The pair of them land hard on the polished concrete floor, Niragi's head bouncing off of the surface.
"Fuck!" He exclaims, tenderly touching the rising goose egg before glaring at the offending woman on top of him. She smirks, flipping her hair.
"You took too long. I got tired." She shrugs, gracefully bouncing to a standing position and offering him a hand up, which he accepts with bad grace.
"Fine," he says, gesturing toward the door with his chin. "So go. Wait—" he stops her before she quite turns to leave. "Any idea where Aijin could be hiding?"
"None." Kuina responds, crossing her arms and tapping her chin with one long finger. "Although, if they're smart, they'll wait until time runs out. Then they win, and they get the prize."
"Tch-ahh," he says, flicking his own fingers at her. "Go on. Get out of here. I'm gonna win this."
Kuina shrugs and takes off.
Niragi presses his lips together, an intensely thoughtful look encroaching on his face like a storm cloud.
"Where could they be?" He wonders aloud—then he sees Takuma passing in the corridor. He quickly runs to question him.
"Hey—you seen the boss?"
"Not since the bonfire," Takuma shakes his head.
"Hmm. Okay then."
Takuma glances at Niragi uncertainly but carries on down the hall.
Over the next hour, Niragi checks every single public space he can think of where Aijin could have gone—there's no sign of them anywhere.
He finally ends up in front of their door, looking perplexed and dejected. He runs a hand through. his hair and sighs heavily. "Where the fuck could they be?" He turns to lean his back against the wall beside the door and taps his head repeatedly against the plaster, frustrated.
He sniffs, sighs again, and reaches for the knob, opening the door and stepping in.
"Where's the boss?" Karube asks. "Um—Aijin, I mean."
"Wait, you didn't find them?" Chishiya queries, forehead wrinkling in concern. Niragi shakes his head, plopping down into the chair and looking up at the other three, who are all stretched out on the massive bed, propped up on a pile of pillows between them and the headboard. They are all sharing a manga between them, held by Kuina sitting in the middle to pass the time.
The second bed, Niragi's bed, is empty except for extra pillows and a few manga and other books which were obviously decided unsuitable for consumption.
"Aren't you getting worried you'll lose?" Kuina asks nonchalantly, flipping a page. Karube and Chishiya are staring at Niragi. "I mean, it's nearly midnight. If you can't find them, Aijiin wins."
Niragi huffs and slouches in the chair, pouting.
Chishiya suddenly looks thoughtful, his gaze drifting to the ceiling as he crosses his arms, then his legs at the ankles. "Y'know," he says quietly, "be a real shame if you lost when they were in plain sigh the entire time. Hmm. I wonder where they could be?"
"If they were in plain sight I'd've found them. Puh. Brat." Niragi finishes under his breath. Chishiya merely smirks, still gazing at the ceiling.
"Shame," he says. "Such big talk, so little action..."
"Shut up, punk," Kuina tells him calmly, flipping another page. Chishiya side-eyes her, and she elbows him in the ribs. He grabs his side dramatically—and the alarm on Kuina's phone sounds. It's officially midnight.
...*...
(perspective shifts to you again.)
As the alarm sounds, you start giggling, uncontrollably. The bed—and the three people resting against you—begins to jiggle.
Niragi jumps out of the chair and you hear it slam against the wall. "Why is the bed shaking? Earthquake? Wha—?"
Karube, Kuina, and Chishiya begin laughing as well, falling over one another.
"Hey!" You yell from between the pillows and the upholstered headboard. "Hey! Get me outta here!"
Three pairs of hands begin removing pillows, unearthing you, and you sit up on your knees, gasping dramatically before grinning at a shocked Niragi and flinging your arms wide.
"Surprise!?" You say, and he stares at you, shocked.
Then, suddenly, you are smacked in the face by a pillow and knocked over into Chishiya, who gets flung to the floor with a thump.
"Hey! Don't be such a sore loser," you grouch, sitting up again—just in time to see another pillow flying toward you. You duck, grabbing the throw pillow in front of you as the one Niragi flung smacks hard into the headboard, then rise up and bash Chishiya over the head with yours. Niragi gapes, then covers his mouth as he roars with glee.
Karube glances sidelong at Kuina and they each grab a pillow from behind them and fling them simultaneously at Niragi, knocking him sideways out of his chair.
