5WIRL + Wanderer COLLAB!!!

Chapter 7

  The next day they finished polishing up the vocals for the song and then Heizou posed a question.
  "How many songs do you have prepared for us, Kuni?" He asked.
  "Huh? Oh, uh, just one or two..."
  Heizou giggled, "come on, don't be so shy! Tell us about them! We'll be starting putting it together after the weekend, right?"
  Kunikuzushi paused, "yeah... Uhm, actually, I wanted to know what instruments you all play?"
  Heizou tilted his head to the side, "what for?"
  "Have you ever been to a non-idol concert? They play all their songs by hand on stage, I thought it was pretty interesting..." Kunikuzushi trailed off.
  Heizou tapped his chin, "Aether can play drums, Venti can play almost anything, I think Kazuha plays the guitar, and I play acoustic and base."
  Kunikuzushi nodded as he started jotting things down on a spare piece of paper, "if you're all okay with performing a song completely live, I think it would be... Well, it would be a surprise for our fans, at the very least."
  "Sounds fun!" Heizou pat his arm, "I'll see you on Monday, then! I've got to meet my parents soon, and then I have to explain that I'm not actually engaged, Ahaha..."
  "You still haven't explained that?" Kunikuzushi held back a laugh.
  Heizou smiled nervously, "well... it's a little hard to do over the phone... I just hope they aren't too disappointed..."
  "Have a good visit," Aether smiled as Heizou left. Then he said his goodbyes as well.
  Xiao was eager to leave. He looked utterly exhausted. Kazuha had said time and time again that he could help with mixing and matching, but Xiao insisted on doing it all himself. Venti swiftly hugged both Kazuha and Kunikuzushi before running after his gloomy counterpart.
  Kunikuzushi waited a moment before asking quietly, "are they... together?"
  Kazuha chuckled, "it's pretty obvious, isn't it?"
  He nodded, "I just wanted to make sure... I didn't want to assume anything and I won't tell anyone."
  "I'm not too worried about it," Kazuha shrugged, "oh, and I only play a little bit of guitar. I mostly play the ukulele."
  Kunikuzushi noted that down before folding up the paper and shoving it in his already full bag. "So what's on the agenda for tonight? Are you meeting with your little love interest again?" He smiled over at Kazuha mischievously.
  Kazuha blushed, "you could say that..."
  "Don't feel like you need to keep me company, then," Kunikuzushi turned towards the balcony.
  "No, I really don't mind." Kazuha insisted as he followed Kunikuzushi out onto the balcony.
  Kunikuzushi chuckled, "are you sure your lover is alright with it, though?"
  Kazuha paused, "uhm..."
  "If you have to think about it for that long they probably don't want you seeing me," he rolled his eyes with a smile.
  "No, that's not- I- It's not that they don't-" Kazuha sighed heavily, "I don't know how to explain..."
  "Then don't," Kunikuzushi dug through his bag.
  Kazuha watched him for a long moment, "Kuni, what instruments do you play?..."
  "I taught myself guitar when I first started becoming an idol, and I've been trying to learn piano recently," he answered.
  "Kuni, why do you want to do one of the songs like a concert? If you don't mind me asking..."
  Kunikuzushi shrugged, "I just thought it might be fun... and I think that maybe we could tone it down a little with the... dancing."
  "Does it bother you? I'm sure the others would be fine if-"
  "No, I'm alright with it. I just feel like... maybe it won't be the most well received considering all of our backgrounds. Then again, there are some thirsty people out there," he chuckled. "I apologize in advance for all the things my fans are going to say about us."
  "Oh, no, it's okay," Kazuha felt himself blushing harder. "I try not to pay much attention to stuff like that..."
  "Yeah, me either. But Miko brings it up to tease me every once in a while," he chuckled as he stood back up with a lighter and a cigarette in hand. "You want one?"
  Kazuha shook his head, "ah, no thanks..." He felt like a criminal for saying no, but he had to stay strong! For Beidou and the rest of 5WIRL! Kazuha wondered if Kunikuzushi didn't have anyone worth quitting for... His mood fell all the way to the center of the earth.
