Splendid explanation. Thank you for taking the stage for me.
Still, i am not huge on the second pair but I think that's primarily because their sexual relationship was dropped like a bomb in chapter 4. I would've liked to see more development towards their going sexual because admittedly, it felt forced for me in the early parts. Maybe a little scene on how Zono seduced him would suffice?
Yeah, though Zono DID explain that it was "love at first sight" so he quickly had sex with him. I suppose that's why it's so... Abrupt? There WAS no buildup, it was sudden, that's the story given. Exactly why FUMI was so easily swept along i can't really say, we know Zono's perspective there as love at first sight, but Fumi transferred in to be with the one he loves and it never really gives a reason as to WHY he was swept along into sex with another man despite not knowing at the time that Kaede was already in a relationship. As far as he was concerned, he was there for a single Kaede until the scene where he sees Kaede with his bf and Zono covers his eyes, so it's weird that he let Zono sweep him along. ╮(￣▽￣)╭
Yes. As I see it, it isn't Zono's fault that things get there fast. Quick love and sex happens to me too anyway. I think it was a technical error on the creator's part in this case. Aside from the covers, we only had little signs of Zono getting along with Fumi in the first 3 chapters: nickname and the affectionate approach. But if one is really keen to hide their affair, those little displays are possible. Still, it feels like we skipped a hole then jumped right into the other.
An appropriate build up would have given us a better understanding of Fumi's surprisingly quick decision to accept Zono's forceful advances too. Well, giving in to sex is easy if it's purely lust but for him to suddenly switch his longtime feelings which drove him to survive and then become his very goal to go back to an unstable relationship in a short amount of time needs a deeper look.
My take on all this: -note: i use caps to put emphasis on words-
Is he a dick? No. He's confused. People are probably irritated with him because it felt like he was "cheating", but neither of them spoke up on what their current relationship became after Kaede's rejection. Zono was under the impression he was just lusting after Fumi and that Fumi was just using him for sex to get over his heartbreak, a mutually beneficial relationship, all the while slowly starting to feel the effects of his undiscovered feelings. He was (trying) to sleep with other people (seemed to actually just be Emi he slept with?) BECAUSE he thought Fumi just wanted him for sex and that if they're just FWB and he's just "after Fumi's body" (in other words, playing around or sex for pleasure, very common) then there isn't a problem with it, he just didn't realize his feelings until they literally became TOO great to ignore as he could no longer JUST view Fumi as a FWB. Fumi was with Zono because he likes him, but unsure as to what their relationship was as he agrees that he thinks they're just FWB when Emi says so, luckily by this time Zono can no longer look at Fumi as FWB so he is able to confess after hearing Fumi confess as well. Honestly, i think he planned to confess anyways, that was the point of this chapter, it was to show his emotions finally reach the point where their relationship is just "not enough", as he says. I think Fumi just beat him to it and when his insecurities about Fumi's feelings dissipated he just threw it out there. I mean, would a FWB agree to go on a date? I think he planned to confess. He took it as a date even though it was later revealed that Fumi just wanted to cheer him up. Meaning he thought, "this guy, my FWB, just asked me on a date. Hell yes.", he looked very excited and got all dressed up.
Was his attitude bad? Yes. But only because he has a fetish for making people cry and he'd been acting on that until it was physically no longer enough. Then he realized that what he felt for Fumi this entire time went beyond his fetish and didn't know how to treat Fumi anymore, he stopped wanting to see him cry. I know many wont agree with this, but i actually agree with Zono when he says he "won't apologize" for their relationship up till now as, from both of their perspectives, nothing was established. There was no talking so Zono didn't realize Fumi's feelings till just now, hence me agreeing that neither he nor Fumi should have to apologize for their relationship up till now. It wasn't just Fumi who was upset by things, you can see Zono is upset at the thought of being used and he says this himself as well, "i'm tired of using you and being used by you". I feel that if they'd talked after Kaede's rejection and Fumi had made it clear that he wasn't in it just for sex, but was actually in love, this would've sparked Zono to realize his feelings and change their relationship earlier. It was all he needed just now for everything to fall into place and i think it would've been earlier as well.
I look at it as that they were both hurting from an ambiguous relationship and that now that they have both talked and they both have all the crucial emotional information they NEEDED, they're only JUST NOW moving into a real relationship.