The ride home made Shinji nervous as he tried to imagine Hyun-ki at home. He just hoped she hadn’t spent the whole night bawling her eyes out and every time he thought about it he sighed and slumped in his seat, wishing Kippei could fit in the back with him, but Kippei had taken the front so that Enishi could fit in the back with Toshio.

It was just another thing making Shinji nervous, Rien driving them all and Shinji still couldn’t explain, even to himself, why Rien driving the car was different to Kippei driving them. It just was. Even if it was a good, nice car.

He sat up straighter when they turned into their street and was already lunging out the door as soon as they came to a stop, before Rien could turn the key in the ignition.

“Whoa, take it easy,” Kippei murmured to him gently, slightly amused as he climbed out nearly as quickly and wrapped his arms around Shinji, kissing his temple. “We made it, we’re all right. You did good.” He hugged Shinji tight and just held him for a minute, rubbing his back and rocking slightly back and forth.

Toshio had fallen asleep again and Enishi was carrying him, giving Shinji a slightly curious glance as he passed, since he had noticed Shinji’s tension beside him in the back but hadn’t known exactly what it was from. Rien on the other hand came up behind him and hugged him from behind, kissing the top of his head before he went on in to find Hyun-ki.

“Yuni, we’re home!” he called out. He wondered how well An’s boyfriend had fared the night – it was kind of amusing, really, that she’d brought him babysitting with her.

Shinji just smiled wryly at Kippei, not bothering to apologise, because he knew neither Kippei or Rien minded. He took Kippei’s hand and wandered up to the house, peeking around curiously when he didn’t hear any feet pitter pattering wildly down the hall in search of Rien. Then Ishan stepped out with a soft smile on his face, Hyun-ki curled up asleep in his arms, rocking her gently and Shinji grinned at the drool on his shirt.

“I’ve got a kid brother,” he admitted softly, sharing a knowing grin with Shinji. “She’s been asleep for a good half hour now. Sat by the window for about ten minutes before she realised that was boring.”

Kippei chuckled a little grudgingly and came forward to take her back, giving Ishan a look of hard, measuring scrutiny, still not entirely happy about An having a boyfriend to begin with, and wondering if he was good enough for her. But the sleeping weight of Hyun-ki in his arms made his whole expression soften, and he cradled her close, looking down at her and stroking her hair, kissing her forehead and holding her against his chest as he carried her in to put her to bed.

Rien looked over at Shinji with a sly grin. “Oh yeah, he’s a goner,” he noted, smirking as he reached for Shinji’s hand and tugged him into the house. The last fall hardest, as always. It had taken Kippei almost as long to give in as it had for Yuni to warm up to him, but they were both totally adoring of each other now, just like everyone else. It was insanely cute.

Shinji peeked around the corner until Kippei really disappeared, into Hyun-ki’s room, and then he was just snickering, patting Ishan on the shoulder and looking over at An.

“Have fun ever convincing him you’re old enough to date,” he noted wryly, glancing over at Enishi as he lowered Toshio onto the couch, still dozing soundly.

An snorted softly, well aware that Kippei was never going to approve of his baby sister dating anyone, no matter how old she got.

“He doesn’t get a say in that,” she answered airily, shrugging with a wry grin and reaching over to squeeze Ishan’s hand. Yeah, she knew when she found a good thing and she planned on keeping it, Kippei or no Kippei.

A dark blush crept up Ishan’s throat and over his cheeks, tinting his already dark skin with a rosey hue that had Shinji grinning from ear to ear and poking at it.

“Oh, he’s totally a keeper!” He laughed softly at the heat against his fingertips before going out to the closet in the corridor and fetching sheets and taking them in to Enishi.

“You want a hand making the spare bed? The couch folds out…it’s really easy. Even I can do it.” Which, in Shinji’s opinion, said a lot.

Enishi looked down at Toshio sleeping on the couch and shrugged a bit, giving Shinji a wry look. “He’ll probably sleep there just fine,” he noted gruffly. But it would be kind of nice to make up the fold out bed if it was big enough for two.

“Sure, if you want to help,” he decided.

