all had my heart pounding. And I didn't understand it.” Yasui's heart is starting to pound too, his stomach churning like he's on the edge of something. “My mum notices everything...and eventually...it all came out...then the dressing up part was her idea...just to see how I felt about it...”
“And how did you feel about it?” Yasui prompts, his palms starting to feel sweaty.
“I hate dressing like a girl.” Taiga says immediately. “I feel stupid and fake, and I hate when people tell me that I look girly...it was worth it for a while though for how happy you seemed to be with me…to see you looking at me that way again...I just...I don't think I can keep doing it...it's not me...”
Taiga's voice sounds somewhere between apologetic and desperate, his expression beseeching. Yasui nods and thinks about it carefully for a few minutes, his insides feel like they’ve been shaken up and the last thing he wants to do is say something rash on impulse. “I've always thought you were attractive.” he says eventually. “but it's true that it took seeing you dressed as a girl for me to really notice just how attractive you are. I like girls...so naturally that was what made me pay attention...but even after that, it wasn't only the thought of you as a girl...I started noticing how attractive you are normally...I like you dressed as a girl...but I think I like this too.”
When he looks up Taiga still looks uncertain, the expression just as beautiful on him as any other. Yasui smiles at him gently, but that doesn't shake the expression so Yasui does the only other thing he can think of, he kisses him.
Taiga kisses back this time, just twice, just gentle brushes of lips and then he pulls away again. “But you just said yourself you like girls...”
“I think I like you more.”
Pairing: Taiga x Yasui
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Summary: Yasui is infatuated with Kyoko-chan
Word Count: 4448
Author's Note: I couldn't not write about the whole Gamushara - dressing up episode.
“What?” Taiga asks, glancing at Yasui through the mirror as he scrubs a make-up wipe across his lips. Yasui shakes his head and looks away as Taiga turns the wipe over and starts across his cheeks.
Yasui always enjoys Gamushara recordings but this one has to be his favourite yet. His favourite and somehow his worst because he knows he'll never look at Taiga again without seeing those soft almond eyes lined in black, his slender face framed by long dark hair and the outfit...where to start on the outfit...
“Seriously...” Taiga says, breaking him from his thoughts. “Stop looking at me like that, you're creeping me out.”
There's no sign of it left now, he'd already removed the wig and changed before he even started on the make-up, but even that's gone now too, the long thick lashes peeled off and laying on the counter beside Taiga's hand.
“Sorry.” he says lamely, and his eyes are drawn to Taiga's lips as they twitch in what might be annoyance.
He doesn't even see Taiga again after that until after the episode has aired, and in a way that's good, because he really hasn't been able to think of Taiga as anyone else than Kyoko-chan this whole time. But on the other hand, he knows it will only make it harder the next time he does see him, Kyoko-chan's beautiful face only engraved in his mind that much more clearly now.
He'd taped the episode of course, watching it the first time round with his mother, cringing at her squeals of “Cute!” and “So pretty!” and rolling his eyes at her other comments “What were you thinking picking up that sweater?” and “Honey, that scarf does nothing for your shoulders.”. The second time he watches it it's long after she's gone to bed, and this time Yasui barely even notices himself, or Genki or Matsukura for that matter, all he sees is Kyoko-chan.
She's not even really Yasui's type, Yasui's always gone for the cute, innocent looking girls, but Kyoko-chan looks confident and almost feisty, her style cool and simple but with those little touches, the leopard print hat to add a bit of flare, the fishnet tights and leather jacket to add a little attitude. It's everything together, the whole package, and just the sight of her has Yasui's eyes glued unbreakably to the TV screen.
Just as Yasui had thought, meeting Taiga again the next time is only more difficult. He spends half the Gamushara J's Party meeting staring at Taiga's face, at the slender lines of his cheek bones, the fullness of his lips, their pale natural colour nothing like the high shine lip-gloss but somehow still as inviting. He spends a good deal of time on Taiga's eyes too, watching the animation in them as he talks enthusiastically about song choices, watching them widen in excitement and then his eyebrows furrowing a little whenever he glances over at Yasui and finds him staring again.
“Hey.” says a voice behind him as they start to file out of the meeting room, and then there's a strong grip on his upper arm, tugging him off to the side. He already knows who it is but his stomach still drops in excitement as he turns to face a slightly pissed off Taiga. “This isn't still about the girl thing right?”
His rough informal speech only has Yasui shivering, as vulnerable and innocent as Kyoko-chan had looked darting through the busy street muttering “Yabai”, everything else about her had been collected and sassy. Kyoko-chan wouldn't use polite speech towards him. He's still running those thoughts through his head when Taiga tuts and Yasui remembers he'd been asked a question. “Maybe.” he answers honestly.
