It took almost two hours for Shinji to find everything he needed, partly because he couldn’t stop nervously checking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t been followed, and partly because he was embarrassed and it took a while each time for him to work up the courage to talk to each of the sales assistants. But soon enough he had several bags hanging off his arm, each wrapped to hide what was inside. When he was sure he had everything, he went to the shop he’d agreed to meet Kippei in the front of, spotting him nearby, waiting patiently on a bench and leaning down to kiss him warmly.

“You didn’t wait long, did you? Sorry…I guess I got kind of distracted.”

Kippei shook his head with a quick smile, unwilling to admit that he’d started getting worried at how long it took Shinji to actually get to him after he’d sent a message to his phone saying that he was on his way.

“Not that long, it’s okay,” he assured him warmly, just relieved that Shinji was back safe and fine and apparently, doing more than fine out in public by himself, so far from freaking out that he was wandering around happily completely losing track of time. Kippei was a little taken aback by it to be honest, and not entirely sure that he liked it, but that was stupid because of course if Shinji was feeling okay with it then he could take care of himself, and Kippei was annoyed with himself for still feeling… too overprotective, or something.

“Did you find everything you wanted?”

“Mmm mostly,” Shinji smiled up at him, wondering at the odd look on Kippei’s face, but deciding that whatever it was wasn’t bad and so wasn’t a problem. He leaned up to kiss his cheek anyway, nuzzling a little against Kippei’s cheek before dropping back down onto the balls of his feet and looking around curiously.

“Where’s Ri? He’s not done yet?” Shinji was still a little disappointed with himself for being unable to stomach going to see Rien get his navel pierced, but the thought of someone sticking a needle through Rien’s flesh made him want to lose his lunch.

“Oh no,” Kippei answered dryly, a little amused. “He’s done, been done.” He waved his hand vaguely, not entirely sure where the hell Rien had gone off to.  “He went shopping while we waited for you, just looking around I guess. I sent him a message to meet us back here, he should be here any minute.” Rien he was not at all surprised at taking this long to get here from then. Rien on shopping trips, as Shinji well knew, was infinitely distractable.

“You can call him if you want to hurry him up a little,” Kippei told him, amused.

“Mmm, nah, he’ll come when he’s done,” Shinji chuckled softly, holding out a few bags for Kippei to take to free up one of his hands so he could hold Kippei’s free one, squeezing gently, still a little curious about the odd look on Kippei’s face.

“Are you okay, baby?”

“Mmhmm,” Kippei agreed contentedly, leaning over to kiss his temple, having already forgotten about the baffled feelings Shinji’s newly recovered independence and confidence had given him. It would no doubt happen again, but at the moment he was completely content with the world, having Shinji beside him again and Rien soon to join them – and there he was, emerging from the crowd of shoppers with his hands full of his own bags. He was grinning broadly at them, not even having the grace to look sheepish about his distraction and random purchase of things they most definitely did not need, and so soon after Christmas when he’d spoiled them all to death already.

“Hey, look who’s here,” he greeted Shinji teasingly, leaning down to kiss him first and then Kippei, waving shopping bags at them. “I got stuff for you,” he announced, as if that were perfectly normal when they already had more than any sane person needed.

Shinji just snorted at him and cast a curious look at the bags but mostly he was just terribly amused. Rien was hopeless, and one day when he wasn’t a spy any more and earning who knew how much money, he was going to have to learn the importance of saving money. For now it was just funny.

“Can I see?” He asked quietly, peeking at Rien’s shirt, wanting to see beneath.

“Course,” Rien agreed, setting down his bags to cup Shinji’s face in his hands and kiss him more thoroughly, pulling back finally with a slightly mischievous grin and stroking Shinji’s hair with both hands, nodding toward his shirt in permission.

“I done it for you,” he pointed out, “you can look anytime y’want.”

