Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s surprising, really, how fast Tokyo returns to normal, Kukie Urie thinks. It has barely been 2 years since the Dragon incident and the founding of the TSC and the city is, for the first time in decades, somewhat peaceful. It’s an unstable and fragile peace, but its peace.

Urie himself, unfortunately, finds whether peace nor normality. The TSC has more battles to fight than ever, from rogue ghouls to Dragon Orphans; and with him being the Squad leader of the new Quinx´s, Urie finds himself right in the middle of it. Not that he minds: fighting on the frontlines for the TSC is a great way to get promoted!

But it’s the quiet hours in the evening and night, spend at the château filling reports and reading newspaper, when the silence gets to Urie; where he finds himself sitting on the couch, an empty hole in his stomach. It’s in these times that Urie feels like something is missing, some puzzle piece that keeps his world from being normal and complete again.

Urie has tried to fill the void; playing video games with Saiko, training with Yusa; he even invited Kaneki, Touka and their (surprisingly) cute child. But although pleasant, Urie knows in his heart that this is not what he’s craving.

Because at night, when he stares at the ceiling of his minimalistic decorated room, it’s not Training, Saiko or Kaneki he thinks about.

Its mint green hair, caramel skin and sapphire eyes that are flashing through his mind till he finally falls to sleep from exhaustion.

Tooru Mutsuki awakes with the sounds of slashing Kagune and dribbling blood still ringing in his ears. His chest and neck are coated with sweat, his breathing is ragged, one small tear rolling from the corner of his eye. The nightmares, although now less frequent, are as vivid and cruel as ever. Saiko, Kaneki, Kuki. Blood dripping from their mouths and out of the deep wounds his Bikaku has inflicted on their bodies.

Mutsuki chokes down a cry which threatens to break out of his throat. Automatically, his hands are searching for his phone on the nightstand, following the same routine he always does. When his trembling fingers finally grab a hold of the small device, Mutsuki opens it with shaking hands, typing in the number which has ingrained itself in his memory. Urie’s small profile picture lights up, and slowly Mutsuki’s breathing returns to normal.

And although his finger is hovering over the call button, he doesn’t press down. He never does. It’s not that he doesn’t want to.

"I don’t deserve their pity" Tooru mumbles to himself, guilt pooling in his stomach and clawing on his heart. Another tear forms in the corner of his eye.

It’s 3:45 am on a Saturday when Urie’s phone pulls him from his slumber. Not yet fully conscious, his hand lazily searches for the device, almost knocking down the nightlamp in the process. When he finally answers the phone, eyes still scrunched close, he is about to give hell to whoever called him at an ungodly time like this.

Urie’s mouth is already open when he hears the small sniffle from the other side of the phone. His eyes fly open, and he jolts upright, suddenly very awake. The sniffling is, without a doubt, Mutsuki.

"Urie?" Mutsuki’s voice is almost inaudible.

Urie closes his mouth, only to open it again.

"Kuki?" Mutsuki asks again, his voice a little louder now. Urie can hear the hoarseness in it, and an ugly feeling settles in his stomach. How long had Tooru been crying?

"Yes, I’m here" Urie finally manages to get out, his throat dry and his words raspy.

" I’m sorry for calling so late." Mutsuki sounds small, his voice trailing off.

Urie however, barely notices, his mind racing with worry and other emotions he can’t quite comprehend yet.

" It’s fine Tooru" he says, and for good measure he adds a court; "how are you?"

The sniffle which follows is almost a chuckle, and Urie can’t help but feel his heart flutter a tiny bit.

"Tired" Mutsuki says, and now its Uries turn to chuckle, his normally so serious facade easily abandoned.

"Why are you calling?" Urie says, and the words haven’t left his mouth, and he’s already regretting them. After his promotion and relocation, Tooru has rarely called them. Sure, they're writing letters, but being here now, hearing Tooru’s voice, is a pleasure Urie hasn’t had in quite some time. And the last thing he wants is to scare Tooru to hang up.

Thankfully he doesn’t.

"I..." Mutsuki’s voice, trails off again, and Urie can hear him inhaling sharply.

"...I had a nightmare" he finally says, sheepishly.

Urie’s answer is fast and without hesitation. "You wanna talk about it?"

It’s quiet for a bit, before Mutsuki’s small "yes" comes through the phone’s speakers.

Another sharp exhale follows and slowly Mutsuki begins to talk. "I dreamt from our fight on the dragon" he says slowly, and Urie already knows what will come next.

"There was blood everywhere, on my hands, clothes, the ground. And you and Saiko, you were..." Mutsuki’s voice breaks and is replaced by small chokes and sobs. Urie feels his heart shatter from these sounds.

In situations like this, he curses his pitiful way with speaking; he was never one to console or comfort, the words always sounding passive and indifferent instead of reassuring or understanding. So, when he speaks, he is careful to put all the softness he can into his voice, in the hope that Mutsuki will understand either way.

"Tooru, nothing happened. Saiko and I are still here."

And although he curses himself inwardly for his weak attempt of offering comfort, he can’t help but feel at least a little happy, when the small sobs on the other side of the phone are getting quieter.

Encouraged by this small success, Urie continues.

"You’re alright, Tooru, it was just a nightmare. It’s not real, we are still here. And more importantly, we are here for you!"

He puts as much emphasis on these last words as he can, hoping that Tooru will understand that, even after 2 years of absence, he is still important to Saiko and him. And although he can’t be sure if Mutsuki really understands his intention, he finally seems to calm down. Urie can hear his breathing getting in rhythm again, and he relaxes his shoulders a bit, which had tensed without him noticing.

"Thank you" Mutsuki’s words are quiet and simple, but Uries heart still makes a little jump in his chest.

"Can we talk for a bit longer?" Mutsuki asks, and a faint smile begins to sneak itself on Urie’s face.

"Sure"

It’s around 9 am when the low battery of Mutsuki’s phone puts an end to their call. They end their conversation with awkward mumbling and the promise to call again. And when Mutsuki puts his phone on the charger and slips under the covers of his warm bed again, he can’t help but smile.

He missed this!

Chapter Text

It is during dinner when Urie's phone starts to ring again. He is sitting with the other Quinx's around the dining table of the château, listening to the discussions between his squad mates (no Saiko, a real-life combo counter would not enhance our fighting skills), when suddenly his phone interrupts. When Urie takes it out of his pocket to answer, he realizes that the entire table has fallen into silence. The younger Quinx’s are staring up at him, their eyes curious about this very unusual occurrence, while Saiko and Hsiao exchange knowing glances and silent giggles.

Just Great!

Still, there is no way that Urie will not answer this call, not even to save his dignity in front of the others, so he just shrugs and excuses himself to answer. It’s not like he isn’t allowed a private live anyway.

When he answers the phone, he is greeted by Mutsuki who is sounding much happier than the night before.

"Hey Kuki" Mutsuki says and Urie can’t help but feel a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.

"Hey" he answers, taking one last look at the chateaus dining table, where the Quinx’s are already whispering, no doubt gossiping over his mysterious phone call. Urie however, can’t quite bring himself to care, especially with Mutsuki on the other end of his phone.

"How was your day?" he asks, and with that he leaves the room.

"... And when we finally found Juuzou, after like 7 hours, it was in the cafeteria. You know, instead of attending the ceremony and his own promotion, he chooses to rather devour pretty much the entire dessert buffet" Mutsuki says, still laughing from the fond memory.

Urie doesn’t laugh, but Mutsuki is certain he can feel his smile through the phone.

"I can imagine Marude wasn’t too happy about it" Urie says.

At that, Mutsuki laughs again, a big smile adorning his face. He probably looks like an idiot, sprawled out on his bed in pyjamas, his head almost hanging over the edge, just so he can converse and charge his phone at the same time.

Still, he can’t recall the last time he felt this good. A warm feeling has settled in his stomach and his heart is jumping in his chest. He had no idea that simply talking to Urie could make him feel this good.

Suddenly Urie clears his throat, and when he speaks, his normally indifferent voice is somehow a bit smaller, almost sheepish.

"So anyway, Tooru, I was wondering, if you’d want... to.... Uh, come over sometime. Saiko would love to see you again, and I.... would be happy too..."

Mutsuki’s seyes widen in shock, his smile becoming impossibly wide. Urie, of course, can’t see this, and when Mutsuki does not answer he begins to speak again.

"I mean, it’s only if you want to... Your old room is not available because of the new members, but you could sleep in my bed if you want... “.

At this, Mutsuki chokes, eyes wide and he can hear Urie curse under his breath.

"Oh that’s...fuck, sounded wrong, I didn’t mean it like that" and now there is a hint of panic in Urie’s voice, his inner monologue probably going haywire, and although Mutsuki enjoys teasing his friend, he doesn’t want him to suffer.

"It’s all right, I know what you mean. I'll check up on my work schedule, and contact you afterwards about your offer, alright?" he answers.

He can audibly hear Urie release his breath: "sure"

"Well, I need to hang up for now" Urie continues. "Saiko won’t have done the dishes, so I'll better clean that up before I go to bed. Hear you later?" he asks.

"Sure, good night, Kuki! “Mutsuki says, and with that, the phone call ends, leaving him with a wild mix of emotions and a thumping heart.

Because on one hand, he really wants to go. His heart is screaming to do it, to finally reunite with his friends, his family, with Urie! Only the thought of seeing them again makes his stomach flip in happiness.

But on the other hand, his mind tells him no, tells him not to give in into this tempting offer. He is dangerous, he knows this; Mutsuki has done too much harm, has inflicted too much violence to deserve peace and happiness. And the thought of endangering his friends is just a little too real for him to brush it aside.

Mutsuki buries his head in his hands, the happiness from moments ago already vanishing. Tears begin to prick in his eyes, but before they can fall, his phone vibrates again.

Kuki has sent a picture, the message on the display reads.

Slowly, Tooru pulls his phone to him, opening the message.

In the first moment he is just confused. Then, he starts to chuckle, and soon he is lying on his bed, rolling in laughter.

The picture shows the kitchen of the château. However, it doesn’t really resemble the kitchen anymore. In the middle of the, normally clean, surface of the table lies a cake mold filled with a shapeless something which was probably meant to become a cake of some sorts. The misshapen mass had seemingly exploded, because the entire kitchen is covered with small drops of cake, baked to various degrees.

His phone chirps again and a message appears under the picture.

Kuki: I’ll never let Saiko bake again.

At that, Mutsuki laughs again, his heart getting impossibly light. It's surprisingly easy for the stern and serious Urie to make him laugh, Mutsuki thinks. Still chuckling to himself, he types his answer.

Tooru: what was it supposed to be?

Kuki: Probably nitro-glycerine... Look at the kitchen.

Kuki: We could do this much better!

And before Mutsuki can really think about it, before he can consider the pros and cons, he has already sent his answer.

Tooru: Let’s do it then!

When he realizes what he sent, his whole-body tenses. He had just invited himself over to his friends, the ones he had purposefully kept distance to for the last 2 years. Mutsuki can already feel a tight knot forming up in his stomach, but before he can entertain the thoughts about the consequences, his phone chirps again.

Kuki: I’ll take that as a yes to the earlier question? Let’s show them how it’s done!

Kuki: Looking forward to it!

And with that, all the doubts Mutsuki had are thrown out of the window.

Urie stares down at his phone, his normally passive features pulled into a full out smile.

He's finally coming home, Urie thinks, and feels the very un-Urie need to twirl and dance.

Unfortunately, the burned smell of the charred-cake mass is biting in his nostrils and pulls him back to reality. Still, when Urie starts to clean the kitchen, he can’t find it in himself to be mad at Saiko. Not when she helped him in this unusual way.

When Urie finally goes to bed that night, sleep does not come easily. Mutsuki’s visit makes him happy, that is true. But with it come questions, questions Urie is not yet ready to answer. Just the thought of seeing Tooru again makes his chest bubble with excitement. But at the same time, he feels pressured. What if he messes up? What if Mutsuki decides to leave again?

After an endless amount of tossing and turning in his sheets, Urie accepts that he won’t get any sleep tonight. With a groan, he rolls out of his bed, joints cracking. He stands up, and despite the tense aching of his muscles, he wills himself to search through his drawer, eventually pulling out his running clothes.

