After over fifteen years of living in the spotlight, Chinen has learned that having a set schedule helps him thrive. It’s something for him to check the night before while he’s in the bath and imagine his day: waking up at six in the morning sharp, having a smoothie with protein powder for breakfast, and strength training around his daily schedule. He used to struggle to keep to a routine a lot more before he began bodybuilding, but now it’s easy to duck out of social engagements at a reasonable time.
That said, it’s a late night for Chinen, and the time is only just ticking past eleven when he bids a good night to Ryosuke and his gaming friends. Despite his body feeling like jelly from having gone a bit too hard at the weights before dance practice, he’s been riding the endorphin rush from exercising all evening. He’s always been a physical person, but there’s something to the single-minded focus of muscle strength training that has helped to calm his mind. It’s been a busy year with more TV appearances than usual and a lot less of keeping to himself, and having something to focus on helps to keep him calm. Something about having a goal, reaching it, and then going to the next level: it’s hard to fail at consistency. Chinen turns his thoughts about it over in his head as he gets ready for bed, brushing his teeth and washing his face.
He’s just finishing up when his phone vibrates on the counter, and Yuya’s LINE display flashes across the screen. Yuya rarely bothers Chinen so late, which sets off alarm bells immediately. “Hello?”
“Hey,” Yuya’s voice is so low over the phone that a shiver crawls up Chinen’s spine. “Do you remember that night in Riom when you forgot to take your pills?” Chinen makes a noise of confirmation. How could he ever forget? It was the first time he realized how much he could trust Yuya. It had been a long, stressful day, and he had completely forgotten about taking his suppressants during the full moon. He did not realize it until the headache started pounding at his skull, and the lights turned too bright that something was wrong. Yuya had taken the lead, finding the kind farmhands who let them stay the night and grabbing Chinen’s hand to help ground him. He still isn’t sure how he had gone from filming his journal to waking up in Yuya’s arms, but he still hasn’t forgotten how safe he had felt. He didn’t think that could happen after a shift.
“I don’t remember what happened; that’s the whole point. But why do you ask?” Chinen asks, leaning back against his bathroom counter.
”Right,” Yuya says, sounding embarrassed before his voice regains the stressed timbre. ”I know it’s late, but I think something weird is happening with Kei, and you’re the only one I can ask.”
Chinen bites his lip, checking the time on his watch. But it isn’t a full moon, and Yuya does sound pretty distressed. Sighing heavily, Chinen shuffles towards his room to find something to wear that isn’t pajamas. “What kind of weird?”
“It’s like he’s drugged, maybe? Daichan, Kei, and I went out for dinner after our meeting and he was acting a little dopey, so I drove him home, but —” Yuya hesitates, and suddenly his mouth sounds a lot closer to the phone, a lot more breathy. “I was afraid something happened to his drink, but when we got inside he started purring and pawing at me, making me think it might be cat-related. I didn’t want to ask anyone else.”
It’s certainly an emergency, Chinen thinks, shrugging on a coat he stole from Ryosuke’s closet and stepping into his shoes. “What sort of things did he eat?” Chinen asks, mentally assessing the fee to get from his apartment to Inoo’s.
”Some Italian dishes, a couple drinks,” Yuya says, sounding distant. ”I’ve shut him in his room for now, but—I don’t know, Chii. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I’m on my way,” Chinen says hurriedly, heading out. “I’ll be there soon.”
”Thank you,” Yuya says, relieved. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“There’s nothing to make up,” Chinen protests. “I’m hanging up, though. I need to call a cab. Just keep him busy, and I’ll be there soon.” He ends the call before Yuya can say anything else and gears up to brave the winter cold.
—
“It’s catnip,” Chinen says as he enters the apartment. He can smell it in the hallway, permeating the air. The smell is all over Yuya, who always smells incredibly good on his own but Chinen’s mouth nearly waters the instant he steps within reach.
“Well, shit,” Yuya says, running a distressed hand through his long hair. It looks like he’s been doing that a lot, or maybe Inoo has. There are a couple of red lines on his skin from where Inoo, presumably, had scratched at him. His shirt is stretched out, like he normally would at a concert but not so much in real life. “That explains a lot.”
“Show me?” Chinen asks, resisting the urge to step closer.
“He’s in his room,” Yuya says, and leads Chinen down the hall. He cracks open the door to see where Inoo is sprawled on his bed and laughing to himself, rubbing against the soft bedspread. When he notices Chinen, he gasps, sitting up in bed.
“Chinen,” Inoo drawls. He’s still mostly human, but his pupils are dilated, and his ears are fluffy cat ears, and he might have claws but it’s hard for Chinen to tell in the dark, with human eyes. “Love of my life, light of my soul, apple of my eye, starlight in my — er — heart,” Inoo coos, and hops off the bed, pulling Chinen to his side and slinging an arm around his shoulders. Inoo smells like garlic, pesto, and—wow, he needs more of that scent. Chinen noses at the underside of Inoo’s jaw to get a good sniff, melting against Inoo’s side. What a good smell, where did Inoo find such good catnip at an Italian restaurant, and when can they go together?
“Yeah, okay,” Yuya says, stepping between them. “Maybe let's not do that.” Chinen jerks back, stomach sinking as he realizes what he’s been doing. He forces himself back into the hallway, covering his nose and mouth with his hands.
“It’s strong,” Chinen says. He can smell it on his hands and his clothes. He takes a deep, steadying breath and swallows around how dry his throat feels. Every move he makes creates sparks of feeling as his clothes rub against his skin. He wants to touch more. It would be so easy to follow Inoo and Yuya inside and climb into their laps. They love doting on him, and it would feel so good.
Chinen shakes his head to clear his thoughts and sheds his jacket, leaving it on the hallway floor.