Kippei tilted his head to look curiously at them, not quite getting the whole piercing thing. Shinji’s little studs did look good on him, and he had no doubt that ones Rien had given him for Christmas would look equally good, but Rien seemed kind of… really turned on by it, both Shinji’s and his own. Kippei didn’t really understand what was so damn sexy about it.

Shinji just found the whole thing fascinating, and something about the fact Rien now had a hole in him made him feel easier about the hole he had in his head, though he wasn’t about to tell anyone else that. Instead, he reached down carefully lifted Rien’s shirt to peek underneath, grinning at the slender silver bar in the upper flesh of Rien’s belly button with it’s dark pink gem and laughing softly.

“That’s going to be so much fun to play with.”

Rien grinned happily, completely in agreement with him and delighted that Shinji was enjoying this as much as he was. “Hell yeah,” he beamed, kissing Shinji again and letting him go to retrieve his bags.

Kippei shook his head, getting to his feet and reaching over to ruffle Rien’s wild hair, not that it needed any further mussing.

“Come on, you two. Time to go,” he insisted, herding them both toward the exit.

“Fine, fine,” Shinji agreed with a soft laugh, picking up his own bags again, still clinging tight to Kippei’s hand as they wandered back out to the car, swinging their arms a little and enjoying just being with them, a little guilty for feeling good to be without Yuni just for a few hours.

“Mmm I hope Yuni had fun with Grandma Kimi…I asked Kimiko to find some stuff for me.” He grinned, amused that of all people, Kimiko was his accomplice in his extremely strange and embarrassing seduction plan.

“Yeah?” Rien looked curiously at him, but when no further explanation was forthcoming, he shrugged, assuming it was part of the surprise Shinji had been hinting at for whatever he had planned on New Years Eve.

“I’m sure she did,” Kippei assured Shinji, squeezing his hand and smiling sideways at him. “You know Kimi loves to spoil her, they’re both having a great time.” Kimiko lavished attention on her like she was the daughter she’d never had, and Hyun-ki soaked up the love and attention like a child who’d never had enough of either, and he thought it was pretty mutually beneficial.

Having to agree, Shinji felt no real fear about the whole thing and was able to just enjoy being with his lovers, eyeing the car a little dubiously but mostly past the point where he broke into numbing fear, climbing in easily and curling up around his packages, waiting a little impatiently for Kippei to climb in with him beside him, still at least requiring that reassuring comfort nearby.

“Don’t speed Rien!” It was more reflex than anything.

Rien merely murmured a reassuring acknowledgement, not even rolling his eyes anymore, aware that Shinji simply needed to say it, there was no real fear behind it as there had once been. At one point it had offended him a little that Shinji would even think he would speed when he knew how Shinji felt about it, but he’d realised eventually that it was an irrational fear, not a real one. Shinji knew he wouldn’t, it wasn’t a lack of trust that made him say it.

A little amused, Kippei smiled at them both, settling down among all of Shinji’s packages and reaching for his hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

“Doing okay?” he asked, feeling a lingering thread of worry that the day’s outing would have been too much for Shinji.

“Fine,” Shinji reassured him and flopped down into Kippei’s lap, curling up there contentedly and sighing in pure pleasure. “Soooo fine!” He was barely aware of the car starting up and was dozing off before they left the carpark. He slept soundly all the way to Kimiko’s house, tired from the shopping excursion but nothing like the deathly weariness he’d once felt just getting out of bed and it put a smile on his face as he dozed.

Kippei watched tenderly as he slept and stroked his hair, loving the warm weight of Shinji sleeping in his lap, the way he could feel the gentle rise and fall of his breathing, and the soft slippery strands of his hair sliding between his fingers.

“You are the most gorgeous thing,” he murmured softly, not wanting to wake him but feeling a little awed as he always did at how beautiful Shinji was to him, how adorable he looked snuggled up and sleeping there. Kippei loved him so amazingly much, he wondered how he could hold it all inside – and indeed, it spilled out of him with every look and gesture, every touch.

