[Log] Chiba Buddy Bonding! [Saeki, Twins]

[kisarazur]

Characters: Saeki Kojirou, Kisarazu Ryou, Kisarazu Atsushi
Location: Saeki’s room
Time: Sunday, May 5th
Rating: PG

Summary: Saeki has come back to school and needs to catch up on ALL the gossip. The twins are happy to help.

Knock, knock, knock. “Sae-kun! Sae-kun!” The twins called out as they knocked at Saeki’s door. “We brought snacks too! Let us in!” They laughed as they continued to knock, not willing to stop until Saeki opened the door. Since they’d seen Sanada doing his rounds, they weren’t too worried about pissing him off. Davide-kun was cool, he’d probably just answer with some sort of pun that would crack them up, if he were in.

Saeki laughed as he heard the door rapping. “I’m coming! I’m coming! Give me a minute.” he yelled, getting up from his desk and opening the door. “Hey Atsushi-kun! Ryou-kun!” he glanced at them in turn and grinned. He gave them both a huge hug. “Come in, come in! You just missed Davide! He went off to do...something at the library.”

Saeki shut the door and made a beeline for the box under his bed where he stored all of the presents he’d brought for his friends. “How are you guys?” he called, as he pulled out the large shoebox from under his bed.

The twins tumbled into the room as Saeki opened the door, hugging him eagerly. “Aw, did we?” Atsushi said. “Well, then, no snacks for him!” Ryou nodded sternly, then grinned at their old friend from Chiba. “I’m sure he’s just doing research for more puns. Have to stay literate for that sort of thing, you know.” Following Saeki over, the two made themselves comfortable on his bed, looking in interest at what he pulled out. “And we’re doing just fine,” Atsushi said. “How are you, now that you are finally here again?”

Saeki finally opened the huge shoebox filled to the brim with swiss chocolate, little candies and lots and lots of cookies. “He is probably doing a lot of research, but I do hope he’s going off to make some friends. He’s actually pretty shy when he comes down to it.”

He offered the box to the twins. “Here, take some. Try to leave a bar or two of the chocolate so I can give some to Fuji and the others. But I’m doing well, thanks. My allergies are worse than ever especially since I ran out of medication, but it’s great to be back.” Saeki grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

“Then...you might want some of this?” Ryou said, pulling a packet of allergy meds out of his pocket and waving them in front of his friend. Every year, both back home in Chiba and in previous years here, Saeki’s allergies would strike; so the twins came prepared.

Atsushi reached into the box and carefully picked out two bars of chocolate and set them aside. “There!” He grinned at Saeki. They wouldn’t actually eat all of the rest, but it was fun to watch people squirm. “Davide just needs to let people see the real him. I’m sure once they get to know him, everyone here will love him!”

“Yes!” Saeki exclaimed, grabbing the medication and running for water. He quickly checked the instructions on the back before taking two pills. He swallowed them down before beaming at Ryou and hugging him. “You,” he said, “are a lifesaver. I have been sneezing my way through eight boxes of tissues, because I am a forgetful idiot.”

Saeki laughed slightly at seeing Atsushi’s actions. “And if you eat that entire box Atsushi-kun, there will no longer be a cat boy around; just a lump of fat. Just one of those cookies is enough to make you not want to have dinner.” He flopped himself down on the bed and took a little candy out and popped it in his mouth. “I’m sure Davide will make friends, that I’m not worried about. I just hope he does it soon.”

Ryou rolled his eyes. “You managed to find eight boxes of tissues and not a single allergy med? Seriously, Sae-kun, what are we going to do with you?” He grinned back at his friend, however. It was so nice to see him again!

“Of course I won’t eat the whole thing,” Atsushi said with an affronted air. “I’m totally sharing with Ryou!” He grinned at Saeki, then took a cookie before stretching out next to the other on the bed, using Saeki’s chest as a pillow. “Davide will have them eating out of the palms of his hands in no time,” he predicted.