“Mmhmm, you move Yoshi.” He waited patiently for Toshio to be re-chaired and then unfolded the bed, grinning in thanks when Ishan reached for a corner as well and helped lay it out and make sure all the pieces were slotted in to their right places safely. Then he was tossing sheets over it, making it up and looking around for Rien.

“Can you get spare pillows out of the closet?” He didn’t even wait for a response, going to get the spare doona from the closet and spreading it out with a knowing grin. Toshio would love it; Shinji always loved curling up in front of the fire under it.

Rien went to fetch the pillows, sensing how Shinji was enjoying making a comfortable bed for them and glad to help, gathering four or five extra pillows  and taking them out, tossing them at Toshio and grinning as he woke up a little, giving him a sleepy, grumpy frown.

“Whazzat?” he mumbled.

Enishi chuckled dryly and went over to rescue him, taking the pillows and putting them on the bed where they belonged, tugging Toshio up and moving him too.

“Bedtime,” he said in a gruff, firm voice. Toshio moved without protest, curling up under the doona and hugging one of the pillows, blinking sleepily and then dozing off again.

After staring for a good minute, Shinji just grinned and kept his snickering to himself, shaking his head because that was just weirdly cute. He wandered out to the kitchen and put on the kettle, wanting a hot chocolate before bed, but left it to heat up, going back out to hug Rien, nuzzling the back of his neck happily.

Ishan watched them all curiously, fascinated by the dynamics of their relationships, but mostly just awed at how well An had described them, down to the strangest little habits. It made him smile and run a possessive hand down her spine to settle in the small of her back.

An shivered a little, a wave of warmth flooding through her and making her smile back. She shifted a little closer to lean back against him, resting there contentedly as she watched the others getting settled in.

It made Kippei frown a little as he came back in from putting Yuni to bed, but rather than protesting he just moved over to where Shinji was still wrapped around Rien and focused on the two of them, stroking Shinji’s hair, reminding himself that people had to make their own choices and An would probably make mincemeat out of him if he tried to interfere. Not to mention, if he made her mad she might not want to babysit for them anymore.

Relieved that he hadn’t been barked at like he’d been warned, Ishan let his hand slide around An’s waist and pulled her close in against his side, gently rubbing her hip as he watched them all settle, then clearing his throat.

“Well…I think we’ll get going.” He still wanted to take An out for a late supper, and he did not want to see whatever was going to happen in Gay Central very soon if the way things were going was any indication. He waved nervously, and then sighed in amusement at the delighted grin he got from Shinji. Seriously, that guy was like a weird kitten, and his boyfriends weren’t much better.

“Thanks for taking care of Yuni!”

An grinned back at him. “It was no trouble, and you know it,” she told him, and if she’d been closer she would have tweaked his nose, but she was comfortable where she was so she just looked up at Ishan in amusement, her eyes sparkling. She knew he was nervous but she was pretty sure he was making Kippei just as nervous, and that was fun.

She blew a kiss at her brother and waved at everyone else. “It was nice to meet you!” she told Enishi, figuring he could pass it on to his sleeping boyfriend if he wanted to.

Shinji waited until they were gone, Ishan closing the door quietly behind them, and then he slumped sideways into Kippei, curling up in his lap and making little happy noises, pleased they were finally home and he could drag them into bed where for once he intended to have a damn good make out session. He smirked up at Kippei knowingly, wondering if it would really be okay; if they would allow it after he’d practically forced them into a month long sex ban.

Kippei and Rien would have been a great deal surprised to find that Shinji thought they’d been forced into anything, and Kippei curled up around him with an equally contented look, stealing a kiss and then eyeing the smirk with a raised eyebrow. Shinji smirking like that meant he was planning something, which was…. interesting, earlier notwithstanding.

Rien watched them with a slight smile and decided that it was definitely bedtime – Enishi no doubt wanted them to clear out so he could sleep too, anyway.

“C’mon you two,” he told Kippei, chuckling as he ruffled Kippei’s hair, amused by how long it was getting.

Kippei grumbled a little but got up goodnaturedly enough, mumbling an absent goodnight to Enishi as he carried Shinji out and down the hall to bed. Rien waited until Enishi was settled and waving him away before he shut off the lights and followed them, grinning from ear to ear.