Putting in his headphones, he takes a final look at his alarm clock.

4:37 am

Fucking great!

When Urie opens the chateaus' door, he is hit by a cold gust of air. Ignoring the temptation to go back into the warmth of his home, he steps outside. His skin immediately begins to form goosebumps, but Urie is used to this kind of discomfort. Easily, he breaks into his usual rhythm and starts his run.

The chilly, clean, spring air, combined with the familiarity of his morning run, helps him to clear his head from the worries and questions of the night. Soon he finds his mood improving, and it doesn’t take long after that to shake the tiredness out of his body and mind. The music of his headphones, combined with the steady steps on the asphalt, is enough to bring peace to him, and he finds that the time passes rather quickly.

When the sun finally peeks over the horizon, sending its first warm beams through the chilly spring air, Urie finds himself in front of the entrance to the Café Re:

He didn’t even notice that his steps took him there, but now that he is here, the temptation for fresh coffee is too great to ignore. Stepping inside, he is greeted by the familiar sight of Touka, cleaning the shelves and stacking the counter with something that looks suspiciously like Yoriko´s renowned bread.

"You’re up early" she greets, her voice warm and welcoming. "Couldn’t sleep?"

"Something like that" he mumbles, hoping that she won’t suspect anything behind his unusual break of routine. And she seemingly doesn’t, although she sends him a look that is far too knowingly for his taste.

Just like Kaneki, he thinks.

When she brings him his coffee, Urie’s thoughts are already back with Mutsuki. His green hair, the way his voice sounds when he’s happy, the way he talks faster when he is excited about something...

Urie doesn’t notice the way Touka looks at him, a knowing smile forming on her face, and he also doesn’t notice that she refills his coffee two times while he just sits there, lost in thought.

His train of thought is however suddenly interrupted, when she slides on the stool across from him, looking directly into his eyes.

"What?" he asks, irritated.

"Your gloomy behaviour scares the customers" she says, although the teasing edge in her voice tells him that this is not the real reason, she is sitting across from him. "What’s the matter with you?" she asks, earning another irritated look from him.

"Nothing" he says, already knowing that this battle is lost.

"Ah I see" she answers. "Nothing brought you here at 6 am in the morning, and it was nothing you were thinking about the last 2 hours while staring out the window". Now the teasing in her voice is obvious, and suddenly Urie feels like an idiot.

"Fine, it’s not nothing,” he says praying to whatever god is up there, that she will just leave him alone after this.

Of course, she does not.

"It’s Tooru, right?" she says, and Urie almost spits out his coffee right then and there.

"What?" he asks, his voice far from the usual indifference.

"Well, it was an easy guess." She shrugs. "You were smiling like an idiot."

Urie feels like his entire blood rushing to his face, leaving the rest of his body in a pale white.

"I was not" he says, not quite believing himself.

"Oh, you were!" she answers, and Urie curses every divine being that has abandoned him.

"What changed?” She asks. “You normally not coming here to enthuse about your friend”

 "He’s coming to visit!" Urie answers slowly, accepting defeat.

"That’s nice, then I can thank him for the apples" she says. Urie’s head jerks up.

"What apples?" he asks, confused.

"Tooru sends apples for Ichika" Touka answers, a small smile adorning her features.

"I... I thought you…” and Urie must really sound confused, because Touka shakes her head, still smiling

"You thought I hated him?" she asks, and Urie can only nod. Touka however only shakes her head again.

"Well, he really likes apples" Urie muses after a short pause.

"You convinced him to come here, didn’t you?" Touka asks, and the tone of her voice hints that she suspects much more than she lets on.

"I made some incentives" Urie says carefully. "Promised him we would make cake, after Saiko blew up our kitchen."

Recalling the memory, a small, fond, smile tugs at his lips.

"I don’t even know how to bake cake" he muses.

At that, Touka laughs, a wholehearted, honest laugh.

"You should ask Yoriko and Takeomi" she says, still chuckling. "They’ll probably have a ton of recipes even you will be able to do!"

"That's.... Actually, a good idea!" he answers, making a mental note to ask Yoriko for an easy one.

"Well then, that sounds like a plan!" Touka says. "Have fun, you two! And don’t forget to bring him to Re: so, I can thank him properly for the apples!"

"I will! Thanks, Touka" Urie answers, standing up, ignoring his now aching muscles.

“Goodbye” he says, leaving the Café and stepping outside into the beautiful spring morning.

When Urie opens the door of the Château, he is greeted by an angry looking Saiko. She is standing in their living room, fists braced against her hips, and a deep frown is featured on her round face.

“Where were you?” She asks, a sharp, accusing edge in her voice.

Urie lifts one of his eyebrows, staring down at her. “Out” he says.

At that Saiko´s scowl gets even deeper. “You could have brought breakfast” she mumbles. With that, she turns on her heel and stomps up the stairs.

“It’s your turn today, Saiko” he reminds her. “Being deputy squad leader brings responsibilities”

For a moment, he entertains the thought of just going upstairs for his post-running shower, but he decides against it. Saiko deserves to know too, he figures

“Mutsuki will come visit soon” he says, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

Saiko freezes for a moment, still standing halfway up the stairs. Then, slowly, she turns around.

“Muuchan visits?” she asks incredulously.

“Yeah” Urie says, a small grin overtaking his features.

“And you tell me now?!?!” Saiko screams, her voice so loud that Urie is certain she just woke the entire neighbourhood.

Saiko however does not seem to care. It’s almost comical, Urie thinks, how she switches through around 10 emotions in one second. But when she looks down at him, he can see small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. And with a speed Urie did not expect, she runs down the stairs again, throwing her tiny body against him, sobbing and laughing at the same time. “Muuchan visits” she repeats again. Then she quietly adds “Don’t keep him all for yourself!”

“This, I can’t promise” Urie answers, the small smile still on his face. Slowly, he pries himself away from Saiko, who still looks a little overwhelmed. It's only after he ruffles her hair that she shakes off her stupor to slap his hand away. Slowly, she trots up the stairs again, and Urie chuckles about the little swing in her step. Putting his running shoes aside, he trails upwards to the bathroom to take a long-needed shower.

It’s already evening when Urie calls again. When his phone starts to ring, Mutsuki answers so fast, his eager fingers almost throw it against the adjacent wall.

Together he and Urie make plans, agreeing on the next weekend for Mutsuki’s visit. And when Mutsuki goes to sleep that night, he can’t help but think that these couple of days are an awfully long wait.

Chapter Text

When the long-awaited day comes, Mutsuki almost wishes he had more time. Time to prepare, time to think.

It’s in the early morning, and he is standing in his small apartment, fingers nervously clawing at his white dress shirt, trying to smooth out any invisible wrinkles. His mind is racing with apprehension, his stomach is a twisting knot of excitement and fear, and Mutsuki feels like he’s going to throw up any moment. He could still call in sick and stay at home he thinks, but when he pictures Urie, alone, waiting at the train station, he immediately abandons this idea. There is no way he is going to let that happen!

With newfound determination, Mutsuki buttons up his coat, grabs his small backpack and leaves his apartment, throwing himself out into the morning.

The walk to the train station is a pleasant distraction from his agitation. With the sun up, it’s getting noticeably warmer, and Mutsuki catches himself with a slight jump in his step. Slightly blushing, he returns to his normal pace.

I'm like a teenager on the way to his first date, he thinks, and immediately the blush creeps up his neck again.

What was he thinking? It wasn’t like he and Urie had any romantic intentions, he reminds himself. They were friends, of course. But his affection to Urie was simply of Platonic nature, Mutsuki thinks. It wasn’t like he and Urie had ever displayed anything else than honest friendship! Shaking his head, to get rid of these rather distracting thoughts, Mutsuki trails into the train station.

It's loud, busy, and people are standing everywhere. Normally Mutsuki would avoid places like this; they are too crowded for his taste, with too many eyes looking his way for him to feel comfortable. But today, with the prospect of seeing Urie (and Saiko of course) only hours away, he doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Letting his thoughts stray for a moment, he wonders if the Château is still the way he remembers it, or if Urie and the new Quinx’s have made some adjustments.

I haven’t been there in a long time; he muses and feels a pang of guilt in his chest.

It had been his own choice to stay away, keeping his distance to his past. In hopes of protecting his friends, he had limited his contact to letters and yearly calls. And now that he is going back, Mutsuki can’t help but wonder if it will be different. Will he still be welcomed by Saiko? Will Urie still watch him with his dark eyes, a small spark in them? Mutsuki recognizes his pulse going up at these questions, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

Not again, he thinks, forcing himself to open his hands and exhale slowly. Still, he is glad when only moments later, the train arrives, distracting him from these questions he doesn’t know the answer to.

Coming down the stairs into the living room, Urie is confronted with an unusual sight.

It’s still relatively early, but the entire Quinx squad has gathered in the kitchen. Even Saiko, who normally does not leave her bed before noon, is there, distributing the pancakes Hsiao is making. The rest of the Quinx are sitting around the table, whispering among themselves, heads pushed together.

Their conversation, however, comes to an abrupt end, when they see Urie walking down the stairs.

Urie, who has a very accurate idea of their discussion topic, makes sure to send a frightening glare at the table, before he puts on his coat. The success is instant, but only partially. Whereas the younger Quinx’s are slumping down in their chairs, doing their best to feign sudden interest for their pancakes, Saiko only sends him an apologetic look, which is just a little too bright to be honest.

Gossiping little teenagers, he thinks, opening the door without a word, and stepping outside. It has not even fully closed behind him, and he can already hear their muffled laughter from the kitchen.

If they pull this shit with Tooru, they can deep clean the house for one week straight, he promises himself.

Unlocking his car, he takes a look at his watch. 7:23 am.

Still enough time!

And so, when Urie pulls into the train station around half an hour later, a small bouquet of purple flowers is laying in the backseat.

Deciding to leave his little present for later (and a more private place), he locks the car, making his way to the platform where Mutsuki’s train will arrive.

His heart is beating rapidly, and Urie silently thanks whatever divine being, that he always looks so passive.

If Tooru knew how nervous I am, he would probably just take the next train home, he muses, eyes scrunching at the self-depreciating thought.

At this moment a warning is blaring through the speakers, and moments later, the train arrives.

Looking up into the mirrored windows of the train, Urie suddenly feels very self-conscious. Hands shoved into the pockets of his white TSC coat, his hair dishevelled by the wind of the train, he definitely doesn’t look like the stereotypical good friend who picks you up.

Mumbling an inaudible "fuck it", he straightens his coat, turning around to search for Mutsuki.

Something that is easier said than done.

Urie does not know what clothes Mutsuki is wearing, and he also hasn’t seen him in quite some time. Opting to look out for Mint green hair, he scans the crowd of people which leaves the train.

In the end, it's Mutsuki who finds him first. In one moment, Urie is scanning the crowd, in the next he feels a soft hand on his shoulder. Slowly turning around, he sees Mutsuki, clad in a black coat, his green hair looking a bit dishevelled.

Beautiful, is the first thing that rushes through his mind, drowning out everything else, and for a small moment, time just seems to stop for Urie.

"Hey Kuki" Mutsuki says, a bit out of breath.

It's only then that Urie comes back to his senses. "Hey Tooru" he mimics, unsure whether it would be appropriate to shake his hand or hug him. Thankfully, Mutsuki answers this question for him, pulling him in a tight hug only moments later. And once again, Urie’s heart skips a beat, because Mutsuki smells soooo fine. After a couple of seconds, Mutsuki loosens his hug, a small blush on his olive skin.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Urie clears his throat. "I’ve parked the car outside, let’s go. How was the train ride?"

"Good, I think" Mutsuki answers rather awkwardly, slowly trailing behind Urie.

" That's nice" Urie says, just as awkwardly. At that, Mutsuki chuckles. It sounds small and nervous, but it still manages to make Urie’s heart flutter a bit.

Soon they get to his car. Stowing Mutsuki’s backpack in the trunk, Urie manages to sneakily pull out his flowers.