  Kunikuzushi took notice as he pocketed his lighter. "What is it?"
  "Oh, it's nothing," Kazuha smiled, "uh, you were saying?..."
  "Just that Miko is a tease," he shrugged, sighing. "She's always trying to get me to interact with my fanbase more. I don't think it's a bad idea. I just wouldn't want to enable them... does that make sense?"
  "Yeah, I totally get that." Kazuha nodded, "Now that Heizou's here it isn't as bad, but our fans used to assume a lot of... unflattering things about me..."
  "Like what?" Kunikuzushi asked curiously.
  "Oh, just... because I'm so quiet, people tend to associate that with... dirty-mindedness..." Kazuha felt incredibly embarrassed.
  Kunikuzushi snorted, "mhm, that sounds about right."
  "I... I don't really understand it... I mean, Xiao talks way less than I do..."
  "It's your eyes," Kunikuzushi stated, taking another puff of his cigarette.
  "Hm???"
  "Your eyes," Kunikuzushi gestured at his face, "they look... well, sort of piercing, but in a suspicious way."
  Kazuha blinked, "so I really... look like that kind of person?..."
  Kunikuzushi shrugged, "I didn't think so until just now."
  Kazuha's face instantly got three shades redder, "I-"
  Kunikuzushi laughed, "I'm kidding! You are way too trusting, Kazuha! Of course I don't think of you that way. I'm sure your fans just really want to be wanted by you. That's what Nahida always tells me when she sees gross comments and stuff."
  Kazuha blinked, "oh... I guess that makes sense... But you didn't have to trick me like that..."
  "And miss out on seeing your reaction? No thanks!" He scoffed, smiling triumphantly to himself.
  "Kuni..." Kazuha looked down in embarrassment, "what am I supposed to say to that?..."
  "Hm, for one, you could beg me to stop," Kunikuzushi smirked over at him.
  Kazuha was shocked. Did Kunikuzushi really just say that?...
  "Or you could get revenge in your own way and make me stop," he chuckled. "Or you could just ask nicely, but that's the most boring option."
  Kazuha sighed, he really couldn't take much more of this...
  "So, how far has our innocent little Angel gotten with his partner?" Kunikuzushi moved on like it was nothing.
  Kazuha's mouth went dry. "Uh- uhm-"
  "What? Worried I'm going to figure it out?" He rolled his eyes, "relax, I don't know anyone else you know outside of 5WIRL. It's not like I'm going to dig into your business anyways."
  Kazuha swallowed hard, "well... I wouldn't  even say that we have gone on our official first date yet... but we've had a lot of talks one-on-one together... I really can't tell how they think of me, but I hope they don't think I'm annoying for bothering them all the time..." He slowly looked at Kunikuzushi to see how he would respond.
  Kunikuzushi nodded, "why don't you ask them out, then? If you've been talking for a while, then isn't it about time?"
  "Ah, well, our talks haven't really been... inherently romantic. I mean, a little bit. I could just be taking things the wrong way... I'm worried that I'm confusing their actions for something they aren't..."
  Kunikuzushi smiled, "then ask them out without asking them out."
  "What?..."
  Kunikuzushi shrugged, "invite them somewhere but don't say anything about it being a date. That's a thing people do, right?..."
  "Uh, yeah, I guess..." Kazuha paused, "but-"
  "Just be persistent," Kunikuzushi smiled, "that's how you became friends with me, right? You know, it's really funny that I'm giving you relationship advice when I've never been in a relationship," he laughed.
  Kazuha smiled sheepishly, "yeah, and it's pretty good advice, too..."
  "Well, thanks. I guess reading all those books really did come in handy," he chuckled.
  "Yeah..." Kazuha was lost in thought as he stared at Kunikuzushi. He needed to somehow hold his hand... but how? Well, he should ask first, right? He didn't want to overstep his boundaries and end up getting hurt again. The last thing he wanted was for Kunikuzushi to feel guilty again.
