Archive of Our Own ^beta

7am

Raising his head from the pillow, Shinichiro looked around the room, vision blurry with sleep and head cloudy.  So early…. but also not really. And yet, he was alone.  Takeomi was gone. To where? He was not sure. All Shinichiro knew was that he was not ready to be alone or awake yet today. 

Grabbing the blanket that was keeping all of his body warmth contained, Shinichiro stepped out of bed, bare feet pattering along the cool floor as he made his way into the room next door to theirs.  The door was cracked, and the soft whir of the fan leaked out into the hallway. 

Perfect. They were still asleep.

Pushing the door open, slowly so that the hinges wouldn’t creak, Shinichiro snuck into Benkei and Wakasa’ room, tiptoeing his way towards their bed.  They were laying back to back, with a small gap between them that must have been created when they rolled away from each other in the night.  A perfectly Shinichiro sized gap. 

Crawling up from the foot of the bed, Shinichiro squeezed himself between his two partners, dragging his blanket with him.  They shifted slightly in their sleep to make room for him, and Shinchiro snuggled in happily as he stole part of Wakasa’s pillow.  The smaller man grumbled in his sleep, but still rolled away to give Shinichiro more space.  

Closing his eyes, Shinichiro pulled the blanket up to his chin, reveling in the warmth and closeness of his partners. He lifted his head slightly as he heard the door open again, a sleep frazzled and confused Takeomi standing in the doorway.  

“I just went to the bathroom…” Takeomi sounded so dejected, his shoulders slumped as he looked at the three in the bed.  

“No more room for you…” Wakasa groaned as he began to wake up, rolling onto his stomach to hide his face from the hallway light.  

“Shut up, there’s room.” Benkei grumbled, rolling from his back onto his side. He patted the place between himself and Shinichiro.  Takeomi crawled into the empty space, gratefully accepting Benkei’s arm as a pillow as Shinichiro tucked him under the blanket he had taken from their bed.  

Closing their eyes again, the four attempted to drift back to sleep. Wakasa unhappily hanging off of the edge of the bed,  where he once had so much room, in an attempt to escape from the morning cuddle pile.  

8am

“What did you do?”

“Uh….” Shinichiro looked from the microwave that he was attending to and Wakasa, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, hands held on his hips and a judgemental frown on his face. “Breakfast?”

“Did you put eggs in the microwave again?”

“No.”

“Benkei told you not to do that.”  Pushing past Shinichiro, Wakasa opened the door to the microwave, grimacing as the sulfurous smell of overcooked eggs was released. Inside were two eggs in a bowl, still in their shell, though also now splattered across the inside of the microwave. “They explode when you try to cook them in their shell, dumbass.”

“Well I remember that now!” Shinichiro pouted, crossing his arms as Wakasa held out the bowl of egg mess so he could see exactly what he had done.  “I just know there's a way to cook them in the microwave.”

“Yeah, if you want rubbery nasty eggs.” Dropping the bowl in the sink, Wakasa turned to the fridge to grab the carton of eggs so he could help with breakfast. “Now clean that up.”

“I was going to!” 

“No you weren’t. You were gonna leave it there for someone else to clean.”

Defeated, Shinichiro grabbed the wash cloth Wakasa held out to him.  Trying to lighten the mood, Shinichiro shrugged as he scooped a handful of eggshells into his palm. “Hey, at least I tried.”

Turning the stove on high to get the water boiling, Wakasa slowly turned around, one raw egg held threateningly in his hand.  

“Maybe stop trying to cook.”

9am

Clearing his throat to announce his presence, Benkei plopped down on the couch beside Takeomi, cereal bowl in hand.  Takeomi paused what he was doing at the intrusion, setting down the newspaper he was reading as Benkei flipped on the TV.

“Wakasa opening the gym this morning?”  

“Yup.  He’s got it handled until I get there.”  Scooping a large spoonful of frosted flakes into his mouth, Benkei reviewed the highlights of last night’s baseball game while Takeomi shifted beside him.  He could tell he was being watched, and turned to look at Takeomi.  “What?”

“Is that a serving spoon?”  Takeomi pointed at the spoon in Benkei’s hand that was being grasped with a bit more force than necessary.  “And a casserole dish?”

“Yeah? What about it?”  Benkei shrugged, shoveling another large spoonful into his mouth.  

“Maybe someone else wanted some?” Takeomi propositioned, clearly off put by the sheer amount of cereal and milk Benkei was set on eating. 

“Oh shut up, you don’t even like frosted flakes.” Benkei scooped up another spoonful before letting out a large, milky belch, causing Takeomi to grimace. Through his mouthful of cereal, Benkei spit out “oh don’t make that face. You know you love me.”

Standing from the couch, Takeomi grabbed his newspaper.  Giving Benkei his traditional good morning forehead kiss, Takeomi rubbed his hair before wandering into the kitchen for another cup of coffee. 

“Make sure you brush your teeth. All that sugar will rot them right out of your head.”