Shinji was into the bedroom before the others could fully stand, rushing around to the far side of the bed and kicking his pants off in the corner, going to the closet and rummaging around until he found one of Kippei’s larger shirts to sleep in, pulling it on quickly and doing up a few buttons before crawling into the bed and waiting impatiently, grinning at Rien when he came in and holding out a demanding hand.

“Kisses, now!”

Even if he’d been so inclined, Rien found it impossible to resist orders from Shinji, because he was just too damn sexy when he was being all imperious and demanding like that. He willingly changed directions, not bothering to get undressed first since Shinji would have had to wait for his kisses.

Kippei chuckled as he followed them over, taking time to get changed first and then crawling under the blankets with Shinji, curling up around him and just cuddling him close, kissing the bare skin of his thigh where his shirt had slid up but mostly just holding on, purring with contentment as he watched Shinji and Rien kissing.

It was good. Damn good. Shinji sighed in relief, some small fear that it would have gone bad disappearing as he lingered against Rien’s lips, just enjoying the soft pressure and the warmth his kisses promised. He relaxed back against Kippei completely, trusting and feeling nothing but love and relief to have him so close.

“You taste good,” he murmered softly, wishing they didn’t have the clinging scent of smoke on them but not willing to go have a shower just yet.

“Same as always,” Rien teased gently, stripping off his shirt and tossing it as he sat on the bed and began to work his way out of the rest of his outfit. “How’d you get outta those pants so fast, Ki?” he grumbled, because Kippei’s had been at least as tight as his own, he was sure.

“Magic,” Kippei murmured back at him, distracted by his exploration of the back of Shinji’s neck and shoulders, experimenting with the kind of shivers he could get with a kiss here and a kiss there.

Shinji was barely aware of the conversation, eyes sliding closed as he moaned softly, trying to stay quiet because they had guests but unable to remain silent. He shivered at every touch, squirming around so he could face Kippei and drape himself against him, twining his hands in fistfuls of dark hair and kissing him breathlessly.

“I like your hair like this,” he observed softly, twirling a few strands around his finger. “It suits you.” But then, everything suited Kippei.

Kippei muttered something, a little embarrassed, and kissed him again to shut him up, and also because it was impossible to get enough of kissing Shinji.

Rien sighed in exaggerated relief when he won the war with his pants and succeeded in tossing them after the shirt and the stupid boots which had been so much fun earlier and now were merely an annoyance. Relieved to be naked again, he didn’t bother finding anything else to wear before he crawled in with the others and snuggled up, humming approvingly at the view of them kissing. They were both so completely hot.

Completely unsurprised by Rien’s nudity, Shinji amazed himself by feeling nothing but amusement, grinning at Rien and reaching out to stroke a hand up his thigh, stroking his hip when he reached it, just watching his reactions for a minute before he leaned down to carefully kiss and lick the sensitive hollow just beside his hipbone, sucking gently until he felt the texture of the skin change and then examining the mark he left there. His look when he met Rien’s gaze again was entirely possessive.

Rien moaned at the feeling of Shinji sucking on his skin, shivering when he was done and those eyes were looking at him like that, like Rien was all his, which he was of course, but damn. His own eyes shone with lust and a healthy amount of awe, that someone as amazing as Shinji would look at him like that.

“I love you,” he said helplessly in a soft, husky voice, reaching out to run his hand down Shinji’s arm, squeezing and caressing.

Lunging forward in a desperate need to be closer and increase the touch, Shinji laughed as his tiara fell down over his eyes, snatching it off and carefully putting it on the bedside table before lunging forward again to tackle Rien backward, loving the way their naked legs tangled together among the sheets.

“You’re so sexy, Rien…can’t believe you dance like that, it makes me so…so…so!”

Rien wasn’t entirely sure what Shinji was trying to say, but talking was overrated anyway. “Love dancing with you,” he agreed, as if that made sense, tugging Shinji down for a kiss, remembering the kisses he’d gotten while they were dancing. “You’re so hot, Shin,” he murmured, sliding his hands up Shinji’s back with a faint sense of regret for the shirt being in the way, but if it was allowing Shinji to feel comfortable with this, then by all means the shirt could stay.