  Kazuha took the quietest deep breath he could. Then he held his hand out, "may I...?" He froze up. He couldn't force himself to say the rest of the words! What was he going to do?!
  Kunikuzushi looked at Kazuha and rolled his eyes while he chuckled. "Really?" He shook his head and held out his cigarette, "I offered you one earlier. Besides, aren't you trying to quit?"
  Kazuha decided that rather than embarrassing himself he would just go with this. He took the cigarette from Kunikuzushi and then put it out on the railing. "I am."
  Kunikuzushi stared at him in surprise. Then he started laughing. Actually laughing. It wasn't a sly little chuckle or an amused giggle. He was laughing uncontrollably. He was clutching his stomach as he leaned against the wall.
  Kazuha was in a state of disbelief. Then he grew incredibly red at seeing Kunikuzushi so happy. "What's... what's so funny?..."
  Kunikuzushi was taking deep breaths to try and stop laughing. "It's just- out of everything you could have done, that's not what I expected. I mean, you must either be super brave or incredibly stupid!"
  Kazuha's face only got more red, "I..."
  "I know, I know, you're only trying to help," he waved it off as he was finally able to breathe properly again.
  "I don't want to see you get hurt..." Kazuha made his excuse.
  "Well, thanks," he shook his head.
  "I'm sorry," Kazuha apologized, "I just-"
  "It's *fine*," Kunikuzushi laughed. "It's not that big of a deal."
  Kazuha pursed his lips nervously.
  "Do you have something to say other than your incessant apologies?" Kunikuzushi smiled.
  Kazuha almost took a step back. He wanted Kunikuzushi to stop smiling at him like that! But he also didn't... he really liked seeing Kunikuzushi so happy... He'd never seen him laugh that hard before... Or smile like this...
  Then Kazuha realized he had been asked a question. "Ah, uhm-"
  Kunikuzushi chuckled, "you've been stuttering quite a lot today. Have you used up all your words while singing? People say we only have a limited amount of words each day." He continued to smile as he leaned his elbows against the rails, only making himself more alluring in Kazuha's eyes (not that he knew he was doing this at all).
  Kazuha shook his head, "I don't know..."
  "I certainly hope not, I enjoy our talks."
  Kazuha felt like he'd been pricked with a needle, but in a good way. He hoped that it wasn't obvious how happy this made him. He cleared his throat quietly, "I do, too..."
  Kunikuzushi's smile widened, "you seem to have more to say."
"Just a small request..." Kazuha took a step forward, "may I have your hand?..."
  Kunikuzushi snorted as he stood up and held his hand out, "for what? That's such a weird thing to ask for."
  Kazuha carefully took Kunikuzushi's hand in both of his own, instantly feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
  "So... why did you want my hand?" Kunikuzushi gave him a quizzical look after waiting for a minute.
  "It's just something I wanted..." Kazuha spoke quietly, gently squeezing Kunikuzushi's hand.
  Kunikuzushi's brows came together, "okayyy...?"
  Kazuha realized he was being weird again. He swallowed hard, "I'm a little surprised..."
  "By what?"
  "You don't have an callouses..." Kazuha turned his hand over.
  Kunikuzushi blinked, "oh."
  "Sorry..." Kazuha mumbled.
  "I'd never noticed," Kunikuzushi examined his hands.
  "Normally musicians have callouses from playing instruments... but you don't even have one from writing..." Kazuha started to find this strange.
  "Huh, weird," Kunikuzushi shrugged.
  Kazuha stared at their hands for a long time, wondering how this was even physically possible. Then he asked, "did you never write much when you were younger?"
  Kunikuzushi thought for a moment, "I guess not... To be honest my handwriting is really bad, I kind of taught myself how to write, ahaha..."
  Kazuha looked up, "what?"
  "Well I didn't exactly have anyone around to teach me when I was little," Kunikuzushi hurriedly explained, obviously trying to avoid the subject.
  Kazuha didn't want to pry... but he was so curious. "You didn't?"
  "Yeah, uh, it's kinda embarrassing but my mom was an idol, too," Kunikuzushi laughed nervously.