10am

“Alright, that’s the third time you’ve sighed in the last twenty minutes. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong…” Shinichiro asserted, clearly lying to both of them as he rolled onto his back on the floor.  “Just wondering what Benkei and Wakasa are doing.”

“They’re working,” Takeomi stated matter of factly.  He lifted his feet to sit cross legged on the couch to allow Shinichiro for more rolling room. “If you need something to do, we can go open your shop as well, and get some work done on that new order.”

“ Nooooo ,” Shinichiro whined, sitting up by the couch to rest his chin on Takeomi’s knee. “The shop is closed on Mondays so I can have a break. Not changing that.”

Takeomi shrugged, not sure of what to do to keep his partner occupied.  Usually, Shinichiro could find something to do or tinker with around the house, but this morning, he had chosen to be particularly morose. He brushed his fingers through Shinichiro’s hair, straightening out his bangs.

“We could go bother them?”  Takeomi suggested, thinking that might be the only option to get Shin out of the mood he had found himself in.

“Yes!” Eyes immediately brightening, Shinichiro hopped up, attempting to pull Takeomi with him.  “We can bring them smoothies.”

“Do you really want to bring them smoothies, or do you just want to get the macaroons that the smoothie shop sells?” Takeomi asked as he followed Shinichiro back to their bedroom so they could both get changed and ready to leave the house.

“Well, while we’re there, right?” Shinichiro shrugged, digging through his dresser for a shirt. 

“One of the few times that I will agree with you and say you’re right, Shin.” 

They were pretty good macaroons after all.

11am

Holding a fry up to his nose, Benkei sniffed it, before setting it back down on his plate and pushing them away from himself.

“Fries smell weird.”

“They have truffle oil on them.”  Takeomi reported, reading off the menu as he tried to decipher what he ordered as well.

“What the hell is that?” Benkei grumbled, flipping open the sandwich he had ordered to stab the chicken cutlet inside it with a fork, bringing the whole thing to his mouth since he also did not enjoy the sauce that coated the bun. 

“Some sort of mushroom shit,” Wakasa mumbled, chewing on the skewer that once held the fruit in Takeomi’s cocktail.  “Whose idea was this again?”

Tucking his head down and pretending that it wasn’t him, Shinichiro sipped on his drink, grimacing at the taste of orange juice and champagne.

“Shin did.” Takeomi snatched the glass from Shinichiro’s hand, finishing it off himself, since Shinichiro was clearly not enjoying it. “Bottomless mimosas, he said.”

“Shin, do you even know what mimosa’s are?” Wakasa asked, leaning forward on his elbows, trying to get in Shinichiro’s line of sight. 

“Takeomi likes them…” Shinichiro stated, turning back to his eggs and bacon, which seemed to be rather normal for all the food they ordered that morning.

“Takeomi likes anything with alcohol content,” Benkei observed, acknowledging the dark haired man who tipped his glass in agreement.  “None of us were meant to be at a fancy ass brunch.”

“Well you don’t all have to whisper…” Shinichiro nibbled on his bacon, disappointed his date idea had turned out so poorly.

“If we don’t whisper,” Takeomi added, voice volume raising with each passing drink, “you know all four of us would be shouting in ten minutes.”

Wakasa nodded, stabbing a strawberry on Shinichiro’s plate with his skewer. 

“Total. Chaos.”

12pm (Noon)

Wandering into the gym at half past noon, Takeomi tried to pretend like he wasn’t late.  He snuck into Benkei and Wakasa’s office without them noticing, unpacking the lunch he had bought for them on the way over.  

Shinichiro was a good excuse, right? Takeomi had to tend to his lunch first? They wouldn’t buy it. Wakasa would say “should have let him starve”, and Benkei would have asked “well what about me?”

Takeomi would just have to hope that the pair’s favorite dumpling restaurant would suffice as an apology, because he honestly didn’t have an excuse besides waking up late.

Joining him in the office a few moments later, Benkei and Wakasa immediately dug into their lunch, ignoring Takeomi’s presence, except to complain about his lateness.

“Hey, at least I didn’t forget.” Takeomi defended himself, opening up a new container of sauce as Benkei polished off the first one.  

“Again.” Benkei rolled his eyes, dunking a dumpling in the chili sauce before stuffing it into his mouth.

“Flake.” Wakasa teased, chewing on the end of a chopstick as Takeomi squirmed.  He hated when they teased him like that, because he knew he had some bad habits in the past. But he swore he was doing better overall…

Seeing the disgruntled look on his face, Wakasa leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips, grinning wickedly as Takeomi complained about the spicy flavor still on Wakasa’s tongue.  Wakasa just poked his ribs, handing him a drink to show that he was both pitied for the spice and forgiven for tardiness, before turning back to the table, grabbing a box of dumplings before Benkei scarfed them all down. 

“Well, since the whole point of lunch today was to talk about Shin without him here…” Wakasa began, leaning over to wipe his mouth on the sleeve of Takeomi’s shirt.  Ignoring his boyfriend’s protestation, Wakasa stuffed another dumpling in his mouth, swallowing it, barely chewing, before speaking again. “What are we gonna do for our favorite dumbass’s birthday?”

