Happy birthday, Becky!
Happy birthday, Becky!
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My brain just DIED the last two days. It's just. Yeah. So I'm sorry this is nothing to do with the prompts or anything else I've been writing. I love you more than this fic suggests; I just really wanted to have something on your birthday. I'll make it up to you someday.
A Threesome in Four Acts
I.
Ryousuke hadn't meant to go to Hanei's family's restaurant after he'd left his father's hospital but he wasn't surprised to find himself there when he finally looked up and noticed his surroundings.
It was a little more surprising that he and Hanei were alone in the darkened Chura-chan and that Hanei was making scrambled eggs in comfortable silence.
He hadn't expected anybody to follow him and Hanei the least of all, and yet it had been Hanei who had followed him to the roof at the school just days ago. The comfort that he'd extended hadn't been in line with the gruff, tough exterior that Hanei typically presented-it had been open and honest and soft.
Sitting at the counter and watching Hanei salt the eggs, shaking the pan to keep them from sticking, Ryousuke felt the same way he had then: comforted, sheltered, not alone. He lifted his mug of beer and sipped, speaking into it rather than directly to Hanei. "Hey," he said.
At the stove, Hanei turned, angling his body to indicate that Ryousuke had his attention; Ryousuke wondered if he'd always done that.
"I. About the other day. And today, too. Thanks."
Hanei stirred the eggs with a spatula. "It was harder for me to tell my mom that I was leaving the gang than it was to tell her I was joining it. I cared a lot more then."
"Mm," Ryousuke nodded in acknowledgement. He watched Hanei's back and then stood up and rounded the short counter into the kitchen, joining him beside the stove. Hanei barely glanced at him.
"Plates," he requested with a jerk of his chin toward the two plates that he'd set down earlier, lifting the pan from the burner.
"Plates," Ryousuke said, picking them up and holding them out in turn for Hanei to fill.
Hanei looked at him as the last of the eggs were plated and the pan went into the sink. There was a hint of his laugh in the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and Ryousuke did what he did without a thought.
He leaned forward, plates held to the sides, and kissed Hanei on the mouth.
As far as kisses went it was neither a chaste peck nor a tongue-filled, hot-and-dirty inventory of Hanei's mouth. It was a touch of softly parted lips that lingered for several slow seconds, a kiss in the truest sense of the word, a lover's kiss.
It was only as he drew back that Ryousuke thought about it and then only because Hanei was looking at him, one eyebrow quirking. Uh, thought Ryousuke. "Eggs!" he said brightly.
Hanei snorted and stepped forward when Ryousuke stepped back, trapping him back against the counters with the dishes between them. "You," said Hanei, pushing first one arm and then the other so that the plates were held over the counters and the path to Ryousuke was clear of obstructions. He hooked a hand around Ryousuke's neck and tugged him forward into a second kiss.
The second kiss was as soft as the first but not as chaste once Ryousuke let his mouth open with a soft sigh. Hanei's tongue touched his bottom lip lightly and then Ryousuke's own tongue, soft and easy and everything about it was just…comfortable. Ryousuke let the plates clattered the scant distant to the counter tops and settled his hands at Hanei's trim waist, feeling how solid he was beneath the gentle warmth. "So," he said when Hanei released his mouth. He wondered how he was supposed to feel about his first time kissing another man.
"Eat your eggs," Hanei said, picking up the dropped plates and shoving one into Ryousuke's hands.
He felt like grinning, so he did, leaning back against the sink next to Hanei, and picking up the bits of egg with his bare hands. "It's good," he said around a mouthful.
"Oi," said Hanei. "Utensils."
Ryousuke looked at his eggs, at Hanei, at his hands, and then picked up another serving and dropped it into his mouth, licking his fingers. He laughed when Hanei tackled him to the ground and forced utensils on him. He kept laughing as they ate, Hanei sitting on his stomach, and didn't stop until the plates were set aside and they were kissing again.
II.
Hanei sat next to Teppei and drank in companionable silence. The empty space on his right still held the warmth-real or imagined-of Ryousuke.