“Oi, Takaki,” Inoo whines, swiping at Yuya until Yuya grabs him, pushing him back towards the bed. Inoo growls, wriggling out of his hold. “You’re in the way, you — you lovely hunk of flesh and bone.”
Inoo attempts to duck under Yuya’s arm to get back to Chinen, but Yuya sweeps him up into his arms and dumps him back on the bed, scrambling onto the mattress to straddle Inoo’s waist before he hops away from him again. Holding Inoo’s wrists above his head with one hand and sitting on him, Yuya lets out a shaky breath and furrows his brow. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have called you.” Beneath him, Inoo gives a breathy moan—Chinen isn’t sure if he’s just messing around to get a rise out of Yuya now or if he’s really aroused.
“No, it’s good you did. I’m going to open the windows and run the air,” Chinen says, crossing the bedroom to prop the windows open. The cold air bites at his skin the second he does, but Chinen takes a deep breath to help center himself. “It’s okay, all we need to do is air out the room, maybe dump him in the shower. We just have to wait him out, and this will be over soo—”
A breathy moan interrupts him. When Chinen turns back around, Inoo is rubbing up against Yuya as best he can in his trapped position, nosing at his hair and peppering his jaw with kisses. He’s attempting to body roll with half his body trapped by Yuya and his wrists clamped by one of Yuya’s hands, so it looks more like a shoulder shimmy. It would be much more funny if Yuya didn’t look so uncomfortable. “It’s okay, Takaki,” Inoo says, soft and encouraging. “You can touch me. I want you to touch me. Please touch me?”
“Some other time, maybe,” Yuya says, voice strained. “Any other time.”
Inoo groans, clearly disappointed that his plans have been dashed. He tosses his head back against the pillow. He twists his hands in Yuya’s hold, forcing Yuya to lean forward and clamp both of his hands over Inoo’s, which gives Inoo a better position to rub against him and buck his hips. While Chinen knows that Yuya would never do anything to him that Inoo wasn’t completely able to give consent for, he’s also only human, and Yuya in a needy state of arousal, might just be too much for Chinen to bear personally.
“Hey,” Chinen says, and Inoo moans again, all breathy and ridiculous, breaking with a giggle. Yuya’s face is already red, and his eyes are glossy. Chinen wonders how long he’s been wrestling with Inoo just like this. “We can tie him up and leave him in here. He’ll be fine with his own hands for entertainment.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time,” he says, wriggling again. Yuya shifts, rocking a little to place more weight on Inoo’s hips. “You wouldn’t really leave me alone, would you?”
“Try us,” Yuya says.
“Oooh, Takaki, I can help you deal with that,” Inoo says, giggling at Yuya’s telltale and growing erection.
“I don’t think so,” Yuya says, with a breathless, choked-off laugh. He shifts his grip on Inoo’s wrists to hold them with one hand and free the other so that he can adjust himself a little. Inoo starts struggling again, attempting to twist his wrists and whipping his head back and forth. No dice, Yuya has a good hold on him, especially when he squeezes Inoo’s hips with his thighs and pushes Inoo down with his free hand. Inoo sucks in a breath at the touch and lets out a long, drawn-out moan, biting his lip and turning his hands in Yuya’s solid grip.
“Yes, just like that,” Inoo says. “You can press harder if you want.”
“Save it for the radio,” Chinen says, rolling his eyes.
Inoo’s heavy gaze snaps to Chinen. His ears twitch, and he gives a sad whine. “I miss Hikaru sooo much.” He glances at Yuya again and rocks again. “He’d be a pal and do me a solid.”
“Kei, please.” Yuya says. “Chii, Tell me this won’t last long.”
“When did he start to react?” Chinen asks. Inoo’s wriggling his feet now, attempting to buck Yuya off by using the bed as leverage. Yuya rocks a little, and Inoo crows with delight.
“Probably a couple of hours ago,” Yuya says, trying his best to ignore Inoo. “He went to the bathroom and returned like this, with his ears out.”
Chinen picks at his cuticles, contemplating that and not the image of Inoo draping himself against the door jam and propositioning Yuya. “This is probably the worst of it then, honestly. We just have to wait it out. Let’s put him in the bath.”
“Probably,” Yuya says, over Inoo’s immediate and loud protests. “I might need your help, though. He’s squirmy.” Chinen nods, approaching the bed. He slides one arm under Inoo’s shoulders, close enough that he can see the flush on Inoo’s cheeks and count his eyelashes.
“Would you like a kiss, at least?” Inoo asks.
“Maybe later,” Chinen says, because he really would, but Inoo permeates catnip from his very pores. It pools warmth in his gut, and makes his skin tingle. “Did you bathe in it?” Chinen asks Inoo, who giggles when he denies it. Yuya shimmies off of Inoo, and Chinen scoops Inoo up into a bridal hold.
“Ooh,” Inoo gasps, wrapping his arms around Chinen’s neck. He rests his head against his shoulder. He’s shockingly light to lift despite being so much taller, but he doesn’t even try to move out of Chinen’s grip. Instead, he becomes a deadweight, purring against Chinen’s collarbone. He’s touchy, stroking from Chinen’s shoulder to his hair. Yuya leads Chinen into the bath so he can open the doors for them, and thankfully the bath is already warm when Yuya lifts the cover off. The humidity the water gives off instantly makes Chinen’s shirt stick to the small of his back.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Inoo says, as Chinen hovers Inoo over the water. “Don’t you want to undress me first?”
Any other time a proposition like that might hold some merit, especially with Inoo looking at him like he is, all bedroom eyes, warm and inviting and lovely. His heartbeat is slow, his skin is soft, and it would be so easy to duck down and slide his lips against the seam of Inoo’s lips. Chinen leans in, eyes on that sinful mouth, inhaling a deep whiff of catnip mixed with garlic. The source of the problem clicks — it’s the pesto or maybe a garlic-catnip butter. It’s a glorious treat, and melds well with Italian dishes, but Inoo likely had it mixed with his pesto at dinner and the rest was history.