1pm

Running his hand along the back of the couch, Wakasa looked down at Shinichiro, currently upstairs taking his lunch break.  He seemed to have dozed off, his head lolled to one side and mouth hanging open as he snored.  It must have been a long morning.  

Wakasa considered waking him, poking him to life with a sharp jab to the ribs. But being a party pooper was Takeomi’s job, so when he realized that Shinichiro hadn’t made it back downstairs when he should have, he could wake them both back up.  

Walking back around to the front of the couch, Wakasa pushed Shinichiro’s chin up, closing his mouth so he wouldn’t drool on Wakasa’s hair.  Shinichiro snorted in his sleep due to the change in his airway, and groaned slightly when Wakasa laid his full weight on top of him.  Well, nearly his full weight.  He slid his legs beneath Shinichiro’s to find a comfortable place to lay on his stomach, resting his head on the lower half of Shinichiro’s chest.

Happily sighing in his sleep, Wakasa felt Shinichiro wrap his arms around his waist, entangling him in a light hug for the remainder of their midday nap.  

Wakasa smiled, hiding his face in the front of Shinichiro’s shirt.  Maybe, they would look so cozy that Takeomi wouldn’t want to disturb them.  Maybe he could just slither on in beside them, and they would be a nice cozy little pile for Benkei to find after closing up the gym later.

2pm

“Hey, hey, Ben! Can you pass me that wrench right over there?”

Benkei nodded, wandering away from the front desk of Shinichiro’s shop to approach the man’s workbench.  He glanced around at the tools in front of him, before turning to Shinichiro sitting on the ground, holding two pieces of the motorcycle he was working on together.

“Which one?”

“That one!” Shin nodded, tipping his head ambiguous towards the bench. “The one with the thing.”

“The thing?” Benkei looked at the tools again, trying to pick out one with a “thing” on it.  Giving up, Benkei held up a random silver tool from the pile. “This one?”

“ No, ” Shinichiro groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation, but unable to stand to get the tool himself.  “The one with the…you know. The thing! The shape?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  

“Just hold a bunch up and I’ll tell you which one!”  

Benkei shrugged, guessing that was the best way to do it when Shinichiro was incapable of describing what the needed tool looked like. Holding up an array of what he assumed were all wrenches, Benkei fanned them out to show him.

“Yes! That one!” Shinichiro titled his head again, “pointing” to the one he wanted. But Benkei could still not tell what he needed.

“Shin… which one? ” Benkei demanded shaking the tools in front of him, the metallic clanks of the tools echoing in his ears.

“The T one!” Shinichiro groaned in exasperation, as if it was so obvious. Grabbing the tool from the batch, Benkei passed it down to Shinichiro, watching him tighten whatever it was that needed to be tightened.  When he was finished, Shinichiro passed the wrench back to Benkei, but not before playfully punching him in the calf.

“What the hell was that for?”  Benkei asked, ready to “playfully” lay Shinichiro out on his work bench for being so difficult. 

“Thanks for your help.” Shinichiro grinned as if he hadn’t just made that interaction more difficult than it needed to be.  

3pm

The summer heat beat down on their heads, making for a muggy, uncomfortable afternoon.  They had dragged stationary fans out onto the patio with them to cut the heat, but all that served to do was move the hot air around even more. 

Passing out thick slices of watermelon to his three partners, Takeomi sat on the edge of the concrete, toes curling in the grass.  Shinichiro finally sat up from where he was sprawled on the concrete, taking a big bite of the melon, as the others took a more cautious approach so as to not get juice all over their hands.

Spitting a seed out into the grass, Takeomi sighed as the cool, sweet melon coated his tongue, giving a perfect relief for the summer heat.  However, he didn’t realize that that seed would unintentionally turn into a challenge.  

With all the force he could muster, Wakasa spit one of the seeds in his slice out into the grass, bypassing Takeomi’s by a long shot.  He sent Takeomi a cocky smirk before his own seed was passed by one launched out from between Benkei’s lips.  

Again and again, the three spit their seeds into the grass, attempting to get it further than the last, until Takeomi yelped, clapping a hand over the back of his neck, multiple wet saliva coated seeds raining down on him from his head to his back.

“Dude, did you just spit on me?” Takeomi accused, turning around to Shinichiro who was sitting there so innocently.  Cleaned watermelon rind in his hand, denying all accountably for spraying an entire mouthful of seeds across Takeomi’s back.

4pm

“How are you two still so bad at this?” Wakasa called, elbows on the edge of the boxing ring as he watched his two skinny and scrawny boyfriends get absolutely pummeled in a two on one sparring match with their big and beefy boyfriend.

“Honestly, they act like we weren’t the biggest and best gang in Tokyo a few years ago.” Benkei agreed, taking up his position again as the other two tried to raise their fists.  

“Weak. Pathetic.” Wakasa taunted, trying to get the pair to show some sort of effort into doing this right.

“Can we stop now?” Takeomi panted, wiping his face on the collar of his shirt. He didn’t know why the hell he agreed to this.  He didn’t care if he stayed in shape. He was barely in shape to begin with.