Teppei refilled both of their glasses. "He switched shifts to come," he said. "And now he's going to work all night before classes start."
Which Hanei had already figured out on his own. "He's a good guy," he said.
"I'm glad he came," Teppei nodded. "Otherwise I might not have known what to say to you."
"Don't have to say anything," Hanei said, lifting one shoulder and letting it drop. "'s enough that…" Hanei stopped as he realized that he and Teppei were probably a little drunk at the moment. He glared at his glass. "You know," he finished with in a mumble.
"Yeah," Teppei smiled at him, "I guess I do." His whole face suddenly crinkled as his smile widened. "You're not so tough," he said.
As far as Hanei was concerned, there was only one way to respond to that sort of statement. Especially if it was Teppei making it. He grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him off his chair, pushing him up against the wall. "Oi," he said, leaning into him.
Teppei was definitely drunk, Hanei thought, because all Teppei did was grin at him. "Oi," he returned, pushing lightly at one of Hanei's shoulders. For a long moment, Hanei looked at him. It was long enough for Teppei's smile to fade, the gleeful light in his eyes to turn to confusion. "Han-"
Hanei kissed him, cutting him off completely.
It wasn't like kissing Ryousuke had been, partially because Teppei had stiffened in shock. Or horror; Hanei wasn't sure. Even when he pulled away he wasn't sure. Teppei looked at him, chewing on his lower lip as he stared and stared. "Um," he whispered after a while.
With deliberate care, Hanei released his clutch on Teppei's shirt. He smoothed it absently and felt Teppei's heart thumping madly beneath his hand. "You can say 'no'," Hanei said, leaning in again. He touched his mouth to Teppei's again, pressed firmly so that Teppei knew. He skimmed a kiss along Teppei's cheek to his ear and said softly, "You can say nothing."
Teppei made a sound but lifted his chin as Hanei lipped the corner of his jaw. "I didn't imagine…" he said into the quiet dark of the room.
Hanei looked at him. "Neither did I," he said.
"Okay," Teppei breathed, his voice was as quiet as the whisper of his hands at Hanei's shoulders. "Okay.
"Okay," Hanei answered and kissed him again.
III.
The phone wouldn't stop ringing.
"It's Ryousuke again, Teppei. Just…give me a call, okay?"
"Answer the damn phone!"
"Teppei, damn it, I know you're there now pick up!"
"You'd better be dying after all of this!"
"It's Ryousuke. Again. You can text if you're not up to talking."
"Do I have to come over there?"
"Hey, Teppei... just call, all right? If you need anything, okay? Anything, all right?"
"You'd better not quit, you stupid-you crazy-you'd better not!"
"Teppei…"
It was like they were taking it in turns to not give him a second of peaceful reprieve.
But he couldn't bring himself to turn his phone off. He listened to Hanei make dire threats against him, listened to him get drunker and quieter and then more explosive. He listened to Ryousuke offering him anything, over and over, getting quieter and quieter, all through the night.
He didn't want to talk to them.
He wanted to talk to them more than anything, and tell them all the things his mother had said and made him remember.
Instead he rested his cheek against his knees and listened to each new message as it came in.
He walked home with Ryousuke after class. Ryousuke's hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans; Teppei's hands were crammed into his coat pockets, full of charms for his health. "I didn't answer your phone calls," he said as they climbed the stairs to his apartment.
Ryousuke smiled and shrugged. "You needed time to think," he said. "And since you thought that you wouldn't quit, it's fine. Better than fine; it's great."
"Yeah," Teppei said, letting out a long breath, one that felt like he'd been holding it for a long time. "It meant a lot," he said softly. "Even if I didn't pick up."
"Teppei," said Ryousuke, lifting the hand with the little eyeball rings on it, his voice high pitched and ridiculous. "Hey, Teppei…"
Teppei laughed. "Ryousuke," he mimicked the voice and the hand gestures even though he lacked the rings.
Ryousuke darted in and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "Don't tell," he said in the puppet voice. "Ryousuke is glad you're all right."