Hiding the small bouquet behind his back, he clears his throat again. "I got you something" he says, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. Still, he can’t help but feel the faintest blush creep up his cheeks. At his words, Mutsuki turns around, looking at the small bouquet which Urie extends to him.

In merely one moment, Mutsuki’s face undergoes several emotions. Then his lips begin to tug upwards, and soon he is laughing, leaving a very dumbfounded and slightly hurt Urie.

"What’s so funny?" he asks, lowering his arm.

Mutsuki is still chuckling, but he catches himself quickly, laughter subsiding into a genuine smile.

"I’m going to assume you never heard about floriography" he says, and following Urie’s look of absolute bewilderment, he adds: "the language of flowers"

Urie begins to dawn the colossal magnitude of his mistake. Slowly, he shakes his head.

"A bouquet can have different meanings, based on the way it is arranged" Mutsuki explains, and Urie feels his face heat up from embarrassment.

"What do these mean?" he asks apprehensively, gesturing at the purple flowers.

"These are purple Hyacinths.” Mutsuki explains.  “As far as I know, they stand for sorrow and are commonly used at funerals."

Urie can feel his face burning, his eyes fixing on his feet.

"I just liked the way they looked" he mumbles defeated, inwardly cursing himself for not asking the florist about the meaning of the bouquet.

Then Urie freezes; Mutsuki’s warm hands are wrapping around his, lifting the bouquet up till it rests between them.

Slowly, Urie raises his gaze, finding Mutsuki’s eyes fixed on his. His face is filled with fondness and adoration, and Urie thinks that he could get lost in those sapphire eyes.

"I like the way they look, too." Mutsuki says, and Urie realizes that his face is adorned by a faint blush as well.

"Good to know" Urie answers, slowly beginning to smile too.

And suddenly he finds himself in a hug again, Mutsuki’s arms draped over his shoulders, his head nestling against Urie’s neck.

And upon feeling Mutsuki’s hot breath and hearing his quiet "thank you", Urie is very happy that he opted for the coat. Because the goosebumps on his lower neck and arms would have been difficult to explain.

After pulling away from the hug, faces heated, they exchange sheepish glances. Clearing his throat, Urie opens the door, letting Mutsuki into the car. Settling into the driver’s seat, he takes another small look at Mutsuki. He looks nervous, but overall happy, Urie thinks, content with this accomplishment.

During the drive, they exchange news; Mutsuki is eager to hear about the work of the TSC and the new Quinx squad. Especially, Saiko’s new role as deputy squad leader is met with great interest. Urie in turn is happy to hear about Aura and his other ex-colleagues, which had accompanied Tooru to his new workplace in the countryside. They quickly fall into a comfortable rhythm, and it’s almost like Mutsuki has never left, like he and Urie had never parted ways.

When they arrive at the Château, Mutsuki can feel his nervousness picking up again.

He knows the Château; he even knows some of the new Quinx’s.

Still, he feels somehow foreign, out of place.

And so, when he stands at the car, hands fiddling nervously, reluctant to step forward, it's Urie who gives him a gentle tap on the shoulder, sending him a rare, encouraging smile.

Urie opens the door, and upon stepping inside they are greeted by a site which, contrary to his apprehensions, feels almost nostalgic to Mutsuki. The new Quinx’s squad is lounging around in their living room, playing video games, snacking and chatting together.

Just like old times, he thinks.

The peace is interrupted as soon as the Quinx’s notice their arrival. Upon seeing Mutsuki, Saiko dives over the couch, rushing at- and tackling him in a bizarre mixture of a hug and a wrestling move.

"Mucchaaan" she cries into his dress shirt, and Mutsuki can do nothing but hold her as she snuggles her head into his chest.

I really missed this, he realizes, his chest hurting with a mixture of content, happiness and sadness.

After what feels like minutes, Saiko pulls away, leaving Mutsuki with a warm feeling and crumpled shirt.

"You got taller" she says, tone almost accusing as she looks up at him.

"Next time I get you a ladder" he answers teasingly, earning a few chuckles and laughs from the other Quinx.

Startled, he looks up from her, realizing that he is watched by her squad mates; they are eyeing the scenery with curious gazes, and Mutsuki begins to grow flustered, his face heating up.

Upon noticing his discomfort, the Quinx´s exchange glances, a weird silence ensuing.

But thankfully Urie, having noticed Mutsuki’s predicament, steps in before the situation can get more awkward.

"Quit the starring guys" Urie says, his voice filled with a confidence which leaves no question about his authority. "You know Mutsuki, but as a reminder, he is a very good friend of mine. So don’t embarrass me in front of him, got it?"

At that, the whole squad chuckles, and Mutsuki can feel the tension disbanding.

Clearing his throat, Urie looks around, his gaze soon settling on Mutsuki and his backpack.

"Let’s get your stuff upstairs" Urie suggests, nudging his elbow gently into Mutsuki’s side.

"Don’t forget to carry him in bridal style, 's bad luck otherwise" Hsiao teases, earning laughter from her the others, but nothing except a blank stare from Urie.

Nudging him again, he goes ahead, followed by Mutsuki who can almost feel the gazes of Saiko and the others on his back. Deciding to, for now, ignore their teasing, he concentrates on Urie instead.

Even though their banter needs some getting used to, Mutsuki finds that the respect the Quinx’s have for their leader, is apparent in their every interaction. Urie had grown, and not just physically, from the reserved teenager he had been. He had become a young man, a leader, strong and kind, and Mutsuki catches himself thinking that he wouldn’t mind too much being carried over the doorstep by him.

Shaking himself out of his daydream, he finds himself in front of the door to Urie’s room.

He had never been inside, he realizes; during his time in the Quinx’s, Urie had kept it closed to the others. It had been his sanctuary, his place to relax, and Mutsuki had never questioned that. But now, the prospect of seeing Urie’s room fills him with anticipation.

Urie opens the door, gesturing him inside. When Mutsuki enters the room, he is greeted by minimalistic decor; a night stand, a bed, a canvas and the faint smell of oil paint. He knew that Urie painted in his free time (the free time not taken up by training, that is) and it always seemed a little odd to him; painting and Urie didn’t really fit together in Mutsuki’s mind. But now, being here, it seems like a very Urie thing to do. Actually, Mutsuki thinks, everything in this room practically screams Urie…

and he really likes it!

"It’s not much, but it should do! “Urie states. "As I said, your old room is taken, but I’m going to get a spare mattress later. You can have the bed for as long as you’re staying, I’m going to take the spare".

Mutsuki just nods, the prospect of sleeping in Urie’s bed still strange, but also very inviting to him.

Carefully, he sets his backpack down, tugging his hands into his pockets afterwards. Unsure what to do with himself, he looks at Urie, only to find the pair of dark eyes already staring at him.

Mutsuki hates starring, especially from men. Unfortunately, he is no stranger to it: In the Club, during work, or even in public. It’s like they're eyeing a juicy piece of meat. Wandering lascivious gazes, inspecting the curves of his body. It makes him feel feminized, reduced to his womanly built. But in Urie’s look, he doesn’t find the usual greed or lust. It’s quite the contrary, actually. His eyes are filled with a deep adoration, and Mutsuki finds that he doesn’t mind his gaze at all.

Suddenly the room feels too hot for Urie. He doesn’t know what exactly it was; the casual hands in the pockets, or the way those sapphire eyes found his. But he knows that now, the air is filled with a buzzing static. His room seems to be charged somehow, and Urie’s heart is pounding in his throat. His gaze is still locked with Mutsuki, and Urie is sure that time just stops right there.

Then the doorbell rings.

And as sudden as it came, their strange moment passes. Mutsuki’s eyes flick away to the door, his feet nervously shuffling. Clearing his throat, Urie walks over to the door, followed by the green haired male. They’re both quiet, neither addressing their silent exchange from moments ago. When they step into the corridor, they can already hear the Quinx’s indistinct chatter downstairs.

“Are you expecting another visitor?” Mutsuki asks, and Urie can hear the slightest hint of disappointment in his voice.

“I don’t” he simply answers, and he can almost see the relief in Mutsuki’s eyes.

Coming down the stairs, Urie and Mutsuki are greeted with an unexpected site. The entire squad has gathered around the door, greeting a person Urie cannot yet discern. Saiko’s excited screeching however gives him a pretty good idea, and when he sees the dark blue hair, interspersed with white strands, it becomes clear who their unannounced guest is.

"Yusa Arima, what are you doing here?" he asks, mildly surprised.

"Oh, hi Urie!” the young, blue haired male answers, slowly clearing his way through the Squad. Scratching his head, he continues. “Well, it’s complicated"

Urie only lifts one eyebrow in response, prompting Yusa to go on.

"So, Hsiao told me, that Saiko told her, that Mutsuki comes to visit and bake cake. So, I thought I come over, say hello, and take the brats out to the Café so you guys can have some peace" he adds.

“What a kind offer” Urie remarks dryly, but the small flicker in Yusa´s eyes tells him, that the young man knows exactly that he means it.

Silently thanking whatever divine being for Yusa Arima, Urie trails over to the gathered crowd.

Mutsuki walks next to him, and it's only then that Yusa sees him, a small smile forming on his face.

"Good to see you again Tooru! “Yusa says, shaking the older male’s hand. Mutsuki, who is clearly not comfortable with the attention, hastily reciprocates the gesture, a nervous, small smile on his face.

Sending Mutsuki an encouraging look, Urie turns around to face his squad mates: “Okay then guys, since Yusa is taking you out, you shouldn’t let him wait.”

Saiko immediately begins to snicker again, but a warning look from Urie makes her quiet rather quickly. Excitedly, the Squad makes for the door. Urie exchanges one last look with Yusa, who pointedly looks at Mutsuki and then winks at him.

Cheeky bastard!

Rolling his eyes, he turns away, trailing into the kitchen, followed by Mutsuki who looks still a bit flustered, but also somewhat happy. Behind them, the door closes, and the house is quiet once again.

Mutsuki won’t lie: The prospect of being alone with Urie, baking and chatting, makes his heart jump with a feeling of domestic content. He follows Urie to the kitchen, breath hitching when Urie rolls up his sleeves, presenting his muscular forearms. Copying the move, he rolls his up as well, and although he is probably imagining it, it seems that Urie´s eyes seem to linger on his forearms for a moment too.

“I suppose it makes sense to bake that cake now, with the kitchen all for us” Urie says, and Mutsuki agrees, nodding. Following the routine, he had implemented back in his Quinx time, he starts to look for a bowl and a Whisk. Then he stops, confused:

“Hey Urie, what are we backing exactly?”

Turning around, he finds Urie reading a piece of paper, his normally indifferent expression changed to one of slight confusion. After a small moment, he looks up at Mutsuki.

“Some sort of chocolate cake apparently” he answers, voice just a tad more quiet than normal.

“Can I see the recipe?” Mutsuki asks, hand reaching out. Urie slowly hands it to him, and he begins to read. Slowly his lips begin to form into a smile, and when Mutsuki has finished reading the recipe, his expression is one of pure delight.

“Chocolate Fudge cake?” he asks: “how did you know that was my favourite?”

At that, Urie looks away, and this time Mutsuki is sure that he has seen a blush creeping up on his cheeks.

“Yoriko told me” Urie mumbles, his face still averted.

Mutsuki feels a pang of guilt in his chest. Not too long ago, he had instrumentalised Yoriko for his personal agenda, and in turn she had remembered his favourite cake. How did he deserve something this good, when all he had given in return was pain?

Suddenly, he feels a cool hand wrap around his own, gently squeezing.

“You’re overthinking!” Urie´s voice is soft and close, so very close, and Mutsuki can feel a small shiver running down his spine.

“Let’s make the cake, okay?” Urie asks, and Mutsuki only nods, suddenly not trusting his voice.

Giving his hand one final squeeze, Urie pulls away, and Mutsuki feels almost disappointed.

The disappointment is dwindling rather quickly, however, when Urie begins to set up the ingredients for the cake. Deciding to help him out, Mutsuki searches for whisk, bowl and scale, carefully placing them on the counter.  Taking the recipe again, Mutsuki starts with melting the butter for the cake. While the butter is heating, he begins to add eggs and sour cream into the bowl. Looking over to Urie, he finds that the black-haired male is now done with setting up the remaining ingredients, instead opting for opening the packaging of the chocolate.