“Maybe another time,” Chinen says, when he’s barely a breath away from Inoo’s mouth, and then he dumps Inoo into the tub, clothes and all.
Inoo yelps, flailing and splashing in surprise. Yuya laughs, deep and throaty, so surprised that Chinen has to shove him out of the room. He follows, closing the bathroom door behind him. He leans back against it, listening to Inoo yowling and splashing, his pulse racing. Yuya is pressed beside him, breathing deep, head back against the door. It doesn’t sound like Inoo’s trying to escape, but Chinen doesn’t want to take a risk.
“We should make him drink water,” Chinen says.
“You two are awful, I take back ever wanting to sleep with you!” Inoo shouts through the door. He splashes around for a bit and then something wet and heavy hits the door — maybe a shirt? Pants? Definitely clothes. Another thump follows soon after, as Inoo continues to rant at them through the door.
“It’s not the end of the world, Inoo-nyan,” Chinen calls, to which Inoo shouts in a huff, “how would you know!” A third slap of something hits the door—this one much lighter, and Chinen sighs, rolling his eyes.
He chances a glance at Yuya and takes in his disheveled clothing, his mussed up hair, the flush to his cheeks. He can’t resist glancing at the telltale bulge in his pants. He leans against Yuya’s side and murmurs, “I can take care of that for you.”
Yuya’s gaze snaps from some distant spot on the sink to Chinen. His blush is beautiful, scarlet, and the smile that follows is even more devastating. “That depends, Chii. Are you affected by catnip too?” Yuya asks, and Chinen pouts. He might still feel a little bit of that warmth pooling in his gut, but he’s nowhere near what Inoo feels. His body hasn’t tried to transform yet, for one, and if he were about to turn into a werecat his skin would hurt a whole lot more.
“Trust me, Yuyan,” Chinen says. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to.” He slides his hands against Yuya’s waist and gets as far as the waistband of his pants when Yuya stops him with a warm hand and an arm around Chinen’s shoulders.
“I trust you,” Yuya says. With a half-smile, Yuya reels Chinen in for a hug and slides his free hand through Chinen’s hair, tracing his thumb along the rim of his ear tenderly and coming to rest over the pulsepoint of Chinen’s neck. “I don’t know if I trust myself, though,” he says so softly that Chinen’s almost sure he misheard him. He fights to keep the pout off his face but must not succeed because Yuya laughs and presses a kiss to Chinen’s forehead. It’s not where he wants Yuya’s mouth, but it still sends shockwaves of sensation down his spine, and okay, maybe Yuya has a point. Or maybe Chinen’s body knows what he’s been avoiding thinking about. Loving Yuya is as easy as breathing, and longing for him is just another day in his life. He doesn’t usually hold himself back from things that he wants, and he’s not used to being turned down, even as gently as Yuya has.
“I miss you, though,” Chinen says with a sigh. He’s not used to this sort of whimsical longing, and especially not voicing his feelings, so he hopes that Yuya didn’t hear him. Chinen presses his mouth to the dip where the collarbone meets Yuya’s shoulder.
After a moment, Yuya shifts, leaning fully against the door so he can properly cuddle Chinen with both arms. “I miss you too, Chii,” Yuya murmurs, sliding a hand along the small of Chinen’s back. Leave it to Yuya to turn this into an emotional moment. That’s as far as either of them go, though, despite Inoo giving his best effort to vocallize how easily he’s getting himself off in the bath. It’s almost soothing, and Chinen’s not sure how long they curled against each other, supported by the bathroom door. He stops paying attention to Inoo after a while, so they’re both startled when Inoo jerks the door open on them.
Yuya yelps, toppling backwards. “Oi!” Inoo catches him with a suave arm around Yuya’s waist, despite using one hand to hold his towel up around his hips. “The door opens this way,” Inoo says. “In case you were trying to trap me, or something.” His hair is dripping, curling at the dyed ends, and he looks wholly human aside now. Despite the outrage in his voice, he looks a lot more put together for someone who just vocalized his own handjob for them.
Yuya laughs, standing properly. He takes a step back from both of them, shoulders hunched and cheeks flushed. Chinen peers at Inoo over Yuya’s shoulder, sniffing the air. All he can smell is his body wash now. “All better?”
“Yep, just my boring old self,” Inoo says, gesturing at his very human ears. “But now I’m so tired,” he whines, looking particularly put upon. “I can’t believe it,” he says and disappears into his bedroom. After a moment, Inoo shouts about how cold it is, followed by the window slamming shut. “If you two want to sleep here, get the bedding yourself!” He calls and then slams his bedroom door shut with finality.
“Want a ride home?” Yuya asks after a moment of silence.
“Mm,” Chinen nods. “Did you ride your motorcycle?”
In the end, Yuya drives Chinen home in his very nice but much more boring car, and Chinen goes to sleep in his apartment alone, but can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if he didn’t have to be. He’s not the sort to want to change his routine, but if he thinks about how he felt—warm, comfortable, and loved—he thinks it might be worth it.
—
The first full moon after is hard. Whereas a human Chinen can easily ignore these feelings of longing, it’s a lot harder when he’s a cat. It’s hard enough to black out as a werecat, but it’s even harder to wake, surrounded by presents he’s gathered with Yuya and Inoo’s scents on them — a shirt of Inoo’s, a pair of socks, a candle holder — Yuya’s sweater he left the other day. The scarf Inoo gave him a few years back that hardly even smells like Inoo anymore. It’s an eclectic collection, but it’s telltale anyway.
