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It was a rare quiet night in. No filming, photography, or concerts. No shopping or socializing. Not since Okarin put his foot down, imposing the forced time off. It wouldn't do for Re:Vale to show up in public with bruised and swollen faces.
The media ran wild already with just their usual hijinks. God help them if the fans thought they weren't getting along.
Presently, they were both happily inebriated and twined around each other.
Over the last few hours they'd had the opportunity to talk honestly, no lies or dissembling. But they'd started out slow. Stilted. Shy.
One'd think after 5 years of working closely with each other they'd be able to freely talk about topics without booze. But, that wasn't quite the case. So booze it was to limber-up their tongues and emotions and electrify the mood...
The mood that was suddenly building hot and heavy between them.
It had started so simple: A drink. A comment. A sip. Another comment. A glancing touch.
Flickering eyes, quickly meeting and then breaking away. All hooded eyelids and slow blinks.
Freshly moistened lips and the hint of tongue-tip or fang.
And then things blossomed like an evening primrose into a careful kiss, lips pressed together, breath shared, cheeks gently cupped and caressed.
All thanks to the slap fest. But, as awful as that (and Momo's hangover) had been, it'd gotten them here, beyond the wall looming over their recent actions, making them miserable even as they dealt with the escalating Ryo Tsukumo bullshit.
It was frightening how close they'd come to almost losing their lives, to cross that threshold and finally confess their mutual attraction.
Love.
But once the reality of the situation settled, they'd embraced the opportunity to start their relationship fresh, damn anyone's opinion or attempted interference.
}{
Momo sat on the couch, brushing Yuki's long hair, getting ready to put it in a large messy braid to keep it from getting in the way, breaking to lean forward and kiss his partner, his soon-to-be lover, a step they'd flirted and joked about on stage for years and neither of them had ever anticipated becoming real. The stage personas and real life blurring at the edges.
They were interrupted by a set of strident knocks at the door.
They looked at each other. Strange. They weren't expecting any visitors, and Okarin had mandated their house arrest - no visitors.
}{
Yuki looked at the door apprehensively and then rose up.
It was his apartment, after all.
He took a moment to grab the aluminum bat he kept near the door in the umbrella stand.
With Ryo still unaccounted for and his history of hiring thugs for revenge plots, they couldn't be too careful. They both carried a modicum of unease. This could be a set up.
"Who is it?" Yuki asked, trying to sound sober.
"Really?" A familiar voice carried through the door intercom. "I have takeout and beer. Open up!"
"Ban!" Yuki threw open the door, mindless of the image he struck, bat in hand.
*“Yikes! What a nice greeting! But I guess I should expect violence whenever you're involved, Yuki!”
Yuki sputtered and glared.
“No need to get offended and your panties in a twist. Like you'd take up sports.”
"I did when I found I enjoyed playing with balls..." the ashen-haired man replied flippantly.
Banri barked a laugh.
Normally, Yuki wasn't so bold, but this was Banri. There were no secrets and no topic was sacred or off limits between the three of them.
Momo sat on the couch, giggling, as his two favorite men verbally spared.
}{
Banri pushed into the apartment, eyes roaming over the scene and smirking. "Seeing as I interrupted you two canoodling, lemme guess, you missed the text I was coming over. I mean, I can leave you two to keep going. I'll just take these back home with me…” he teased. “...Or I could sit here and watch you eye-fuck each other over dinner as you explain the matching bruises.”
The delicious smell of the cheap curry and ramen shop's food wafted around the living room, filling it and making them drool. It was a rare treat. The single location restaurant was all the way across town and just getting a stool there was pure nightmare.
Yuki made a grab for the delicacy he knew was his inside one of the glossy white takeout containers.
Unfortunately, he'd forgotten the bat he was clutching.
Banri swerved at the incoming swing, doing what he could to avoid the unexpected attack and protect the food.
Yuki, coordination a bit impaired thanks to the many cups of liquid courage he'd been imbibing all evening, overcorrected.
Momo watched, yet again, as Banri took a hit to the head. At least this time no blood was involved.
*BAM*
}{
“BAN!!!!”
Momo launched himself from the sofa, unsure if he was going to rescue Ban or catch the beer bottles as both careened towards the tile flooring.
His attempt at catching the alcohol, (it was nearer, and a floor of broken glass was a level of trouble none of them wanted to deal with), was interrupted as Yuki swerved again, this time knocking into Momo, who at least, took the hit on his forearm and not upside the head.
Amazingly, Banri managed to break the fall with one of his shoes, interrupting the potential calamity, averting the bottles shattering.
}{
Minutes later, the three of them were sprawled on the kitchen floor, cold beers opened, appetizers unwrapped, disposable chopsticks digging into hidden depths, digging out tasty morsels of food.
All thoughts of the chaos that had happened minutes ago behind them, dispelled by the scents and flavors filling their mouths.
Sure, Ban held his cold, condensing bottle to his forehead while Momo surreptitiously pressed his to his arm, but they all sat there, laughing, reveling in their friendship.
“What are you even doing here, Ban?”
“Okarin'll have a fit if he finds out we have a visitor!”
Yuki gazed at Momo, “Then best he doesn't find out.”
Momo shook his head, eyes twitching. “Keeping secrets from Okarin is part of what got us on lockdown.”
“Whatever… What are you doing here, Ban?”
“Ryu visited Sogo and mentioned there was shit going on with Ryo… and Momo having an unexpected appointment with gravity. I'm guessing there's some truth in there.”
Yuki took time to finish swallowing and empty his mouth. Then filled the friendly, but strained, silence with a casual dismissal, “There is. It's not worth discussing.”
Banri raised an elegant eyebrow at his former partner. “Really? I would respectfully disagree as it now appears your play acting is headed towards actually playing house. And I bet those rosy cheeks are part of it,” observed a shrewd Banri, sussing out the relationship change and pointing at each of them with a chopstick. “Besides, I won't say shit to Rinto. Though, I'd do the same to Sogo and Tamaki if they did stupid shit like you two. Hopefully, I can raise Mezzo° correctly so they become better communicators than you emotionally constipated goofs…”
“Well, not so constipated. It just took a near death experience,” Yuki deadpanned, pulling Momo close to passionately kiss him.