marriagebroker | boom boom room

[well]

[Shoko did say it had love hotel vibes]

[but what she did not say is—]

THERE'S A TIMER?!

[ Rom, meanwhile, has gotten zero warning of what this room entails! He just assumed it would be a normal room??? So even once the door's closed, he's just gonna 🧍‍♂️ in front of the doorway for a moment, hands resting loose at his sides, taking in the unfamiliar scenery before him and trying to come to terms with it. ]

[

Okay, he's fine now.

Also, a lucky coincidence: no ghosts here. That's nice.

Gaze skimming over that timer -- ]

Haha ... I suppose we'd better hurry if we want to have a meaningful conversation. Five minutes isn't a lot of time.

[brb he is marching over to the door and grabbing the doorknob and just SHAKING IT!!!]

[. . . no, okay. he's fine now. he is not actually exiting. he is in fact turning on his heel and marching over to the bed and throwing himself onto it like a DRAMATIC MAIDEN]

Five minutes is so cheap. . . tch. We got more when we ditched the cameras.

[ Rom, meanwhile, is doing an inquisitive little loop of the room, looking at the furnishings and running a hand over the wall. He's admittedly curious about the mechanism to drop them in that cave ... ]

I suppose they didn't want to make things too easy. Locking the door as well -- if we could simply exit the room and then immediately return, everyone would be using this place to have covert conversations in five minute bursts. Bad for gathering footage.

[ He opens a drawer ... and then closes it again. ]

[pushing himself upright as he watches Rom explore, though he makes no move to do so himself, instead leaning back on his hands which stay splayed flat against the bed's comforter. at least it's a cozy bed. . .]

[he also opens his mouth to comment on how desperate the production is for juicy footage-- and then closes it again with a click the moment Rom quickly opens and shuts that random drawer]

[. . .]

Should I ask?

[what was in there. . .]

Oh? What was in there? Hmmm~

[ He's already resumed his loop of the room, but does look over to give Edamura a smile. An ominous omen for Edamura, a portent for what he's about to say: ]

Supplies appropriate for a place called the Boom Boom Room.

[he hates the name of this room. he hates how Rom says it so casually like this]

[hate]

[hate]

[A SIMPLE SIGH]

. . . at least come over here so we can. I don't know.

Cuddle for five minutes or. . . something.

[ His smile softens a little at that. It's cute, hearing Edamura say the word 'cuddle.'

As a show of mercy, he opts not to poke any fun at it, and instead obligingly ambles over to slide onto the edge of the bed next to where Edamura's sitting -- gently, so the mattress doesn't even bounce much. ]

This show is truly full of surprises, isn't it. Haha. I'm not sure what I expected from this room, but I don't think it was this.

[he halfway expects to be needled for it, but. . . mercifully, there is no teasing. which means Edamura does not hesitated to slide over into Rom's personal space once he is seated, arm immediately looping around his shoulders to drag them both down, flopping backwards onto the bed with a nice, soft whomp]

I asked Shoko about it. It's basically just as she described it.

[except—]

. . . but she didn't mention a timer.

[GONNA GIVE HER SHIT ABOUT THAT]

Edited 2025-06-24 19:10 (UTC)

[ ... look. He was going to let Edamura slide without getting teased. But it's so hard to hold back when he makes it so easy. Rom blinks as he lets himself get pulled down onto the mattress, just looking at Edamura lying beside him for a moment. ]

Makoto-san.

[ The mild call of his name is accompanied by a wider smile. Sly. ]

You were asking other people about this room? I wasn't aware you were so impatient to ...

[ hehe ]

[if he kills Rom right here and now, nobody will know]

Edited 2025-06-24 20:01 (UTC)

[BUT EXTREMELY TEMPTING AS IT IS. . .]

[. . . dimly, Edamura thinks he kind of likes the way that stupidly sly smile makes his heart skip a beat]

[it's super unfair how unflappable Rom remains, completely impervious to the same kind of fluster that sends Edamura skittering, scrambling for some kind of purchase amidst an outburst of emotion. surely there is something capable of tearing down those walls. something capable of chipping away at that perfectly practiced showmanship!! by now he has seen flickers of true, genuine emotion seeping through the cracks. . . but while he cherishes those moments (and wants more), that is also not what he is thinking about right now]

[it truly is tempting to shove a pillow into that face. to respond with the same outbursts he always has. but there is a tiny part of him that just wants to see if maybe—]

[maybe—]

[— and so Edamura pushes himself upright. plucks a ploy from his companion's playbook and leans right into Rom's personal space. hovering close— so close their noses brush together in gentle contact— but no closer than that, while one hand planes itself against the mattress beside Rom’s head]

[and then, in a low voice, words laced with coyness that nobody probably thought he was capable of—]

Says the guy who came in here with me in the first place.