  "Really??? Which one???"
  Kunikuzushi's eyes wandered around, "she was known as The Almighty Shogun for a while..."
  Kazuha blinked, he felt his stomach drop. Kunikuzushi's mom was... "Wait, she can't be that much older than you," Kazuha was suddenly brought back.
  "She's a lot older than she looks..." he chuckled, still seeming quite nervous.
  "If your mom is an idol..." Kazuha decided that he didn't want to finish his question. It was probably an insensitive question...
  Kunikuzushi shrugged with a sigh, "I know about as much as you do. He was long gone by the time I could remember things. But right now, and don't tell anyone I said this," he began to smile slyly. "Miko and her and sort of together."
  Kazuha almost gasped, "seriously?"
  "Yup, they've always been super flirty with each other," Kunikuzushi nodded. "I didn't want her to be my manager because it felt weird, but Nahida and I are both really bad at marketing and stuff... and she was the one who offered to help us..."
  Kazuha smiled, "as long as she doesn't cause you any discomfort."
  "Right." He nodded firmly.
  "Well," Kazuha chuckled, "I guess I know why you're so pretty now."
  Kunikuzushi blinked, "hm???"
  Kazuha felt like he was going to cease to exist. Everything stopped working. Did he seriously just say that out loud?!?!
  Then Kunikuzushi snorted, "'cause everyone loves my mom, huh? I do look quite a bit like her, it's kinda funny how no one notices we're related."
  "Because you two are so different..." Kazuha looked down at their hands. His face was incredibly red and it took everything he had in him not to squeeze Kunikuzushi's hand any tighter.
  "Yeah, I guess," he shrugged.
  "If your mom is an idol... how come you joined HARBINGERS instead of-"
  Kunikuzushi sighed loudly. "It's a stupid reason," he shook his head, "I was young and being rebellious. I guess I was just upset that she prioritized her career over me. I wanted to show her up, in a way. And I succeeded..."
  Kazuha couldn't read Kunikuzushi's expression. He gently ran his thumb over Kunikuzushi's knuckles, "I'm sorry..."
  "For what?..."
  "That you had to go through all that... I'd fix all your problems if I could..." he said it and he meant it.
  "Well you can't," Kunikuzushi abruptly took his hand back, "don't say something so foolish."
  Kazuha felt a little bit hurt. "But it's true..."
  Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes, "you're more naïve than I expected." Then he smirked, "you're really gullible, even for a Angel..."
  Kazuha's cheeks got very pink again, "Kuni... I thought we were done with that..."
  "I will never be done!" He laughed evilly.
  Even though Kazuha suffered through the teasing, there was a part of him that was glad Kunikuzushi wouldn't stop. This meant that Kunikuzushi wasn't afraid to make fun of Kazuha, meaning he knew Kazuha wasn't so bothered by it, which, in turn, meant that they were getting closer.

  Kazuha once again returned home with a burning face.
  "What happened this time?" Beidou laughed.
  "I held his hand..." Kazuha fiddled with his clothing, "and I said that I would fix all his problems if I could... Beidou, am I an idiot?..."
  "Only a little bit," she rolled her eyes, "at least you're being more obvious about your feelings instead of pretending they aren't there!"
  "But... aren't I being too forward?..."
  "That depends," Beidou shrugged. Then she narrowed her eyes at him, "why do you smell like smoke?"
  Kazuha hesitated, "it wasn't me..." There was no way to keep this a secret from Beidou... "Please don't tell anyone."
  She sighed, "as long as it wasn't you... But, dang, what a waste. He's got a nice voice."
  Kazuha nodded, "yeah... but I guess he doesn't have anyone to quit for like I have you..." He sat down beside Beidou and leaned against her shoulder.
  "Then you should become that person for him," she smiled brightly.
  "What?"
  "Once he realizes how awesome you are he'll fall in love with you and then he'll quit for you!" She knocked on his head, "it's simple."
  Kazuha was very red again, "okay..."