Saeki grinned mischievously and lazily shrugged. “What can I say, most people don’t carry around sakura allergy meds! And Mizuki-san’s allergies are more widespread, so I couldn’t borrow his either. Tissues were graciously lent to me by Sanada-san, so I’m in his debt. But I’m in your debt for way more.”

“Fine then, we’ll have two lumps of catboys that I’ll have to roll back to their respective dorms.” said Saeki, sticking out his tongue petulantly as he ruffled Atsushi’s hair. He didn’t mean it, but he did like to tease people. An after-influence of Fuji, he supposed. “And I hope so. Oh, speaking of presents, are you guys getting presents for the birthday boys?”

Atsushi and Ryou exchanged a look. “Do we want to know what one of the most sexually repressed boys in school needed with over eight boxes of tissues?” Ryou asked cautiously as he too reached for a cookie. “Can’t exactly fold tissue into origami cranes, after all.”

“You can roll me anytime,” Atsushi said, lifting his head and purring at Saeki. He then scooted over a little, tugging his friend with him so that his brother could curl up on Saeki’s other side. “Presents? We were thinking of some fancy loose-leaf tea for Mizuki, perhaps with a new teapot...”

“...some quality bandages made from the same stuff our workout suits for Kaidou. Some that won’t keep robbing his skin of the essential oils he needs to keep his scales from itching,” Ryou said. “As for Sanada...”

“Maybe some nice calligraphy paper,” Atsushi finished. “What about you?”

“I didn’t think to ask, actually. Probably just overly prepared. He’s very concerned about hygiene,” said Saeki easily. “And really now? Because I’d be happy to roll you. Preferably into the Lake, but, you know,” said Saeki, fluttering his eyelashes, just like a girl. He laughed slightly and allowed Atsushi to pull him towards Ryou before relaxing slightly, hands on both of their scalps, rubbing absently. He knew how good it felt when his hair was massaged, especially after a stressful day.

“Those all sound excellent. I got Sanada-san a new kote and do. His looked a bit worn out and I do want to have a kendo match with him soon,” said Saeki, pulling a face. “He’ll thrash me badly though. For Mizuki-san, I brought a sweater I saw in town that looked nice. You know, to replace the disaster in purple. But as for Kaidoh-kun....well....” Saeki pulled a face as he cricked out his neck.

“I haven’t the first clue as to where to start. I barely know him and, well, he’s not exactly the most friendly. I don’t do well with people who aren’t interested in talking or being friendly. Usually, when someone rebuffs me, I want to be mean and I know that isn’t the right reaction, so the situation just turns awkward.”

“Kaidou is just shy,” Ryou said, cuddling close and purring at the hand in his hair. He flicked his cat ears at Saeki. “His arm spines are really poisonous; I mean, kill you dead in moments if Chou-chan isn’t there to heal you, poisonous. Plus he’s really self-conscious about the scales. You just have to be persistent and not too pushy,” he said.

“Like when trying to get a stray kitten to let you pet it,” Atsushi added with a purr of his own. “And that sweater better not be as hideous as the one Jakkun ‘accidentally’ burned,” he said, complete with air quotes, “or it may meet the same fate.”

Saeki shuddered, slightly. “You really think I was going to give Mizuki-san another awful looking sweater? That one was bad enough. Gods no, this one is actually decent-looking.”

Saeki grinned, easily, stretching languidly. “I guess I’ll just have to try harder, then. Actually, the scales are pretty cool. I mean, what sort of teenage boy didn’t want to have some sort of animal addition when they were younger? I mean, I was more into feathers and wings, but scales are pretty neat.”

“Oh thank Konomi,” Atsushi said. “That sweater...I love Hajime-kun dearly, but his taste in sweaters makes my eyes bleed,” he said, shuddering as well.

“Yes, but feathers and wings and even fur,” Ryou said, stroking his tail, “don’t have the same negative connotations that scales do. I mean, just look at how most girls react to snakes vs how they react to a kitten. I don’t blame him for being a little body shy.”

