Emoji choices ran through Shintaro's mind as he wrapped up his blog post, trying to think about the perfect symbols to reflect their day. After some thinking, he finally settled on a torii gate and a cup of green tea. Satisfied, he hit the "send" button and put his phone away.
The small Western-style room they were stuck in had two single beds pushed together, leaving hardly any space between them. Shintaro settled into a more comfortable position in his bed and got ready to fall asleep soon, but the lights were still on, and Taiga's fussing with something near the window was kind of distracting.
They had ended up rooming together thanks to their YouTube. They had already spent hours filming content all over Kyoto, but there had been one more silly game on the table that had involved balancing objects on their heads and stumbling through a course while blindfolded. The outcome of this game had determined the rooming arrangements for each competing pair. Jesse and Juri had managed to come out on top, securing the two best Japanese-style rooms in the hotel. Hokuto and Kochi hadn't done too poorly either, each getting their own Western-style rooms.
But Shintaro and Taiga had lost spectacularly, knocking over most obstacles. They had ended up getting the shared room. They had laughed it off in front of the camera, making jokes about the punishment but also mentioning it had been a while since they had slept together in the same room, and it reminded them of their days as juniors.
The filming had already ended an hour ago, and it was ridiculously late already, but Taiga seemed too tight to let go of the busy day.
Shintaro sighed quietly, propping himself up on his elbows as he watched his friend go around the room like a restless cat. Taiga kept adjusting the curtains, rearranging his phone and charger, and then checking to ensure the lights were turned off in the bathroom for the third time.
"Kyomo," Shintaro called softly.
Taiga froze, glancing over his shoulder, looking slightly startled as if he had forgotten Shintaro was even there.
"Do you want me to turn off the air conditioner?" Shintaro asked, nodding toward the softly humming unit.
Taiga blinked, his eyes flicking toward the machine for a moment before returning to Shintaro. He looked a bit sheepish. "Is my stress that obvious?"
Shintaro gave him a small smile and shrugged. "Kind of."
Taiga let out a quiet laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just that… I know you get hot easily, and I don't want to make it worse for you. You are always so considerate to others."
Shintaro shook his head. "You don't have to worry about me, Kyomo. I can handle it. Really."
Taiga looked conflicted, his brow furrowing. "But I don't want to be the reason you're uncomfortable."
Shintaro smiled. "I'd rather be warm than have you stressed out all night. Besides, we're sharing this room. We should both feel good in it."
Taiga smiled back faintly, but then he sighed.
"I just… I don't want to mess up my throat," he said. "I know it's probably nothing, but I'd rather be safe."
Shintaro nodded, understanding all too well. "Well, it totally makes sense to be careful."
He picked up the remote and switched the air conditioner off.
"There. Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks. I seriously didn't want to make a big deal out of it."
"No worries. We can handle a little heat for the night," Shintaro replied easily, lying back down and closing his eyes.
But even with the air conditioner off, he could still sense Taiga's restlessness. Shintaro cracked an eye open and saw Taiga still hovering near the foot of his bed, unsure whether to lie down or keep pacing.
"Kyomo," Shintaro sighed, patting the space beside him on the bed. "Come to bed."
Taiga looked puzzled but eventually sat on his bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. Shintaro turned onto his side, propping his head on one hand as he peered up at him.
"You've been doing great, you know that?" he said softly. "Performing on the Imperial Theater stage isn't something anyone can do. And you're juggling all that while still showing up to film with us."
Taiga looked a bit caught off guard by the comment. "Yeah, but… I can't shake the feeling that I'm just not good enough. With all the pressure to measure up to Furukawa, it feels like there's still so much more I need to improve."
Shintaro smiled. "You're too hard on yourself. Also, you need to rest, Kyomo. You deserve to rest."
Taiga let out a tired sigh.
"I guess."
"No guessing," Shintaro insisted, squeezing his arm gently. "You need to rest."
Taiga stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay," he said.
"Come on," Shintaro urged, tugging lightly on Taiga's arm. "Lie down with me."
Luckily, Taiga finally gave in and slid to lie down. The beds weren't that narrow, but both were near the edge of their beds, so their shoulders brushed as they lay side by side.
They lay in comfortable silence for a while. Shintaro felt Taiga's warmth pressed against him. He really hoped that Taiga would finally let go of some of his stress, at least in his dreams.