"Teppei won't tell," Teppei said. It took him a moment and Ryousuke's bright smile to gather the courage to step up to kiss Ryousuke's cheek in return before he unlocked his door and led him inside.
IV.
They woke in a pile of limbs-
Really naked limbs.
-bright sunlight-
Bright, skull-splitting sunlight.
-and the sound of the world's loudest birds.
"Ow," Teppei whimpered as the blankets finally gave up the good fight and fell to the floor.
"I hurt in weird places," Ryousuke told the ceiling blearily.
"Shut up," growled Hanei, slapping a hand over Teppei's face.
"Ryousuke," Teppei moaned, "Hanei wants you to shut up."
"Shut up," Hanei said again, hitting Teppei's face absently, as though looking for a snooze button.
"I hope I'm not the only one who hurts in weird places," Ryousuke said conversationally.
"My head is killing me?" Teppei answered timidly.
"Shut up," said Hanei.
"It's not fair if I'm the only one who hurts in weird places," Ryousuke told the ceiling.
"I don't want to get drunk again," Teppei said immediately. "I can't handle being hung-over and drunk."
Hanei shoved them both out of the bed.
Teppei looked at Ryousuke.
Ryousuke looked back at him.
"At least we have the blanket?" Teppei offered.
Ryousuke rolled over on top of Teppei. "I bet Daiki and Aki wouldn't let me be the only one with really weird sore spots," he said.
Hanei sat up. "Shut. Up."
"But-!"
Ryousuke ended up racing Teppei to the shower, Hanei only steps behind them.
Hanei's mother nearly ran him over as she came out the door. "Oh!" she stopped just short of knocking into him. "You boys," she smiled. "Daddy and I are going on a date, so you'll have to get Akira to cook for you."
"Yeah," he nodded. "Hey…"
When he didn't say anything else, Hanei's mother cocked her head. "Hm?"
"If…if for pride, to maintain the good memories people had of him, if Akira…"
Hanei's mother's smile gentled. "Hurts can be fixed," she said, "that's what any parent will tell you. As long as you can keep living, you have a chance to heal-making any other choice is stupid, that's what any parent will say. But it's not always a parent's choice to make, right? If Akira thought that he could only die or betray his family and his friends, I would be proud if he was true to himself and had a noble heart."
Ryousuke closed his eyes. "That's how it is, huh?" he murmured.
"Well, I'd drag him back from the dead and kick his ass," Hanei's mother said, patting his arm. "He'd get an earful and then I'd kill him myself."
She surprised a laugh out of him. "Ah, that's the way it is," he said.
"That's the way it is," she agreed. She cupped his cheek for an instant and, for an instant, Ryousuke leaned into it. "You boys behave," she admonished before swinging away down the street. "I know your type!"
NO, REALLY, I LOVE YOU beckerbell. I REALLY DO.
He was pretty certain that, while Hanei had proved to be as lightweight as advertised, he and Ryousuke weren't drunk and so there was really no good reason for Ryousuke's hand to be...where it…oh, shit, he thought soberly and downed the rest of his drink as fast as he could.
"You guys have done this before," he said in slow-dawning, fast-shock realization.
"When Fujio died," Ryousuke answered easily, unashamed of the faint traces of grief and regret that clung to his tone. "It was an emotional time for me." His grief and regret fled in the face of a smile. "Oh, and then when we started the practical parts of it and Hanei was having an emotional time."
"And now YOU'RE having an emotional time," Hanei said in drunken cheer.
Teppei didn't bother to ask them what their plans were if his test came back positive. Somehow it was less important than the other thoughts that were pounding through his head. "What if it's Aki?" he asked.
Hanei and Ryousuke looked at each other. Ryousuke flung an arm, heavy and warm, around Teppei's shoulders and leaned close smelling like beer and aftershave. "Naturally we'd take Daiki out drinking."
"And drop him off at her place once he was drunk," Hanei finished, taking a drag off of his cigarette and blowing the smoke cleanly upward before leaning in, smelling like beer and Ryousuke's aftershave, cigarettes and Chura-chan's interior.