“Get over it already. I'm not into that shit.” With that Taiga walks away and Yasui tries after that, tries to get over it, but he just can't help noticing Taiga every time they're in the same room - even if they're not actually working together and even if Taiga isn't even speaking to him any more - Yasui can't help noticing how beautiful he looks, even as a boy.
Of course the realisation that Taiga is just as gorgeous in male form as in female does nothing to quell his desire to meet Kyoko-chan again, even if Yasui is fairly sure that will never happen.
It's after a particularly gruelling dance rehearsal that Yasui gets the message. 'Are you free tonight?' It's the last thing Yasui expects Taiga to ask him after Yasui had tripped over his own feet twice during their duet because he was too busy looking at Taiga to look where he was going. He doesn't even think twice about confirming that he is, and the next text he receives is a time and a place, nothing more.
He spends longer than he should on his outfit, trying on every single shirt he owns with his indigo jeans before deciding they all look too dressy and throwing on a plain white T-shirt and chequered grey blazer instead.
It's crowded in the shopping district, but he weaves his way through to the spot where Taiga had told him to wait. He's a few minutes early, but he glances around anyway just in case Taiga is early too. He feels his phone buzz in his pocket and he checks the message, just two words. 'Behind you'.
He spins around and looks frantically until he spots somebody, perched on a low wall, looking down at their phone, long, dark brown hair spilling over their shoulders. There's a thrum of excitement humming through him and he dares to take a few steps forward just as the head raises and then he's looking right at Kyoko-chan.
Taiga's eyelashes bat a few times and Yasui closes the distance enough to speak. “Kyoko-chan...you look incredible...”
Taiga puffs out his cheeks for a moment and then lets the breath go in a huff as he gets up and stuffs his hands into his pockets “Whatever, you're paying for dinner.”
Yasui nods quickly and follows when Taiga starts to walk. He does look amazing, tight black leggings covering his legs, adorned with a multitude of zips and finished off with mid calf studded military boots. His jacket is a pale grey, short and fitted, worn over some kind of oversized, dark grey slogan T-shirt. His hair is lighter than last time, with a heavier fringe that frames his usual pale face, now made up to look simultaneously gothic and feminine.
He rushes to catch up, and the height difference is only a little off-putting. “So where do you want to go?”
“Italian.” Taiga answers easily. “Nothing too fancy though.”
Yasui knows just the place, it's really more a family restaurant than an Italian, but they serve a lot of western dishes and he's certain they do pastas and pizza. It's usually pretty busy too so they won't stand out much among the other patrons.
Taiga doesn't say anything else until they're seated and looking through the menu. “Good choice.” he says, almost smiling and Yasui's own lips are spreading into a grin in response, he feels like the luckiest guy on earth to be here with somebody as mesmerising as Kyoko-chan.
It's Taiga that signals for a waitress, and when he orders Yasui just says he'll have the same, and then they wait in silence, Taiga looking uncomfortably around the small restaurant while Yasui stares at Taiga.
“Damn, you're beautiful.” Yasui says eventually, because he's practically memorised every beautiful inch of the face in front of him and he just has to let Taiga know. Of course it's right then that he notices the waitress beside them with their food and Yasui blushes as he sits back to let her place it on the table between them. Taiga's expression looks amused, and Yasui dares to hope - happy.
The smile on Taiga's face only spreads as he loads up his fork with pasta in some kind of tomato sauce, and then Yasui watches, his mouth watering slightly as Taiga opens his mouth enough to stuff it in. There's sauce on Taiga's lip and Yasui has a few seconds to think about how much he wants to lean in and lick it away, before Taiga's hand moves up to cover his mouth as he chews, his eyes scrunched closed in pleasure as he makes yummy noises.
He looks so cute, Yasui thinks, so feminine and adorably cute. But then Taiga's eyes open and he sobers as he looks at Yasui. “Are you going to eat, or just sit and watch me?”
Yasui would quite happily sit and watch Taiga all night, but he doesn't think that's what Taiga would want to hear so instead he picks up his own fork and digs into his pasta. “It is good.” he agrees after a few mouthfuls and then Taiga nods, his expression dropping into something more comfortable as they continue eating in silence.
“I'm not complaining.” Yasui starts cautiously when they're almost done. “I'm really, really, not complaining...but what's this about? I mean I appreciate it but...”
Taiga rolls his eyes, pushing the remains of his pasta around for a few moments before answering. “The way you've been looking at me ever since we had to dress up...I figured this might help you get it out of your system and we can just go back to normal.”
