Rien had walked until he felt a little more normal again, going to sit on the swings like Kippei had suggested, because Kippei knew him a little too well sometimes. He had wanted to call his mother, but decided to refrain from waking her up at 5am, and then having to try and explain why.

He’d never told his parents anything about that particular event, even vaguely, and he didn’t intend to, so there was no point in it really. Instead he pushed off swinging, feeling the wind on his face and let himself remember the days when they came here with Yuni and they would swing higher and higher, the happy laughter and the sense of family that told him this was where he belonged now, this was who he was.

After awhile he finally slowed and stopped, sitting there for a minute just drifting idly with the wind, feeling settled and grounded and at peace again, and then he took a deep breath and headed back home. Time to go reassure Shinji that he really was okay – and Kippei too, for that matter, he thought wryly.

He let himself quietly back into the house and toed off his shoes, heading for the bedroom and crawling onto the bed to snuggle up with them, not bothering to get under the covers again.

“That’s better,” he sighed contentedly, after he’d wriggled his way in between them and gave Shinji an eskimo kiss, grinning crookedly at him. “Did’ja miss me?”

“Idiot,” Shinji smiled at him, reaching out to wrap an arm around Rien’s waist and snuggling closer against him, feeling the unease settle now that Rien was back. “You know we did,” he pointed out, thinking it was a little mean for Rien to make them admit to it so easily.

“You okay?”

Rien nodded, kissing his forehead as his hands found warm skin to rest against, soaking up the heat of them being here, surrounding him, being safe. Being loved, no matter what.

“M’alright now,” he agreed, looking over his shoulder as Kippei stroked his hair and leaned down to kiss him.

“We talked some more,” Kippei told him. “Think we’re alright too…right, Shinji?” he asked, giving him a questioning look just to make sure.

“We’re good,” Shinji agreed, hoping Rien really was okay and not just saying so, but he really did seem fine. It made him smile, reaching across Rien to squeeze Kippei’s shoulder.

“You stayed out a while…Yuni’s gonna come peekin through that door any minute now asking to come and sleep with us until the sun’s up proper.”

“I was swinging,” Rien admitted, looking sheepish and shrugging a little. Kippei had been right, though, it had been what he needed. “Thinkin’ about us bein’ there with Yuni, jus’…bein’ a family.” Having people who understood him, loved the same things, were happy together, having unexpectedly ended up with a marriage like his parents had. All of it reminding him just how lucky he’d been, and still was.

That not being what Shinji would have been doing had their positions been reversed it took a moment for it to all click in Shinji’s head and then he was grinning, rolling Rien over so he could land on top of him, pinning him to the bed and showering him with kisses because that was just so freakin cute! Everything about Rien was cute and adorable and Shinji just couldn’t get enough of him. Was sure a lifetime wasn’t going to be enough.

“We should get two lifetimes together. Because we have to share everything with two people. That would be much more fair.”

Laughing, Rien wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back with enthusiasm, feeling warm clear through, the last of the shadows banished again.

“That’s true,” he agreed, eyes twinkling with amusement as he grinned back at Shinji’s beaming face. “Could be we should do some research into that,” he mused, figuring you never knew what was really impossible until you looked into it for yourself, and regardless, it would be interesting.

“I love you, beautiful,” he added softly, stroking Shinji’s cheek and smiling to himself at the shine in his pretty blue eyes. “You too,” he told Kippei, just so he didn’t feel left out.

Kippei chuckled, playing with both their hair as he watched them, finding them both impossibly cute and completely adorable as well.

“Glad to know I’m at least an afterthought,” he teased, but really since he wasn’t the one tackling people it made sense.

“Love you both,” Shinji noted softly, seriously as he looked from one to the other and tried to imagine what his year would have been like without them. What his life would have been like, only he knew he wouldn’t have had one. He would have withered away and died in those first weeks in the hospital.

“I’m alive because of you.” Both of them, because while it had been Kippei that held him there, it had been Rien that taught him how to enjoy it again.

“So am I,” Kippei agreed soberly, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Shinji’s, finger’s tangling in Rien’s curly hair and rubbing gently at his scalp.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you – both of you.” He would have died several times over if it wasn’t for Rien, and it had taken both of them together to keep him from ultimately self-destructing. He needed them both, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Hmm….can we get Rien naked under the covers now?” Shinji eyed Rien curiously, wondering if it was okay to take his clothes off and tuck him in with them, or if he still felt weird and raw about it all. “I’m really sorry, Ri. I didn’t understand.”

“S’okay,” Rien told him, shaking his head and smiling a little crookedly. “You didn’t know.” He still had no idea how Shinji had managed to get that confused about it, but that was Shinji for you. He sighed a little, debating Shinji’s request.

“Mmm what about Yuni bein’ up soon?” he reminded Shinji, a little amused that it was Shinji advocating get naked in spite of this now. Though really, it was likely to be over an hour before she was up and around. He sat up and pulled off his shirt and his hoodie together, tossing them aside before he crawled off the end of the bed and skinned out of his jeans, dropping them and coming over to slip in under the covers beside Shinji.

“There we go,” he sighed contentedly, wrapping his arms around Shinji and snuggling him, smirking over at Kippei because now they had Shinji in the middle.

“But then Yuni would just wonder what was wrong and why Rien was in bed in jeans and a shirt instead of nothing like he usually was,” Shinji pointed out with a knowing smirk. Hyun-ki wasn’t completely stupid, she knew her daddies all slept in the same bed and played strange games there together when the door was shut. That was why she knocked, after all.

“If you don’t squeal too loud, then we won’t wake her up,” Shinji pointed out reasonably. “Which gives us an hour…” He smirked, already reaching for Kippei, knowing that once Kippei was turned on, it was all on.

Kippei didn’t really like thinking about what Hyun-ki might think or not think about their nighttime activities, but Shinji was irresistible, as usual. He tried anyway to control his reaction to the familiar hands ghosting across his skin, Shinji’s sexy mouth kissing and nibbling as he set about driving Kippei crazy, but it worked the way it always did.

“You’re evil,” he groaned as he finally gave in, wrapping Shinji in a fierce tight hug and kissing him back, hard and hungry.

“Go, Shinji,” Rien cheered, grinning wickedly at the result as he settled in against Shinji’s back, rubbing up against him and nuzzling the back of his neck, breathing in the scent of his hair that was partly the shampoo he used and partly just Shinji, sighing happily as the familiar sensations washed over him. Yeah, this was his life. This was better than anything.