—
The end of the year is always a busy time, especially this year, as 2022 ends riding the coattails of FILMUSIC. To JUMP, it means the rush of 15th-anniversary concerts on the weekends and celebratory music shows during the week. There are also morning practices, regular TV appearances, drama filming, fan content, the last-minute rush of gifts, and of course, trying to fit in personal life around all of it. After the week's bustle, it’s almost a relief to be back to a concert venue with the familiar rush of staff and group members, stuffed with the ever-revolving door of costumes, props, instruments, and lighting gear.
Inoo’s sitting in one of the dressing room make-up chairs, ostensibly to get his hair done, but from Chinen’s vantage point, lying on the couch with his hands folded behind his head and his feet in Kota’s lap, Inoo might as well be a part of the chair with how far he’s been seeping down into it. His sweater falls low over his thighs, and there are hefty bags under his eyes. He’s exhausted already despite the way they still have a long day to get through, but he’s been trying to read his new drama script. Chinen’s been watching the script droop and get pulled back up whenever Inoo jerks awake. Despite all his valiant efforts to stay awake, his pages haven’t turned. Chinen’s confident he’ll get his second (or third, or fourth) wind, but for now, Chinen and Kota have a bet going for how long before the page turns. So far, Kota is winning (none. Chinen bet he’d have at least turned the page by now).
And okay, Chinen could go up to him and wake him up, and it’s not that he’s trying to keep his distance from Inoo by any means, but after catnip night, he’s needed to steer clear a little to clear his head. He’s not embarrassed, but he’s also not used to not being in complete control of himself. While he’s happy that it was around Yuya and Inoo, he also isn’t sure what to make of the idea that he might want to do it again after he’s structured his life around controlling that aspect of his life so well.
After a little while, Yuya finally arrives with one of the managers in tow, sweeping into the room with his hair done up in a ponytail and a conbini bag. He greets the room but makes a clear beeline to Inoo’s chair. Yuya studies Inoo for a moment, then presses a water bottle against his cheek.
Inoo yelps, jerking awake hard enough that his script scatters to the floor. (“That counts,” Chinen says, pumping a fist. Kota shakes his head. “I’m still winning.”)
“This is cruelty at it’s finest!” Inoo shouts and snatches the bottle from Yuya with a growl. He says something else that Chinen doesn’t catch while Yuya takes the seat beside Inoo, and Chinen can hear Yuya’s soft chuckle from his vantage point across the room.
Yuya’s laughter is a comforting sound that always curls around Chinen’s heart like a warm hug, and he’s likely not the only one. Inoo probably feels even more that way since the two of them have been something for a long time, but that’s Chinen’s emotional support Yuya. That laugh always hits Chinen a little differently.
Now awake, Inoo leans on the arm of his chair. He looks like he might be angling to spill out of his and into Yuya’s lap. With the back of his head facing Chinen, it’s easy to see how he brushes at his freshly cut hair absently. He must be nervous about whatever he’s asking. Inoo doesn’t have many tells, but twirling his hair is one of them. It’s interesting to watch the intent way Yuya sits and leans forward on his crossed legs to listen attentively. He’s more hesitant to touch than Inoo is, but he also doesn’t steer away when Inoo squeezes Yuya’s knee supportively.
“You’re staring,” Kota says, digging his thumb into the heel of one of Chinen’s feet. Chinen grunts, flashing Kota a wide-eyed look of disbelief.
“I’m people-watching,” Chinen corrects, pointing his toes and giving them a wiggle to stretch them out. “That feels nice.” Kota laughs, continuing to rub his foot with one hand without looking up from the article he’s been pouring over.
“You mean ‘Kitty-watching’,” Kota says, smiling at his joke.
“Lame,” Chinen says, even though he snorts anyway. In retribution, he wiggles his other foot into Kota’s free hand for equal treatment. It’s not his fault that Inoo is distracting him. Inoo makes a study out of being distracting.
When Chinen’s gaze naturally drifts back to Inoo and Yuya, he’s surprised to find Yuya already looking at him. When their eyes meet, the corner of Yuya’s mouth quirks up in acknowledgment. He breaks eye contact to murmur to Inoo. In turn, Inoo spins his chair around to face Chinen and Kota, eyes glittering a little. He rises from his seat slowly, like a queen, and sways to shake off the sleep. After a pause that could be for effect, could be indecision to go back to sleep, he squares his shoulders and swaggers over to them.
“Chinen,” Inoo coos, even as he dumps Chinen’s feet out of Kota’s lap so he can replace them with himself. Chinen pouts, sitting up. His muscles pull a little from when he went a little extra hard with the roman deadlifts in the morning, but it’s a good feeling. “My sweet, darling Chinen.”
“Aw, come on, Kei, I’m reading,” Kota protests, even though he’s laughing. “Go flirt somewhere else.” But instead of shoving Inoo off his lap, Kota just reaches around his new obstacle and continues to scroll the world cup game breakdown he’s been reading on his phone.
Inoo mock-gasps, ruffling Kota’s hair. “I won’t have this slander, Yabu-chan. You know that what Chinen and I have transcends mortal bonds of affection.” Kota snorts, but Inoo has turned his gaze, and his cat-got-the-canary smile to Chinen, who has long since learned to ignore the way that look runs a thrill up his spine.
Chinen sits up, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them so he can rest his chin on his knees. He peers up at Inoo. “What’s up?” He asks, trying to match the same nonchalance as Inoo.
“I have a proposition for you,” Inoo says, and bats his eyelashes.
“The camera’s rolling,” Kota mutters in warning, but Yuto has the behind-the-scenes camera and the last time Chinen saw him was in the hallway, filming Hikaru and Daiki.
