Altered Threesome

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Kazuma awoke first the next morning, and managed to slip out of bed
without waking his partner. He did, however, give him a light kiss
before slipping into the main room of the small house. It had only
been one full day since his return but already he knew with certainty
how he could think of this place as home. It was the smell and the
atmosphere and…the sofa that was already inviting him. He flopped
onto it with a sigh. Though he\'d considered starting breakfast, he
wasn\'t sure if either of them would be able to stomach it.

//Ryuhou....// Kazuma sighed quietly, scratching at his stomach. They
hadn\'t heard from the other, and though he wasn\'t entirely concerned,
he would have thought Ryuhou would be the first of them to hurry
home. He should have felt guilty for enjoying this time with just the
two of them. He should have been more worried about not hearing from
him. But...he wasn\'t. And maybe that bothered him more than anything.

Tachibana finally awoke, feeling content but a bit sore from the
previous day\'s activities. He splashed some water on his face in the
bathroom before venturing out into the rest of the house. Finding
Kazuma on the couch, he smiled and shook his head. \"You awake?\"

\"Hmm? Yeah.\" Kazuma yawned loudly to prove as much. \"I\'m awake.
Just...chilling, I guess.\" He wiggled his toes. \"Sleep okay? I gotta
admit; the bed\'s nice.\"

\"Yeah, it is.\" He rubbed briefly at Kazuma\'s bare foot. \"I was
thinking of cereal for breakfast--you\'re gonna use up all my eggs.\"
Tachibana turned towards the kitchen. //I\'ll need to buy more food
soon, especially when Ryuhou shows up....//

Kazuma watched after him, his gaze catching on the light, almost
hopeful look that gleamed in Tachibana\'s eyes before he started
toward the kitchen. He\'d only been home a day and already he\'d seen
it a lot--it wasn\'t hard to figure out, and somehow it drained some
of his energy. \"Hey.\" //Don\'t say it--it\'s not worth it to say it.
Don\'t you fucking--// \"What if he doesn\'t come back?\"

Tachibana paused in the doorway, sisedised by the question,
but.... //Kazuma?// He turned to meet the other\'s eyes, not sure why
he was being asked. \"Do you mean...not come back here, or if he\'s
dead?\" he asked carefully; he didn\'t like the direction of this
conversation at all.

\"I meant back here.\" //Fuck, I said it.// But he had to meet
Tachibana\'s gaze now. \"Like...what if he decided to stay down by the
coast or somethin\'?\" //What would you….// He glanced away suddenly,
something bitter at the back of his throat. \"Ehh, forget it.\"

Tachibana faced him squarely, fingers curled. //Why are you asking me
this?// \"Well....\" //If he didn\'t come back...if he didn\'t really
want me....// His eyes lowered, feeling a familiar ache at the back
of his throat. \"If he didn\'t want to be here...there\'s really nothing
I could do. It\'s his choice. I\'ll get over it.\" //Like I did before.//

That made Kazuma\'s stomach curl a little tighter. //And I suppose if
it was the other way around, you\'d just get over me, too.// He
scratched at his chest. //Not that I can blame him. We take what we
get….//

Kazuma sighed against the back of the sofa. \"Forget I said anything.
You know he\'s coming back--he\'s got nowhere else to go, either.\"

//Kazuma...?// Tachibana\'s stomach twisted weakly. He suddenly felt
like he had been given a test, and had just failed it. //But...what
was I supposed to say? I wouldn\'t try to stop them, but....// Turning
away, he remained silent for a long moment. \"Are you staying here,\"
he asked slowly, wishing his voice didn\'t sound so shaky, \"because
there\'s nowhere else?\"

//Damnit, Kazuma.// Kazuma scrambled for a response, but the truth
hit him suddenly, making his throat ache. \"Tachibana....\" He pushed
to his feet, sliding up behind him so he could wrap his arms tightly
around Tachibana\'s shoulders. \"That\'s right,\" he murmured, praying he
would understand. \"There is nowhere else.\" //Because this place…feels
like home to me, now.//

Though the words weren\'t particularly comforting, Kazuma sudden
embrace made his insides quiver. //Kazuma...what are we doing?// He
leaned back, pressing their cheeks together. \"I don\'t want you
anywhere else,\" he replied, reaching up to grip the other\'s arms. \"I
want you here.\"

Kazuma smiled thinly. \"Me, too.\" //\'Cause you\'re here.// But Kazuma\'s
tongue never slipped on the things he should have said, and he
sighed, pressing a kiss to base of Tachibana\'s neck. \"Sorry--I didn\'t
mean to be an ass. You know I want to be here.\" The words were so
true they made his throat ache again, and he blinked suddenly, hiding
the rise of emotion in another kiss.