“Come on, Omi! One more round!” Shinichiro’s cheeks were flushed pink, and he looked one step away from passing out.  It was a bit warm in the gym today, but Benkei was really taking them for a ride.

“You look worse than me, stupid!” Takeomi called out, finally finding the strength to straighten his back and get his hands off his knees.

“No, Omi. If you want to quit, you need to get back in that other position. The one with your ass out and your hands on your knees,” Wakasa teased, smug grin on his face as he watched his partners. If looks could kill, the look Takeomi just shot him with could’ve been convicted of murder.  “If you smack Benkei good for me, I’ll give you a big wet kiss.”

“As if I’d want that…” Takeomi grumbled, struggling to raise his fists as Shinichiro swayed once, twice, before promptly dropping to his ass. 

They were almost concerned before he sighed heavily, laying on his back on the mat.

“That’s it! TKO, Knockout, we’re done! You can stop torturing us now!”

Benkei rolled his eyes, leaning against the rope as he looked down upon their two pathetic partners.

“Yeah, never gonna ask you guys to back me up in a fight ever again.”

Takeomi dropped to the ground beside Shinichiro, exhaustion taking over as he waved the flag of surrender. 

“If this moment right here is what made you decide that, then where have you been the last ten years?”

Pointing a finger at him with the last of his strength, Shinichiro exclaimed “who are you and what have you done with our Benkei?!”

5pm ***

Always making it home first, Takeomi ultimately ended up as the main one to prepare dinner.  Setting the table so neatly with four plates and four glasses, he began with the simple things like filling their cups and dividing the rice evenly four ways. Shinichiro often preferred for Takeomi to prepare more modern things, but he rarely got his way because Takeomi had learned to cook from his grandmother, and grandmothers tend to know more traditional recipes.  

Continuing to finish up their evening meal, Takeomi called out in greeting when all three of his boyfriends ended up arriving at home at the same time.  Almost as if it was planned.  Takeomi felt his muscles tense as they trailed into the kitchen, observing what he was doing in a manner that felt almost…predatory.  They were hungry surely, but not for what he was cooking.

“What’s our little house husband doing?” Wakasa teased, voice more playful than normal as he slid up to Takeomi’s side, one arm wrapping around his waist, immediately beginning to pull at his belt buckle underneath his apron.  

“Cooking something good like always,” Benkei mused, focusing more on his own clothes than Takeomi’s.  He wanted to call out that “that’s not where that goes” when Benkei’s shirt hit the kitchen floor, but he didn’t want them to say he was nagging. Again.  

“Could have left us some room on the table, Omi,” Shinichiro pouted, joining Wakasa by tugging at the knot holding his apron in place.  Takeomi sighed, turning the knob at the front of the stove to extinguish the burner, knowing he wasn’t going to get out of this. Even if he wanted to.  

He let the pair of dogs pulling at his clothes to relieve him of his shirt and his belt, though he protested when he heard the sound of glass being moved around on the kitchen table.

“Not on the table.” 

“What, don’t want your back to hurt again, old man?” Wakasa helped Shinichiro lift him onto the counter, biting his bicep, fully intending to leave a bruise.

“We eat there.”

“We can eat you there too.”  Benkei stated, ignoring Takeomi’s complaints and continuing to move the plates back to the counter.  Destroying all of Takeomi’s hard work.

“All served up on a silver platter, just like a pig with an apple in its butt.” Shinichiro mused, pulling at the waistband of Takeomi’s jeans, aiding in Wakasa’s continued effort to get him undressed.

Pausing, processing what Shinichiro just said, Wakasa looked at him with exasperation. “The apple goes in the mouth, Shin.” 

“Then what goes in the butt? The carrot?” Shinichiro asked, tossing Takeomi’s jeans to the floor, totally unbothered by the accusing tone in Wakasa’s voice.

“Nothing!” 

“Well that's boring.  Takeomi, got any apples?” Stepping aside, Shinichiro turned to the fridge as Benkei grabbed Takeomi around the waist, picking him up to move him to the other side of the room. Takeomi scrambled, kicking his legs and scratching at the larger man’s shoulders.

“I said NOT on the table.  Put me down!”

6pm

“Takeomi is with his family tonight?”  Benkei asked, hand held captive by Shinichiro as he traced the lines of his palm with the tip of his finger.  The three sat in Takeomi and Shinichiro’s bed, watching a movie and eating pizza.  Wakasa sat at the end of the bed, picking pepperonis off the remaining slices and eating them one by one, knowing that Takeomi would prefer just plain cheese after an unsatisfying meal with his family.  

“Yup,”  Wakasa nodded, offering a slice of bacon to the men behind him, stuffing it in his mouth when they both shook their heads. “Just like every first Tuesday.  Dinner with the Akashis. How boring that must be.”

“Tense.” Benkei nodded, allowing Shinichiro to take his other palm, his inspection continuing to see if the lines matched or were different on his hands. 