Yasui has no such hopes, but he appreciates Taiga's efforts. “It's worth a shot.”. Taiga's hand is on the table by his plate, and it's a bold move but Yasui wants to show how much he appreciates it so he reaches out to take Taiga's hand.
Taiga raises an eyebrow but he doesn't pull his hand away and that's good enough for Yasui. “It's only dinner...” Taiga says all the same, and Yasui can't help but smile.
The waitress makes a reappearance then, and self-consciously, Yasui pulls his hand back into his lap while she turns to Taiga with the desserts menu. Taiga takes it and looks through it, pointing out something to the waitress before passing it to Yasui. Yasui doesn't even really need dessert but he orders ice cream anyway, just so that he can prolong the date as much as possible.
Taiga checks his phone as they shuffle back out into the cool evening air, his expression turning into a frown at whatever he sees there. “Look...I know I said it was only dinner, but we need to find something else to do because I can't go home yet.”
“OK.” Yasui agrees happily, but he's a little curious too. “Why not?”
“My dad will freak if he sees me dressed like this...and my mum hasn't text to say he's gone to bed yet so I can't go home.”
Yasui nods. “I'm sure we can find something to do to kill another few hours.” he says as they head back along the road towards the town. “Wait...your mum knows about this?”
Taiga scoffs, tucking his hands back into his jacket pockets. “Right because I can do my make up like this myself...”
Yasui can't help the visuals of Taiga's mum applying false eyelashes onto her only son, of her painting his lips in dark mauve. “That's...kinda weird, but strangely kind of hot too.”
“You're weird.” Taiga rebuffs him. “I told her it was because you've been eyeing me up like a creep ever since that Gamushara episode.”
Yasui's eyes widen a little. “So your mum knows that you're on a date with me right now?”
Taiga shrugs, and his cheeks look a little pink though that could be either the blusher or the cold. “It's a good thing she likes you.”
“She does?” Yasui asks, and it makes him feel strangely warm inside, the whole thing makes him want to hug Taiga's mum in fact, she likes him, and she's OK with him dating her son, and dressing her son up like a pretty damn sexy lady for him.
Taiga rolls his eyes and then looks around. “There's a karaoke bar here, let’s just get in off the street OK, I don't want to get Friday’d looking like this.”
Yasui nods, eager at the chance of getting to sing with Taiga again. They sing together at least every few months, for Shounen Club or Gamushara, Yasui doesn't care which, as long as he gets to stand on stage beside Taiga. As long as he gets to share those long hours of rehearsals with him, Yasui is happy.
They've barely been there an hour when Taiga's phone buzzes and he gets to his feet. Taiga hasn't been singing as much as Yasui would have liked, but he did manage to get a few duets in, so when Taiga excuses himself and sees he'll see Yasui at work, whenever, he doesn't feel like he's been conned, their date has already been more than he'd ever dare hope for.
The next time he hears from Kyoko-chan, it's weeks later, and though things are nowhere near normal between him and Taiga, he's happy to hear from Kyoko-chan all the same. It's an invitation to Taiga's house this time, the text stark and cold, with not even any emojis, and barely more than instructions.
Still, Yasui will take what he can and ask questions later, and that's how he finds himself on the Kyomoto family's doorstep.
Yasui's heart jumps up into his throat when the door opens to reveal Taiga's mother. “Yasui-kun.” she says with a small smile as she steps back to let him through.
“Kyomoto-san.” Yasui says in greeting, his voice only shaking a little “Good evening.” he adds with a bow before stepping inside and kicking off his shoes.
“It's so lovely to finally meet you.” Kyomoto-san continues as she leads him through into the sitting room. “Of course I watch all of the junior shows and I must say I'm such a fan of yours Yasui-kun.”
“Mom just go already.” Taiga whines, shuffling into the sitting room with his arms folded tightly across his chest. The irritated pout only makes him look cuter Yasui thinks. “You're late already you know, dad will be pissed.”
“Well if you hadn't whined for ten whole minutes about shaving your legs then I wouldn't be, would I?” she answers back with a smirk.
Taiga's frown only deepens “That had nothing to do with it, you just wanted to meet him and embarrass me.”
His mother opens her mouth to answer but then her phone starts ringing from the small black clutch bag perched under her arm. It's the first time Yasui has noticed that she's dressed up too, she looks youthful and beautiful in a long black dress and blazer. “That'll be your father. I'd best go.” She wanders over to Taiga and gives him a firm squeeze around the shoulders. “Remember to use protection...that dress won't look half as cute with a baby bump.”