“Hey, what about me?” Rien asked in an injured voice, but he was grinning as he watched them in the rearview mirror, or more specifically watched the sappy, devoted look on Kippei’s face. For Kippei to look like that, completely happy and contented, was something he’d always wanted and once thought he would never see, but these days he got to see it all the time. Sometimes he even saw it when Kippei was looking at him, not just at Shinji. It was a life more rich and full than he’d ever dreamed of.

“You’re gorgeous too,” Kippei assured him complacently, giving him a silly grin as he looked up and met his eyes in the mirror, feeling just… incredibly blessed.

Rien chuckled and shook his head, feeling warm in spite of himself as he pulled in at his parent’s house and turned off the car.

“Hey Shin, we’re here,” he called back, eyeing Shinji’s unconscious state and then the door of the house, betting on the odds. Sure enough, the door spilled open and Hyun-ki came running out, waving her tiny arms excitedly as she made for the car, dancing impatiently beside it until Rien got out and opened the door for her and she crawled in to throw her arms around Shinji before he was even completely awake, chattering at him a mile a minute.

Rien laughed quietly to himself, watching them for a minute before he reached in to pull her out, swinging her up in his arms and giving her his full attention, answering her excited words in the curious mix of languages that they normally conversed in and giving Shinji time to get out of the car properly without squiggly little girl climbing all over him.

Startled awake by Yuni’s mad jabbering, Shinji was a little shaky when he climbed out of the car, looking around in confusion for a minute until it sank in that they were at Kimiko’s house and Hyun-ki had come out to greet them and then he was grinning, reaching out to tug on one curled pigtail, amused by the relief he felt seeing her safe and happy.

When Kimiko appeared in the doorway Shinji strode over, hands shoved deep in his pockets, cheeks flushed with embarrassment because really, it had been a little traumatic to call up and ask if she could secretly wrap some things up in butcher’s paper for him so that the others wouldn’t see. But she’d sounded more amused than anything, which only made it worse in the end because Shinji knew she suspected what he had planned, especially when he had then asked her to take Hyun-ki for New Years.

“Hey Nana-Kimi.”

“Hello, sweetheart,” she answered, smiling warmly at him as she pulled him into a hug, holding him for a minute in her sweetly scented embrace and patting his back gently before she let him go, tugging him into the house and leaving the others to follow on their own.

“I got this here for you, jus’ like you ask,” she told him, handing him a package wrapped in paper and string. She did have a pretty good idea what he wanted it for, and she’d been amused as hell by the request, but she also thought it was a good idea, and it would be cute as and Rien would love it, so she didn’t mind helping out at all.

Still blushing ridiculously, Shinji took the package and hugged it tight, nodding in thanks because he didn’t trust himself to speak. He just hoped she hadn’t told Daichi about it because then he really might just have to go die of embarrassment. But then something collided with his leg and he laughed down at Yuni, kneeling to scoop her in against his hip with his free arm and standing again, rocking her gently and leaning in to give her an eskimo kiss.

“Hey my beautiful Yuni. Did you have a fun day?”

“Fun!” she agreed, winding a tiny fist in his hair and laying her head on his shoulder. “Nana-Kimi fun,” she told him, and then she yawned, her long day catching up with her now that she was safe to relax in the arms of her favorite person.

Kippei chuckled as he came up beside them and raised an eyebrow at Shinji with his hands full. “Want me to take her?” he asked, reaching up to pat her back as she blinked sleepily at him.

“Mmm…yeah,” Shinji agreed, handing her over, because it was safer to hand her over than risk his packages ending up in Rien’s hands. Rien, Shinji had learned, was far too gifted at figuring out what was inside just about anything he was handed and Shinji refused to allow that insatiable curiosity to ruin his surprise, even if it would serve Rien right. He kissed Hyun-ki’s cheek one more time as she relaxed on Kippei’s shoulder and then went to stick his head around the corner and waved at Daichi ensconsed in his couch.

“Heya grandpa!”