“At least they’re trying.” Shinichiro added, looking up finally, the movie playing on in the background forgotten. The other two nodded, agreeing, but a dullness still hung in the air.  

“It’s too quiet when Takeomi isn’t here,” Benkei stated, finally pausing the movie so they could all freely speak.  Wakasa nodded his agreement, closing the pizza box with its toppingless contents inside.

“Should we go wait at that place near their house?”

“The one with the strawberry milkshakes he likes?” Shinichiro asked, smile growing as their plan developed.  

“We can already have one sitting there for him when he finally gets released from hell,” Wakasa matched his grin, sliding off the bed to change clothes and put the pizza away.

 “Put a smile back on his grumpy old face,” Benkei added, everyone fully on board to surprise Takeomi on his way back home. 

7pm

“We should really give these things up,” Benkei suggested, blowing a smoke ring into the air. Wakasa nodded, holding his cigarette between his lips as they leaned against the back door of their gym.  

“We really can’t be the picture of health to our clients if we are still smoking like freight engines ten times a day.”

“Is it really only ten?”

Wakasa shrugged, because who could really tell? They didn’t exactly try to keep track.  They usually shared a pack between themselves every couple days, bumming from Shinichiro and Takeomi when they were at home.

“Kind of hard to quit when you live with the dictionary definitions of addiction.”

Benkei chuckled, pressing out his cigarette against the wall of the gym. 

“Speaking of them, we should probably go home.”

“What? And bicker with Takeomi over the way to load dishes into the dishwasher again? No thank you.”

“Wakasa…that fight was four days ago.”

Crossing his arms across his chest, Wakasa turned his head, refusing to look at reason. “And it still is heavy in my heart as one of our worst arguments to date.”

“Neither of you were right, and neither of you were wrong.” Benkei tapped his closed fist against his shoulder, turning to open the gym door. “Just kiss and make up already.”

“Only if he apologizes.”

Exasperated, Benkei looked down at his boyfriend, giving him a questioning look. “What for?”

“For making me mad.”

Stopping in his tracks, Benkei lowered his voice so none of the patrons in the gym would hear them. “Seriously?”  

“As serious as fried rice.” Pulling a stick of gum out of his pocket, Wakasa popped it in his mouth to clear up his smokers breath.  Ending the conversation, Wakasa turned to a young man who was not lifting a weight correctly, spotting him so he didn’t hurt himself.  

Sighing once more, Benkei wondered why people always assumed Shinichiro was the childish one, when really, Takeomi and Wakasa took the lead by a long shot. 

8pm

Sitting on the couch, Takeomi was perfectly content with his evening. Reading his book while his partners buzzed around him with their own night time activities. He was so captivated by his activity that he didn’t notice Wakasa in front of him until he plucked the book from his hand and crawled into his lap.

“Hey there…” Takeomi was cautious, hesitant. Wakasa was never the most affectionate towards him, much preferring to bully and tease him to communicate how he felt about Takeomi than by engaging in soft levels of affection.  

Trapping him in place with his legs, Wakasa placed his hands on either side of Takeomi’s shoulders, pinning him to the couch while he stared him down, purple eyes piercing his soul. 

“Alright, Takeomi…I’ve had enough.”

Takeomi swallowed thickly, saliva getting stuck in his throat as he met Wakasa’s intense gaze.   He jumped when he felt a second set of hands on his shoulders, pressing him further into the couch from behind. 

“He’s right.” Benkei’s gruff voice indicated that he was the owner of the second set of hands. “We can’t go on like this for much longer.”

“Come on guys, what’s this about?”  Takeomi’s panicked voice sounded strange to his own ears, but there wasn’t much he could do.  He was really and truly stuck.

“I think you know, Takeomi.”  Shinichiro stepped around to stand behind Wakasa. “We love you, but that…thing…has got to go.”

“Really…it’s not that bad is it?”  Takeomi tried to push Wakasa off of his lap, but was unsuccessful in getting him to budge even an inch. “This is a little extreme, don't you think?”

Shaking his head in disappointment, Wakasa reached a hand out, accepting the electric razor Shinichiro placed in his hand.  Flicking it on, Wakasa held the razor between them, hovering it above Takeomi’s lip. 

“Any last words?”

“Please don’t?” Takeomi tried, hoping for leniency from his partners.  They all just looked between each other, shaking their heads in exasperation.  

“Wrong answer. It’s time.”  Pressing down on the razor, Wakasa brought it to Takeomi’s skin, swiping away the first of the facial hair.

Takeomi would have screamed for them to stop if he wasn’t worried about Wakasa cutting him if he moved too quickly. 

9pm

“Joyride?” Wakasa asked, staring at the new bike Shinichiro had just gotten in stock, with shiny purple paint with metallic glitter that glittered rainbows when it caught the light.  All three of them were practically salivating over the bike that none of them would ever be able to afford when they were young, but here it was. Just sitting in Shinichiro’s showroom.  No owner. No miles on it.  Completely brand new and fresh and they just had to touch it.

“Joyride.” Takeomi agreed, rubbing his hand over the cool leather seat.