“I don’t think anyone appreciates his fashion sense. If his personality were a little different, I might have said that he wore it just to make the rest of us suffer. But he genuinely thought that it looked nice.” said Saeki, shuddering. “Anyway, I do hope he’ll like it, even though it isn’t nausea-inducing.”

Saeki shrugged. “I guess. I mean, that would definitely be true at normal school, but you know. We’re all slightly different here. I don’t care, you don’t care, nobody really cares. It seems a bit silly to me to be ashamed of who you are, but I guess I understand.”

Ryou smiled at Saeki. “He likes flowers and he likes purple. We all have our comforts that other people look at us and think, “huh?” I know Atsushi and I do, anyway! And I’ve seen a few others around the school. Some are just more...acceptable than others.”

“Being different here is to fit in,” Atsushi said wrinkling up his nose in a little smile. “But we didn’t get here, for most of us, until we were in our late teens. Which means we have baggage. Some more than others. You may say, “hey, you fit in here!” but there are a few who need more time, who don’t really believe or aren’t ready to. Or just don’t care. Why do you think we have so many counselors?” he asked.

Saeki grinned. “Weird looks? I know that feel. I wore my fedora and waistcoat the other day and got the strangest looks.” He grinned here, he knew that his liking for traditional clothing was a little weird. “And I make fun of Mizuki-san’s fashion sense because he’s pretty cool everywhere else.”

Saeki sighed slightly. Baggage? That he could understand. And he hadn’t really thought about it but Shiba-san and Saitou-sensei and Oshitari-san all worked to ensure the mental health of everybody here. “You’re probably right.” Saeki said, smiling sadly. “Being a mutant screws with your brain a little, I guess. Especially when so much of the rest of the world is so very afraid of us. I would suggest a large cuddlefest for everybody, but the people who would need it most, would never join in.”

“Too true,” Atsushi said, also sadly. “And some just don’t want to cuddle with Ryou and me. I think our reputation has preceded us a little too much, nii-chan,” he said, looking at his brother.

“I’m sure it has, although it hasn’t stopped everyone. Oh, except those are the ones who have known us the longest,” Ryou said, thinking about it. “They know we are mostly harmless and don’t pursue those who prefer to remain chaste, rather than chased,” he added with a short laugh. “The ones that do like to get chased we’ve mostly caught!”

Saeki snorted. Were all of his friends from Chiba obsessed with puns? Not that he was complaining in any way, but it was pretty weird. Maybe it was a thing for Chiba inhabitants? “We could ask Fujiko if we could try and change your reputation from sex-addicts to merely friendly?” asked Saeki, removing a hand to push his hair away from his eyes. It was getting more black again. He’d have to bleach it back soon. “He’s good at handling the rumour mill.”

He flicked at his hair again and growled slightly. “Sheesh, this is annoying, I really do have to dye this back. Do you two think a change in colour would be appropriate, or should I stick with silver?”

The twins both grinned at him. “Lucky for you we are the two leaders of the Hair Care Club and can offer you expert advice,” Ryou said. “That said, either stick with the silver or...maybe a nice reddish blond?”

“And I don’t even think Fuji-san could get our reputations to shift that much!” Atsushi said. “I mean, let’s face it, most of the students here are aware of our...special needs when it comes to sex. But we do have morals,” he pointed out.

“We don’t touch first years and second years are by invitation only. We take our positions as senpai quite seriously,” Ryou added.

Saeki laughed. “Should I put my hair dilemma in a help box or something and get the weigh-in from all of the members as well?”

Saeki nodded. “Then maybe we can ask Fujiko to spread about the morals part. That’s slightly less of a daunting task.” Saeki then laughed. “That’s good. Not enough people care about our poor kouhai-tachi.”