Deciding to annoy Urie a bit, Mutsuki sneaks over to him, careful to stay out of his sight. Unaware of Mutsuki coming up behind him, Urie now begins to cut the chocolate into small pieces.

The perfect time to strike, Mutsuki thinks, a triumphant look forming on his face.

Coming to a stop right behind Urie, he holds his breath, not wanting to alarm him by breathing into his neck. Slowly, Mutsuki sneaks his hand around Urie’s hip, reaching for the delicious chocolate chunks which are laying just in front of him. Grabbing a piece, he tries to jerk his hand back, but he is stopped when Urie’s fingers close around his wrist. Losing his balance, he yelps and stumbles forward into Urie’s back.

“It seems I have caught a little thief!” Urie says, voice low and teasing.

Mutsuki, who is still pressed firmly against Urie’s back, can feel every word vibrating through his body, and he feels as if the room temperature had suddenly risen by several degrees. Trying to steady his nerves, he inhales deeply, which turns out to be a mistake. Urie’s scent is much stronger up close; a delicious, intoxicating mix of cinnamon and coffee.

Mutsuki can feel his heartbeat pick up, almost bursting through his chest, and he really hopes that Urie can’t feel it through their clothes.

“If you want chocolate, you could’ve just asked” Urie continues.

“Fine” Mutsuki huffs, an idea forming in his mind at Urie’s teasing words. He doesn’t know where this sudden boldness comes from, but slowly he bends forward, his chest pressing against Urie’s back, his face almost grazing his neck.

“Kuki, could I please get a piece of chocolate” he whispers, his mouth right next to Urie’s ear. And when he feels a small shudder running down Urie’s back, a smug smile forms on his face.

Wordlessly, Urie loosens his grip around his wrist and, smile still on his face, Mutsuki plops the piece of chocolate into his mouth. The sweet taste explodes on his tongue, and he closes his eyes, relishing in it. Licking his lips, he sends a wide grin in Urie’s direction and trails over to the bowl again.

Mutsuki continues to work on the dough. Adding flour, sugar and cocoa, he immerses himself fully into the experience.

 It's nice, he thinks; The smell of Chocolate, and the domesticity of baking together. Subconsciously, he realizes that Urie has put on some music, and he begins to shuffle his feet a bit.

It’s just when he adds the finishing touches, that he can see a light shadow falling over his bowl. Looking up, Mutsuki finds Urie standing idly next to him, an intrigued sparkle in his eyes.

“Looking good huh?” Mutsuki offers, to which Urie only nods, “Wanna help me out? Or you could start with the frosting” Mutsuki suggests.

 Urie averts his gaze.

“I don’t know how” he answers sheepishly.

“Then ill show you” Mutsuki offers without hesitation.

Urie nods, gaze still averted, and it's cute, Mutsuki thinks, how he worries so much about something as trivial as making frosting.

“Let me just finish here first, he says, pouring the viscous cake dough into the mold: Quickly, he pushes it into the oven, a proud feeling in his chest upon completion.

“Let’s make the frosting” he says, turning around to Urie and walking over to the counter.

Urie follows him closely, watching intently as Mutsuki gathers the chocolate chunks in a small bowl.

Afterwards Mutsuki gathers the cream, putting it into a small pot, which then is placed on their stove. While they wait for the cream to heat, Urie wanders off to make coffee, which Mutsuki accepts gratefully. Stealing sneaky glances at the black-haired male, sipping coffee and vibing to the music, the time passes quickly, and soon enough Mutsuki can feel the heat radiate from the cream. Taking the pot, he pours the cream carefully into their chocolate bowl.

“Now you have to whisk it, so we can mix the chocolate and cream” he instructs.

And to be fair, Urie really tries. Taking the Whisk, he leans over the bowl. But as soon as Mutsuki looks over, he knows that this won’t work.

Urie is holding the whisk like some sort of sword, with a strong grip around the handle, forcing it through the cream with hard, controlled movements.

It makes sense, Mutsuki thinks; Urie is a proficient sword fighter and soldier, but a whisk is not a Quinque.

So Mutsuki steps behind him, mimicking his position from earlier. Gently he grabs Urie´s hand with his own, and although he can feel Urie tense up at first, he soon relaxes, letting Mutsuki guide his hand.

They start with long, careful whisks, which soon get quicker, chocolate and cream coming together in a smooth liquid. Urie is a fast learner, soon doing the movement without any guidance necessary: but when Mutsuki’s hand lingers, he doesn’t seem to mind.

When the timer of the oven starts to beep, they have finished their frosting. Tacking the cake out of the oven, Mutsuki sets it down on the table, his stomach jumping in delight from the warm smell of chocolate that begins to fill the house. Together they put the frosting on the cake, and when he sees Urie’s eyes sparkle from the small success, Mutsuki smiles widely.

Chocolate and Kuki; Can this day get any better?

The Sun is already setting, when the Quinx and Yusa return to the Château. Urie is sitting on the couch with Mutsuki, empty plates between them, bellies filled with their delicious dessert.

As soon as the Quinx enter, they demand cake, and Urie can’t help but chuckle at Yusa´s aghast face, who insists that they already had some at the café. Deciding to share, he and Mutsuki treat the younger members, Mutsuki joking that at least, they won’t have to organize dinner for tonight.

After the Quinx´s have devoured their cake, they offer to clean the kitchen, something Urie and Mutsuki accept gratefully. Deciding to finish the evening of this, very eventful, day with a short walk, Urie gathers their coats.  Saying goodbye to Yusa, he steps outside, followed by Mutsuki.

Closing the door behind them, Urie is engulfed by the chilly air of a spring evening. The sun has already set, its warm beams now replaced with the neon glow of flashy signs, and the pale light of street lanterns. In the distance they can hear the faint music and laughing from the bars, clubs and cafés, typical for a Saturday night. Opting to, for today at least, stay away from Tokyo’s nightlife, they trail away from the noises, choosing instead a quieter route along the water.

Walking along the promenade turns out to be a very good idea, Urie finds. Mutsuki is standing next to him, face lit up with delight as they listen to a saxophonist who is playing jazz on the promenade. Mutsuki is humming along to the song, a little bit of chocolate still smeared on his lips from the Crêpe which Urie had bought at a street food vendor earlier.

Radiant, is the first word that comes to Urie’s mind, and he has to collect a lot of willpower to stop himself from staring. Mutsuki’s smile is contagious, at least to him, and soon he finds himself nodding in rhythm to the music, quietly enjoying the time.

After the saxophonist ends his performance, under a lot of applause, they decide to take a look at the river. Mutsuki trails over to the railing, stepping on his tip toes, looking down at the water. The stars and the lights of the city gleam in the reflection, creating a sea of lights and shadows. Mutsuki seems entranced by it, looking down with a look of wonder on his face. Urie, however, is entranced by another sight; Mutsuki, whose mint green hair is tousled by the wind, the lights of the city reflected in his pupils. And Urie doesn’t know what it is, Intuition or just a gut feeling, but slowly he reaches his hand out, fingers grazing Mutsuki’s. Holding his breath, he waits for rejection, but Mutsuki only sends him a smile, interlacing his fingers with Urie’s .

Finally exhaling, Urie leans against the railing.

Looking at the riverbank, stars mirrored in the quiet water, he feels content washing over him. It's peaceful, quiet, and Mutsuki’s hand in his own is sending low bolts of electricity through his body.

Mutsuki’s hand begins to squeeze his own, and Urie turns his look away from the water, instead focusing on the green haired male next to him. He has balled his hands at his sides, looking pointedly out on the riverbank.

“I had fun today.” Mutsuki says, a tad louder than normal. “I…. actually had more fun, than I had in a long time” he adds, voice getting quiet. And Urie can feel that there is more Mutsuki wants to say, so he lightly squeezes his hand, encouraging him to go on.

Mutsuki inhales, voice shaking a bit. “I… really like to spend time with you Kuki” he says, and now it's almost a whisper. Slowly, he turns his head, eyes looking at Urie whose throat is suddenly too dry to form words.

Urie turns his gaze to the riverbank, trying to hide the blush which is creeping on his cheeks at Mutsuki’s statement.

“I like it too” Urie says softly “I, really like it” he repeats, quietly, like he is telling a secret, which only Mutsuki is supposed to hear.

Turning his gaze away from the water, he looks at Mutsuki who is standing next to him, their hands still intertwined. His hair is dishevelled from the wind, his cheeks a bit red from the chilly air, but Urie thinks that he has never been more beautiful than at this moment.

Suddenly a spark lights in Mutsuki’s eyes, and next thing he knows, Mutsuki raises himself on his tiptoes, pressing his lips against Urie’s . It's only for a moment, a gentle, light touch, but it sends Urie´s mind into overdrive. Too startled to reciprocate, he just stands there, eyes wide open in shock. After a moment, Mutsuki pulls away from him, a dark blush on his cheeks.

“I'm sorry” Mutsuki says, breathless, turning his face away. “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry” he repeats, more to himself it seems.

Urie doesn’t answer. His thoughts are racing through his mind, his lips still tingling with the faint touch of Mutsuki’s lips. His pupils are blown wide, and somewhere in his mind, he realizes that he probably looks like an Idiot right now. Still, he doesn’t care, doesn’t move, because his entire body is filled with an overwhelming warmth, spreading from his lips through his entire body. Slowly, he raises his hand, fingers reaching for Mutsuki’s face. He can feel the heat radiate from it, even through his leather gloves. Gently, he cups Mutsuki’s cheek, turning it, so he can look in those sapphire eyes. And when he meets his gaze, he realizes that he doesn’t need any words, doesn’t need to say anything.

Closing his eyes, he leans forward, tilting his head, his lips meeting Mutsuki’s. It's soft, warm, and sooo gentle. After a moment, he can feel Mutsuki, move against him, a small sigh escaping the green haired male’s mouth. And Urie can feel himself starting to smile.

Chapter Text

It's already past midnight when Urie and Mutsuki return to the Château, quietly sneaking inside, careful to not make any noise. Their faces are rosy from the cold, breath ragged and lips chapped from kissing. Mutsuki feels giddy, his heart full and jumping in his chest; and he is very glad that all the Quinx seem to have gone to bed, because he is not sure if he could take the embarrassment of them seeing him in a state like this.

Urie, always the gentleman, helps him out of his coat, placing a small peck on Mutsuki's neck while doing so.

It's enticing, Mutsuki thinks, how quick they have gone from phone calls and stolen glances, to kisses. Some distant part of his brain recognizes the possibility of regret in the morning, but his high is too good to actually worry about it. Interlacing his fingers with Urie's, both cold from the night, they sneak upstairs, exchanging heated glances and kisses on the way.

A small bit of awkwardness returns, when Urie closes the door of his room behind them. The room is dark, apart from the moonlight which shines through the window, throwing dozens of glowing specks on the ground. The spare mattress, which they had carried upstairs earlier, lies on the floor next to the bed, a silent monument to decency, and Mutsuki can feel the disappointment churn in his stomach. And although he is sure that Urie can read it right from his lips, he doesn’t say anything; Not even he is bold enough to voice this desire.

Sending him a look that Mutsuki can only interpret as adoring, Urie begins to prepare their room. Setting up pillows and blankets, he even finds a warm, long fleece pyjama for Mutsuki, which the green haired male immediately accepts. Going through his backpack, he gets his toothbrush, towel and slippers, excusing himself to the bathroom to change. Sneaking through the hallway, he is careful to not wake the other Quinx, which are sleeping on the same floor.

After Mutsuki has changed, Urie joins him quietly, just as careful, to not wake the others. But when they stand before their mirror, silently brushing their teeth whilst looking at their reflection, their earlier efforts are almost ruined. Because neither he, nor Urie apparently, can take the ridiculous domestic-ness of it all.

“We look like an old married couple” Urie whispers, and Mutsuki almost snorts his toothpaste over the sink.