Kippei watched them both silently, his eyes hot and dark as he reached to pull Shinji’s hair out of Rien’s way, gathering it back for him and stroking it rather obsessively. Shinji’s hair had always been rather a turn-on for him, and now it was longer and sexier than ever.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured to himself.

Shinji bit back a laugh, pretty sure he shouldn’t point out that sex was still on a ban and so Kippei shouldn’t be allowed to play with his hair in case he came in his pants. But he liked Kippei playing with his hair too much to make a joke of it. Instead he leaned into the touch, humming softly in appreciation of the gentle tugs of Kippei’s fingers.

“Ri…kiss me more,” he pleaded softly, leaning in and tugging him closer at the same time. “More…now.”

Rien was in big favor of more and now, kissing him eagerly and maybe he was hoping a little that everyone would forget about the ban, just this once. Then again, like Shinji’s shirt, maybe it was the only thing that made him feel comfortable enough to allow this… it was impossible to tell, with Shinji, and Rien didn’t want to push his luck. He was content to let Shinji call the shots, giving him what he asked for and pressing forward to kiss him deeply, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him closer, delighted with the feeling of Shinji in his arms and draped against him.

Kippei didn’t think that coming in his pants was against the rules at all, especially when it was Shinji’s hair and the sight of Shinji and Rien so desperately hungry for each other and making out like the world was coming to an end, which was just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He groaned a little and it didn’t occur to him that he was breaking the rules when he reached down to rub himself through the thin cotton of the sleep pants he wore.

In fact, when Shinji noticed he just groaned and took it for permission, rubbing himself against Rien’s thigh and pushing him down into the sheets between them, pinning him there and grinning at Kippei.

“Oh look, Kippei…there’s a naked Rien in our bed! What do you think we should do with it?” He didn’t even bother waiting for an answer, licking his way down Rien’s chest, over his abdomen and down to his cock, pressing warm, wet lips to the hot length.

Rien felt like his brain was leaking out his ears, but he wasn’t about to protest. Shinji was teasing and he didn’t want him to stop. He moaned helplessly and looked at Kippei for sheer distraction because if he kept watching Shinji doing that this was going to be a real short game.

Kippei grinned as he shifted to the side, still watching and holding Shinji’s hair out of his way so he could see better, supposedly being helpful but really, he just didn’t want Shinji hiding behind it like he so often did, especially when that would mean Kippei couldn’t see anything.

“Yeah,” he murmured, “that’s what you do with a naked Rien…” Which was so obvious that it didn’t bear repeating, and he gave in to Rien’s pleading look and kissed him to distraction.

Delighted by both of their responses, Shinji lay more kisses down the inside of Rien’s thigh, sucking gently until he had a clear trail of red spots against Rien’s peachy coloured skin. Examining his handiwork, Shinji watched them kissing and let heat coil in his own groin, sighing at the pleasant, welcome feeling of it. He licked his lip, savouring the wet feel of his tongue before sliding his tongue against Rien’s cock, humming thoughtfully.

“You look so happy to see me,” he noted thoughtfully, talking deliberately to the hard flesh. “Anyone would think you wanted something…maybe you’re cold? I get cold sometimes too…” He didn’t give Rien any time to think about it and slid his mouth down over it, enveloping it in wet heat.

Time wouldn’t have helped in any case, as Rien’s brain was pretty well non-functional at this point, wordless moans and desperate, if senseless pleading being about all he was capable of. Kippei was keeping his mouth pretty well occupied, but his hands flailed as they searched for something safe to grab on to, and his hips rocked a little as he tried to keep from thrusting up into Shinji’s mouth, glorious as it was it would freak Shinji out pretty much entirely and Rien definitely didn’t want him to stop.

Not that Shinji was thinking of stopping, thoroughly enjoying himelf, loving every flailing limb and reaching up to snatch Rien’s hand, tangling their fingers together but not stopping his exploration, rolling his tongue slowly around the head of Rien’s cock before sliding back down on it. He knew he wasn’t as good as them at this, but it still felt safer somehow. How could you stuff up sticking a dick in your mouth? Not even he could manage that, so he just enjoyed it, savouring every whimper and groan he won from Rien’s throat.