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My brain just DIED the last two days. It's just. Yeah. So I'm sorry this is nothing to do with the prompts or anything else I've been writing. I love you more than this fic suggests; I just really wanted to have something on your birthday. I'll make it up to you someday.
A Threesome in Four Acts
I.
Ryousuke hadn't meant to go to Hanei's family's restaurant after he'd left his father's hospital but he wasn't surprised to find himself there when he finally looked up and noticed his surroundings.
It was a little more surprising that he and Hanei were alone in the darkened Chura-chan and that Hanei was making scrambled eggs in comfortable silence.
He hadn't expected anybody to follow him and Hanei the least of all, and yet it had been Hanei who had followed him to the roof at the school just days ago. The comfort that he'd extended hadn't been in line with the gruff, tough exterior that Hanei typically presented-it had been open and honest and soft.
Sitting at the counter and watching Hanei salt the eggs, shaking the pan to keep them from sticking, Ryousuke felt the same way he had then: comforted, sheltered, not alone. He lifted his mug of beer and sipped, speaking into it rather than directly to Hanei. "Hey," he said.
At the stove, Hanei turned, angling his body to indicate that Ryousuke had his attention; Ryousuke wondered if he'd always done that.
"I. About the other day. And today, too. Thanks."
Hanei stirred the eggs with a spatula. "It was harder for me to tell my mom that I was leaving the gang than it was to tell her I was joining it. I cared a lot more then."
"Mm," Ryousuke nodded in acknowledgement. He watched Hanei's back and then stood up and rounded the short counter into the kitchen, joining him beside the stove. Hanei barely glanced at him.
"Plates," he requested with a jerk of his chin toward the two plates that he'd set down earlier, lifting the pan from the burner.
"Plates," Ryousuke said, picking them up and holding them out in turn for Hanei to fill.
Hanei looked at him as the last of the eggs were plated and the pan went into the sink. There was a hint of his laugh in the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and Ryousuke did what he did without a thought.
He leaned forward, plates held to the sides, and kissed Hanei on the mouth.
As far as kisses went it was neither a chaste peck nor a tongue-filled, hot-and-dirty inventory of Hanei's mouth. It was a touch of softly parted lips that lingered for several slow seconds, a kiss in the truest sense of the word, a lover's kiss.
It was only as he drew back that Ryousuke thought about it and then only because Hanei was looking at him, one eyebrow quirking. Uh, thought Ryousuke. "Eggs!" he said brightly.
Hanei snorted and stepped forward when Ryousuke stepped back, trapping him back against the counters with the dishes between them. "You," said Hanei, pushing first one arm and then the other so that the plates were held over the counters and the path to Ryousuke was clear of obstructions. He hooked a hand around Ryousuke's neck and tugged him forward into a second kiss.
The second kiss was as soft as the first but not as chaste once Ryousuke let his mouth open with a soft sigh. Hanei's tongue touched his bottom lip lightly and then Ryousuke's own tongue, soft and easy and everything about it was just…comfortable. Ryousuke let the plates clattered the scant distant to the counter tops and settled his hands at Hanei's trim waist, feeling how solid he was beneath the gentle warmth. "So," he said when Hanei released his mouth. He wondered how he was supposed to feel about his first time kissing another man.
"Eat your eggs," Hanei said, picking up the dropped plates and shoving one into Ryousuke's hands.
He felt like grinning, so he did, leaning back against the sink next to Hanei, and picking up the bits of egg with his bare hands. "It's good," he said around a mouthful.
"Oi," said Hanei. "Utensils."
Ryousuke looked at his eggs, at Hanei, at his hands, and then picked up another serving and dropped it into his mouth, licking his fingers. He laughed when Hanei tackled him to the ground and forced utensils on him. He kept laughing as they ate, Hanei sitting on his stomach, and didn't stop until the plates were set aside and they were kissing again.
II.
Hanei sat next to Teppei and drank in companionable silence. The empty space on his right still held the warmth-real or imagined-of Ryousuke.