“Where is your plush robe, gramps?” he whispers back, and the snort, which follows, is very un-Urie like.

Bickering back and forth, they complete their routine, sneaking back to the room.

Throwing himself on the bed, Mutsuki is engulfed by Urie's warm scent. It lingers in the pillows and blankets, encasing him in a cocoon of warmth. Closing his eyes, he imagines Urie lying next to him, embracing him with his strong arms…

“Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?” Urie whispers teasingly, interrupting Mutsuki's daydream.

Turning around, Mutsuki looks at him, and his breathing almost stops. While he had indulged in his thoughts, Urie had changed into his sleepwear; which apparently consisted only of a pair of long pyjama jeans. Slowly, Mutsuki's gaze travels over his chiseled chest, taking in the sight of his abs, up to Urie's face. A (for Urie standards) sly smirk is plastered on it, one eyebrow raised in silent challenge.

“Why don’t you come and get it” Mutsuki purrs, taking special satisfaction in the way Urie's confidence is undermined by the heavy blush creeping on his face.

Still, the older male doesn’t back down. Slowly he settles down on the bed, his body hovering over Mutsuki, who is still lying on his back. Their lips meet, and even though it's gentle at first, Urie soon deepens the kiss, his tongue tracing Mutsuki's. And when Mutsuki opens his mouth, their tongues twirling around each other, he can’t help but moan quietly in between them.

A reaction which only seems to further encourage the black-haired male, who kisses him with renewed hunger. In return, Mutsuki's hands begin to roam over his body, caressing broad shoulders and hard muscle. But it's only when his hands travel up his neck, tugging at the long strands of Urie's outgrown undercut, that he entices the reaction he was looking for. A deep growl, which seems to vibrate through Urie's entire body. Smirking, Mutsuki pulls back from their kiss, seeking for Urie's dark gaze. He finds it eventually; pupils blown wide, seemingly consuming Mutsuki's entire being.

Mutsuki searches for any sign of rejection or uncertainty, but the only thing is Urie's eyes, which look down upon him, is adoration, laced with something that Mutsuki can only describe as hunger.

Still locking eyes, Mutsuki lifts his head up, his lips connecting to Uries neck. He can hear the taller male inhale sharply, when he begins to trace his collarbone with his lips.

He seemed to like that, Mutsuki thinks, encouraged. Slowly he travels upwards, tongue and lips exploring every spot on their way, relishing in the taste of Urie's skin and the small hisses he entices from the older male.

When he arrives under Urie's jawline, placing butterfly kisses on the smooth skin, he can feel him shudder under his sweet assault. Following purely his instinct, Mutsuki begins to suckle on the skin, carefully paying attention to Urie's reactions. Fortunately, these are not difficult to decipher. The black-haired male is panting, face flushed and a small film of sweat on his skin, and Mutsuki can’t help but feel pride swelling in his chest.

He is responsible for these reactions; he brought Urie in this sweet state.

Encouraged, he grazes the skin with his teeth, carefully biting down, decisively, but not enough to draw blood. Urie hisses, jerking under Mutsuki's lewd actions, but he almost moans when the younger male begins to soothe the tender skin with his tongue, tracing and circling the irritated spot.

“Fuck, Tooru” Urie hisses, and Mutsuki can feel the words flow through him like honey, golden and warm.

“Hm?” he hums innocently, suddenly not trusting his voice completely.

“´s my turn” Urie murmurs, and who is Mutsuki to turn down such a sweet offer.

Gently pushed down on the bed again by Urie, Mutsuki stretches out languidly. Soon he feels Urie's hot breath on his neck, followed by a series of kisses on his collarbone. And even though Urie's lips are merely ghosting over his skin, he can feel it getting hot under the touch of the other male., sending shocks of energy through his nerves. Seemingly pleased with Tooru's reaction, Urie begins to travel upwards, caressing his jawline and finally his ear. At this, a small mewl escapes Mutsuki's lips, his eyes fluttering shut. Bathing in the sensation, small gasps escaping his lips, he can feel a familiar warmth begin to pool in his stomach. Too many clothes on, he thinks, but before he can act upon this new thought, Urie's warm lips leave his body, leaving a very hot, bothered and confused Mutsuki.

Opening his eyes, he sees that Urie has raised a finger to his lips in a “quiet” motion. And indeed, Mutsuki can hear the sound of steps outside the door, shuffling to the bathroom.

With a quiet sigh, Urie lifts himself up, the comfortable warmth of his body already dissipating from Mutsuki's.

“We should probably go to bed” Urie whispers, and Mutsuki is sure that he is not imagining the hint of disappointment in his voice. Equally disappointed, he slips under the covers of the bed, which are delightfully warm. Appeased he snuggles into the pillows. Afterwards, Mutsuki looks down to Urie, who has now settled onto his mattress himself.

“Good night” he whispers, a small smile appearing on his face.

“Sleep well Tooru” Urie answers.

A sobbing cry, which pierces Urie's dreams like a sharp dagger, immediately jolts him awake. For the first few seconds he is disoriented, confused. Then his mind is sent into overdrive when he realizes that someone in his room is making these noises; a choked sob, which sounds like someone is crying into a pillow. Urie's adrenaline levels rise even further when he, in his sleepy state, realizes that It's not just someone sobbing, it is Mutsuki!

His eyes still half lidded from sleepiness, Urie stands up from his mattress, instead sitting down on the bed. Chocked sobbing continues to rise from the bunched-up blankets and pillows on his bed, and Urie can feel every cry piercing his chest like a dull dagger. Gently he raises his hand, making out Mutsuki's shoulder in the mess of blankets, pillows and extremity’s. Slowly he begins caressing it, with light touches, careful not to put too much pressure on him.
“It's alright, you’re safe now” he whispers, and much to Urie's relief, Mutsuki's sobbing slowly begins to subside. His breathing returns into a normal Rhythm, and Urie can feel the muscles of Mutsuki's shoulder going lax again. Continuing his admissions, he silently waits, allowing Tooru the time to collect his thoughts. After a while, the green haired male clears his throat, turning around so Urie can look at his face.

“Sorry I woke you up” he whispers, voice hoarse from crying.

“Not a problem” Urie answers immediately. “Would you like to talk about it?

Tooru is silent for a moment, then slowly he shakes his head. “Could you just hold me?” he asks instead.

“Sure” Urie says, slowly setting down next to him. Immediately, Mutsuki begins to snuggle into him, his back pressing into Uries chest. Slowly, Urie pulls the blanket above them, trying to be as nonchalant about it as possible. Still, it's a miracle, he thinks, that Tooru doesn’t feel his heartbeat, which is hammering in his chest. But whereas Urie has no idea how he is going to find any sleep this close to Mutsuki, the smaller male's breathing has already slowed to a quiet, steady rhythm.

Slowly, Urie begins to settle himself into a comfortable situation. Having Tooru so close to him makes his heart jump in his chest, but he finds that the steady breathing, combined with the warmth and smell of Mutsuki begins to calm him down. Still, Urie waits several minutes, just to make sure, before he places a kiss to Toorus head.

Settling down onto the pillow, he closes his eyes, reminiscing about the day.

This definitely didn’t go as planned, he thinks, and he can feel a smile forming on his face. Not that he minds. This is far better than any plan or dream he had about their meeting.

Opening his eyes again, he takes a look at Mutsuki. The smaller male has turned in his sleep, his face now buried in Uries bare chest. His body is relaxed, stretched alongside Uries own, and he seems to sleep peacefully.

Lucky me, Urie thinks, still smiling.

Shutting his eyes again, he relaxes, sleep finally catching up to him as well.

Rays of sunshine fall through Urie's curtains, slowly waking the black-haired male from his slumber. Still half asleep, he turns to face the pillow, effectively blocking his eyes from the sun. Relishing in the comfortable heat under the blanket, which he doesn’t question in his drowsy state, he hums contently.

Then, something tickles his nose.

Strange.

Slowly, Urie opens his eyes, his mind set on investigating the occurrence, so he can go to sleep again.

The sight, which is presented to him, is unexpected to say the least. Mint green hair is sprawled out on his pillow, originating from the body of a human shaped lump, which Urie can make out under the blanket. For one moment, confusion takes over his mind, but then the memories from the day before flood back into his head.

Right, Tooru's here, he thinks.

Relaxing back into the pillows, Urie decides to enjoy their cuddling session for a little longer. After a moment however, his eyebrows scrunch together, when he realizes the dilemma, he is in.

Shit, this could get really awkward! Sleeping together in one bed had not been planned, it had merely happened due to Mutsuki´s very vulnerable state. Sure, last night had become pretty private anyway, but sleeping in one bed required a whole other level of trust-

What if he thinks I took advantage of this?

Urie's mind is racing once again. How is he supposed to solve this problem without seeming indecent; and how is he going to do it without waking Tooru up? Still pondering the problem, he doesn’t realize that the green haired male is already awake, looking at him with unhidden amusement.

“What are you worrying about so early in the morning?” Tooru asks finally, grinning about the shock which forms on Urie´s face the moment he starts to speak.

“Nothing” Urie answers immediately, inwardly slapping himself for answering the question way too fast to sound even remotely convincing.

“Sure, nothing” Mutsuki responds. With a small yawn, the green haired male pulls himself on top of Urie, his head laying down on his chest, looking up at the black-haired male with a small smile. Immediately, a blush begins to creep onto Urie's face, but he tries his best to seem as nonchalant as possible about Tooru's affection.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Tooru asks, real worry in his voice.

“Huh? No!” Urie answers. And after a short pause he adds: “I’m enjoying it, actually.”

“Cool” the green haired male mumbles. Closing his eyes again, hands loosely wrapped around Urie's Torso, he begins to doze off again.

Cute, Urie thinks. Letting himself relax, he decides to enjoy their lazy morning as well. The warmth and pressure of Tooru's body on his chest is too relaxing to get up anyway

In the end, it takes quite a while for them to get out of bed. It's already half past 11 when they finally descend downstairs to get some coffee. Hsiao is sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper, but the other Quinx are nowhere in sight.

“Good morning you two” Hsiao greets, barely looking up from her newspaper.

“Good morning” Urie replies, trying his best to seem as nonchalant as always. “Want some coffee?”

“Yes, please” Hsiao answers, still reading her newspaper. Venturing Into the kitchen, Urie immediately begins his work. While he sorts out three cups and prepares the coffee, Mutsuki is already beginning to make breakfast. A small wave of nostalgia hits Urie upon this sight. During the beginning of his time as a Quinx, Tooru had often assisted Haise with the cooking (Something he himself never bothered to learn or try). And although Urie remembers him to be quite talented, he is still surprised by how skilfully Tooru is cooking their breakfast, consisting of omelettes and sandwiches.

When the green haired male is finished with his preparations of the two breakfasts (Hsiao had kindly declined the offer) Urie has already set the table. Sitting down, both males begin to eat the deliciously prepared food. It's good, Urie finds, humming in delight from his first bite.

“Didn’t know you could cook so well” he says, turning to Tooru, who is currently sipping his coffee.

“It's nothing” Tooru answers, a small blush creeping on his face. Then, after a short pause, he adds quietly: “I just had a lot of time to practice. There isn’t much to do when you live alone”

Urie remains silent for a moment, not knowing what to say at Tooru's sudden confession. But just as he opens his mouth to say some encouraging words to his friend, his phone begins to ring in his pocket. Sending a confused look in Mutsuki's direction, mouthing a silent “sorry”, he answers it.

“Kuki Urie, TSC, how can I help you?”

The voice which answers him from the other end is kind and relaxed, “Hey Kuki, it's Ken. I hope I'm not interrupting.”

Slowly, Urie sets his sandwich down, his confusion only increasing.

“No, it’s alright.” He responds. “What is it?”

“Well…” Kaneki's calm voice sounds almost hesitant. “Touka told me that Tooru is back in Tokyo again, so I was wondering if you two would want to come over, drink some coffee and stuff. Tooru could meet Ichika, and we could thank him for the apples. Of course, only when he's comfortable with it”

“I can ask him.” Urie answers carefully.

“It's no pressure, really.” Kaneki adds. “Just come over if you want too, we would be happy to have you!”