Tachibana nodded, though...there was still something he had to clear
up. He tilted his head against Kazuma\'s, hands tight. \"Kazuma.
I...care about you both.\" He licked his lips. \"You...and Ryuhou. You
don\'t know how glad I am…that you\'re both….\"

\"I know,\" Kazuma said quickly. He wasn\'t about to step into that mess
again. \"I know, and it\'s not that I don\'t want him back.\" //Well,
maybe I am stepping into it.// \"Maybe just because I\'ve been tired
lately--when he\'s around it makes me want to kick his ass, and I\'m
trying to relax for a while.\" He laughed.

He couldn\'t help smiling faintly. \"Well, hopefully you won\'t start a
fight while we\'re sharing a bed,\" he pointed out, wiggling so he
could turn around and face Kazuma properly. Tachibana wrapped his
arms around the other\'s waist, pulling them together.

Kazuma was about to pull him into a kiss when there was a fierce
pounding on the door, nearly scaring him out of his boxers. He would
have been annoyed if not for the voice accompanying it.

\"Tachibana-san!\" Mimori cried, continuing to knock--or perhaps beat--
on the door. \"Tachibana-san--it\'s Ryuhou. Are you there?\"

Blinking, Tachibana met Kazuma\'s eyes for a moment. //Ryuhou....// He
turned towards the door, worry suddenly pounding in his temples.
Tachibana flung the door open, uncaring that he was dressed only in a
T-shirt and boxers. \"Mimori-san, what\'s wrong?\"

Mimori was breathing hard, her eyes already blurred with worried
tears. \"It\'s Ryuhou,\" said again, taking his arms. \"He\'s in Fuyama--
one of the drivers that came down with the caravan this morning said
he\'s there--that he\'s been injured. He wanted to get word to us….\"

//Injured?// Kazuma was at the door before he realized he\'d
moved. \"Do you have a car?\" he asked briskly. \"Can we go now?\"

\"Y-Yes,\" Mimori gasped, startled by his abrupt approach. \"That\'s why
I came….\"

Though he was ready to run from the house right then, he caught sight
of a shirtless Kazuma and knew better. \"We\'ll just be a moment,\" he
told Mimori, nudging his lover back into the house. \"Get the car
started, and we\'ll be right out.\" Quickly closing the door, he gave
Kazuma a tug towards the bedroom. \"Let\'s just get dressed really
quick, okay?\"

\"Okay.\" Everything that had been said a few minutes ago was suddenly
forgotten as Kazuma practically dashed into the bedroom, throwing on
the first articles of clothing of his he could find. Ryuhou was
probably fine. It took caravans days to get out of the mountains--
even if Ryuhou had been injured in the battle he was probably better
by now, and they were rushing off for nothing. But that didn\'t quite
occur to him as he finished dressing, and nearly put Tachibana\'s
shoes on for him when he wasn\'t quick enough.

Tachibana would have laughed if he wasn\'t so worried, not bothering
to thank Kazuma as they finished and raced for the door. He barely
noticed that his lover was just as anxious as he was. Soon enough
they had piled into Mimori\'s car and were speeding towards the
mountains.

It was a long trip--several hours through the mountain roads, and
mostly Kazuma and Tachibana took turns driving; neither of them
wanted to see Mimori behind the wheel of a car in the state she was
in. Not that Kazuma\'s driving left them much better off.

It was late afternoon by the time they finally arrived in Fuyama, and
Kazum all but leapt out of the jeep as Tachibana slowed the jeep to a
halt. \"Damn, that Ryuhou can move,\" he grumbled, stretching his
legs. \"But...damn, now where the hell is he?\"

\"Kazuma, wait! Let\'s at least figure out what to do....\" He glanced
around at the half-rebuilt buildings, fingers curled and tense. \"We
should...ask around, shouldn\'t we?\"

Mimori was already heading toward the nearest townsperson--their
sudden entrance had attracted some attention, and it didn\'t take long
before Mimori was jogging back to them. \"There\'s a clinic just down
the street,\" she said quickly. \"With a green roof. He\'s there.\"

\"Then let\'s go.\" Kazuma turned swiftly, grabbing Mimori by the wrist
to hurry her along as he started determinedly down the street.