“Mum.” Taiga snaps. “Cut it out...”
His mum just lets out a light laugh and pinches his cheek before turning for the door. “Have a good night boys, I'll let you know when we're on our way home...”
With Taiga’s mother gone, Yasui has nothing to distract him from looking at Taiga, really looking at him. He hasn't forgotten the shaving his legs comment either and his male instinct draws his eyes there immediately. Taiga's feet are bare, and sure enough his legs are bare too, smooth and hairless all the way up past his knees where the navy and white polka dot dress ends. The dress itself is cute, a halter neck, straight cut across the top with a white trim that masks Taiga's flat chest, tighter around the top and flaring out in the style of a skater dress. Taiga is wearing a small white shrug over it too, the material of it thin and almost lace like.
When he looks up at Taiga's face, his expression is annoyed but for the hint of nervousness in it, he swallows hard. The style of his make-up is entirely different, his face still that flawless porcelain but his eye make-up is much lighter save for the thick line of black liner flicking out past the ends of his eyes, his lipstick is a lot brighter too, a deep cherry red that adds a splash of colour to it all.
Yasui recognises the wig as the same one from last time, only this time there's a navy headband sitting in it, finishing off the look and Yasui does another full sweep, just to take it all in again. “Wow...you look...” he starts but Taiga interrupts him.
“I'll finish dinner.” and just like that he disappears behind a door.
Yasui is dumbfounded, unsure if he's supposed to follow or to make himself comfortable. Instead he goes to his bag and takes out the box he'd picked up from the bakery on his way here. Taiga had told him to bring dessert so he'd stopped off at his favourite bakery and selected two pieces of the sickliest looking chocolate cake he could find.
“I brought cake.” he announces as he slips through into what seems to be the kitchen.
“Oh.” Taiga says, glancing at him a little distractedly. “The fridge is over there.”
Yasui follows Taiga's directions and places the cake in the fridge before turning back to Taiga and the pans he's deliberating over. “Can I help?” he asks awkwardly.
“It's fine, mum cooked most of it already so it just needs heating up, go sit down.”
Yasui follows orders and heads back into the other room. There's a lot of clanging and banging from the kitchen and a few times he gets up to go and help, but then he's not sure if that will only irritate Taiga, so he stays where he is instead.
Eventually, and Yasui's sure it only feels like such a long time because he's nervous, because he's alone with Taiga, in Taiga's house while his parents are out for the evening, eventually, Taiga re-emerges from the kitchen with some bowls and chopsticks. He sets them down on the table and goes back for more dishes, before finally coming back out with just a jug of what must be barley tea. He sets that on the table and then nods in Yasui's direction. “It's ready.”
Yasui sits down as Taiga starts taking lids off of pots and it all smells delicious, mainly the large bowl of nabe in the centre and Yasui is already licking his lips when Taiga tells him lightly to dig in. He does just that, not forgetting his manners, and then settles back to eat and admire Taiga from across the table.
He's heard lots of good things, both from Taiga and other juniors alike, about Kyomoto-san's cooking and they weren't wrong, everything is amazing, enough so that he even forgets his nerves for a while as they eat. Taiga doesn't have much to say, so Yasui fills the silence between mouthfuls with stories about other juniors. Taiga doesn't offer much conversation of his own, but he's listening, nodding along, smiling and answering Yasui's questions and then they're done eating and Taiga excuses himself to clear the table.
Yasui feels silly sitting there at the empty dining table so he moves back to the sofa in the living room, and when Taiga emerges from the kitchen a few minutes later with their cake, he joins Yasui there. Taiga tucks one leg up under him, and Yasui shuffles just a little closer as he takes his cake.
There's chocolate on the corner of Taiga's mouth, Yasui tries not to notice it, and when that doesn't work he thinks of telling him, but Taiga looks so pleased about the taste of the cake and Yasui hopes that it's a reflection on the rest of the evening too, that it's been good, it feels like it has and the atmosphere is good, and just right, and the timing is really perfect.
He expects Taiga to push him away as he kisses the chocolate away, but Taiga just freezes, inhaling audibly when Yasui flicks out his tongue to clean up the last of the chocolate, and then Yasui slides over the few centimetres it takes to line their lips up properly.
Taiga doesn't kiss back, his lips still frozen slightly parted, but he doesn't stop Yasui from kissing him, not until he lets his tongue run along Taiga's lip again. Taiga pulls back sharply and Yasui is prepared to be scolded, but he's only met with hurt confusion when he looks up into Taiga's eyes.
“Yasui.” Taiga says quietly. “This...the wig and the make-up and the clothes...you know that it's not real right? I'm not a girl...”