He lands hard on his side and an audible crack sounds, followed by a groan from the man now laid out on the floor.
You leap from the bed, nearly knocking Chishiya over again as he attempts to crawl back onto the mattress.
"Niragi!" You reach for his shoulder and carefully roll him to his back. The other three join you and kneel alongside him, looking him over. "Are you alright?"
He groans again and grabs his side, and you immediately know what must have happened.
"Shit- you broke your ribs, didn't you? I should have been more careful after everything that night... have they been bothering you all this time?"
He crooks a glance at your face, his face scrunched in pain, and nods firmly. You look at Karube, touching his bare forearm. He glances between his arm and your eyes.
"Kiki, please go get An. She'll know what we should do." He nods, and you give his arm a quick squeeze, turning your worried gaze back on Niragi. "Thank you."
He pats your hand and stands, gazing down at you for a moment before hurrying off.
Kuina takes one of your hands in both of hers, sandwiched between them. Her wide eyes meet yours and she grants you one of the rare smiles that grace her face. You sigh and rest your head on her shoulder, returning your gaze to Niragi. Chishiya squeezes your shoulder from the other side, his eyes never leaving Niragi's prone form.
"So what happened? Why did you break your ribs so easily?"
Niragi cuts his pain-filled eyes at Chishiya's face. "Why do you care?"
"Just answer the question, mutt," he replies, and Niragi snorts then gasps in pain.
"Mutt, huh? That's—gah!—that's rich coming from—coming from you."
You gently poke Niragi in the side of his head. "Answer him already. Or would you rather he hear it from me?"
He turns his head to level his dark gaze on you. "Go ahead. I trust you. I already confessed to you how much," he flicks his eyes to Chishiya and back to you. "And who. So go ahead."
So you take deep breath and grasp Niragi's hand in yours. His hand and those long fingers engulf yours, and he gulps before relaxing and resting his head back on the carpeted floor. And you tell Kuina and Chishiya the tale of what occurred the night you and Niragi met.
By the end Chishiya is nodding, still staring vaguely at the space above Niragi's head.
"Hmm," he makes small noise in his throat. "You probably cracked them then, and falling—"
— "getting thrown—" Niragi interrupts, and Chishiya smirks but concedes the point.
"Getting thrown from the chair likely just finished the job. You need calcium. Other vitamins too—we probably all do—but you especially need calcium. Any other medical secrets you need to share with the class?"
"What were you, before all this? A doctor or something?" Kuina queries, staring at him. He cracks a sad smile and stands, strolling over to the window to gaze out at the landscape.
"Something like that," is all he says. You and Kuina meet one another's eyes, then Niragi's, and Kuina shrugs. "Anyway," he adds, looking back at you through the reflection in the mirror, "I guess the lives we lived before really don't matter all that much. Probably best to just try to forget all that."
You nod at him in the glass, and his gaze refocuses on the landscape outside.
Karube returns with Ann, guiding her into the room before him, his hand on her elbow.
"Niragi. Again." She shakes her head. "Can't say I'm surprised, really. You are such a lot of trouble."
Niragi sneers and you smack him on the top of his head.
"Quit that or nobody will help you. You can just lay there." He cuts his eyes to you, and you raise your eyebrows, daring him to continue down the path he's on. He wisely decides that silence is, in fact a virtue, and presses his lips together.
Ann smirks and settles beside him on her knees, reaching out to the buttons on Niragi's shirt. "Finally, someone who can shut him up," she says as she grasps a button in her fingers. Niragi slaps her hand away, looking mortified and offended, and she rolls onto her haunches to stare at him. "What, you're suddenly shy? Give over."
"No way! What're you doing, anyway!?" He attempts to scoot away but hisses in pain, and you press your thighs against his back to keep him from moving further.
"She's trying to check your ribs, you big baby," Chishiya rolls his eyes as he sits on the edge of the bed.
"So behave," Ann adds. "I can't let you take it off yourself—until I ascertain how bad of a break it is, I don't want you to move too much."
She quickly divests him of the buttons, spreading the shirt open and revealing a huge purple bruise along his ribcage, extending around his front toward his sternum. It looked as though he had been kicked repeatedly by a steel-toed boot, rather than merely getting knocked out of a chair. You gasp, covering your mouth with both hands, and he flicks his eyes up to yours, reaching up to tug your hand away, lacing his fingers with yours.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry," he tells you with a genuine (if small) smile.