“No, no, we’re here for you, no need to wait for the next club meeting,” Ryou said. “Are you thinking of doing it yourself or coming into town? In which case we can recommend the best place. It’s where Chou-chan got his done recently. They do a nice, clear silver.”

Atsushi looked at his brother and they both shrugged. “It doesn’t bother us, really. Those who bother to get to know us know the truth. The rest, if they are the types to believe rumors over finding the truth, are they really the type we want to associate with?” he asked. “But reminding people to treat their kouhai right, now that is important!”

Saeki grinned. “You guys are always eager to help. It’s great! And nah, I’ve been dying my own hair since elementary school, it’s cool. Why waste that money on my hair when I can waste it on food or more books?”

Saeki looked between them hesitantly. “If you’re happy with it, then I won’t say anything.” Then he smiled. “We could set it as a mini-holiday, maybe. ‘Appreciate-your-kouhai’ day! It would be fun!”

“In that case, mind if we come to the showers with you and watch?” Atsushi asked, not being pervy at all as he gave Saeki a particularly smirky smile. “We’ll even help you rinse if you like.”

“An appreciate your kouhai day sounds like a great idea,” Ryou said with a grin. “And really, we’re okay. Oh, did I tell you that Atsushi has a boyfriend now?” he asked.

Saeki flicked Atsushi’s nose, rolling his eyes. “You’re such a pervert,” he teased with a grin. Not that he would mind really, but Saeki wasn’t really ready to get back into dating or even casual sex yet. His disastrous trophy relationship with a girl at his normal school, a couple years ago, had put him off any sort of relationship completely.

“Besides,” he said, as he looked at Ryou, “If you have a boyfriend now, won’t he be angry? Who is it, by the way? And when did this happen? Over the holidays?” Saeki loved gossip. Really, he did, even though he tried to not sound interested most of the time.

Atsushi tried not to look like the cat who had gotten the cream at both the pervert comment and the discussion of his boyfriend, but he failed. “Yes! Well, yes that I have one, not yes that he’d be angry,” he said, smiling brilliantly. “It is Niou Masaharu, you remember him, right? It’s been mostly casual since back just after summer vacation when Ryou and he lured me into a scary movie watching party. After that we started hanging out a lot until finally we talked it over and made it official. He is Perfect. For me.” He grinned wider.

Laughing, Ryou agreed. “Niou and he have an understanding about the needs that they each have that the other can’t fill, but on the whole, they are just too cute together honestly.” He smiled fondly at his brother. “They both get possessive in subtle little ways that they think the rest of us don’t notice.”

Saeki’s eyes widened before he chuckled. “Niou? Well then, I wouldn’t have expected that. I expected he’d be polygamous for a while. And that’s great! I’m glad that you work out together!” To be honest, Saeki hadn’t expected Niou would ever settle down ever, especially not with his sweet friend, but, well.... Atsushi wasn’t a saint. Then Saeki grinned mischievously as a part of Atsushi’s explanation, fully registered in his mind. “Wait, he seduced you with horror movies?”

Saeki shook his head, with a grin. “I can see the cuteness, though. And they’re possessive, huh? Wouldn’t have guessed it. How so?”

“We are not possessive,” Atsushi denied hotly. “We have a mutual understanding. He has certain needs and I have...a lot of need and we realize that monogamy would likely do at least one of us serious bodily harm.” He looked at Saeki. “He’s switchy and I’m...not there yet.” He’d toyed with the idea once or twice, but was still not ready.

“Well, we tried to watch a horror movie, but Atsushi got a little more frightened than we anticipated, so we just ended up having sex,” Ryou said. “The two of them really hit it off though and have been hanging out a lot ever since. And yes, you two are possessive. Or are you telling me he didn’t basically warn Yagyuu off at that first tea club meeting?”

Saeki laughed just a little. Atsushi’s explanations were very amusing. There were a couple of things that Saeki was a little curious about what Atsushi meant, but decided that was firmly in the realm of ‘do not need to know’. He really didn’t need to know the intimacies of Atsushi’s sex life. “So you’re not possessive then. Okay. Sure. I completely believe you.” said Saeki, smirking slightly.

