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It happened the night after their joint Nozarashi performance for Konatsu. Bon was sitting at the side of house, smoking quietly and looking out into the nightly blue of the woods that was slowly turning black. In the house behind him Sukeroku was putting away the remnants of their dinner. The house was mostly orderly now, and though Bon didn’t trust Sukeroku to do the cleaning the way he would – he was sure that he would need to carefully wash his own plate a second time, since Sukeroku was a sloppy dishwasher – it made him feel content with his friend’s development since his arrival.
Konatsu had fallen asleep already, tired from a day of child’s play and adult work – Bon tried to keep her from taking on too much responsibility, but she was capable, and contrary to her parents, she actually seemed to like working, so he grudgingly let her do some chores. She was sleeping on a futon in the other room, and Bon had watched Sukeroku gently place a blanket on top of her.
How his friend could be so caring and still have let his house and his live fall into such a state was beyond him, but then Bon had long ago decided not to try and find answers for Shin’s behaviour. He didn’t try and find answers for his own behaviour, either – not if it wasn’t for Rakugo.
At this moment, sitting in the open house between the sliding doors, familiar noises around him, the smoke of his cigarette drifting away from him in serpentine wafts, Bon truly wasn’t thinking anything.
He wasn’t surprised when he felt Sukeroku sitting down next to him. It didn’t startle him when the other man put his arm around him, either. Sukeroku was handsy like that, and Bon wouldn’t let that ruin his perfect evening. He just kept gazing into the night, smoking.
Only when he heard a deep sigh at his side did he shift to look at his friend. Sukeroku wasn’t looking at him, but he started talking to Bon anyway. “It’s different than the city, isn’t it? Reminds me of when I was young.” Bon made a noncommittant sound. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk, content though he was. He’d only been enjoying the moment. He had to give it to Shin: Ever since they’d cleaned up he’d started to like the place.
“Still, I like it better now. I like it better with you here.” How blunt and direct. His friend’s words let annoyance well up inside him immediately and Bon was just opening his mouth to say something scathing when Sukeroku moved towards him.
His lips were warm on Bon’s. For a moment, he felt only that warmth and a gentle pressure, but then Shin started to move, kissing him with a slightly opened mouth, taking turns sucking on Bon’s upper and lower lips. The arm he had wrapped around Bon moved too, bringing them a little closer together, fingers grasping and gently caressing Bon through his Yukata.
In short, it was a wonderful kiss, and when Sukeroku moved away slightly to gaze at him, Bon was speechless.
He hadn’t been expecting this. Not the kiss, not the sweetness of it, and most of all not his own reaction to it.
Or the lack of reaction. Getting used to Miyokichi’s kisses had taken some time, and even then he often wasn’t sure he really liked it.
Now Shin was looking at him with warm brown eyes, his face still near enough that he could feel his breath and Bon felt warm. His lips were tingly from the kiss.
Bon realized to his own surprise that he hadn’t wanted it to end.
Maybe his friend could see that feeling reflected in his eyes, or maybe didn't want to to give Bon time to escape. Either way Sukeroku leaned in again, and before Bon could change his mind, push away the haze in his head as he usually did – had done every time, so far – their lips were touching again.
This time Shin lifted up his free hand to cradle Bon’s head, tilting him slightly. Instead of sitting next to him, he moved to kneel in front of him, towering slightly over the smaller man. Shin kissed him again, longer now, a little more pressure than before, and Bon let him do it, even allowed his thumb to pull on his chin and open up his mouth.
Shin’s tongue poked inside, just past the teeth, and Bon didn’t know when he’d closed his eyes but they were pressed close now, his whole body tensed up. He could hear his own moan before it was silenced by another kiss.
There was another, and another, increasingly heated and demanding kisses accompanied by hands moving all over his body. All of that made Bon feel hot and breathless, but it also made a claustrophobic feeling inside him rise, a panic that finally caused him to draw back and open his eyes.
Sukeroku towered above him, dark sky behind him and light from the candle inside the room flickering over his face.
“Bon-“ he started but stopped when the named man raised a halting hand, scooting back on the wooden floor.
Bon sat still for a moment, hand raised, just trying to get his breathing to slow down. But that moment didn’t last long. He felt his hand taken into two bigger hands, warm and soft, and when he looked up again Sukeroku bowed down to kiss his palm.
“Please, Bon.”
His friend’s voice sounded so pleading. Not demanding at all, not the brash teasing that Bon had become used to during their time living together as futatsumes. Just warm and needy with a hint of arousal. The panic inside Bon was gone, but now he didn’t know what to do. His mind was blank, his body still warmed up from the kissing, and so Bon didn’t resist when Shin pulled him into his lap.
At the feeling of his Shin’s strong thighs beneath him, with his body heat seeping through his clothes right into Bon, something inside him snapped.
He leaned forward to kiss his friend.