“Sure” Urie says. “Bye”

With that, he ends the call, taking a deep breath to compose himself.

The offer has kind intentions, of that Urie is sure. Touka had even told him this before. Still, it's not without difficulty. Urie is well aware of Tooru's trouble, and his refusal to forgive himself. And a meeting like this has the potential to open old wounds, to stop or even reverse the progress they all have made. Still, it's not his decision to make, he decides.

“Who was it?” Tooru's voice is interrupting his train of thought.

“Ken” Urie answers, slowly. “He invited us over for coffee today.”

Urie can hear a sharp gasp for air from Mutsuki, followed by a moment of silence. When the younger male decides to speak, his voice is small, almost timid.

“I think it's a good idea. Only if you want too, of course”

“Okay, let's do it then” Urie says carefully, and although he doesn’t show it, he feels an enormous sense of pride and admiration for Mutsuki flowing through him.

Turning back to their breakfast, both males continue their meal quietly. Their peace, however, doesn’t last long.

“Good morning!!!!” Saiko's loud voice disrupts the undisturbed quietness of their breakfast. The blue haired girl is running down the stairs and, just like always, Urie wonders how they haven’t gotten any noise complaints yet.

“Good morning to you” Mutsuki answers hastily, almost chocking on his food. “Sorry, I only made breakfast for me and Kuki. But you can have the rest of mine if you want too”

“Don’t worry about that” Saiko says, although she eyes Mutsuki's omelette a bit too much to appear convincing.

“Muchaan, Kuki guess what we are doing today!” she continues, excitedly.

It’s somewhat adorable, Urie thinks, how she is standing there, looking up at Mutsuki and him, her arms proudly crossed before her chest.

“You're going to beat Bowsers final castle in Super Mario, while simultaneously eating ice cream and leading a twitter shitstorm against unethical working conditions at video-game company’s” Urie says, only a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Close, but not quite” Saiko answers, still looking up at them. Urie just shrugs in return, turning his attention to his food again.

“I have no idea, sorry” Tooru says, laughing sheepishly.

“We are doing our BIG Game Tournament today” Saiko screams. “Sooo, do you wanna play with us?” she adds, her voice filled with excitement.

“We're invited to Kaneki´s house, I'm sorry” Mutsuki says, looking a bit guilty. Saiko´s facial expression sours for a moment, but then lights up again.

“Don’t you worry Muchaan!” She says, although the glimmer in her eyes tells Urie that they, indeed, should start to worry. “Saiko has the perfect idea. Why don’t you come with us to Quinx night out tomorrow?”

Urie can’t help but groan. Quinx night out had been Saiko's first (and only) measure as deputy squad leader. “It’s a team building exercise” she had said, and in his infinite foolishness Urie had agreed.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Quinx night out was Saiko's perfect excuse to take the entire Quinx squad partying once a month. And the only thing Urie resented more than partying, was taking care of an entire squad of Quinx, which had drunk more than they could handle.

“Oh yeah, and bring that brute with you” Saiko adds teasingly. “It’s about time he learns how to have some fun”

“Well, I guess since I can’t join you today, tomorrow it is” Mutsuki muses, throwing Urie an apologetic look.

“Alright, Quinx night out tomorrow” she cheers, while Urie burrows his head in his hands.

It's already past noon, when Mutsuki and Urie finish their breakfast. With their afternoon plans made, they prepare to go out. After a moment of consideration, Tooru decides to take his eyepatch with him. Because even though the control over his Kakugan had steadily increased during his time as Quinx, there are still times it activates unwillingly.

Better play it safe today, he thinks, putting on the cool leather.

Leaving the house, both Tooru and Urie are pleasantly surprised by the almost summer-like weather. The warm spring-sun is heating up the air, and soon both of them take off their cloaks. Opting for walking, instead of driving, they begin to wander through Tokyo. And although they have a destination, neither of them seems to be in a hurry to reach it. Mutsuki buys them some coffee, and together they stroll through the streets, sipping their drinks, looking through store windows, or just taking in the scenery.

Mutsuki knows that he is stalling. With every step taken, the dread in his stomach continues to grow. And it’s probably only thanks to Urie holding his hand, that he has not yet turned around to run.

They invited me, he repeats silently, over and over, but it only seems to make matters worse.

Sure, he had hurt Urie, Saiko and his friends. Hell, he still can’t believe that he is here, with them.

But the pain he inflicted on Touka, on pregnant Touka and her unborn child, is something different entirely.

What am I going to say? How can I knock on their door, lock them in the eye, apologize? How can I even have the audacity to show up at their doorstep? Just because of some silly apples?

“You’re overthinking Tooru” Urie's stern voice rips him out of his thoughts. Squeezing his hand, the black-haired male sends him an encouraging smile. And although Tooru adores this smile, loves it even, he can feel his heart shatter in his chest.

Urie, Sensei, Touka; How many of them have I hurt? How could they forgive me? When will they realize that I don’t deserve forgiveness?

“Oi Tooru, snap out of it.” Contrary to his blunt words, Urie´s voice is soft.

“They wouldn’t have invited you, if they didn’t want to see you”

“Well, I suppose you’re right.” Mutsuki adds hesitantly.

They deserve an apology, he silently adds.

Still, he straightens his back a bit, his steps regaining a bit of his determination.

They find themselves in front of Kaneki's estate much sooner than Mutsuki would have expected. Following a gravel path through a wooden fence, they walk up to the, relatively large house. A small but neatly maintained garden surrounds the building, and Mutsuki can practically feel the life in the air around the estate. Taking a deep breath of the warm spring air, the couple walks up to the entrance, a large glass door, which features a small sign next to it.

Touka, Ken and Ichika Kaneki

“This is it, huh?” Mutsuki can hear the small trembling in his own voice, followed by a wave of self-hatred flowing through him.

You’re not here for yourself! Get yourself together! He thinks bitterly.

“This is it!” Urie answers, his voice calm and relaxed. Turning to Mutsuki, a small smile sets on the lips of the older male. Raising his hand, he seeks out Mutsuki's, intertwining their fingers. Then he leans forward, placing a gentle kiss on his Temple.

“I'm here with you” Urie whispers. “We go through this together!”

And with that, the black-haired male pulls back, turns, and knocks on the door.

Following Urie's stern knocks, life seems to come into the household. An adult-sized shadow moves to open the door, followed by a much smaller kid-sized shadow. Shortly after, the door is opened wide, presenting Kaneki and a much smaller child, clad in something that looks suspiciously like a (often worn) unicorn onesie.

“Hello Ken” Urie says smoothly.

“Hello Ichika” he adds, crouching down to offer the little girl (much to Tooru's confusion) a fist bump. Even more bizarrely, the girl which, based on Mutsuki's very small experience with kids, can barely be older than 2, shrieks with delight, fist bumping Urie with all the might she can muster.

“Hello Kuki, hello Tooru” Kaneki says, his kind signature smile on his face. “It’s been a while. Please, come in, Touka was just making coffee”.

Overwhelmed with the entire situation, Tooru doesn’t decline and lets himself be ushered inside. Following Urie and Kaneki through a hallway into what is seemingly the living room, he can’t help but feel trapped.

Everything in this house screams of life and family. Children’s toys are scattered on the floor, family and baby pictures are decorating the walls, and the warm smell of coffee is filling the air.

Every single fibre of Mutsuki's body screams to get out of this house, to run away before he can somehow ruin all of it again. But before he can come up with an excuse to leave, he is interrupted by a small tug on his pants.

Looking down, he finds a pair of blue eyes looking up at him.

“Pie-rat?” Ichika's voice is small and filled with wonder. “Pie-rat?” she repeats.

“Huh?” is all Mutsuki can bring out. His heart is beating rapidly, his body anchored in place.

What does she want from me?

The lack of his response makes Ichika's face scrunch up in thought. For a moment she seems to ponder, but then she beams, raising her hand to cover one of her eyes. “Pii-rat” She repeats. And suddenly, the meaning of her question begins to dawn on Mutsuki.

“Pirate?” he asks, his hand automatically moving to his eyepatch. Ichika begins to laugh, clapping her little hands while jumping up and down.

Is that a yes?

“Ichika, he just got here. Don’t immediately jump our guests” Kaneki says, his voice soft and filled with adoration for his daughter.

“Piiirat” she answers, still beaming with happiness. Kaneki just smiles in response, lifting his finger in a reproving manner. “Not a Pirate, Ichika. That’s Tooru” he corrects her. Turning to Tooru, he shrugs lightly, a sheepish expression on his face. “Sorry, I think we might have overdone it a bit with the reading time.”

“It's no problem” Tooru answers immediately. Then an idea rushes through his mind.

“You can try it, if you want” he says to Ichika, while pulling off his eyepatch. Crouching down, he presents it to her. At first, the young girl seems to be taken aback by the sudden attention, tacking a short look at her father. But Kaneki only smiles encouragingly, and soon Ichika steps before him, tentatively reaching for the leather in Toorus hand. Grabbing it with her small hands, she lifts it up, examining it with a curious look on her face. Then she carefully changes her grip to the sides, lowering the eyepatch on her own eye. And although the patch covers almost half of her cheek too, Ichika seems happy with the outcome. Growling in the best pirate interpretation she can, she looks up to Mutsuki, who can’t help but smile, his worries temporarily forgotten.

“Piirat” She repeats proudly.

“Yeah, you're a pirate alright” Urie says, crouching down next to Ichika and Tooru.

“Wait till she finds her sabre again” Kaneki responds, lowering himself as well. Seeing her father again, Ichika's attention begins to shift. Lowering the eyepatch again, she stretches her hand out to return it to Mutsuki. Carefully, he takes his eyepatch back, imitating Ichika's pirate growl from earlier and making the young girl giggle with delight.

“I see the children are playing again.” Turning around, Mutsuki makes out the source of the voice. Touka had entered the living room from the kitchen, a tablet of Coffee in her hand.

Upon hearing the voice of her mum, Ichika spins around, but the young girl seems to have underestimated her momentum, because she overturns and begins to lose her balance. Without thinking, Mutsuki extends his arm, stabilizing her before she can fall. It's a reflex on his part, but immediately he can feel the eyes of the others on him. Suddenly the room seems to be quiet, apart from a small shriek of Ichika, who still tries to catch her balance against Toorus hand.

Shit, of course I’m not allowed to touch their kid, he thinks. The familiar feeling of dread returns to his stomach and his mouth goes dry. Not knowing what to say, he slowly begins to look up. But instead of anger or shock, he only finds friendliness in the eyes of Touka and Kaneki.

“What do we say when someone helps you, Ichika?” Kaneki says, looking at the girl which is still leaning partially against Tooru's hand.

Ichika ponders the question for a moment, then regains her balance and turns around to face Mutsuki again.

“Thanx” she says, sending Mutsuki a small, happy grin. The green haired male can only nod, his mouth still too dry to form an answer.

“Well, I was looking forward for coffee, but you can of course rather play pirate and princess” Touka says teasingly, and with that, Tooru can feel the tension in the room dispersing.

“Sorry Ichika, coffee sounds just too good” Urie says, standing up. Nodding in agreement, Kaneki gets up as well, followed by Mutsuki.

Together they walk to the small coffee table in the living room. Ichika seems to have enough of adults for now, running away into another room.

Ushering her guests to sit down, Touka begins to place their coffee cups before them. But it's only when she puts Mutsuki's cup down before him that he notices the latte art she has put on top. A small rabbit is drawn on the foam, and Mutsuki can feel tears in the corner of his eyes.

Why do they do this for me?

Instinctively, his hand reaches out to Urie's, grabbing it tightly. But any surprise the black-haired male might feel, he keeps well hidden, only sending Mutsuki a small smile.

Clearing his throat, Mutsuki tries his best to collect himself.

“I…” Tooru's voice is hoarse and rough, but he forces himself to continue. “I came here to apologize.”

His voice is almost cracking, but Tooru knows that he needs to speak, that he needs to say this:

“Not because I want forgiveness, but because you deserve at least this much from me!” he adds.

Letting his gaze fall to the ground, Tooru slowly exhales.