He then raised an eyebrow. “Only you two. When I watch a horror movie that’s too scary, I scream like a girl then have nightmares for a while.” But he laughed. “Yagyuu? Who was Yagyuu flirting with, Niou or Atsushi?”

Ignoring Saeki’s smirk, but lightly thumping him on the leg with his tail, Atsushi responded, “Niou flirts with Yagyuu. And Yagyuu flirts back. Oddly, he hasn’t ever approached me.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if that is because of what Niou said or did or if I’m just not his type though.”

Ryou, on the other hand, leaned forward. “You scream like a little girl? Really? Want to watch a movie sometime?” he asked, his smile not quite innocent.

Saeki flicked Ryou’s forehead, lightly. Sometimes, they acted far too much like Fujiko. “Too scary. Like Ringu. But I’ve already seen Ringu, so it’s not scary anymore.” said Saeki, rolling his eyes. “I’ve seen all the classics, except Poltergeist, so you’d be hard-pressed to see me scream. Now, if you want to hear girlish screams, how about we trap Sen-san in a room where a horror movie is playing?”

Saeki lightly rubbed the area where he was flicked by Atsushi’s tail and traced circles in Atsushi’s shoulder absently. “So Yagyuu and Niou are somewhat interested in each other. Weird. Wouldn’t have expected that either. My people reading skills seem to be decreasing. And I’d say that it’s probably because of what Niou said, if Yagyuu’s open to flirting.”

Ryou rocked back a bit, pretending the flick was much harder. “Mm, really? I knew the boy was superstitious, but he doesn’t like horror movies either? That’s good information,” he said, mimicking pushing up a pair of glasses. “You should have seen his expression when he discovered all the black cats visiting recently. Kss, kss, kss,” he laughed.

“Perhaps you are just out of practice?” Atsushi said, leaning into the petting on his shoulder. “On the other hand, Niou is a tricky one. You should see him when he isn’t himself. He’s amazing!” He grinned then. “Mind you, I like it best when he is himself, he’s even more amazing then,” he added with a wink.

Saeki grinned devilishly. “Oh yes. He’s rather terrified of horror movies because so many of them ‘misuse’ the superstitious signs like black cats and upside down clovers and other things like that. He’s too fun to tease.” At the mention of the black cats, Saeki smirked triumphantly. “I did see it. It was hilarious. I cannot wait till September 13th to freak him out even more.”

Saeki acknowledged that. “True. Niou’s tough to deal with, in general. Quite the enigma, I have to say.” And the mention of the shapeshifting, Saeki grinned. He almost asked whether Atsushi had requests for Niou’s shifts, but decided against it. That was in the realm of ‘too much information’. “People in general are much better when they don’t hide and are free to act like themselves.”

“Oo, they do, they do!” Ryou said with a grin. “In fact, there are a couple that are notoriously bad about it. We should find a way to inflict that on him.” He tilted his head. “Oh? The 13th...a Friday! What do you have in mind? Can I help?” he asked.

“Mm, like I said, I prefer it when he’s himself,” Atsushi said. “I mean, the shifting is good for pranks and stuff, but if I’m in the mood to hang out with Niou, I want to hang out with him, not someone else.” He shrugged. “Especially when, if I wanted to hang out with someone else, I’d be hanging out with them, not him.” He had decided to use the euphemism ‘hang out’ rather than ‘have sex with’ because he felt he was getting a little close to Sae-kun’s TMI threshold. He grinned.

Saeki grinned devilishly and laced his fingers together like that evil yellow businessman, from that show he’d seen airing in Switzerland. “Well then, I’ll be glad to have your assistance. I have it on knowledge that Sengoku will be making a tent inside his room and will not leave it all day, unless severely provoked. That makes him an easy target.” Saeki smiled. “Koharu-san and I are already going to make sure that unlucky things enter his tent when he’s...otherwise distracted and I mentioned it to Fujiko when we were discussing his illusions, so he’ll be sure to freak out Sengoku with something. I was planning something along the lines of his room being haunted with the dead soul or a demon, but that would require a teacher’s help to really work.”