Rien would have agreed with him that it was easy, but not so much that Shinji wasn’t as good as them, since he didn’t really have that much to compare it to. Kippei had done that for him only a couple of times in their history, and all of them since Shinji had woken up – which didn’t leave much, since sex of any kind had been few and far between for all of them since then.

In any case, his feeling at the moment was that Shinji was doing a damn fine job, and when Kippei released his mouth he didn’t hesitate to say so, either.

“God, Shinji… so good,” he groaned, and Kippei decided that keeping him quiet might be more important than breathing.

Startled, Shinji glanced up at him but saw no dishonesty and it made him feel proud and even hotter, rubbing himself against Rien’s leg as he got back to work, gently kissing his way to the tip and letting his tongue dally in the slit, licking at the precum and scrunching his nose thoughtfully as the taste settled in his mouth.

“It’s not so bad,” he admitted. In fact, once he got used to it, the taste wasn’t bad at all. He just wasn’t used to it and never knew what to make of it, but there was no reason why he couldn’t just enjoy it. “Not bad at all,” he grinned, swallowing Rien whole, intent on getting a better taste.

Kippei decided that Rien was right, and watching Shinji do that was just asking for trouble, but it was hard to keep his eyes off, too. He kept sneaking glances in between kissing Rien and eventually decided that he’d rather watch, giving Rien his fingers to suck on instead – which he did most readily, but his eyes pouted at Kippei over the top of them, because it wasn’t nearly distracting enough and Shinji was driving him insane.

Kippei felt that was all to the good, really, and he murmured an apology at Shinji as he shifted Rien a little to pull him back against him, giving him something to rub against while he watched Shinji over Rien’s shoulder.

Shinji would have gaped if he hadn’t been otherwise occupied with his mouth, the sight of Rien sucking on Kippei’s fingers making him desperately hard and he whimpered wantonly around his mouthful, clenching his eyes shut a moment and reminding himself it was okay, it was just keeping Rien quiet, and himself quiet for that matter. He looked up again and decided it was a lost cause, Rien was just sexy as hell, and having Kippei there just cemented the deal.

His fingers curled around Rien’s balls, wrapping them in soft warmth as he massaged them, teasing and urging Rien to let go completely.

Rien moaned with absolute abandon, writhing helplessly between them and begging incoherently, not even sure what he was asking for anymore, just babbling and needing, needing so badly it hurt, amazed beyond incedulity that it was Shinji, shy and sex-wary Shinji that was making him feel this way. It was an unbelievable release and pleasure.

“Shinji,” he breathed. “Shinji, Shin, I love you so much…” he moaned. He curled up around Shinji’s body, meeting Kippei’s arms holding him from the other side, feeling so incredibly damn good.

Shinji hesitated a moment, staring a little dumbly as he tried to decide what to do but then Rien was cuddling him close and he paused, swallowing and waiting, pondering it. When he wasn’t immediately sick he let the taste sink in and then smirked, licking his lips, feeling pleased with himself because while it certainly wasn’t his favourite thing in the world, he couldn’t complain either.

“Mmm…that was good.”

Rien hummed a pleased agreement, nuzzling him gently and kissing his neck, feeling completely blissed out and awesome. Good didn’t really begin to cover it, but if Shinji was saying it was good, that meant a great deal.

“It was hot,” Kippei told them, hugging them both close and kissing Shinji’s forehead. “You’re pretty good at that, Shin.”

Shinji felt his face immediately flame and scrambled to Kippei’s side, curling in against him and hiding his face under Kippei’s arm, embarrassed for more reasons than he cared to contemplate but pleased as well, because Rien had liked it and looked…happy. It felt damn good, knowing he’d done something that made him happy.

“Love you.” Otherwise he wouldn’t have done a thing.

“Yeah,” Kippei murmured, stroking his hair and smiling faintly at Rien’s completely sated, rather dazed look. Shinji had melted his brain by the looks of it, but Kippei didn’t blame him. Melting Rien’s brain wasn’t hard to begin with, and when it was Shinji, the fact that it was Shinji at all went a long way.

“Love you too,” he agreed. “Love you both, so, so much.”