Ann raises an eyebrow in subtle shock, then quickly composes herself, patting Niragi's bar, flat stomach. It resounds like a drum and a chorus of giggles erupts in the room, even eliciting a few chuckles from the two blondes in the room as Niragi sucks his stomach in and glares. You catch your breath and lean forward to whisper in his ear after Ann leaves with the promise of returning with bindings to wrap Niragi's ribs.
"I happen to actually think you're sexy—even if you are too skinny," you tell him, then plant a quick peck on his cheek. He turns his head, eyes meeting yours in disbelief that you did that in front of others. IN response to that look you smirk mischievously, turning to Kuina and gazing deep into her eyes.
"Kuina, love, might a request my winnings now?"
She sits a little straighter and takes your hands as Chishiya and Karube meet each others eyes above your heads and shrug, then return their gazes to the show about to start. To the side, you notice Niragi's eyes widen, and feel him plucking at your shirt to draw your attention, beginning to slightly panic. But you merely continue to hold Kuina's gaze. She nods after a moment's consideration.
You reach up and touch her cheek, drawing your fingers down along her jawline.
"For my winnings, I request—from each of you—a kiss. Unique to each one, from your soul. Nothing sloppy—none of us would appreciate that, I'm sure," you laugh. Seeing that everyone is in agreement, you once again meet Kuina's eyes, and you each lean into each others arms.
She brushes her thumb across your lips, studying them before leaning in. Hers are exceedingly soft, pliant on yours. It's like kissing flower petals, and you can taste the rosehip lip oil she uses, mixed with the subtle flavor of sugary watermelon and strawberries on her tongue as it lightly touches yours and then withdraws. Her lips move on yours for a moment longer before she slowly pulls away, almost shy as she again caresses your face.
You hear a shaky exhalation from Karube and mutually whispered "wow" from Chishiya and Niragi.
"Interesting," Ann says from the doorway. She holds up a couple rolls of bandage wrap. "Should I leave you to it, then, or can I fix the patient first?"
You smirk, then give her a genuine smile. "Please. Something needs to hold Niragi together before he cracks into pieces."
"Oh ha ha," he says sarcastically as Ann guides him to a standing position. "I want to go last."
You cock your head to one side, and even Chishiya appears curious, while Karube merely moistens his lips and looks thoughtful.
"Oh?" You ask. "Why is that?"
He looks at your lips, then his gaze drifts toward a beachscape on the wall.
"Because I don't want you to remember any other kiss but mine."
Chishiya suddenly looks jealous, sticking his hands once again in the pockets of his hoodie, his eyes studying the carpet. Karube huffs a laugh, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorjamb.
"I'll go next, then, and gladly," he says, glancing at Kuina, then back up to yours. "Let those two vie for Most Memorable Snog."
"Snog?" You snort. "Hey, I specifically said nothing sloppy. Gross."
"Neither of us are sloppy," Chishiya says, sounding slightly cross. Niragi glances over at him from where he was staring.
"How do you know?" Karube asks, smirking and suddenly interested. Chishiya blushes a little and gives Karube a look.
"Oh please," he says. "I've never kisses him. But I've seen Aijin after they have, and it didn't look to me like anyone's sloppy. Good at it, sure—never sloppy."
"You aren't sloppy either, Pretty Kitty," Niragi teases, and Karube's eyebrows shoot to his hairline, followed by Kuina's jaw dropping a moment later.
"And how do you know that?" Karube exclaims. Niragi looks supremely smug and wiggles his eyebrows.
"Because I kissed Aijin after him last time, too. I think mine made a... DEEPER... impression."
Chishiya looks extremely serious, his eyes burning a hole in Niragi's skull. Ann glances between the two as she finishes up with wrapping Niragi's ribs and secures the bandages.
"And that's all the drama I need tonight," she says, tipping in invisible cap to you. "Best of luck with your harem, boss."
You huff in stunned disbelief as she leaves, and then startle at the sound of Karube locking the door. He turns to look at you hungrily.
"Now," he says, "where were we?"
He stalk-strides to you and takes gentle hold of your face with both of his large hands, stroking his thumbs along your cheekbones as he claims your lips with is own. Your eyes close and the world disappears. It's only him in this moment the scent of soap and tobacco and manly musk overwhelming your senses. You hear a scoff from somewhere, but right now it doesn't matter. He's kissing you with the softest, most innocent of touches, yet it feels like the most erotic thing you've ever experienced.
