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Yuu has no idea why Ruggie dragged him aside in the hallway and invited him to what– from the disappointed face Azul pulls when Yuu walks through the door after Ruggie– seems like it was originally supposed to be a private planning session for Azul’s next Lounge event. The first thirty seconds start out fine, with Azul simply showing off his wardrobe change that would be featured at the event. Yuu was even impressed! The outfit looks nice, especially for being a combination of clothes kept from events the previous year (what event needed the boater hat?), but of course, everything goes downhill when Ruggie opens his mouth to comment on the look.
"You look like one of those salesmen that would try to come scam my granny with their good looks," Ruggie falls back against the couch with hand to his forehead and a cheeky smile on his face, letting out a theatrical sigh that jokingly verges way too much into bedroom territory for Yuu’s comfort, "Oh~ yes, Mister Salesperson, I do want to buy your dull knife for a hundred thaumarks. You're just so handsome as you tell me it's the best cut I'll ever find, I know you must be such a sincere young man.”
Yuu stares in awe as Azul actually fucking blushes. What the hell? Not even five minutes in and already he’s feeling the full force of regret in the face of the two’s incredibly weird courting habits. While usually he’d be happy for his… friends? acquaintances? Yuu in this situation is just left questioning all the life decisions that led him here (very few of which he made himself, Yuu would like to point out).
"So I'll get more revenue if I dress like this more often?" Azul pulls a pen and a well-used pad of lined paper from his breast pocket and Ruggie swoons once more.
"Mmmm, yes talk numbers to me," He declares (flirtily?) before shaking off most of his drama– his enticingly fluffy, suddenly distracting ears flapping with the physical motion– and switches gears: looking up at Azul, then splaying out his arms. "Com'ere."
Azul very obediently walks over and perches on the couch between Ruggie’s arms, which the hyena wastes no time wrapping around the other like a bear trap... octopus trap? Yuu doesn’t get paid enough to think more about the topic. The position honestly looks kinda awkward– Ruggie being horizontal on the couch while Azul is putting visible effort into sitting pin-straight and being comfortable at the same time.
Ruggie must notice how rigid Azul is, because he starts rubbing circles into his boyfriend's forearms– a motion that for some reason makes Azul fall limp against the backrest. If it weren't such an intimate gesture Yuu would take notes for the next time Azul tries to rope Deuce and Ace (or seven forbid, Grim) into some shit. The hyena smirks at the fruit of his labor (Yuu mentally makes a note to never think that phrase again) and sits up as best he can with Azul pressed against his waist– his best isn't very good and so Ruggie ends up looking like he's clinging to Azul in order to stay upright.
The jerk stares Yuu right in the eyes as he lays his head on Azul’s shoulder and, unnecessarily loudly for the position he just pried himself into, speaks directly into Azul’s ear, “You know, when I was bitty I wanted to be one of those people who sells vials of glittery water to dumb rich people claiming that it’ll make them live longer,” even as Ruggie unabashedly buries his face deeper into Azul’s shoulder, all Yuu can think about is how on brand that is, “But now I’m dating one instead!”
And Azul actually chuckles; Yuu’s left behind trying to understand where this statement fits anywhere in the conversation he just witnessed. Azul turns it back on course, “Perhaps that could be our theme– pull out some of the glittery mocktails and serve them in little jars.” Ruggie gracelessly snorts at the idea.
“We could all wear hats!” Ruggie pauses, “Well… you all already wear hats, so I guess it's really I could wear a hat.”
“And suspenders?” Azul smiles, and Ruggie levels him with a glare that has no real heat behind it.
“You’re pushing it.”
The two talk more about logistics for a while: some simplistic white tablecloths, various knickknacks to spread about the venue, centerpieces with pale snapdragons, even speech coaching for some very peppy and borderline manipulative sale pitches that they’re both coming with distressingly easy. With each new idea they throw out, Yuu feels more like they’ve genuinely forgotten about his presence. That is until they both slow down for a second and turn to look at him expectantly, as if there’s a cue for a line he doesn’t know.
So Yuu stares back blankly, “What?”
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, because Azul has his ‘why must I be in a room with an idiot’ expression on again. “Since you have decided to join us, it’s only fair that you provide your input as a possible customer,” Yuu would have been happy to do that from the start if they hadn’t immediately begun canoodling, “So, what do you think of the theme? Would you come?” He pulls out a sketchbook from between the two of them that Yuu hadn’t noticed, directing at him a page with a well-drawn outline of the lounge fully decked out.
Yuu leans in closer, but still can’t see all of the details clearly. So he, very pointedly, lifts the chair and moves it closer– he’s been reprimanded for scooching them across the floor before. The sketch looks even better up close, and Yuu’s overall impressed by the decor. There’s just… one thing. “I mean I personally would go,” Yuu starts, because it’s true– he thinks it sounds like a kinda fun theme (despite peculiarities), and he is friends (reluctantly) with both of them, “But don’t you think that people would try to avoid a capitalist-driven event that’s run by a known scammer and has the theme ‘con-artist’?”
The glance the two share after this comment is needlessly deep, knowing them that’s the deepest emotion they’ve shown each other all week (Yuu’s joking, they’ve assumedly gotten much better at communicating since Leona and Azul’s overblots– Yuu can almost say he’s proud). This does, however, have the effect of leaving Yuu hanging once again. At this point, he’s just preparing himself to be kicked out soon.
“I suppose you have a point,” Azul admits, face contorting with the sheer force of his thought. It’s not too long before he lights up, jolting up and dislodging Ruggie from his place on Azul’s shoulder. Ruggie pouts at the ceiling for a moment, then sighs and flips to face the back of the couch instead, plopping his tail directly into Azul’s lap. His feet are carefully placed away from the cushions, which Yuu figures he’s gotten lectured about himself. Azul absentmindedly grabs onto Ruggie’s tail in a way that Ruggie must have been expecting, because he doesn’t give the slightest flinch at the tight grip, “We will just have to change the name of the theme.”
Muffled noises come from the cushion that Ruggie shoved his face into. Azul must miraculously understand; he nods along and gives a soft smile, reaching up to lightly scratch Ruggie’s head, ruffling his hair and making it appear even fluffier than usual. Yuu isn’t romantically interested in Ruggie, but he allows himself to be jealous of Azul for this one second. Yuu wants to ruffle his hair so bad. Azul’s hum snaps him out of that train of thought, “Yes, that might work.”
Ruggie’s hands appear from his cocoon to feel around for Azul’s right arm, the one that didn’t currently have his boyfriend’s tail in a chokehold, he grabs it and hugs it to his chest like a prize. Azul loosens his hold briefly to fondly pat the tail in his lap, Ruggie wiggles and Azul flops back against the backrest, squishing the smaller deeper into the couch cushions.
Yuu watches for a bit longer, but their increased cuddling seems to have signaled the end of the conversation. He stands up and clears his throat, gaining the attention of a droopy Azul; Ruggie’s ear twitches in acknowledgement, but he doesn’t move from his position. Yuu doesn’t think he could if he wanted to. “I’m gonna go now,” Yuu announces, lifting the chair and placing it back into its proper spot.
Azul raises his left hand to wave goodbye: lazily, in a way that he never would have allowed anyone, not even Ruggie or the twins, to see pre-overblot. As Yuu leaves he watches Azul close his eyes and press himself back into Ruggie, and no matter how infuriating they could be at times– Yuu couldn’t help but be proud to see how far they had come.