Tachibana ran in their wake, following them blindly through the
streets. He spotted the clinic first, though, and suddenly sprinted
ahead of the pair. Throwing open the doors, he grabbed at the first
person he found. \"Excuse me--I\'m looking for a man named Ryuhou. Is
he here?\"

The doctor stared at him blankly for a moment, surprised. \"Ryuhou?
Oh, yes--he\'s in the back. You are...?\"

But by then Kazuma was already moving past them toward the far room
of the small clinic with Mimori right on his heels. He threw the door
open. \"Ryuhou!\"

Ryuhou, who had been sitting calmly in bed eating, lifted his head at
the sound of the door opening. \"Kazuma?\" //Thank god--they did
come.// He didn\'t open his eyes as they entered, but the relief was
blatant in his face despite the scars crossing from his temples to
jaw, across the bridge of his nose. \"Took you long enough.\"

Tachibana hurried in, though he froze in the doorway. //His scars....
His eyes are closed, like....// He shivered with a sudden chill, but
a moment later he was pushed aside.

\"Ryuhou-san!\" Mimori hurried in, dropping immediately to his
bedside. \"Oh, you had us so worried! Are you badly hurt?\"

Ryuhou was a little startled when he heard Mimori\'s voice, but he
turned in her direction, offering his hand. \"Mimori. I\'m all right--
they\'ve taken good care of me. My leg was injured for a while, but I
managed to put it back together a little while ago. I\'m all right
now.\" //Is Tachibana…?//

Kazuma heaved a sigh, leaning back against the wall as his strength
abruptly failed him. //Thank god. Fuck you, Ryuhou.// But he was
relieved, more than he ought to have been, making his smile
uncharacteristically sincere.

Taking the other\'s hand, Mimori held it tightly. \"We drove all day to
get here,\" she informed him. \"All we heard was that you were here and
were hurt--poor Kanami-chan was so upset.\" She chuckled faintly,
wringing Ryuhou\'s hand. \"I couldn\'t even drive.\"

Tachibana took a few steps forward. He wanted to reach out, to
confirm for himself that Ryuhou really was okay, but he didn\'t want
to come between him and Mimori. And…those closed eyes were scaring
him.

\"I\'m sorry,\" Ryuhou said sincy. \y. \"I didn\'t mean to worry you all.
But I\'m all right, really. Just...\" He lifted his head slightly,
wondering…. \"...anxious to get home. That\'s all.\"

Kazuma\'s breath caught a little, and he suddenly felt guilty for the
words that had passed that morning, the bitterness that had hidden at
the back of his throat. //I\'m glad he\'s all right. Really glad….//
But it was then that he, too, noticed that Ryuhou\'s eyes had yet to
open, and he bit his lip. //So, he\'s feeling it, too, then. Maybe it
was only a matter of time....//

\"Well, we can certainly do something about that,\" Mimori said with
authority. She licked her lips, watching his eyes
anxiously. //Later,// she decided, turning to face the other
men. \"Kazuma-san? Would you help me with Ryuhou-san? We don\'t want
you to hurt yourself again. And Tachibana-san, can you get the car?
Bring it closer?\"

Tachibana flinched at the sound of his name--he had felt almost apart
from the whole scene. \"Um...yes.\" //But first I....// Knowing he
couldn\'t do much in front of Mimori, he still came closer and set a
hand down on Ryuhou\'s shoulder.

//Tachi…you are here.// Ryuhou smiled with relief, reaching up to set
his hand over the one on his shoulder. By now it was obvious that
none of them were going to ask about his eyes, and he was fine with
that for the time being. He didn\'t want to worry Mimori any
fur. \". \"Thank you--all of you. I would have gotten word to you
sooner, if I could have.\"

\"Damn right, you should be sorry,\" Kazuma muttered, slapping Ryuhou\'s
foot beneath the sheets. \"Getting us all worked up. Now is there
anything else here? We\'re dragging your ass back down this damn
mountain.\"

Ryuhou frowned at his language. \"My clothes are in the next room, if
you don\'t mind.\"

\"I\'ll get them,\" Mimori immediately volunteered. \"Tachibana-san? Thar?\ar?\"

\"Right.\" He gave Ryuhou\'s shoulder a brief squeeze before he
left. //I just want to get him home.// His steps were light as he
hurried down the street.