“Yabu-chan, that’s hurtful, don’t you think?” Inoo puts his hand over his heart and then pats Kota’s chest. “I’m always perfectly civil in every way.” Kota laughs, dropping his head against the back of the couch. It looks like he’s a second away from dumping all of Inoo on the floor. Inoo pays him no mind, gaze on Chinen’s. “I want to invite you to dinner with Takaki and me tonight.” Chinen’s stomach unclenches. “It’ll be my treat.”
Chinen tilts his head, his stomach clenching in a bit of anticipation. “Just us? Why?”
“I have never needed a reason to dote on the love of my life.” As he says this, he twirls his fingers, and his long fingers nearly whack Kota in the nose. “Can’t I treat you to a nice dinner?”
Kota eyes Inoo suspiciously. “What are you planning?”
“Aw, Yabu-chan, I’m not always up to no good.” Inoo coos and rubs Kota’s shoulder, soothingly. He ignores Yabu’s snort. He gazes at Chinen, imploringly. “What do you say? It would just be you, me, Takaki, and the best tebasaki in Aichi.”
“That’s not in my diet plan,” Chinen says with an exaggerated pout, just to see what Inoo does. When he deflates a little before rallying again, Chinen nearly kicks himself off the couch. He saves it before Inoo’s smile slides off his face. “But I did go a little hard with the deadlifts today.”
From the way Inoo beams at him, Chinen’s sure he made the right choice.
—
The restaurant Inoo takes them to is a classy space with a beautiful, tasteful interior. For privacy, Inoo had rented them a private room. The kaiseki sets are gorgeous and each course is delicious, with the option to substitute some dishes for steamed chicken instead. Chinen can’t remark on his thoughtfulness with words, but it’s obvious that it’s one of the many, many reasons Yuya always looks at Inoo with such adoration. Yuya might fall for that sort of thing, but Chinen’s still suspicious of this whole thing, so Chinen doesn’t compliment Inoo for it directly, but from the way Inoo purrs when Chinen smacks his lips in appreciation after the grilled chicken skewers come out, he knows he can tell anyway. Once they’ve made it to the dessert set and Chinen is beginning to feel sleepy and content, Yuya leans across the table and takes Chinen’s hand, sweeping his thumb across his knuckles with a comforting squeeze.
“Chii, we’d like to make a proposition.”
Chinen sighs, sitting up so that he doesn’t fall asleep. “I knew it. You want something from me.”
“Just a little,” Yuya says softly, and Chinen’s going to blame the alcohol for how his beautiful eyes stand out in the room's soft light, especially when he’s looking at Chinen like he hangs the moon. “You can say no, but I’d wager you won’t want to.”
“Are you sure?” Chinen asks, gesturing to the meal, to Inoo, whose eyes reflect the light, pupils large.
“Do you think I’d treat you just to butter you up?” Chinen’s face must say it all because Inoo’s shoulders shake with silent laughter. “Darling, sweetheart, butterfly, I’m already winning with your company.”
“It’s just a request, Chii. You can say no,” Yuya says gently, reaching across the table and giving Chinen’s bicep a quick squeeze before he draws back.
After a pause, Chinen nods. “That’s fair. I’m listening.”
Inoo lets out a soft breath, squares his shoulders, and lifts his chin. “We’d like to invite you back to our hotel room for some hanky panky.”
Chinen snorts, relieved. He relaxes, shaking his head. “Is that it? You know you can just ask, right?”
“Maybe because you’ve barely let me touch you since the catnip night,” Inoo returns. Which, touche. “And it’s fine, I get it, I wouldn’t want to be close to me either after all that, but—”
“Wait, you think I’m avoiding you because of something you’ve done?” Chinen asks, holding up a hand. He shakes his head. “No, no way. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Yuya interrupts before Inoo can say whatever he’s opened his mouth to ask next. “So, why...?”
This is it, where he’s supposed to be sappy and embarrassing. He sighs, folding his arms over his chest. “It isn’t that I don’t want to, but isn’t it just easier to keep things as they are?”
Inoo hums, tapping his long fingernails against the rim of his glass. “That depends, are you satisfied with that? Or would you rather lift me up with your sexy, sexy abs and let me ride you?”
“Kei,” Yuya warns softly.
Chinen bites his lip, because he’s had a lot of fantasies over the last couple of weeks since what has been unceremoniously dubbed catnip night, and he’d really like to find out what sort of noises he can pull from Inoo. “Yeah, yeah I do,” Chinen says and scrambles up from the table. Inoo laughs through paying the bill and even as he trails after Yuya and Chinen into the cool night air.
On the way back to the hotel, Inoo and Yuya flank Chinen like they’re his bodyguards. Inoo’s touchier too, draping an arm over Chinen’s shoulder and leaning against his side. It’s easy to wrap an arm around Inoo’s waist on the train, hold both of their hands, and banter back and forth.
Management got the group rooms for the night so that they don’t have to go back and forth between concerts for the weekend, and while they’re nothing special, just the usual double beds with bland decor and thick curtains, but it’s a convenience. The soundproofing is good between the walls for once but practically nonexistent between the doors and the hallways. Yuya lets them into his and Inoo’s room with a flourish, and Inoo instantly strips his coat and turtleneck. By the time he slides onto the bed, he’s in just his pants. He props his head on his hand and gazes at the two of them with bedroom eyes.
“What are we waiting for?” He asks, and stretches luxuriously. At first Chinen thinks he’s just rolling around, but by the time Chinen has shed his outer layers, Inoo has pulled supplies out of the bedside drawer. “Come on, Chinen, show me your sexy, sexy body.”
He leers as Chinen rolls his eyes. Beside Chinen, Yuya is slowly peeling himself out of his layers. Despite how he tackles being the sexy one for concerts, it’s always shocking just how shy Yuya is about his body. Yuya slides onto the bed beside Inoo in just his boxer briefs, but he’s hunched in a little on himself, and Chinen can’t have that. Chinen crawls onto the foot of the bed and stays there on his knees.