“That’s true.” said Saeki, stroking Atsushi’s ear, absently, quite unsure of how to respond. He hated it when he froze up in conversations. At least Davide or Sengoku would have some snappy comeback. He was just there.

“Don’t ask Hanamura-sensei,” Ryou warned. “She’s got a thing for redheads. “Too bad Chinen-kun is so stand-offish. His powers have to do with that sort of thing, from what I understand. Although, I hear he helped prank Hiyoshi-kun, so maybe if you ask nice? Oo, and convince Piyo-chan that the room is haunted while you are at it. Having him in there investigating while Sengokun is freaking out would be delightful. Because he won’t be able to resist poking at him,” Ryou said, all excited about the prospect.

Atsushi laughed a little, flicking his ears under Saeki’s fingers. “Anyone in particular you like to spend time with, Sae-kun?” he asked. “Made any new friends?”

Saeki nodded. “I don’t think Saitou-sensei or Tsuge-sensei would be up for it either. Maybe Shiba-sensei or Sakaki-sensei? And Chinen-san isn’t so bad. I could probably convince him to help me scare Sen-san.” Saeki grinned slightly sheepishly. “Hiyoshi-kun? I dunno, doesn’t seem like he’s the sort to take part in jokes like that...and his idea of poking fun is kind of...over the top.”

Saeki pulled a face. “I dunno. I guess I’ve been chatting a lot with Koharu-san, he’s very interesting. You two and Fujiko. Sen-san and Chinen-san. Davide, of course. But I’m pretty quiet otherwise, really. I’m not really that close with anyone else, just vaguely friendly with everybody else.” Saeki tapped his fingers across his face. “I’m really not sure. I’ve been spending a lot of time studying lately, so maybe if I focus less on that, I’ll end up with more friends or something like that.”

“But, Piyo-chan is bribable,” Ryou said. “If it involves food, he can be bought. What about Chinen-kun? He’s a member of our band now, but is fairly standoffish when not actively music-ing with us.”

“Or you could start a study group,” Atsushi pointed out. “Make friends while studying!” He grinned. “Are you staying here over the summer or heading home? It’s fun during the summer months, when it’s warm enough to use the pool,” he said.

Saeki tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Bribable, huh? Hmmm, maybe I shall bake cakes and tempt him into joining the dark side. And Chinen-san is persuadable. You just have to use reverse psychology and appeal to the recreation of classic horror movies in scaring Sengoku silly.” he said, with an easy laugh.

Saeki nodded. “That’s true...but then I’d probably never get any work done.” he said, feeling a little sheepish. “I have a tendency to get distracted and chat with others and somewhere along the way, the homework gets left behind. I need to focus myself on homework then go find people to pester.”

At the question about summer, Saeki grinned. ‘“Hokkaido has a summer? I didn’t know about that!” he said, in mock horror, before getting slightly more serious. “I think I’ll probably be staying here. My parents would probably like to me to visit them for a few days, but I think I’d prefer to stay at school. There’s nothing for me at home, so we can probably have a few pool parties during the summer.” he finished, quirking his eyebrows.

“Dark side? Wait, there’s a dark side? And it has cake?” Ryou asked, teasing Saeki a little. “Sounds like a good plan though!”

“Well, all right then. We’re usually available after the homework is done though,” Ryou told him. “Just give one of us a text.”

“It does! You can’t really blink or you will miss it, but it does have one!” Atsushi assured him. “We’ll be going home for part of it, but there will be several people staying the whole break here. Jakkun, for one,” he said, off the top of his head.

“Thought I’d shake it up a bit. Everyone has cookies nowadays, it’s not special anymore.” said Saeki, grinning. “Might as well offer some cake out as a teaser. Also, I can’t make cookies, sooo...”