“I’m driving,” Benkei declared, ready to dig the keys out of Shinichiro’s display cabinet himself if their boyfriend didn’t get it for them quickly enough.  “Who wants to sit in the bitch seat?”

“Absolutely not. I already have a buyer lined up.” Shinichiro shook his head, standing in front of the cabinet where he kept the keys to all of the bikes, refusing to let any of them come near to it.  “And it’s already getting dark.  Like I’d let you guys drive something that's going to make us a whole lot of money.”

The other three nodded, pretending like they understood Shinichiro’s hesitations towards letting them ride the bike. But greed and a desire to relive the glory days out weighed everything, and they each reached a hand to grab him, pulling him away from the cabinet.

“Looks like Shin called shotgun.”

10pm

Sitting in the kitchen, Takeomi pulled the brush through Wakasa’s hair again, working out the last of the tangles acquired through a long, active day.  Takeomi never understood why he didn’t just keep it up all the time at work, but would never admit that he didn’t mind brushing it out and braiding it just to have quiet little moments like these. 

Wakasa coming to him, brush in hand, asking for a braid “like how you do Senju’s”, sitting at the kitchen table, nodding off slightly as the hair brushing must feel nice enough for him to relax.  

Pulling apart the three strands that would become the braids, Takeomi made sure they were even before pulling each one over the others, back to the center, back to the outside, until a long braid trailed down Wakasa’s neck. Takeomi reached for the hair tie on the table wrapping it around the damp tip of Wakasa’s braid, the smell of his shampoo still so floral and strong after his evening shower. 

Patting his shoulder, Takeomi let him know he was done with a kiss behind his ear, pretending he didn’t see the way Wakasa’s ears still turned red whenever Takeomi showed him affection. It was so much easier for them both with the other two, but these moments were just for them.  And it helped something…somehow.

11pm

Shinichiro furrowed his brow, looking at his cards, trying to decipher their value as the others played their hands.  He didn’t want to ask for help again…but this…this was too much to handle.

“I don’t know…” Shinichiro whined, staring at his hand.  

“Either your poker face is really good, or you just really have no idea what's going on,” Wakasa observed, leaning against his hand as he waited for Shinichiro to play his turn.  

“I think it's the not knowing what's going on one, if I’m being honest.”  Benkei rolled his shoulders, feeling stiff from sitting at the kitchen table for so long, waiting for Takeomi to explain the rules to two separate games, and for Shinichiro to figure out his hands.

“Oh come on, Shin.  We already gave up on poker because you couldn’t get it. Just play something!” Takeomi was getting frustrated, the few drinks they had shared that night standing out proud and red on his cheeks.  

“Yeah, well. You should have known better than to teach me to play something so late at night, and when we’ve been drinking.”

An exasperated groan flew throughout the table as his boyfriends threw their heads back, bemoaning how simple of a game it is.

“Shin, its Uno, ” they all complained at once, causing Shinichiro to drop his cards on the table, a pathetic pout forming on his lips as he scooted back from the table.

“Fine, I lose.” Turning his head to the side, Shinichiro pressed his lips together, trying to keep them from shaking because yeah, he didn’t want to drunkenly cry over a card game.

“Oh come here, you big baby.”  Takeomi slung an arm over his shoulders, pulling Shinichiro’s chair close to his.  “We’ll try again tomorrow, okay? We’ll even promise to not play a draw four on you.”

12am (Midnight)

Waving apologetically at the store clerk at the door for coming in so late, Benkei grabbed a shopping cart in hopes the four of them could split up and get what they needed before going home.  Checking the list that Takeomi had written on a napkin at dinner, Benkei turned around to start divvying up items, just to see Takeomi tugging at Shinichiro’s arm trying to get him out of the motorized cart that sat by the door.

“Takeomi, no, I need it.” 

“Oh you need it? Tell me then, what is your disability that makes you need this?”

“You know he was diagnosed with stupid at birth, Omi.” Wakasa shook his head in false pity,  gnawing on the toothpick he had nabbed at the restaurant that had just vacated.  “No cure. He really shouldn’t be operating that thing at all. He can’t comprehend the directions.” 

“That’s not true. I can drive it just fine!” Shinichiro asserted, revving the motor of the shopping cart, and immediately running into a display at the front of the store.  Benkei snorted before letting out a deep guffaw, leaning on the shopping cart for support.  Takeomi rubbed his face with his hands as Shinichiro gingerly stood and stepped down from the cart. The bottom of his foot unfortunately landed on top of one of the cans that had fallen from the display, causing Shinichiro’s foot to slip out from underneath him.  He caught himself before he hit the ground, grabbing the handle of the motorized cart. This action caused it to shoot it forward again, pushing the cardboard display back further and sending more cans clattering to the ground. 

“We should go…” Takeomi pointed towards the door as Wakasa grabbed his arm, trying not to fall as he was laughing so hard.  Shinichiro dipped his head and scurried outside as Benkei tried to catch his breath, disappointed at the spoiled midnight shopping trip.  Takeomi grabbed Wakasa by the back of the shirt, hoisting him high enough to force him to stand right. “Wakasa’s going to piss his pants if we don’t leave now.”