“I think you should make Yuyan feel beautiful first,” Chinen tells Inoo.
Eyes lighting up at the instruction, Inoo turns to Yuya with a coy smile, sliding the tips of his fingers along Yuya’s throat until he tilts his chin towards his mouth. “You know you’re gorgeous, don’t you, Takaki?” Inoo asks and kisses him chastely. When he pulls back, Inoo murmurs, “Won’t you show me what you can do with that sinful mouth of yours?”
“You talk so much,” Yuya says, like he doesn’t love it. He cradles Inoo’s face in his hands and kisses him again, and despite how gently he holds him — like he might break him — the kisses rapidly heat up. Chinen watches fervently and sheds his sweater when Yuya whines.
They curl closer, bracketing one another. Their hips are apart, though, long legs spread with enough room for — for one more. “Do you know where your sexy hands could be?” Inoo asks Yuya. Yuya doesn’t need the prompting, sliding his hand down Inoo’s long body to cup Inoo’s erection through the fabric of his underwear. Inoo moans in appreciation and Chinen figures that counts. He undoes the top buttons on his shirt, stopping halfway down his chest. They’re putting on a show for him, leaving space and leaving miles of unexplored, precious skin before him, and yet, Chinen only goes as far as placing his hand on one ankle each by the time they break apart again. Inoo looks at Chinen, expectantly.
“I thought you promised me a ride,” Inoo says, stroking his way down Yuya’s chest even while he looks at Chinen.
Chinen clears his dry throat. “I thought I gave you instructions.”
“Kei can multitask,” Yuya says, his laugh a soft rumble that sends a thrill up Chinen’s spine. “But it would be better with you.”
Inoo sweeps his hands down Yuya’s abdomen and hooks the waistband of Yuya’s underwear with his finger. He pulls it back and then down with a lewd glance. “Yuya junior wants to come out to play,” he says as Yuya’s erection springs free, flushed a dark pink.
Yuya rolls his eyes. “You’re ridiculous,” he huffs but helpfully lifts his thighs and takes over, sweeping his boxer briefs off and kicking them somewhere over the side of the bed. Inoo follows suit, stripping his underwear off with an enthusiastic laugh, and then he kisses Yuya again, hands continuing to wander like they’re doing all the talking for him. Yuya’s sure are, caressing Inoo’s side and slipping down to palm Inoo’s rapidly hardening dick.
When Inoo breaks the kiss with a wet sound to breathe, Chinen finally moves. He curls his palms up their shins, crawling on his knees until he’s at their waists. He sweeps his palms along their flanks, then rests them over the curve of their asses, laughing a little at how different they are.
Inoo bucks forward in surprise, gasping. “Fuck,” he says, and turns his attention from Yuya to Chinen. All that focus and intensity at once is so much to bear. He’s not sure how Yuya does it. “Will you let us undress you now?”
And truly, he’s rapidly been losing focus on the game he wanted to play, his final barrier between desire and having what he wants. “Come on, Chii, take what you want,” Yuya says, with that charming, kiss-flushed smile and dark eyes. When Yuya sits up and touches Chinen’s thigh, his stomach muscles flex, and his dick bobs. Chinen wants so fervently.
Chinen teases at the open vee of his shirt, displaying the bit of his bare skin. “This is as far as you’ve gotten,” Chinen scolds. “Inoo-chan, Yuyan isn’t even crying from praise yet.”
“Oi,” Yuya says, and Inoo laughs with delight. Chinen grabs for the lube, pressing it to Yuya’s hand. He’s a little sad to lose the weight of his palm on his thigh, but there will be time for that later. “Will you finger him open?” Chinen asks and sits back on his haunches to watch the way they move around each other.
“Come and put those sexy fingers in me,” Inoo says without prompting, and Chinen has to focus on undoing another button of his shirt. Yuya maneuvers pillows against the headboard so he can rest his back on them, and when he gestures to Inoo, Inoo climbs into Yuya’s lap, draping his arms around his shoulders, and Yuya’s hands come around his waist and curl over his ass. Their dicks touch when Inoo sits, and they both moan. Yuya tucks his chin over Inoo’s shoulder to squeeze the lube into his palm. He warms it with both hands, coating his fingers, and then presses a kiss to Inoo’s ear before he begins with his index finger, sliding gently along Inoo’s ass crack before circling the rim. From his spot at the end of the bed, Chinen watches how the muscles of Inoo’s glutes flex as his hips snap forward when Yuya sticks the tip of his finger into him.
The pace Yuya goes at, they’ll be here all night. “Faster,” Inoo groans. “Don’t treat me like a doll.” He does something with his hands that Chinen can’t see, but it makes Yuya flush with pleasure. Chinen figures that counts and sweeps his shirt up over his head, dropping it over the side. The rush of air pricks at Chinen’s skin, raising gooseflesh on his bare chest and arms.
“Damn, Chii,” Yuya murmurs, pausing.
“Oh my god, don’t stop,” Inoo protests, but he twists to look at Chinen, and his wolf whistle is choked off when Yuya slides a second finger into him. “You’re so hot, you know? You were already hot before but wow, I could wash my clothes on your abs, now. Please let me touch?”
Chinen would love to let him touch, but for now it’s enough to have the praise and their admiring glances. He knows he looks good, and has worked hard for these gains and milestones, and it's good to put his muscles to the test like this. “I’m not Yuya, Inoo-chan,” Chinen admonishes. “Should I put my shirt back on?”
Inoo instantly presses his mouth against Yuya’s ear. “I love when you whisper in my ear,” Inoo murmurs immediately, and Yuya turns his head to whisper something, throaty and low, that Chinen doesn’t catch, but he must crook his fingers because Inoo flexes, and there’s a hitch to his voice when he continues. “Yeah, like that,” Inoo moans. “You’re so good at this.”