Shinji waited for his pulse to calm down enough that it wasn’t louder than anything else he could hear, ringing crazily in his ears, and then he finally turned to look at Kippei a little pleadingly.

“Can we have a shower now? My hair smells like smoke…I don’t want to sleep with smokey hair, and I want to brush me teeth.”

Kippei chuckled. “Yeah, lets go get cleaned up.” He climbed off the bed and held out his arms for Shinji, picking him up and carrying him to the bathroom. Shower it was, since they didn’t want to wake everyone up by going out to the hot tub.

Rien followed them once he felt like his legs were working again, climbing in behind them and wrapping his arms around Kippei’s waist from behind, nibbling teasingly on his ear. He didn’t really mean for it to go anywhere, he was just playing, feeling good and happy and content. And Kippei shouldn’t be standing there looking so good if he didn’t want to be nibbled on, really.

It had been a while since Kippei had tried to carry him anywhere and Shinji had to laugh, because he liked it as much as he ever had and didn’t worry anymore about Kippei hurting his leg. He hugged Kippei close and let the water rinse through his hair before picking up the shampoo to get rid of the filthy stench, sniffing at the bottle he had picked up and sighing happily when it smelt like melons. Much better than smoke! He washed his hair with quick, efficient movements, rinsed it several times and then lathered it with conditioner, leaving it to sink in while he leaned against the wall and just watched Kippei and Rien, finding them sexy as all hell, heat still tight in his own groin.

“Mmm…I get the best view in the world…every day.”

Kippei grinned lazily at him, sure that his view was better but not about to argue, watching him and more or less ignoring the way Rien was nuzzling and nipping at him; it felt good, but he wasn’t planning to start something and it didn’t really feel like Rien was trying to.

Rien, in fact, was just waiting for Shinji to get done washing his hair, trading places with Kippei and giving his own a quick scrub and rinse before he leaned in for a Shinji kiss, smiling bright and delighted.

“Mine,” he noted, laying a possessive hand on Shinji’s chest.

Shinji paused, blinking a little in confusion before a bright smile stole across his face and he hugged them both hard. He hadn’t realised how much he wanted to hear that, not because he needed to, but just because they felt like saying it. Nothing was wrong, nothing was awkward between them; Rien had just said it because he wanted to. It made him feel better than he had in a while and he was humming as he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his hair before snatching up Kippei’s shirt again and quickly putting it back on.

“Mm, I like wearing Kippei’s shirts.”

Kippei grinned as he got out too and dried off, watching Shinji and feeling quite pleased with himself. “I like you wearing my shirts too,” he noted a bit dryly, amused by the fact that they both enjoyed it so much, but Shinji was damn cute in them, and it was kind of sexy, too.

Rien was drying his hair, his voice a bit muffled by the towel. “I’d might be jealous you never wear my shirts,” he noted, amused, “but it ain’t quite the same, is it?” Shinji in Kippei’s shirts was far cuter, somehow.

“Yours aren’t as loose,” Shinji complained softly, and that was totally Rien’s fault. Kippei bought things for comfort, Rien bought things to look sexy, and as a result Rien’s shirts were much smaller than their size difference would suggest. Kippei’s were much more suited, in Shinji’s opinion, to lazing around the house and sleeping in. Not to mention the fact they smelt like Kippei and somehow felt like him too. They made Shinji feel safer, wrapped in something of Kippei’s. If he didn’t think it would upset them he would demand that if he ended up in the hospital again that they make sure he got to sleep in Kippei’s shirts. Instead, he wandered out to the bedroom and crawled into bed, deliberately snuggling in against both their pillows and sighing at the clean feel of his skin, tossing the wet towel over the side to deal with in the morning.

“Come on, bed! And snuggle times!”

It was snuggle times, and Rien again didn’t bother with getting dressed, just crawling into bed with Shinji and snuggling in absolute contentment, because when it was just snuggling it didn’t matter anyway, or so he hoped, and snuggling felt better in his opinion when it was skin to skin.

Kippei at least thought about putting something on, but he was tired and Shinji and Rien were being snuggly and tempting and he just didn’t want to bother. He climbed in beside them, snuggling too, and felt himself drifting toward sleep almost immediately. This was the best thing ever, right here.