“There is nothing to be forgiven Tooru! Not anymore” Touka's voice is stern, but not without softness. “My daughter is here today, save and unharmed. Nothing you did changed that. And therefore, I have made my peace with it”

Slowly, Tooru raises his gaze again, trying his best to hold back the tears which threaten to burst out of him.

“Now it’s up to you to make your peace” Touka adds.

“Thank you” Tooru's voice is small, barely a whisper. Touka only nods, a small smile forming on her face. A comfortable silence settles on the room, and even though Tooru can still feel their looks on him, he doesn’t mind them anymore.

It doesn´t take long for the silencer to be interrupted. With a loud “Mum look” Ichika steps into the room. It takes Mutsuki a moment to realize that Ichika, whose costume had been a dull gray, is now completely white, covered in flour from head to toe. Both he, Kaneki and Urie begin to laugh, while Touka swears under her breath and dashes away to get a pair of clean clothes for her daughter.

A few minutes later Ichika is sitting on Urie's lap, clad in a fresh new pair of clothes. Tooru is feeding her an apple, which Touka had brought from the kitchen, while Kaneki is gently combing the flour out of her hair, mumbling something that sounds suspiciously like “just like uncle hide”.

Afterwards, Ichika wants to play Pirate again, a wish neither he nor Urie can deny, when she looks up at them with her big, round eyes.

The next time Mutsuki looks at his watch, its already evening.  Kaneki invites them for dinner, an offer which he and Urie gratefully accept. Dinner is then followed by a reading session with Ichika, and before they know, night has already set on Tokyo.

It's already past midnight when the door of the Château slowly creaks open, letting Urie and Mutsuki slip inside. To Urie's surprise, Saiko is still sitting downstairs, playing Mario cart, a sleeping Hsiao on her lap. Waving her a tired greeting, they turn down her whispered offer to join in, bidding her goodnight instead.

Venturing upstairs, Urie follows Tooru into his room. Taking his sleepwear out, he decides that he is too tired to care about the lack of privacy. When he begins to strip off his shirt and pants, he finds that Mutsuki has apparently come to the same conclusion: the younger male is changing as well, and it takes Urie a lot of willpower to look at anything else than Tooru.

Afterwards, they sneak into the bath, brushing their teeth in comfortable silence. Even then, Mutsuki's routine is disrupted by a series of yawns.

Going back to his room, grinning over Saiko's gaming sounds downstairs, Urie and Tooru slip under the covers. Immediately, Tooru snuggles into his chest, sending a tantalizing but tired smile at him. Placing a small kiss on his forehead, Urie wishes him goodnight, and only moments later, the green-haired male is fast asleep. Urie's eyes begin to flutter shut too; the warmth of Tooru next to him lulling him into sleep. And so, the pair falls asleep, the spare mattress on the floor long forgotten.

Chapter Text

The next day begins just as peaceful as the last one ended. Urie wakes up with a small, but not uncomfortable, weight on his chest. Opening his eyes, he finds that Mutsuki has put his head on his chest; his eyes are still closed, but a warm smile is present on his face.

“Good morning” Urie mumbles, sleepily.

“Hmmm, good indeed” Tooru hums back, sneaking into Urie’s arms, now that the taller male is awake as well.

Chuckling deeply, Urie makes himself comfortable, allowing the green haired male into his embrace.

Could do this every day, he thinks, and his heart skips a beat. It’s a nice thought, he knows, but not one he is ready to realistically entertain just yet.

“You want breakfast?” Tooru's asks, interrupting his thoughts.

“Wouldn’t mind” Urie replies, lifting himself and Tooru in an upward position.

Chuckling, they tumble out of bed, taking their time to get ready before they walk down into the kitchen.

They are the first ones awake they find, so Urie takes his time with making breakfast. Together the two prepare pancakes, and it's weirdly comforting how fast they fall back into their rhythm from their shared times with the Quinx.

Their relaxed morning is followed by an equally relaxed afternoon. One by one, the Quinx enter from their respective rooms, getting breakfast and settling down in the living room. Urie and Mutsuki opt for activities outside, going for a small walk and afterwards playing a board game tournament.

But their relaxed afternoon comes to a sudden end, when Saiko enters the kitchen, where Urie and Mutsuki have built up their chess board. Urie doesn’t notice her at first, to concentrated on the precarious situation of his Queen.

“I have an announcement to make” Saiko states, positioning herself next to the chess board. “Would you please follow me into the living room?”

“Not now” Urie states bluntly, carefully manoeuvring his queen out of harm’s way.

“Well actually…” Tooru's voice trails off while he pushes his bishop through the newly opened position of Urie's queen onto a tile much closer to his King. “…Checkmate”

What? Impossible!

“How fitting” Saiko quirks, emitting a groan from Urie. “Now you can listen to my announcement”

“Wait” Urie states, still confused from his sudden defeat. “I want to check this out”

But “checking things out” doesn’t bring the outcome Urie wants. Somehow, he is, indeed, checkmate.

Realizing that resistance is futile, Urie hoists himself up, following Mutsuki who already ventures into the living room. Saiko has already gone ahead, gathering the other Quinx. Sprawling out on the couches, beanbags, or in Mutsuki's case, cross-legged on the floor, they await Saiko's briefing. Urie himself settles on the chair; the ritual already familiar to him.

"Dear fellow Quinx " Saiko's voice is dripping with barely hidden excitement.

"I am very pleased to announce the 9th Quinx night out!"

Followed by an overly dramatic pause, she continues.

"As a reminder, Quinx night out is a very serious team building event, meant to deepen our squad relationship and therefore increase our effectiveness!" she says, while throwing an innocent look to Urie, who in turn just raises his eyebrows in silent judgment.

"Today’s event is a professional get-together..." at this point she pauses again, because the younger Quinx are breaking out in a fit of giggles.

After the laughter has subsided, she raises her voice again "...as I said, today’s event is a professional get-together in the clubs of downtown Tokyo. But before we get to the fun part of this night, I have to remind you that, although of duty, we still represent our branch. So, we will have to look, and behave, our best"

At that, the Quinx begin to applause and cheer, apart from Urie who remains as passive as he can, even though he can’t stop the faintest smile of sneaking on his face.

Saiko bows extravagantly before her audience, then puts up a serious expression again:

“So, it begins” she exclaims, her voice comically deepened and, judging by the snorts and chuckles which her impression emits from the gathered Quinx, Urie concludes that he must have just missed another one of her silly Pop-Culture references.

Sighing, he stands up. Knowing her routine, he hands over his phone to Saiko, who immediately begins to play her music over the Chateaus speakers.

And, contrary to his own expectation, Urie finds that it isn’t so bad. The Quinx’s seem excited, Tooru is smiling, and even Saiko's dreaded music is, surprisingly, bearable.

Fine...this might not be horrible afterall.

Apparently, the dressing up before Quinx night out is also part of the teambuilding event, Mutsuki learns.
Currently, Saiko is applying dark eye shadow around his eyes. And although Make-up isn’t something that Tooru usually considers comfortable for himself, he finds that today he doesn’t mind it too much: especially considering the big smile it puts on Saiko’s face. After the, in his opinion almost gothlike, make-up is applied, she tasks him with choosing his outfit for the evening. A task which shouldn’t have been difficult, considering that Mutsuki's small travel case didn’t pack much except his standard business attire.

So much for the theory.

Because Saiko has different plans. And so, Tooru finds himself in her room, trying on suits, dresses and pant suits from different Quinx members which Saiko had deemed to be “about the same size”.

In the end, Mutsuki settles for one of Hsiao's black pant-suits, paired with a bit of jewellery from Saiko (She had assured him, he looked “metal as hell”). And although Mutsuki doesn’t know about that, he can’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction when he catches Urie checking him out from the couch, a small blush adorning his cheeks.

Soon however, the tables turn, when Urie walks out of his room, dressed in a white dress shirt paired with a black suit vest. Now it is Tooru’s turn to check him out, although he is sure that he does so much more discreetly.

With the dressing up done, Saiko ushers them eagerly outside into the Quinx's car. With Tooru as special guest, it gets a bit cramped, but the Quinx's are way too excited to care about that. Driving into downtown Tokyo is surprisingly fun, with the Quinx eagerly taking turns to tell stories about their past night-out events. Soon Tooru and the others are shaking with laughter, and even Urie joins in when Hsiao talks about Saiko's first (and last) rap battle.

It doesn’t take long for them to reach their destination. The club entrance, illuminated by neon lights, is already filled with people waiting to be let in, and Tooru can feel a hint of nervousness in his stomach. Still, the giggling excitement of the surrounding Quinx, and Urie's quiet but steady presence make it more than bearable for him, he finds. They step into the line, slowly making their way to the entrance, which is guarded by two large and intimidating bouncers. Faint music sounds out of the club doors, that are opened time and time again to let in the guests.

Soon it is their turn, and although Mutsuki is still a bit nervous, the group seems to get past the bouncers quite easily. Some of the younger Quinx must show their ID, but when it's Urie's and his turn, the bouncers just nod and wave them through.

With their group checked, the bouncer opens the door, and the music, which had faintly played before, hits Urie with full force. Flickering lights and lasers light up the grand room, which is already filled with several hundred guests. Saiko screeches with excitement, running off with Hsiao, while Toma, Suzu and Ryuusen immediately depart to the main lounging area, where they seem to recognize some old friends. This leaves only Urie himself and Mutsuki, who are still standing awkwardly in the entrance.

“You want something to drink?” Tooru asks, almost shouting over the music.

“Sure” Urie replies, thankful for Mutsuki's Initiative. Together, they venture over to one of the smaller lounging areas in one of the corners of the grand room.

After settling down on one of the smaller tables, Tooru snatches the drink menu.

“First drinks on me” he says, not looking up from the menu. “What do you want?”

“Nothing with alcohol please” Urie replies. “Something cold would be nice tho” he adds, fanning a bit of air with his handkerchief.

“That can be arranged” Tooru replies, standing up. And before Urie can offer to accompany him, Mutsuki has already vanished into thin air.

Settling back comfortably in his lounge chair, Urie lets his gaze wander. His first look falls onto the dancefloor. The large surface is illuminated by seemingly thousands of differently coloured lights, and Urie immediately feels a bit nauseous. Next to the Dancefloor, he spots the younger Quinx who seem to also have found the bar already, judging by the first pair of empty shot glasses next to them.

“It’s quite overwhelming, isn’t it?” Tooru whispers, directly into his ear, and it takes Urie every bit of willpower to not visibly wince.

“You scared me” he answers, his voice jokingly laced with accusation. “Such a bad boy”

Mutsuki only giggles in return, setting down two glasses in front of them before sitting down on the opposite end of their small lounge table.

“I asked for lemonade shots, but the barkeeper looked so shocked that I opted for whole glasses instead” he explains.

“Thank you” Urie replies, “although you don’t have to share my non-alcoholic tendencies, you know?”

“Oh, I know” the younger male replies. “But this night promises to be fun and I don’t want to miss all of it just because I can’t hold my liquor” he adds, a teasing grin on his face.

Urie only nods, blood already creeping up his neck. To distract himself, he grabs the lemonade, which has already formed small droplets of water on the glass due to the heat.

“Cheers to you” he proposes and raises his glass. Tooru does so as well, pushing their glasses together with a satisfying clink. Then they drink.

When Tooru lowers his glass again, he starts to look around the club. The dancefloor, which had been mostly empty when they stepped into the club, has now filled with the first couples. Some dance in pairs, others alone, but every single one of them seems to call out to him.

“I want to dance” he says, without thinking.

“Well then dance” Urie replies, blunt as ever.

“I need a partner, so do you want?”

“You’re not serious, are you?” Urie asks, his voice suddenly high-pitched.

“I really want to!” Tooru says again, pulling his gaze away from the dancefloor and back to Urie who looks at him with an emotion that Tooru can only describe as shock.

“You don’t?” he adds, confused.

It takes unusually long for Urie to reply, and when he does, it in an almost sheepish tone of voice.

“I don’t dance” he mumbles.