Chinen strips his sweats next, meeting Yuya’s eyes over Inoo’s shoulders as he slides his underwear down and off. He feels the weight of Yuya’s gaze over his skin as he flexes to locate a condom and lube. He prepares himself with steady focus, not looking up until he’s ready. When he does, he meets Yuya’s eyes and nods. Yuya murmurs a warm platitude in Inoo’s ear, extracting his fingers and lowering Inoo into Chinen’s outstretched arms. Inoo goes easily, and Yuya lounges against his pillows, palming himself with his hand.
Inoo rests his head on the crook of Chinen’s shoulder and neck, back pressed to Chinen’s chest and Chinen’s erection slotting along the groove of his ass. “Show me you love me,” Inoo says, shifting back to get more pressure. “No, let me show you that I love you,” he says, and turns in Chinen’s arms. He wraps his legs around Chinen’s waist and flips them so quickly that Chinen’s shocked when his hits the mattress, Inoo’s palm holding him down. He straddles Chinen smoothly and runs the tips of his fingers down his abs.
“Wow,” Chinen says, blinking.
“This is better,” Inoo says, perching on top of him. He practically preens under Chinen’s surprised look. “What, you’re too slow. Hold me,” he instructs, and once Chinen remembers himself and supports Inoo’s hips, Inoo begins to lower himself onto Chinen’s cock. Too quickly, for how slowly Yuya had been fingering him open, the muscles of his ass clench around the head. Inoo swears, then lifts, then lowers again, and finds a gyrating rhythm. It’s stiflingly hot, and Inoo’s touch is searing over Chinen’s touch-starved skin. It’s almost more than he can bear.
“This would be fun with a little catnip, don’t you think?” Inoo comments, making conversation with his hands on Chinen’s shoulders.
“After last time?” Chinen asks. “Haven’t we learned our lesson?”
“I want to feel all of you,” Inoo says. His voices loses a little steam, pausing to acclimate when Chinen flexes up as Inoo presses down. “Damn, babe. That’s—that’s all it does. Intensifies feelings and physical sensations.”
Yuya hums from where he is, watching the two of them while he lazily jerks himself off. “Sounds nice.”
“I know, right?” Inoo says, eyelids fluttering as he bottoms out. He groans, adjusting around Chinen’s cock, and rolls his shoulders. “It’s amazing,” he says, breathless. “You’re amazing,” he says to Chinen.
Yuya’s answering laugh is nearly inaudible, just a soft huff of rumbling noise, and Chinen turns his head to look at him, sees how close he is to getting himself off. Yuya’s cheeks and chest are flushed, and his hair is hiding half his face but not the way he’s capturing his bottom lip with his mouth. “Yuyan, kiss me,” Chinen says, because he needs that mouth on him. Yuya tosses his head to get the hair out of the way, and shifts over so he can embrace Chinen, curling a hand around the back of his head and slotting their mouths together. It’s messy, and Yuya keeps pulling back to breathe. Yuya’s a generous lover, though, and his hand finds Chinen’s over Inoo’s cock and helps him jerk off.
After a couple of tries, Inoo and Chinen find an intense rhythm that leaves Inoo breathless and Chinen feeling the delicious burn. With Yuya there to do the caressing, the touching, the things that Chinen finds himself too shy to do, it doesn’t take long before Inoo’s panting. Chinen’s heart rate soars as he acclimates to the sound of Inoo’s panting, Yuya kissing him, and his body slapping against Inoo’s bare ass. Before long, Inoo pants and mutters, “I’m close,” with real regret in his voice, tossing his sweat-drenched hair out of his eyes. His movements become more erratic as he loses the rhythm.
Yuya sits up, leaving Chinen to support Inoo. He caresses the small of Inoo’s back with one hand, and with the other, he rests over Chinen’s and the head of Inoo’s cock. Chinen watches the way Inoo melts into the touch with fascination. Chinen jerks him off faster, and notes how Inoo has stopped moving, only flexing weakly around Chinen’s cock. A few moments later, he shudders, coming in messy spurts. Yuya catches the majority of Inoo’s release in his palm.
“That’s it,” Yuya murmurs and rises on his knees to catch Inoo when he slides off Chinen’s dick and to the side. “Good job.”
“I’m supposed to be complimenting you,” Inoo mumbles, eyes already closed as Yuya deposits Inoo between their bodies. Inoo caresses Chinen’s pecs and bicep, and his mouth is warm when he rests his head on Chinen’s shoulder and kisses him softly. “You’re the best at giving compliments,” Inoo slurs, blinking valiantly to keep awake.
“I know,” Yuya says with a wry look of amusement. When Inoo doesn’t speak again, Yuya wipes his hand on the hotel sheet and slides over Inoo to rest between Chinen’s legs. He peels the condom off gently, losing that over the side of the bed. Chinen doesn’t envy the hotel staff who will be cleaning this room.
Chinen has wrapped one of his arms around Inoo, and he knows what Yuya’s about to do from the position and from the way he’s been stealing glances at Chinen’s dick all night, but it’s still a welcome sensation when he puts his mouth on his dick, licking the tip before he takes him down with a deep hum. Chinen’s been hard, has had Inoo all around him and lasted through it, but he’s not sure if he can take much of Yuya’s mouth. He says so breathlessly, gripping the sheets with his free hand and squeezing Inoo’s shoulder with the other.
When Yuya glances up at Chinen through his bangs, lips flushed and red around his dick, his hips flex of their own accord, squeezing around Yuya’s head. Yuya’s jerking himself off again, but he has to hold Chinen down with his other hand on his hip. Arousal coils hot through Chinen’s abdomen like it’s a shot about to go off. “I’m close,” Chinen warns, and Yuya smirks, sucking him down until the head of his dick hits the back of his throat. The fluttery soft sensation against the tip of his dick does it. Yuya barely has enough time to pull back before Chinen’s flexing up hard and coming with a whine into Inoo’s hair.