Benkei sighed, a chuckle slipping out as he kicked a can to the side and followed his partners outside.  Maybe he and Takeomi could take  a shopping trip in the morning before the others woke up.

1am

Dragging his feet, Takeomi followed behind Benkei, yawning loudly as the other man unlocked the door. Benkei scolded him for not holding the flashlight steady, but Takeomi did his best given he was woken up in the middle of the night.  

Benkei flicked on all the lights in the gym, inspecting the windows before resetting the alarm to stop blaring.  Takeomi plopped down on one of the benches surrounding the boxing ring, watching as Benkei looked into each of the side rooms. The locker rooms and showers, the office in the back, the extra room where they sometimes held small classes. Benkei returned to Takeomi’s side as he finished clearing the entire building.

“All good?” Takeomi asked, accepting Benkei’s hand so he could be hoisted from the bench.  He rubbed at the sleep in his eyes as Benkei threw an arm around his shoulders, sighing heavily as they returned to the front of the gym.  Takeomi tucked an arm underneath Benkei’s coat, squeezing his side lightly as Benkei reset the alarm.

Guiding them back outside, Benkei pulled Takeomi into a full hug, squeezing him tight.  Takeomi hugged back, patting his arm when his hug became a bit too much.  

“Is everything okay?” Takeomi questioned, the frustration Benkei was feeling  was clearly due to more than an accidentally triggered alarm. 

“Sorry for dragging you out of bed. This is mine and Wakasa’s thing, but I couldn’t get his ass out of bed.”

“It’s not a big deal. I was still awake.”  A lie, but Takeomi was a master of lying to make people feel better.

“You were snoring louder than Shinichiro, Takeomi…” 

Or maybe not.  

“Thanks for coming though.  Hate coming to do this alone…never sure what I might see.” 

“It’s really fine.  Wouldn’t want either of you to come alone.” Takeomi nodded as they headed to their car, stepping back into the warm interior.  Even though these things were almost always a false alarm, it really did feel wrong to send Benkei or Wakasa out alone in the middle of the night.  They had passed that time in their lives, and so it just felt better to stick together.  Especially when responding to a possible break in.

2am

“That’s last call…” Takeomi mumbled, eyes feeling heavy as he waved for the bartender to come take their money.  They were all a bit worse for wear this evening, but it was a good night all the same.  Wakasa was always the first to go, and leaned heavily against Takeomi’s shoulder, long hair falling over his chest as he snoozed.  They’d have to wake him soon, but a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. Maybe Takeomi could pull the wallet out of his pocket…make him pay for the night.

Shinichiro leaned against Benkei, the pair turning an interesting shade of green after pounding drinks for the last hour, always sure to get their time’s worth when  they so rarely went out to bars like this.  Much more often, they preferred to drink at home, where they could pass out and puke where they needed to. 

Paying the tab for their group, Takeomi slipped an arm around Wakasa’s waist, shaking him slightly to rouse him.  Wakasa looked around, almost as if he didn’t know where he was, before head butting Takeomi with his forehead. The gesture was half hearted, not really hurting at all.

Takeomi grabbed Wakasa’s hand, sliding them both out of the booth. They unpeeled Shinichiro and Benkei from the seat they were sitting in, standing back as the pair got their feet underneath them.  All Takeomi could do was hope they wouldn’t lose their dinner on their shoes as they struggled to find their balance.  But, they must be fine enough to walk, Takeomi discovered, as Shinichiro grabbed both Benkei’s and Waksasa’s hands.  

“Onward, Takeomi!” Shinichiro slurred, shoving Wakasa into Takeomi with the intent of pushing them out the door.  Quickly making sure all of their hands were still linked, Takeomi dragged them outside, one by one, Benkei taking up the tail end, too nauseous to say something more than a groan. 

Heading down the street, Takeomi looked back, Benkei with his eyes barely open, Shinichiro skipping along after being rejuvenated by the cool night air, and Wakasa who was desperately trying to shake Shinichiro’s sweaty hand out of his grasp.

“Just like a trail of preschoolers on their way to school.”

3am

Shinichiro and Takeomi’s room. Benkei and Wakasa’s room. Labeled as such based on two facts : that was where their clothes were, and each of the pairs slept best together.  Friends since childhood and rivals since childhood, all smushed up into one relationship where they could only sleep in one bed if they wanted to risk someone falling on the floor in the middle of the night.  Which didn’t happen often, but happened enough that they were usually fine separating for a few hours. 

But where they started the night is not always where they ended it.  Well, Benkei didn’t often move far, sleeping like a bump on a log who couldn’t be woken up or rolled over until he was ready.  Shinichiro and Takeomi also often didn’t move far, as they often slept tangled together from toes to torso, the clinginess that highlighted these two apparent even in their sleep.  