Teppei refilled both of their glasses. "He switched shifts to come," he said. "And now he's going to work all night before classes start."
Which Hanei had already figured out on his own. "He's a good guy," he said.
"I'm glad he came," Teppei nodded. "Otherwise I might not have known what to say to you."
"Don't have to say anything," Hanei said, lifting one shoulder and letting it drop. "'s enough that…" Hanei stopped as he realized that he and Teppei were probably a little drunk at the moment. He glared at his glass. "You know," he finished with in a mumble.
"Yeah," Teppei smiled at him, "I guess I do." His whole face suddenly crinkled as his smile widened. "You're not so tough," he said.
As far as Hanei was concerned, there was only one way to respond to that sort of statement. Especially if it was Teppei making it. He grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him off his chair, pushing him up against the wall. "Oi," he said, leaning into him.
Teppei was definitely drunk, Hanei thought, because all Teppei did was grin at him. "Oi," he returned, pushing lightly at one of Hanei's shoulders. For a long moment, Hanei looked at him. It was long enough for Teppei's smile to fade, the gleeful light in his eyes to turn to confusion. "Han-"
Hanei kissed him, cutting him off completely.
It wasn't like kissing Ryousuke had been, partially because Teppei had stiffened in shock. Or horror; Hanei wasn't sure. Even when he pulled away he wasn't sure. Teppei looked at him, chewing on his lower lip as he stared and stared. "Um," he whispered after a while.
With deliberate care, Hanei released his clutch on Teppei's shirt. He smoothed it absently and felt Teppei's heart thumping madly beneath his hand. "You can say 'no'," Hanei said, leaning in again. He touched his mouth to Teppei's again, pressed firmly so that Teppei knew. He skimmed a kiss along Teppei's cheek to his ear and said softly, "You can say nothing."
Teppei made a sound but lifted his chin as Hanei lipped the corner of his jaw. "I didn't imagine…" he said into the quiet dark of the room.
Hanei looked at him. "Neither did I," he said.
"Okay," Teppei breathed, his voice was as quiet as the whisper of his hands at Hanei's shoulders. "Okay.
"Okay," Hanei answered and kissed him again.
III.
The phone wouldn't stop ringing.
"It's Ryousuke again, Teppei. Just…give me a call, okay?"
"Answer the damn phone!"
"Teppei, damn it, I know you're there now pick up!"
"You'd better be dying after all of this!"
"It's Ryousuke. Again. You can text if you're not up to talking."
"Do I have to come over there?"
"Hey, Teppei... just call, all right? If you need anything, okay? Anything, all right?"
"You'd better not quit, you stupid-you crazy-you'd better not!"
"Teppei…"
It was like they were taking it in turns to not give him a second of peaceful reprieve.
But he couldn't bring himself to turn his phone off. He listened to Hanei make dire threats against him, listened to him get drunker and quieter and then more explosive. He listened to Ryousuke offering him anything, over and over, getting quieter and quieter, all through the night.
He didn't want to talk to them.
He wanted to talk to them more than anything, and tell them all the things his mother had said and made him remember.
Instead he rested his cheek against his knees and listened to each new message as it came in.
He walked home with Ryousuke after class. Ryousuke's hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans; Teppei's hands were crammed into his coat pockets, full of charms for his health. "I didn't answer your phone calls," he said as they climbed the stairs to his apartment.
Ryousuke smiled and shrugged. "You needed time to think," he said. "And since you thought that you wouldn't quit, it's fine. Better than fine; it's great."
"Yeah," Teppei said, letting out a long breath, one that felt like he'd been holding it for a long time. "It meant a lot," he said softly. "Even if I didn't pick up."
"Teppei," said Ryousuke, lifting the hand with the little eyeball rings on it, his voice high pitched and ridiculous. "Hey, Teppei…"
Teppei laughed. "Ryousuke," he mimicked the voice and the hand gestures even though he lacked the rings.
Ryousuke darted in and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "Don't tell," he said in the puppet voice. "Ryousuke is glad you're all right."