As soon as Mimori was out of the room Kazuma approached the bedside,
tugging Ryuhou\'s arm over his shoulders. \"How bad is it?\" he asked
quietly, knowing that Ryuhou wouldn\'t sugar-coat it for him. He
helped Ryuhou out of bed and made sure he would be able to walk on
his own feet.

Ryuhou licked his lips. \"I\'ll explain later,\" he promised. Houldould
have felt more ashamed over admitting the weakness to Kazuma, but
already he was pulling close to the familiar body. \"It\'s not
permanent. I think.\"

Kazuma snorted. \"Encouraging.\" But he helped him outside all the
same, realizing he was holding Ryuhou tightly to him only after
Mimori appeared again.

Mimori quickly ushered the pair outside, where she impatiently waited
for Tachibana to pull the car close to the door. Ignoring the amused
glances Tachibana kept shooting at Kazuma, she guided Ryuhou into the
backseat with her, immediately fussing over his weak state and
questioning him on whether he needed any food or water before they
left.

Tachibana waited until Kazuma was seated beside him before reaching
out, silently taking his hand. //He\'s okay.// He smiled over his
shoulder as he started the car, idly listening to Mimori\'s mothering.

Kazuma glanced at Tachibana briefly, and frowned a little at the look
he was sending him. //Yeah, yeah, I\'m glad to see him, too.// He
leaned in, sneaking a kiss to Tachibana\'s cheek when Mimori wasn\'t
looking. \"He says the eyes are all right,\" he said softly, while they
were still close.

Tachibana sighed in relief, turning his eyes to the road. \"Good.\"

The ride home was long, and though he wanted desperately to just drop
off Mimori at her home, she insisted on only stopping briefly to
reassure Kanami before continuing with the Tac Tachibana\'s
house. //At least she\'s letting him stay here....//

Mimori easily directed Kazuma in helping their injured friend to the
living room couch, then set about Tachibana\'s kitchen to make them
all dinner, much to the homeowner\'s distress.

Kazuma rolled his eyes. \"How do you stand the woman?\" he asked Ryuhou
secretively as they arranged him on the sofa. He couldn\'t help but
smack their charge a few times with the pillows he was supposed to be
arranging under his healing leg. \"Are your ears still intact?\"

Ryuhou scowled in his direction. \"Cut it out. You\'re supposed to be
taking care of me.\"

\"Yeah, yeah, \'cause you need it so badly.\" He bopped him lightly on
the chest with the pillow--earning another scowl--before at last
settling it under his foot.

Tachibana finally gave in to the woman, returning to the living room
where he promptly stole the pillows from Kazuma. \"You two are as bad
as children,\" he scolded, stuffine pie pillow behind Ryuhou\'s
back. \"I can\'t be expected to deal with you *and* Mimori-san.\"

\"No shit,\" Kazuma laughed. \"No wonder I stay away from women, eh? I
can\'t wait for her to leave.\" He leaned over Ryuhou, taking advantage
of his not being to see by wiggling his tongue at him.

Ryuhou reached out sharply, catching Kazuma easily around the
throat. \"If you don\'t mind, I wouldn\'t want to give her anything else
to fuss over,\" he said coolly.

Tachibana sighed in exasperation, turning away. \"I give up.\" He
turned towards the bedroom. \"I\'m going to change and then help Mimori-
san. Don\'t break anything,\" he warned over his shoulder. //I\'m glad
they\'re back.//

\"Okay, mom,\" Kazuma called after him. He turned to Ryuhou. \"Need
anything, Pops? Your slippers, maybe?\"

Ryuhou gave him a shove. \"Why don\'t you make yourself useful instead
of terrorize me?\"

\"Whatever.\" Kazuma patted him on the head before slig awg away. He
was afraid if he stayed with the other much longer he was going to
get sentimental again. So instead he slipped into the kitchen,
determined to be as much of a nuisance as possible so that Mimori
would leave all the quicker.

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