There was a long stretch of silence before the onmyoji huffed a soft, slightly embarrassed laugh and tilted his head down, aware of the heat rising to his face and ears.

"I like you as well, Kaoru," he murmured in reply, deliberately putting emphasis on a different word and hoping the implication was more direct. It felt odd, dancing around a subject, but the idea of being direct and forward was even more uncomfortable. He wanted to say more, do more, but the idea was frightening enough that the reality was no doubt enough to make him swoon, and Seimei certainly wanted no part of that humiliation.

It didn't stop him from leaning into Kaoru's hands, eyes drifting closed completely. By the Fortunes, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so incredible. He was grateful his sleeves concealed the gooseflesh on his arms, even if it did nothing to stop the tremor that briefly rattled his spine, eliciting a lazy smile of satisfaction. He didn't even care that the tea was cold and time was passing unchecked.