Wakasa was the wanderer.  Trailing from room to room like an disgruntled cat, looking for the perfect place to lay his head if the bed he went to sleep in stopped feeling right.  Like when Benkei started snoring so loudly in the night that it could start shaking the pictures off their walls, Wakasa often wandered to the living room, curling up to sleep so snuggly on the couch or Benkei’s armchair, snoozing quietly for a few minutes before his brain shot him awake again, determining quickly “it’s too quiet.”

Dropping his blankets in front of the bedroom he usually shared with Benkei, Wakasa wandered further down the hallway, pushing into Takeomi and Shinichiro’s room.  Standing at the end of their bed, he observed them quietly, determining which side would he the best to steal that morning, as the pair tended to twist and turn and shift from one side of the bed to the other when they had the room.  

Deciding finally, Wakasa slipped into the bed behind Shinichiro, just enough room for them to sleep side by side, their spines bumping against each other through their shirts.  It was as if from that simple touch, Takeomi and Shinichiro knew he was there, as they both oriented their body towards him, flipping around to pull him into their early morning cuddle.  

Feeling Shincihiro’s arm wrap around his chest, and one of Takeomi’s hands on his hip, Wakasa sighed, finally closing his eyes.  Not too loud.  Not too quiet.  The pair's general sounds of sleep flooded his ears, lulling him back into dreamland as they held him tight, grateful to have him join them in sleep once again.

4am

“Shin get down ,” Wakasa shouted, even he slightly panicked at the sight of their drunken boyfriend jumping up onto the kitchen counter.

“I’m good! See! Ben will catch me!”  Shinichiro pointed to the living room, to where Benkei was reclining in an armchair on the complete opposite side of the room.  Nowhere near where he could catch Shin if he fell. 

“Takeomi, tell him to get down.  He always listens to you.”  

“Oh no, Shin…get down…” Takeomi called out in a very non-serious, non-urgent tone.  He waved a hand and leaned back on the couch, reaching a hand out to Benkei for the beer they were passing between each other. Taking a sip, he lifted his head just enough to see the Shin related shenanigans (shinanigans) going down in the kitchen. “Let him fall, will teach him a lesson.”

“He’s drunk, not five.” Wakasa turned back towards Shinichiro, who promptly grabbed the bun atop his head like a handle in an effort to get off the counter.  Stepping into thin air, Shinichiro pulled them both down with a heavy “oof”.  Wakasa was dazed, scalp hurting, wondering if Shinichiro had actually just done that to him. The drunken fool.

Before he could decide, he felt hands under his armpits, dragging him off the ground and to his feet.  Takeomi pulled him out of the kitchen, guiding him to one of the bedrooms,  hoping to cool him down before he actually pummeled Shinichiro into the floor.

A fall from the counter was nowhere near as much of a danger as an angry Wakasa.  Everyone knew better than to pull his hair.

5am

Rousing himself with his alarm, Benkei yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head before reaching to slap at his phone until the buzzer stopped.  Wakasa still slept unbothered at his side, tucked tightly under the covers, long hair an actual mess, poking out of the braid he kept it in to sleep.  Leaning over, he pressed a chaste kiss to Wakasa’s forehead, sliding out of bed to slip into something he could run in.  

Pulling a shirt over his head, Benkei peeked in to see Shinichiro and Takeomi also still asleep.  For once, they weren’t so tangled up in each other that Benkei couldn’t give them a good wet smack on the forehead before he headed out.  He would just run over to the gym to warm up, sweat out a few miles on the treadmill, and be back and showered before the rest of them roused to begin their morning routines.  He always enjoyed being up before the sun rose, in a world so quiet he could actually hear himself think.

But he couldn’t throw himself into those dark mornings without showing some love to his favorite boys, even if they were too far gone and passed out to feel it.

6am

Four pieces of a whole, not always fitting together perfectly, but somehow always finding their home laying together, squished into one bed when their home had two.  Sometimes it was easier to part at night, when someone needed space or didn’t feel well or simply wanted a proper night's sleep.  But other times, it felt wrong to be apart. 

Because of course, it would always be easier for them to separate into pairs.  Sometimes, it was easier to explain things that way.  Friends of friends of friends, often closer than friends, but still just friends.  They let people assume what they wanted, because it didn’t matter either way what they said.  People would always have their opinions and thoughts. They couldn’t let it affect them.  

They would never understand anyway.  What it felt like to have three people love you more than anything.  Three smiles to brighten your day.  Three people to wake up to in the morning, three times the hugs and the kisses.  

If Shinichiro had to pick just one, he wouldn’t be able to.  They all had a special place in his heart, and he loved them all the same, yet differently at the same time.  

Shinichiro loved waking up first, when the sun was just barely peeking through the curtains, just to see them….and see that they felt the same way he did.  Benkei, with a protective arm circling their heads, always on his side when all four of them shared a bed, looking so peaceful and content. Takeomi without his forehead wrinkles, always the little spoon to Wakasa who clung to his back like a barnacle.  And Shinichiro in the middle, happy as a clam, unwilling to lose this moment to save himself from the judgment and questions and stares of people who simply refused to understand.

You could love your best friend.  You could love all of your best friends. You could be happy in a way that made no sense to anyone else but yourself, and the three other people who made you that happy.