He must black out a little because the next thing he knows, Yuya’s release is hitting him in the abdomen. Yuya’s groan is heartfelt, and he rests limply on his knees between Chinen’s spread legs for a moment. He reaches down to pat Chinen’s spent dick with a warm hand, and laughs as he murmurs, “You two just pass out like this.” He must not realize they’re awake, at least not until Inoo murmurs about how hot he is. At least, Chinen thinks that’s what he says. His ears are still ringing from the delicious sound of Takaki moaning. Chinen watches through his eyelashes as he stretches to grab tissues off the bedside table and clean them up.
He lets Yuya clean him up, then moans when he goes to move him. “Come on, Chii,” Yuya says, maneuvering to bracket Chinen on the side opposite of Inoo. The bed rocks as he scrounges up the covers and tosses them over the three of them, and then there’s a warm press of lips against Chinen’s forehead and a soft, “‘Night.”
The last thing that Chinen recalls thinking is just how nice it would be to always wake up like this.
—
The sunrise slaps Chinen in the face too early. He wakes with a hearty groan, raising a hand to block out the sun peeping through a crack in the curtains, perfectly placed directly in his face. He turns his head and knocks his chin into Inoo’s shoulder. He freezes when Inoo mumbles a complaint, and an arm tightens around Chinen’s waist. Chinen’s warm all over—almost too warm, sandwiched with Inoo on one side and Yuya behind him, mouth pressed against the back of Chinen’s neck.
When he takes stock, he notes that he’s being spooned on both sides, Yuya folded perfectly around his back, and Inoo curled around his front. Despite how his bladder makes its discomfort known and how Inoo’s hair is in his mouth, he doesn’t want to move. He likely forgot to turn on his alarms because if the sun is out that means it’s way past six, but all his protein and smoothie things are in the room he shares with Ryosuke, which would mean getting dressed and going down the hall. Not to mention, his abs are still twinging deliciously from how hard he worked out last night.
He decides a rest day won’t hurt, pressing a kiss to the top of Inoo’s head before he burrows back to the comfortable position he was in, curling closer to Inoo so that the sun isn’t right in his face anymore. Rehearsals won’t be for a while yet, and he’s sure that one of them set the alarm for closer to the time.
—
Hours or maybe days later, they’re all roused by a loud bang on the door and Daiki shouting through it to “Get the fuck up before Yabu comes for you!”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Inoo shouts back, stretching his arms over his head. Chinen stays put while Inoo and Yuya move around him. He feels the bed dip as Inoo slides off it, looking for his phone. “Oi, get up, you two. We’re going to be late.”
Even so, Chinen doesn’t rouse until after Yuya’s warmth disappears behind him, and then he rolls onto his back.
“Good morning,” Yuya says, gaze soft as Chinen yawns and rubs his eyes. “You look like a kitten.”
Chinen snorts, making a little clawing motion with his hand. “I am a kitten, don’t you know?” Chinen says, and Yuya laughs.
“Right, sure,” Yuya returns and leans down, kissing Chinen like he can’t help it.
Inoo sits on the side of the bed with his phone in hand, gazing at the two of them with a gentle expression. It slides away when he sees Chinen looking at him, but it’s too late. “Inoo-nyan needs a kiss, too,” Chinen states, and Yuya complies readily, leaning over Chinen to kiss Inoo too.
When they part, Inoo sighs, lips set in a pout. “Let’s stay here,” he needles. “Bar the door from Yabu-chan, apologize to all of Aichi, and lets stay in bed.”
They don’t, but it’s a close call. Chinen raids Yuya’s suitcase for underwear and Inoo’s for a shirt, wearing the same pants as the day before. As they climb into the manager's van, Chinen claims the seat next to Ryosuke in the back row. Ryosuke is wearing his prescription glasses and looking half-asleep, but he glances from Chinen to Inoo and Yuya and smirks, raising his eyebrows. “Did you have a good night?”
“Did you rank back to Masters?” Chinen asks in return, and laughs when Ryosuke’s face falls into a pout. He pats Ryosuke’s shoulder supportively and rests his head against the headrest.
His body aches pleasantly, and Inoo sits a little gingerly because of him. Yuya keeps making eye contact with him through the rearview mirror, and Chinen feels warm. He feels treasured all over. All this time he’s been keeping to a lonely routine, despite being surrounded by his people. It’s nice finding the type of company he enjoys, with Yuya’s laugh and Inoo’s warmth. To get that every day would be better than any catnip.
“Hey,” Chinen says when they get out of the van at the dome, wrapping an arm around Inoo’s waist. Ryosuke, Yuya, and their manager are ahead, although Yuya drops back when he sees how far behind they are. Inoo’s arm immediately slings around Chinen’s shoulder, already melting into his side.
“Hey,” Inoo echoes, matching Chinen’s stride despite having a longer gait.
“Tonight, after we get back, do you and Yuyan want to come to mine?” He squeezes Inoo’s side through his shirt. “Saya gave me catnip for my birthday. It might be fun to break it out.”
Inoo puts a hand over his heart with a gasp. “Do you mean it?”
With a nod, Chinen glances at Yuya, who is holding the door open for them. “You two look ridiculous,” Yuya comments, fond. “Chii, is that what you want?”
“Yeah,” Chinen says. “It’s more fun than being alone.”
Inoo kisses the top of Chinen’s hair with a cheerful smile. “I know. Everything’s more fun around me.” They turn the corner, approaching the mess hall where they can already hear Yuto retelling some story or another. “Later,” Inoo says, and Yuya’s answering smile feels like a promise.