“I know.” Yasui says easily, of course he does, but right now he can't even care. He reaches out to cup Taiga's chin, pulling him closer again but their lips have barely even brushed together before Taiga is pushing him away.
The look Taiga flashes him looks some mix of hurt and annoyed and then Taiga is on his feet and running off upstairs. Yasui just sits in silent shock for a few moments, unsure what he's supposed to do, and then he hears the shower turn on upstairs.
He grabs his jacket and is halfway through shrugging it on when he changes his mind, whatever this is about, they should at least talk about it or something. With a sigh he tosses his jacket back onto the sofa and makes himself useful by gathering up the pots in the kitchen and starting to wash them.
It doesn't take long before the shower shuts off and then the sound of a hair-dryer starts. When that stops it takes a few more minutes before Yasui hears footsteps padding back down the stairs, accompanied by hurried paws. He listens carefully as the front door opens, and the footsteps retreat back across the floor, and then Taiga is stepping into the kitchen, his pretty dress replaced with grey sweatpants and a faded navy T-shirt. “I'm almost done here.” Yasui says in answer to Taiga's baffled look.
“I thought you'd have left...” Taiga says quietly.
“I thought we should talk...” Yasui counters, and then there's the sound of yapping and Taiga leaves the room again.
When Taiga re-enters he has Anzu-chan huddled in his arms, he's talking to her softly as Yasui finishes up the pots and something about it makes his heart melt.
“I know you're not Kyoko-chan.” Yasui says as the last of the water drains. “In some ways you're still exactly like who I think she would be...but in other ways you're not at all...and I don't even think that matters.” Taiga is just looking at him in apprehension. “Should we go sit down?”
“OK.” Taiga answers quietly, but it still takes a few seconds before he sighs and moves, placing Anzu-chan back down on the floor and heading back out of the kitchen to plonk himself down on the living room sofa.
“Taiga...there's just one thing I don't understand...” he starts, and when Taiga looks up at him he continues. “Why would you dress up like that for me? You already said you're not into that and you really don't seem to enjoy doing it...so why? Why would you do that for me?”
Taiga lets out a long breath and shrugs, but it says more that he doesn't know where to start than that he doesn't know what to say. “The way you've been looking at me ever since that first time...it was annoying and creepy...but not because of you...it was how it made me feel.” Taiga starts, looking down at his hands as he continues. “It's one thing being on stage in front of the fans and knowing that they adore you...but I've never had somebody that really knew me look at me that way before. You kept looking at me like you were infatuated with me...and it was all because you saw me dressed like a girl...”
“So it made you feel good about yourself to dress up like that for me?” He tries to keep his voice even, he's not even really sure how he feels about Taiga's explanation, flattered and happy with a fair lug of disappointed too maybe, but he still doesn't even really understand.
“That's part of it...” Taiga agrees, and he glances at Yasui's face momentarily. “Whenever I caught you looking at me like that, it made my chest feel tight” he clutches at the front of his T-shirt for emphasis as he looks up at Yasui, seeming to consider his face carefully. “And then before I realised it...just the thought of you looking at me like that...then just the thought of you at all had my heart pounding. And I didn't understand it.” Yasui's heart is starting to pound too, his stomach churning like he's on the edge of something. “My mum notices everything...and eventually...it all came out...then the dressing up part was her idea...just to see how I felt about it...”
“And how did you feel about it?” Yasui prompts, his palms starting to feel sweaty.
“I hate dressing like a girl.” Taiga says immediately. “I feel stupid and fake, and I hate when people tell me that I look girly...it was worth it for a while though for how happy you seemed to be with me…to see you looking at me that way again...I just...I don't think I can keep doing it...it's not me...”
Taiga's voice sounds somewhere between apologetic and desperate, his expression beseeching. Yasui nods and thinks about it carefully for a few minutes, his insides feel like they’ve been shaken up and the last thing he wants to do is say something rash on impulse. “I've always thought you were attractive.” he says eventually. “but it's true that it took seeing you dressed as a girl for me to really notice just how attractive you are. I like girls...so naturally that was what made me pay attention...but even after that, it wasn't only the thought of you as a girl...I started noticing how attractive you are normally...I like you dressed as a girl...but I think I like this too.”
When he looks up Taiga still looks uncertain, the expression just as beautiful on him as any other. Yasui smiles at him gently, but that doesn't shake the expression so Yasui does the only other thing he can think of, he kisses him.
Taiga kisses back this time, just twice, just gentle brushes of lips and then he pulls away again. “But you just said yourself you like girls...”
“I think I like you more.”