But then Taiga's soft and thoughtful voice broke the quiet. "You know… you're doing pretty amazing yourself."
"Huh?"
"Well, think about Dream Boys," Taiga continued. "You've been doing so well in that role. Shoppi did a good thing, the right thing, convincing you to take it on again."
Shintaro hummed. "I don't know. Sometimes, it still feels like I'm not portraying the character right. I look at myself, and I wonder if I'm really the right fit for it."
Taiga frowned. "What are you talking about? You've completely made that character your own. Like I said, I'm so happy Shoppi got you to take the role because no one else could do it like you."
Shintaro was surprised by the sincerity in Taiga's voice. "I just feel like... I don't know, maybe I'm not doing enough."
Taiga shook his head before placing his hand gently on Shintaro's chest.
"Trust me, Shintaro, you're doing more than enough. And everyone sees it. You're killing it, okay? You're more than good enough."
Shintaro felt lighter after hearing Taiga's nice words. Also, the gentle pressure of Taiga's hand felt nice. He instinctively raised his hand to rest on top of Taiga's. Then he glanced at the dim glow of the bedside lamp.
"We should probably turn off the light, huh?" he suggested.
"Yeah… I guess."
Shintaro reached out to the lamp. With a quiet click, the light went out, plunging the room into darkness. It took a moment for Shintaro's eyes to adjust. Only the faintest glow from the street filtered through the thin curtains.
There was something soothing about it, being cocooned together in the quiet night, just the two of them.
Minutes passed in another silence before Taiga's voice broke through. "I'm not really sleepy…"
Shintaro smiled, although Taiga couldn't see it. He shifted slightly, pulling back the duvet to create some space. "Come here," he murmured.
Taiga didn't hesitate. He turned around and slid his body over to Shintaro's bed completely.
Taiga settled into the crook of his arm. Shintaro sighed softly. The air felt warmer immediately now that the air conditioner was off. Shintaro's hand absentmindedly stroked Taiga's arm. Everything felt so easy, so comfortable, like the moments before sleep when everything slowed down and faded into a quiet lull.
Then, Taiga turned his head to press his face against Shintaro's neck.
Shintaro's stiffened for a fraction of a second. His heartbeat quickened. There was a deep inhale, Taiga's breath hot against his skin, and suddenly, the quiet warmth between them felt charged.
Shintaro could feel Taiga's chest rising and falling, his breath fanning against his skin, and how their legs tangled under the sheets.
The soft sound of Taiga's breathing hitched again, and Shintaro felt a ripple of heat coil low in his stomach. His own breathing grew shallow as Taiga moved them into a hugging position. His fingers tightened subtly on Shintaro's side, fingertips pressing deeper into the flesh.
Shintaro responded without thinking, his other hand slipping lower along Taiga's back, his palm flattening as he stroked the warm curve of Taiga's spine. He felt Taiga's body react as he shivered slightly against him.
Taiga let out a half-muffled gasp against Shintaro's neck. It was just a breathy, quiet noise, but it sent a jolt of something primal through Shintaro. He felt his pulse in his ears, his hand tightening on Taiga's back, his fingers now curling in, grasping at the fabric of Taiga's shirt, pulling him closer without even realizing it.
Taiga's other hand came between them. At first, it was slow, but then his fingers spread, palm pressing flat against the firmness of Shintaro's chest, dragging slowly down as though tracing the outline of his muscles.
Shintaro swallowed hard. He was hyper-aware of every movement, every touch.
Their lips hovered just a breath apart.
"Can I?" Taiga whispered.
Shintaro nodded, feeling his breath quicken even more as he leaned in, capturing Taiga's lips with his own.
He cupped Taiga's face and brushed his thumb over his cheek before trailing it somewhere under his ear, feeling the rapid pulse beneath his fingers.
A low moan escaped Shintaro as Taiga slid his tongue along his lower lip. Taiga bit down gently, grazing Shintaro's lip before pulling it into his mouth. Shintaro could feel the heat pooling in his stomach even more, and he canted his body slightly forward to press their hips together. He felt Taiga hard in his sweats.
Taiga pulled back slightly, shoved the duvet away from Shintaro's bed, and then brought his hand lower on Shintaro's body. He explored the contours of Shintaro's thigh, fingers dancing on his skin with a teasing lightness.
