A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review so I can get better, and feel free to give suggestions as for the direction you want this story to go. I know it's starting off slowly, and I am sorry, but I couldn't see their relationship developing any faster than this. Trust me when I say I'm the first to jump up and down and scream "Just DO IT ALREADY!"

Disclaimer: I do not own the show or any characters from Princess Jellyfish.

Tsukimi looked at her red rimmed eyes in the bathroom mirror, her make-up running. There was a sparkly smear of sticky red near her mouth, lip gloss inevitably smudged by their kiss. Her brown eyes went wide as she remembered.

She suddenly remembered everything that happened.

Tsukimi thought she must have been having a panic attack to not realize everything that happened, but now, all the sensations flooded through her. She shuddered as she remembered feeling his breath caressing her while he whispered comforting things into her ear. His warm hands were on her, one gently cradling her head, the other resting on her lower back like it had belonged there. The side of his cheek had gently grazed hers. And then.

And then his sure fingers firmly grasped her chin and suddenly he was there, and she was drowning in the smell of him, in the taste of his warm and hesitant lips. She was swept up in the current of his kiss and it scrubbed all unpleasant thoughts from her brain, leaving her numb and tingling.

Tsukimi studied her face in the mirror. She was plain, to say the least. Her eyebrows were wild and her dull black hair looked frizzy and untamable. Her red glasses made her eyes look glassy and vacant. She didn't have the long eyelashes or full lips of the princesses of this world, and the eye shadow Kuranosuke applied to her face earlier only made her look tired now. She set her glasses aside, turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water.

"He must have kissed me to get me to stop making such a scene in public..." Tsukimi thought as she wiped droplets of water off her cheek. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly at the thought, shame quickly sprinting to color her face and neck bright red. The thought that he wanted to kiss her never even crossed her mind.

…

When she came out of the bathroom, she had sufficiently calmed herself down. She was ready to apologize for acting like such a child without freezing up, but she couldn't see Kuranosuke anywhere. There were only four people in this area of the exhibit, a family of three, and a slender short haired blonde who was facing away from her. With a jolt, she realized that it was him. Somewhere between the Aurelia aurita and the Japanese nettle exhibit, Kuranosuke had removed his wig and make-up. Somewhere in the midst of her lectures on the hunting habits of jellyfish, he had discarded his beautiful shield and opened up to her, and Tsukimi realized she had responded to that trust only by silently crying.

As she walked up, she was mesmerized by his quiet grace and beauty. Without drag, he wasn't as flashy and in your face pretty. He was graceful and strong, with high cheekbones and a beautifully sculpted jaw line. His expressive eyes weren't overshadowed by fake eyelashes and layers of mascara.

He sensed her at his side, and turned with an easy smile that didn't quite reach his guarded eyes.

"I'm so sorry… For... Everything…" Tsukimi said, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she spoke.

"No worries." Kuranosuke replied. "Is there anything else you wanted to see here?"

She replied in the negative, and they made their way towards the exit.

On the long ride back to Amamizukun, Tsukimi did something she hardly ever does.

She decided to let Kuranosuke in, if only for just a bit, and she told him about her mother.

When she regretted the decision to do so later that night, laying alone in her bed, she told herself it was because his blue eyes, calm and confident like the sea, had put a spell on her.

…

After that day, life went by as normal, and Kuranosuke noticed that Tsukimi refused to bring up any mention of their Aquarium visit or their second kiss. He tried to tell himself that it meant nothing, and yet, when he came by and took the Amars out to a café, his eyes indescribably drifted to Tsukimi. He was curious about the strange reaction he had to this NEET, but what could he do about it?

Her Sisterhood still thought he was a girl, and Kuranosuke sincerely doubted they would be OK with the hipster girl making moves on Tsukimi.

Eventually, after yet another restless night of being tortured by expressive brown eyes, Kuranosuke decided that the only way to kill this is to see where it goes.

He came up with a plan.

The next morning, he showed up at Amamizukun with fryers for a Flea Market, and the promise to sell things for them there to make money and buy the retro house. That way all the residents of Amamizukun would be able to stay, especially Tsukimi. Of course, none of the Amars were too keen on helping, which was exactly his plan. When they got to the flea market, it was him, Tsukimi, and Chieko. However, as soon as they sold the little Clara doll that Tsukimi had, Chieko became involved in sewing a fresh batch of stuffed jellyfish toys for sale, and Kuranosuke began to slowly put his plan in motion.

He knew Tsukimi was skittish at best. He would have to be cautious. As she sat shuttling patterns and scraps of fabric around, he scooted next to her and "accidentally" rested his hand on top of hers. She glanced at him, and he smiled sweetly in return, suggesting a material pairing to her. Tsukimi visibly relaxed, clearly not seeing his blatant attack for what it was.

A short while later, Kuranosuke was helping by cutting out circular shapes for the jellyfish "skirts", and he reached around Tsukimi to retrieve a fabric scrap, essentially trapping her within the cage of his arms. She stiffened, and he lingered for a few seconds longer than necessary before releasing her, with the fabric he needed in hand.

The entire day was spent with awkward embraces and touches, but if Tsukimi noticed, she hadn't mentioned it.

Kuranosuke declared it a success.