[he will die after this. probably]

Edited (TYPO….) 2025-06-24 21:08 (UTC)

[ Nothing personal, Edamura. Rom's just spent a lifetime suppressing his reactions in order to survive; it's rare that anything can get him to fully break composure at this point, no matter how shocking or startling.

Though .. it's not that he's fully immune to this unfamiliar stimulus, either.

There's the gentle creak of springs when Edamura suddenly looms over him, and Rom does reflexively press back into mattress with a blink as they come nose-to-nose. From this proximity Edamura might be able to catch the way his usual smile falters just the slightest, gaze sliding off to the side. And while no blush colors his pallid complexion, his next breath does comes a little wobbly before he cants his head aside. There's a brief touch of his tongue to his lip as he decides how to respond. ]

... I told you I wouldn't mind coming in here with you. I meant it.

[ Before Edamura can respond, he leans up to plant a kiss on his cheek; his gaze had been fixed on the timer off to the side. ]

Ah. I guess that won't count for the timer.

[WELL, GREAT. NOW HE HAS TO OVERANALYZE WHAT THAT MEANS!! ROM!!!!!]

[but for once (for once) the rapidly spinning hamster wheel in his brain does not reflect in his expression. not with the way his attention locks on those tiny little tells. the subtle way eyes shift slightly to the side, the mildly shaky inhale that precedes Rom's next words, the slight touch of tongue against lip. . . Edamura does not have a wealth of experience, but he also wasn't lying about what little he does have. nor is he completely devoid of notions such as want or desire, even if he prefers to keep such matters strictly private]

[. . .]

[it's. . . almost starting to feel a bit like a game. how much would it take for that composure to crack even more. . .?]

[either way, he does tilt his head into that little cheek kiss, a tiny spattering of heat flooding his features in response. but even that isn't enough to smother the way his mouth curves up sharply in a grin that seems almost uncharacteristic for someone of his normal affable, overdramatic nature]

I'd say that's too bad, but I could always extend it right now.

[he says, all the while reaching for one of Rom's hand with his own, aiming to lace fingers together. . . before he very firmly presses that hand back against the mattress]

[ It only feels natural to look over when he feels Edamura's fingers snaking between his own, lacing their hands together, and Rom quietly watches the flex of tendons at the back of Edamura's hand as that grip tightens. Just past the high collar of his shirt, the bob of his Adam's apple is visible when he swallows hard.

... haha. What a surreal situation this is. He can't even remember the last time something other than mortal danger got his heart racing like this. What a refreshing change of pace!

It's partly a desire to chase that thrill, and partly the wish to see Edamura's next charming move that has him overcoming normal reservations and leaning up to steal a kiss. Chaste and brief, but very much a kiss, the firm press of lips against lips, followed by another glance at the timer as he settles back against the mattress. ]

Oh. That worked. [ A little cant of the head as he meets Edamura's gaze, voice deliberately lowered to a husky sing-song. ] Thank you~

[. . . haha. aha. hahaha. . .]

[. . . yeah]

[okay]

[Rom's kiss might be perfectly chaste and brief, but Edamura still tilts his head into it, breath stuttering in his lungs, fingers flexing even more tightly across his stolen hand until palms lie flush together. he might even chase it a little bit when his companion pulls away, lips still tingling with the lingering sensation, already longing to reestablish that contact. he gives Rom a bit of time to recover; a brief moment to check the timer and make sure that kiss had worked, since Edamura himself sure ain't doing it]

[. . . not that he doesn't care, but suddenly Rom is just. . .]

[so]

[much]

[more interesting]

[than literally anything else in this room]

. . . you're a real headache. Even like this. You know that?

[but there's a rough edge to his words that wasn't there before, a sort of darker shadow hanging over his eyes, lidded as they are. the insult has no heat to it. at least. . . not the kind that would suggest he actually means what he is saying]

[either way. . . Rom has two hands, doesn't he? Edamura captures the second much like he did the first, pinning it solidly next to his companion's head as he shifts, knees suddenly positioned on either side of Rom's waist. like this, he stays, staring down at his fellow contestant, one brow quirked as if to say- your move]

[his outward confidence is belied by nothing, but internally, he can feel his own pulse racing out of control, nerves springing to life in the pit of his stomach. if Wei Wuxian says literally anything to him about this surreptitious visit to the ROOM WITH NO NAME he is going to lose his mind]

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1/? sighs

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okok done less than I thought

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