"Teppei won't tell," Teppei said. It took him a moment and Ryousuke's bright smile to gather the courage to step up to kiss Ryousuke's cheek in return before he unlocked his door and led him inside.
IV.
They woke in a pile of limbs-
Really naked limbs.
-bright sunlight-
Bright, skull-splitting sunlight.
-and the sound of the world's loudest birds.
"Ow," Teppei whimpered as the blankets finally gave up the good fight and fell to the floor.
"I hurt in weird places," Ryousuke told the ceiling blearily.
"Shut up," growled Hanei, slapping a hand over Teppei's face.
"Ryousuke," Teppei moaned, "Hanei wants you to shut up."
"Shut up," Hanei said again, hitting Teppei's face absently, as though looking for a snooze button.
"I hope I'm not the only one who hurts in weird places," Ryousuke said conversationally.
"My head is killing me?" Teppei answered timidly.
"Shut up," said Hanei.
"It's not fair if I'm the only one who hurts in weird places," Ryousuke told the ceiling.
"I don't want to get drunk again," Teppei said immediately. "I can't handle being hung-over and drunk."
Hanei shoved them both out of the bed.
Teppei looked at Ryousuke.
Ryousuke looked back at him.
"At least we have the blanket?" Teppei offered.
Ryousuke rolled over on top of Teppei. "I bet Daiki and Aki wouldn't let me be the only one with really weird sore spots," he said.
Hanei sat up. "Shut. Up."
"But-!"
Ryousuke ended up racing Teppei to the shower, Hanei only steps behind them.
Hanei's mother nearly ran him over as she came out the door. "Oh!" she stopped just short of knocking into him. "You boys," she smiled. "Daddy and I are going on a date, so you'll have to get Akira to cook for you."
"Yeah," he nodded. "Hey…"
When he didn't say anything else, Hanei's mother cocked her head. "Hm?"
"If…if for pride, to maintain the good memories people had of him, if Akira…"
Hanei's mother's smile gentled. "Hurts can be fixed," she said, "that's what any parent will tell you. As long as you can keep living, you have a chance to heal-making any other choice is stupid, that's what any parent will say. But it's not always a parent's choice to make, right? If Akira thought that he could only die or betray his family and his friends, I would be proud if he was true to himself and had a noble heart."
Ryousuke closed his eyes. "That's how it is, huh?" he murmured.
"Well, I'd drag him back from the dead and kick his ass," Hanei's mother said, patting his arm. "He'd get an earful and then I'd kill him myself."
She surprised a laugh out of him. "Ah, that's the way it is," he said.
"That's the way it is," she agreed. She cupped his cheek for an instant and, for an instant, Ryousuke leaned into it. "You boys behave," she admonished before swinging away down the street. "I know your type!"
NO, REALLY, I LOVE YOU beckerbell. I REALLY DO.
He was pretty certain that, while Hanei had proved to be as lightweight as advertised, he and Ryousuke weren't drunk and so there was really no good reason for Ryousuke's hand to be...where it…oh, shit, he thought soberly and downed the rest of his drink as fast as he could.
"You guys have done this before," he said in slow-dawning, fast-shock realization.
"When Fujio died," Ryousuke answered easily, unashamed of the faint traces of grief and regret that clung to his tone. "It was an emotional time for me." His grief and regret fled in the face of a smile. "Oh, and then when we started the practical parts of it and Hanei was having an emotional time."
"And now YOU'RE having an emotional time," Hanei said in drunken cheer.
Teppei didn't bother to ask them what their plans were if his test came back positive. Somehow it was less important than the other thoughts that were pounding through his head. "What if it's Aki?" he asked.
Hanei and Ryousuke looked at each other. Ryousuke flung an arm, heavy and warm, around Teppei's shoulders and leaned close smelling like beer and aftershave. "Naturally we'd take Daiki out drinking."
"And drop him off at her place once he was drunk," Hanei finished, taking a drag off of his cigarette and blowing the smoke cleanly upward before leaning in, smelling like beer and Ryousuke's aftershave, cigarettes and Chura-chan's interior.