Saeki grinned. “I’ll be sure to come and pester the two of you to no end.” he said, grinning. “And I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for summer.” he said, making his hands into binoculars and staring at Ryou and Atsushi in turn with them, as if they were hiding summer. “But, sunny or not, it should be fun.”

“What about cupcakes?” Ryou asked. “Can you make cupcakes? Because if so, you can tailor them to the recipient a little better. Oh,” he gave Saeki a serious look, “Fujiko makes absolutely killer wasabi cupcakes that are just to die for!”

“Oh, most definitely,” Atsushi agreed. He butted his head into Saeki’s arm to remind him that he was supposed to be petting and not doing foolish things with his hands. “There’s swimming, frolicking, hiking, flying, picnicking and tennis to look forward to!”

Saeki grinned. “I can make cupcakes. Kimiko taught me, back when she wasn’t constantly a pain in the backside. I’ll ice them with buttercream and other marzipan He then pulled a face. “Don’t remind me of those cupcakes. I accidently ate one and nearly did die from the spicy.”

Saeki laughed slightly and scratched behind Atsushi’s ear and petted Ryou’s hair. His friends were very demanding, but he wouldn’t have them any other way. “Tennis sounds very good. But I look forward to food and frolicking as well. Anything that involves being utterly lazy.” he said, cracking his neck.

“You’ve had those cupcakes before and you didn’t share? Sae-kun, that is so cruel! Atsushi had to get ours directly from Fujiko when he was making them for Tezuka-kun!” Ryou shook his head. “For a while it looked like he was interested in Tezuka-kun romantically. Imagine our shock when he started dating Atobe-kun instead.”

“And to think he was so concerned about us being able to smell who he was hanging out with,” Atsushi said. “He was rather weirded out by it, but seems to have either forgotten or just doesn’t care any more.”

Both twins enjoyed the pets. “What does eating and frolicking have to do with being lazy,” Ryou asked. “Are you doing it wrong?”

Saeki smiled vaguely. “I think Fujiko wanted to draw a reaction from Tezuka, rather than become romantically entangled with him, really. Flirting was just a means to an end for Fujiko.” he said, with a sigh. “But I don’t really know his mind. Fujiko’s nearly impossible to predict.” He snorted softly as he shifted slightly in the bed. “I didn’t expect Atobe either, but they seem to make each other happy, and I guess that’s all that matters.”

Saeki tilted his head sideways. “He was concerned by that, huh? It’s not like him.....” he muttered. Fuji rarely got fazed by anything.

“Well, eating doesn’t exactly expend much effort on my behalf, like hiking or tennis would. Whenever it’s summer, I feel really lazy. I just want to sit back and do as little as possible.” said Saeki, with a smile. ‘Maybe I am doing it wrong.”

“Mm, maybe. It is hard to say as you said and we don’t know him as well as you or Niou does,” Atsushi said. “He and Niou are best friends, after all. I think what he minded about the scent was the fact that he was rooming with Yukimura-kun at the time and didn’t want to smell like him. Those two fight over Niou a bit.”

“True, eating is mostly sedentary if you aren’t doing your own hunting or foraging,” Ryou admitted. “But frolicking is anything but!” He grinned at Saeki. “Even in the heat of summer, frolicking is the most fun. We could give you frolicking lessons if you want,” he said with a teasing wink.

Saeki snorted slightly. The image of Fuji and Yukimura having a tug of war with Niou as the rope came to mind and it was rather amusing, even if he said so himself. “I think that the fight over Niou is probably the most likely situation. Their fights over him are rather amusing to watch from the outside. But it looks like Fujiko’s winning sometimes.”