Then Taiga's hand began to slide upwards, and he started rubbing Shintaro's cock through his underwear with a slow, teasing pressure that made Shintaro gasp. What had been a half-arousal intensified quickly, leaving him fully hard beneath Taiga's touch.
"Fuck…" Shintaro breathed out.
The rhythm of Taiga's movements drew Shintaro in, and he started to rock his hips in sync like he was pleading Taiga to go on.
After a while, Taiga slowly dipped his hand beneath the waistband of Shintaro's boxers. He wrapped his cool fingers around his cock, squeezed gently at first, then began to stroke him.
Shintaro's breath caught in his throat at the contact, at the feel of Taiga's calloused fingertips on the shaft, and his cock twitched with a drop of pre-dribbling out of the slit.
Shintaro's own hand slipped under Taiga's pants, fingers grazing the soft skin before wrapping around Taiga's cock.
Taiga's cock felt hard and hot in his hand. Shintaro smiled faintly as he started to stroke, slowly at first, enjoying the way Taiga's breath caught in his throat.
It wasn't long before the heat and friction became too much. Shintaro could feel the pressure mounting, his body arching as his orgasm tore through him, hot and fast. He gasped, his hand faltering as he spilled into Taiga's hand. The moment was blissful and overwhelming, and he felt himself pulsating in pleasure.
Shintaro's chest still heaved as he rode through the high. He glanced up at Taiga but couldn't see him well in the dark room.
"Let me do more for you," Shintaro rasped as his fingers tugged at the waistband of Taiga's pajama pants.
Taiga's breath hitched, his hips lifting instinctively in response. Shintaro yanked his pants and boxers down in one motion. His fingers brushed over Taiga's sides and his thighs, teasing, as he settled between his legs.
Taiga writhed. Shintaro wrapped a hand around the base of Taiga's dick and took the head in his mouth. He tasted like salt and clean skin. Taiga was also sweetly responsive, moaning and clutching the sheets, so it was easy to find the right rhythm.
Shintaro twisted his wrist in time with his mouth and coaxed Taiga's sounds louder. He used his free hand to explore Taiga's skin, stroking Taiga's thigh and hip or reaching up to play with a nipple through his shirt. Shintaro bobbed his head and sucked harder.
"Shintaro—" Taiga choked out, groaning. "I'm gonna—"
Shintaro scratched Taiga's thigh, where his hand was settled, and that was enough to send Taiga over the edge. With a final thrust of Taiga's hips, he came in hot spurts, filling Shintaro's mouth with his warm, salty release. Shintaro swallowed it all.
Shintaro moved back, gently kissing Taiga's temple before brushing his lips against his. The sheets rustled softly as Shintaro picked up the duvet from the floor but decided against pulling it over them. It was warm enough, and both of them were slick with sweat. After his earlier release, Shintaro could feel the remnants of his cum drying in his boxers, a reminder that he might need a quick shower before sleeping. But right now, there was no rush. Shintaro wanted to savor their moment together.
Taiga nestled his head on Shintaro's chest, and Shintaro wrapped his arm around Taiga's back, pulling him in tighter.
"Can we just stay like this for a while?" Taiga asked.
"Of course, I was just about to ask you the same," Shintaro replied softly.
The familiar warmth between them felt good. It was easy to just be. Taiga kept his head resting on Shintaro's chest, his breath slow and steady against Shintaro's skin, and finally, Shintaro could tell some amount of Taiga's stress had melted away from the earlier.
"Mm," Taiga mumbled after a while, his voice sounded quiet but not quite sleepy. "This feels so nice."
Shintaro hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it does."
The silence lasted for a while, and both of them were perfectly content just to lie there.
Then, Taiga spoke again. "You know… sometimes I forget how easy this is with you."
Shintaro smiled faintly, his hand drifting down Taiga's side in a way that felt almost instinctive. "I guess we've had some long practice, huh?"
Taiga huffed a small laugh. He didn't answer right away, but the way he nudged closer, pressing his body against Shintaro's, said enough. It was comfortable and familiar. In a way that only came from knowing each other that well.
"Yeah," Taiga finally murmured. "I guess we have."
And just like that, the conversation faded, not needing anything more.