You moisten your lips when he finally pulls away, pressing his own to your forehead before he moves back over to once again lean against the doorjamb with crossed arms. You begin to face Chishiya but stumble a tiny bit, your heart racing. He reaches out to hold you steady by both arms and grins.
"Safe to say I won't mind going after you, Karube. Too bad I'll never experience it like Aijin, but—"
"Never say never, Chishiya," Karube says with a wink, and Kuina giggles. Chishiya shakes his head, gazing into your eyes.
"No," he whispers. "There's only one lover I want, ever. Someday."
You suddenly feel emotional, noticing Chishiya's eyes moisten. He takes your hands, kisses the back of each one, and then lays a chaste kiss upon your swollen lips, holding still for a long moment before withdrawing. "Only one Aijin," he whispers into your ear before he once again sits on the edge of the bed.
You stand still, your lips tingling, the warmth of his feather-light kisses on your knuckles. You breathe a shaky sigh, then take a quick step back as Niragi moves panther-like toward you. You hold up a hand to stop him, then touch that hand to your chest.
"Wait," you shakily enunciate, "just wait. I need... I need to process that for a second." You huff a soft breath out, and glance toward Chishiya, who looks just a little self-satisfied but looks up into your eyes with the tiniest, softest smile.
"Hmph," Niragi grunts, carefully crossing one arm across to hold the other. "Was he really that great that you've gotta take a breather? Jeez." He pouts and flicks his gaze out the window, raising his chin loftily.
You give him a sympathetic look, crossing the room to wrap your arms around his slender waist from behind. Your arms press into the top of his hipbones as you clasp your hands together near his belly button, resting your cheek against his back. You can feel the heat radiating off of him through the bandages, rought against your skin. He smells like the sun, and chlorine, and cinnamon, with a little hint of woodsmoke from the bonfire still lingering there. He stands stiff but angles his head slightly to look at you form the corner of his eye.
"Did you like it more than mine?" He asks softly, and you lift your head to look up at him.
"What?"
"You heard me. Did you like his kisses better than mine?"
You pull away and grab his elbow turning him to face you.
"There's no comparing the two," you insist, gazing into his sad face. It hurts to see him upset. You raise your hand and cup his jaw, and he meets your eyes. You moisten your lips and press them together, and his gaze drops to stare at them.
"Chishiya is like... sunshine after the rain, the smell of honeysuckle on the wind—a rainbow against a stormy sky. You," you take his face between your hands. "You're like devil's food cake. Like a flash of purple lightning. The smell of the earth when it rains. The tow of you are polar opposites, and that—" you say insistently, as you tilt your head to study his face, tracing the eyebrow with its piercing, "pertains to your kisses, too."
Niragi tilts his head to the side and lifts his hands to your hair, carding his fingers through the mid-length strands and gently pushing it away from your face, his dark eyes studying your serious face and darkening even further as his heavy-lidded gaze drifts to you lips. He smoothes his fingers over them, barely touching you, and you gently bite down on your lower lip. He smirks softly, pulling it out from your teeth with his thumb—then his long fingers are back in your hair as his mouth descends on yours, his lips closed, their gently pressure taking your breath away. They move slowly against yours—a heated lip-on-lip massage—but this time he doesn't intensify the kiss. His nose presses slightly into your cheek, his fingers gently scitch against your scalp, his thumbs applying strokes to your temples. He remains in such position, only moving to bring the length of his body up against yours, after several long moments bringing one broad palm to the small of your back and pulling you closer to him, eliciting a gasp from you. He smiles against your lips and ceases the kiss, but you can still feel his warm breath along your flushed skin as he presses his cheek to yours to whisper in your ear.
"Told you I wanted to be your last. Forever."
You pull away slowly to look into his eyes. He gazes intently, as serious as you've ever seen him, into yours, and whispers "I'll wait. As long as it takes. But I will be the last man to kiss you, this I promise."
And then, holding his ribcage, he grabs his shirt up from the chair where Ann laid it, stalks to the door, angrily unlocks it and leaves, the door closing slowly behind him.
"Whoa," Kuina sighs, staring at the door. "I think I need a cigarette."
You, Chishiya, and Karube all nod slowly. You chuff a laugh and sigh. This night turned out... nothing like you expected.
...*...