Saeki laughed. “Most humans nowadays can’t hunt and forage, not even for their life. I know that if I tried to be quiet in a forest, I’d probably scare away anything in the nearest 50-foot radius.” Saeki had learnt from trying to sneak out, that when he wanted to be quiet, he usually ended up being louder than he usually was. “And frolicking lessons?’ asked Saeki, a slight smirk on his lips. “Why ever not, dearest sensei-tachi? I shall be happy to learn from your valued tutelage.”

Atsushi laughed. “Kss, kss, kss. Actually, I’m fairly sure Niou is winning. He’s subtle like that. It is one of the many things I love about him.” He wasn’t afraid to admit his feelings. Next to Ryou, Niou was one of his closest friends in addition to being his boyfriend.

“Well, we scare away creatures in a larger area than that if we’re upwind of them,” admitted Ryou. “But if we’re downwind, then they don’t know we’re there.” He grinned, showing a little tooth. “Mm, you’ve never shown interest in frolicking before, Sae-kun. This could be fun...” Both twins leaned in at him, their expressions more than a little predatory.

Saeki laughed as the mental image turned to Niou being the one pulling and both Fujiko and Yukimura-san falling into Niou’s trap. “Now that, I can see happening.” he said, laughing easily. “Niou’s certainly got the gumption.” Though, Saeki didn’t want to be around for the fallout when the other two realized that Niou was winning. Saeki certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell either of them.

Saeki laughed. “I wouldn’t be able to manage a hunt either way. I’m just loud.” he said, pulling a face. As the twins leaned in on him, Saeki realized that there were two definitions of frolicking. The second option of which he’d completely forgotten. Because he’d had an image of ticklefests and friendly competitions in the summer sun. He chuckled nervously and leant back. “Frolicking in the friendly manner.” he said, tapping both of them on the nose, lightly. “I prefer being friends with you two.” he said. He wasn’t even sure why he was so against getting into a relationship. He’d had a bad experience with being a trophy date for somebody else and that had ended up sadly, but Saeki couldn’t even flirt properly nowadays without wincing slightly. Maybe because he wasn’t one to even think of token sex and he wasn’t physically attracted to some of his best friends. He was just conflicted.

The twins both blinked innocently at him, their ears showing how absolutely guileless they were. “Of course in the friendly fashion, Sae-kun,” Atsushi said. “What in heavens name did you think we meant,” Ryou added. “Do you have a dirty mind?” Atsushi asked. “Atsushi-nii, you think he does?” Ryou asked. “Well, we meant tickling and running amok and picking flowers and the like and he got all twitchy.” Atsushi shook his head. “He does have those nasty allergies,” Ryou reminded his brother. “Oh, good point! Okay, no frolicking among the wildflowers for you, Sae-kun,” Atsushi told him. “Right! Indoor frolicking only for you!” Ryou agreed with a nod. They weren’t above trolling their friends, but making them uncomfortable or unhappy was just not fun.

Saeki threw them a skeptical look before pulling them into a grapple and ruffling their hair. “I have the dirty mind?” he demanded, with a grin on his face, “Messrs “I can make anything sound like flirting”? You’re having me on!” he said, poking both of them in the sides before tickling. “And I think the allergies only apply to sakura, because I’m fine with the greenhouses, but I don’t want to test it out,” he said, in between breaths as he attempted to try and tickle them into submission.

Laughing, trying not to giggle like teenage girls, because they were manly teenage boys, after all, the twins did their best to retaliate.

Once the three of them were all tickled out, however, the twins each pillowed their head on one of Saeki’s shoulders, panting to catch their breath and curling into his side and yawning. “We’re so glad you are here, Sae-kun,” Ryou said. “We missed these happy moments...and one of our favorite napping places,” Atsushi agreed. They snuggled up a bit closer, their eyes starting to drift shut.

“I know the real reason you missed me.” said Saeki ruffling their hair. “You just think my tummy podge is more comfy than anybody.” he teased, as he watched their eyes shut. Eh....he didn’t have any homework. He could join them in sleep. It was comfy on his bed and with some of his closest friends here with him, he was pretty sure it would be a peaceful sleep.