  "Dude, calm down. All you did was hold his hand, you're acting like you did way more than that." Then she leaned close to him, widening her eyes, "or did you?..."
  "NO!" Kazuha pushed her away, "We didn't do anything!!!"
  Beidou laughed, aggressively ruffling Kazuha's hair, "I'm just playin'!!! There's no way you'd be breathing right now if he had even kissed your cheek!"
  "I feel like you're insulting me..."
  "That's cause I kinda am, but in a loving way." Beidou chuckled, "so, when's the wedding?"
  Kazuha heaved a sigh, daydreaming, "I wish it were tomorrow..."
  "Dang, I didn't know you wanted to honeymoon with him so badly," Beidou snickered.
  Kazuha frowned, "that's not what I meant."
  "But it's true, isn't it?!"
  "No..." his voice trailed off as he gazed around, "that's not what I look for in a partner..."
  "Mhmmm~" Beidou giggled, "I bet you can imagine him leaning in close and-"
  Kazuha put his hands over her face, "just became I *can* doesn't mean I *want* to!!!"
  Beidou continued to laugh, "maybe not, but that's part of being in love, isn't it?"
  Kazuha paused for a long moment as he brought his arms back. "Not necessarily... This reminds me that Kuni said he's never felt romantically towards anyone... and he also doesn't have callouses on his hands..."
  Beidou blinked, "so he's a robot?"
  Kazuha shook his head, "he feels like a person..."
  "Hehehe~"
  "Shut up, I'm being serious," Kazuha folded his arms.
  "Then what do you think?"
  "I don't know... I've met some strange people, but I've never met anyone who hasn't been in love before." Kazuha's brows knit together, "I'm not sure what to make of it... but I know it means I'll have to try extra hard to make him like me back..."
  Beidou nodded, "so you better start scheming! But first eat!!! You can't scheme on an empty stomach!!!" She stood and forced Kazuha into the kitchen.
——————
"Hey, Nahida... How do you tell when someone likes you?..." Kunikuzushi asked.
  "Well, they want to be around you and talk to you," she answered.
  "No, I mean... When someone like-likes you," he clarified.
  "Oh." She blinked, "uhm... that's a good question. Let's ask the internet." She whipped out her phone.
  "Huh? But didn't you say you didn't like-"
  "Hush, let me work. I don't have *all* the knowledge. Sometimes looking things up is the only solution."
  Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes, "uh-huh."
  "Hmm, let's see...They might smile at you often, make a lot of eye contact, and they might reach out to touch your arm, hand, back, or leg." She read off her screen. "Does that help?"
  Kunikuzushi nodded slowly, "sort of..."
  "Why did you want to know?" Nahida asked.
  "I'm not sure... I just had a feeling," he shrugged.
  "Do you think Kazuha like-likes you?" She tilted her head.
  Kunikuzushi pursed his lips nervously. Then he nodded slowly.
  "Does that make you uncomfortable?..." Nahida asked quietly, walking over to him.
  "I'm... flattered..." he matched her volume. He said it half heartedly, like he wasn't sure if he meant it or not.
  "It's hard for you, isn't it? Because of *him*?" She closed her hand around the hem of his shirt, looking down at the floor. "They even look similar..."
  Kunikuzushi nodded, "I don't know what to do..."
  "Well, you've acknowledged it, that's something. Maybe you should talk to him about it."
  "But what if I'm wrong? Then wouldn't it make things worse?"
  Nahida shrugged, "you never know until you try. If you're really unsure, maybe just observe him for a while longer. Try not to act any different around him, maybe? Humans notice change pretty quickly."
  Kunikuzushi nodded with a sigh, "I don't want to stop being friends with him... but if-"
  "You won't have to stop being friends," Nahida smiled reassuringly up at him, "Kazuha's different. I could tell when I met him. Remember? I said he would be good for you."
  Kunikuzushi nodded, smiling despite himself. "Yeah, alright, I get it. I'll stop being so mopey."
  "Good," she hugged his leg, "now, let's make cookies."
  "For what???" He laughed.
  "For my tummy!!!"