“Come in, come in!” Daichi greeted him, waving them toward seats in the comfortable room. Rien went over and sat down beside him, hugging his father and looking curiously at the tv.

“What are you watching?”  It looked like golf, which Rien thought was deadly boring enough to play, never mind watching it.

Kippei looked amused as he cuddled Yuni on his shoulder and followed Shinji into the room, sitting down in an armchair and settling her in his lap, where she curled up quietly, sucking her thumb.

Shinji had to agree with Rien; he saw absolutely no point in watching, or playing, golf. He looked curiously at the remote, then hesitantly at Daichi and bit his lip, not wanting to intrude but really…golf?

“Is there tennis on?”

Kippei shot him a worried look, remembering what had happened the last time Shinji watched tennis, and not convinced that it was a good idea, but he said nothing. He kissed the top of Yuni’s head and stroked her hair, rocking her gently in his arms. She made a soft contented noise as she snuggled against him, her eyes closing as she dozed off.

“I’ve no idea, son,” Daichi answered, shrugging goodnaturedly. “Y’welcome to look, o’ course.”

Rien caught the remote up and held it out to Shinji, though he kept ahold of it when Shinji took it and used it to pull Shinji down beside him on the couch.

“I want snuggles too,” he grumbled.

Laughing softly, Shinji snuggled in against Rien’s side and flicked through the channels, but there was no tennis and he couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or relieved. On one hand he missed it, still, fiercely wanted it back. But on another hand it terrified him and he knew he should probably stay away. But it was tennis. He sighed and put the remote down, leaving it on the golf, focussing his attention on Rien instead, eyeing him dubiously.

“What did you buy at the shops?” he asked with interest, though he was more interested in the warm silver his fingers carefully stroked when they slid under Rien’s shirt to find his new piercing.

“Presents,” Rien murmured mysteriously, leaning his head back and humming in pleasure as Shinji’s fingers played carefully around the bit of jewelry.

Kippei snorted softly. Like they didn’t have enough random stuff Rien had bought them already, but it was cute.

“You’re going to spoil them rotten,” he noted dryly, not that he really believed it.

“Ain’t possible,” Rien answered complacently, squeezing Shinji briefly closer and smiling down at him. “Anyhow, got stuff for you too,” he told Kippei gleefully, laughing at the startled and rather baffled look on his face, knowing that hadn’t occurred to him. But in his opinion Kippei needed spoiling every bit as much, and he knew Shinji agreed with him.

Shinji had to laugh at the stumped look on Kippei’s face, and he did agree with Rien; Kippei needed spoiling, and a lot of it. He kissed Rien’s cheek and rested against his shoulder, oblivious to how similar it looked to how Yuni was crashed out on Kippei, just enjoying the peaceful family feeling of it all.

“Are they sparkly presents?”

“Oh, some of ‘em are, absolutely,” Rien answered, completely aware of how much Shinji curled up against him looked likeYuni cuddled against Kippei, and rather amused by it. He kissed the top of Shinji’s head and wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.

Kimiko came in then, carrying a tray of tea and finger food. “Tea?” she asked cheerfully, setting it down and pouring out several cups, handing them around.

Shinji sat up reluctantly, and only far enough to be able to hold his tea without spilling it. He sipped at it happily, loving the heat of it and the slight sweetness, smiling up at Kimiko.

“You put honey in it!” Kippei never put honey in the tea, but Shinji never minded because he usually had hot chocolate instead. But honey made tea perfect, in Shinji’s opinion.

She laughed softly. “Always, for my men.” She gave Rien and Daichi an affectionate look. “It’s the only way they’ll drink it.”

“I drink it… other ways,” Rien protested lamely, unable to actually name one. Shinji was right, it just tasted better that way.

Amused by this assertation, knowing Rien liked sweet things just as much as he did, Shinji just squeezed Rien’s knee and quietly drank his tea, letting the conversation around him lull him into a quiet doze when he was done, slipping further into Rien’s lap as the minutes ticked by until he was curled up completely, sound asleep.