“Oh…alright?” Mutsuki says, not quite able to hide his disappointment, “Well, it’s not a big deal. Do you want another drink?” he asks, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

But Urie doesn’t answer. Instead, he seems to switch through many emotions at once, his face strangely inexpressive. Then, suddenly, he stands up, walking over to Tooru's side of the table.

“Do you want a dance with me?” he asks, extending his hand in invitation.

Mutsuki's heart makes a small flip in his chest.

“Yes please” he answers, taking the offered hand.

 Together they walk over to the dancefloor. And although Urie seems to be somewhat repulsed by it, he doesn’t say a word, leading them through the crowd instead.

As soon as they step onto the dancefloor, Tooru's heartbeat picks up. After listening to the music for a moment, which is catchy but not too fancy, he opens his arms in silent invitation. Urie, to his surprise and absolute delight, immediately assumes the correct dancing position.

“Ill lead” Tooru whispers, slowly swaying to the rhythm of the music. Urie follows him without missing a beat, mirroring his every step, his face neutral, except for a small spark in his eye.

And although the body of the black-haired male is a tad too stiff, his moves lacking the relaxed elegance of an accustomed dancer, Tooru is sure that he has never had a better dance before. Urie's stance is strong, his steps confident and secure. Soon he begins to take the lead, twirling the green-haired male around, a move which makes Tooru quietly scream with joy.

When the music ends, neither of them seems to have enough. The next song is quicker, and although their initial moves are a bit awkward, they soon find their rhythm again. Tooru can barely stop grinning, his moves boisterous and joyful. And even though the club is brimming with voices and other noise, the only thing Mutsuki can hear is the music and the small humming along of Kuki, whose eyes are burning with a fire that Tooru has not seen yet.

And so, it’s no wonder that one song follows the other; and when Mutsuki and Urie finally leave the Dancefloor to head to the bar, they’re both panting from exhaustion. Dancing, although fun, is a lot more exhausting than it looks, Tooru concludes.

The bar, a welcome oasis inside the raging storm of excitement, is lit with smooth, orange light. Bottles of exotic liquor are lined up on the oak shelves behind the table, advertised with elegant labels that he has never seen before.

Sitting down on the bar stools, Urie hands him the menu, which Tooru excitedly takes. Reading through the fancy sounding cocktails is fun, but he has to admit that he has no idea what exactly it is that he is looking for.

"They’re all sounding so extra, how am I supposed to pick one" he laments, cheekiness laced in his voice. "I have never even tried cocktails before"

"The Vanity is good" Urie says, his even voice almost drowned out by the noise that surrounds them.

Tooru throws him a slightly confused look: "How do you know, I thought you don’t drink" he asks.

"Not often" Urie corrects. "Definitely not when I have to babysit" he adds, a statement which makes Mutsuki chuckle.

"Well, I suppose ill follow your advice then" Tooru replies, signalling for the barkeeper.

After ordering his cocktail, he takes a look around. Saiko and Hsiao are currently rocking the karaoke corner, and even over the deafening noise of the dancefloor music, Tooru can hear their voices quite clearly. A fond smile sneaks on his face.

A smile which transforms into a wide grin when he finds the other Quinx  in the crowd. Touma and Suzu, who have clearly had too many shots, are loudly partaking in a drinking contest with a duo of, equally excited, strangers. Barely stifling his laughter, he taps on Urie's shoulder, directing his attention to the young duo.

"Seems like they're having fun" Tooru chuckles, a statement which is met by a groan from Urie, and a silent "not again".

Following Mutsuki's confused look, he explains:

"Last time they got high and kicked out by bouncers, and we had to leave early. Saiko didn’t speak to them for an entire week."

And already standing up, he adds: "I’ll have a word with them"

While Urie walks over to the younger Quinx, Tooru's gaze follows him, trailing over his tall body, which is nicely accentuated by his vest and button up. Blushing, Mutsuki takes another sip from his drink, which is, indeed, very good.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he relaxes. Taking in the loud techno music, Saiko's and Hsiao's faint singing and the lingering taste of his cocktail, he can feel a strange feeling of content and peace wash over him, even though his surroundings are far from peaceful.

But soon, that peace is disturbed.

"What does a pretty boy like you do all alone in a club like this?" 

The voice rips Tooru out of his thoughts.

Opening his eyes, he finds that a man has sledded onto the bar stool next to him. He is tall, although not as tall as Urie, and the bangs of his ginger hair are hanging in his face.

"Huh?" Mutsuki says, too confused to immediately come up with a satisfying response.

"Let me rephrase that" the man says, inching closer to Tooru who, in turn, raises his eyebrows.

"Am I allowed to buy you a drink?"

"Look" Mutsuki answers, slowly shaking himself out of his confusion, "I’m flattered, but I'm actually not..."

But the ginger haired man has already turned to the bartender, ordering a drink that Tooru doesn’t recognize.

Dickhead!

After ordering, the ginger redirects his attention to Mutsuki again, throwing him a friendly, albeit very long look, which seems to itch on Tooru's skin somehow.

"Your hair is beautiful" the man begins again, his gaze still lingering on him. "What’s your name?"

"Mutsuki" Tooru says, trying to sound as court as possible. "Look, Mr. I’m actually in company tonight, sooo..." he trails off.

"What company would leave a beautiful boy like you alone in a place like this" the man replies, his voice flirtatious. "I, for my part, would treat you soooo much better..."

But before Tooru can come up with an answer, before he can decline any offer that the man is about to make, he feels a familiar pair of arms sneak around his waist, pulling him gently against the person behind him.

"Look, he is just not interested."

Urie's voice is deep, and Tooru can feel the vibrations of it flowing through his body.

Looking up, the ginger seems rather unimpressed.

 "And who are you?" he asks, his tone gradually losing the flirtatious tone from earlier. "I’m sure Mutsuki here can speak for himself, you’re not his boyfriend"

"Oh, I’m the boyfriend alright" Urie answers, court, and without any hesitation. "And I'm not sharing. So let me tell you again, he is not interested."

The man huffs angrily, but before Tooru can say something to resolve the building tension, he can feel Urie's hand wander up to his chin, turning his head with gentle force. And before he can wonder what this is all about, he feels Kuki's lips pressing smoothly on his own. Melting into the kiss, Tooru's mind goes blank. It’s a wonderful moment, and a fantastic kiss, but soon Urie pulls back and Mutsuki is brought back into reality.

"Any questions left?" Urie's voice is still even and calm, but a challenging tone has woven into it.

"Nah, you can keep your boyfriend" The man replies, standing up while sending another dirty look in their direction.

Mutsuki, for his part, couldn’t care less. His mind is still rebooting, and a familiar warmth is spreading in his lower stomach.

After a few moments have passed, Urie gently loosens his grip around Tooru's waist, and settles down next to him. Tooru looks at him in awe, but Urie doesn’t seem to notice. He is looking down on the bar table, ears red.

"Sorry, I didn’t want to overstep, it just.... happened" he says, so quietly that Tooru barely hears him.

And after another a moment he adds:

"...I know you don’t need my help for stuff like this…"

It takes Tooru a moment to realize what Urie is saying, but when he does, he finds it difficult not to laugh.

"Are you kidding me?" he asks, a statement which is met with a confused look from the taller male.

"That was soo fucking hot" he purrs, leaning over onto Kuki's shoulder.

“Really?” he answers, his voice still not quite composed.

"Didn’t know you could be so... dominant" Mutsuki whispers in his ear, taking special satisfaction in the small goosebumps that form on Urie's neck.

"Didn’t know either" Urie replies, his normally even voice slightly wavering.

“But I think could repeat it” he adds, and now it’s Mutsuki's turn to blush, although he doesn’t look away this time. Instead, he answers, with all the confidence he can muster:

“I might take you up on the offer!”

“Then I will happily try again”

Urie's statement makes them both chuckle, the tension from earlier dissipating by the moment. Tooru quickly finishes his drink, and, with a bit of convincing and a couple of kisses, makes his way to the dancefloor again, followed by Kuki, who seems to be much more relaxed this time around.

Now that they have found their rhythm, dancing gets much easier. Urie's confidence is now much more obvious, his steps are much more self assured, and he frequently twirls and turns Tooru around. It's perfect Mutsuki thinks and grinning he twirls again.

Urie doesn’t know what time it is, when he and Tooru practically pull a drunk Saiko from the Karaoke corner. It’s a difficult task, not only because Saiko is a bit heavier than her height would suggest, but also because she seems to get quite handsy with Hsiao when drunk.

After they have gathered the other Quinx they leave the club, slowly stumbling to the car. Mutsuki is a big help, although he too is swaying a bit from exhaustion and alcohol.

Urie settles them into the vehicle one by one, patiently listening to their giggling and slurred talks. It’s not the first time he is doing this, and although it usually annoys him a bit, he can’t find it in himself to be mad tonight. Not with Tooru here, who seems to still be basking in the afterglow of their intense dance session.

When the Quinx are all sitting in their seats, Urie starts the car, slowly driving the way back to the Château. This time the car ride is much less noisy, with most of the Quinx finally giving into exhaustion. Only Tooru quietly hums with the radio, a smile still present on his face.

It’s when they arrive at the home, that the real trouble starts. Suzu is barely through the door, when he breaks out into a sprint to the nearest bathroom to vomit up the dozens of shots from earlier. Hsiao and Saiko, who are apparently unfazed by anything happening around them, are ogling each other with something that Urie can only describe as fuck me looks, and he is more than glad that the two seem to find their way upstairs themselves. Still, when Ryuusen walks into the living room, looking as pale as a ghost, he knows that his night is far from over.

Toma is the final of the Quinx who is hoisted onto his bed by Urie. The young Quinx has barely touched the mattress before his body goes limp, a slight snore emitting from his mouth.

“Children” Urie mutters, but not without fondness in his voice. With a slight groan, he straightens himself, leaving the room and quietly closing the door behind him.

“That was the last of them” he whispers into the dark hallway, where he expects Mutsuki to be somewhere.

Not even a moment later, said green haired male crashes into him, driving him against the wall. Urie's gasp is immediately silenced by the lips that he feels on his neck and lower jaw. Soon he melts into Mutsuki's not-so gentle assault, his mind beginning to grow foggy.

“Not… here” he manages to press out between his teeth, his voice already trembling from anticipation.

Mutsuki doesn’t answer, instead clawing his fists into the fabric of Urie's shirt. Kissing him deeply, the smaller male begins to tumble backwards, roughly in the direction of Urie's room. And it’s a good thing, Urie figures, that everyone except them is blackout drunk. Because somehow, they end up crashing against the next wall, already fumbling with buttons and fabric, despite the rather public setting. And it’s nice, it’s really nice, he thinks, when he feels Mutsuki’s hands on his shoulders, chest and hips.

Still, Urie likes to think of himself as responsible: Sliding his hands down on Tooru’s back, he lifts the younger male off the ground. A surprised gasp of the green-haired male turns into a quiet moan when Urie uses the new position to pepper his jawline with kisses. Wrapping his legs around his waist, Tooru secures himself and the pair makes their way to the bedroom. It’s not an easy way, with both of them too occupied to watch where they are going, but they get there eventually. After closing the door with a small kick behind them, Urie takes the last steps to his bed, gently lowering the younger male on the mattress.

And it’s a beautiful sight he is presented with. Mutsuki's skin is flushed, his breathing a tiny bit shallow. The partially unbuttoned shirt reveals the slightly paler skin of his lower neck, and even the white fabric of his binder. The specs of light and reflections in his sapphire eyes are almost glowing  in the relative darkness of the room...

“You’re starring” Mutsuki whispers, and although his voice is teasing, Urie can hear a tiny bit of insecurity out of it.

“You’re beautiful” he answers, lowering himself so that he hovers over the green haired male. Gently, he presses his lips onto him, and they sink into another kiss. But Urie has different plans. Slowly, his lips begin to travel from Tooru's lips down to his jawline and then to his neck. The short gasps that leave the younger male’s mouth in response are music to Urie's ears, and with growing confidence he begins to suck and bite on Tooru's skin, leaving small marks as he travels further south.

“You’re okay with this?” he whispers.

Mutsuki's answer is a distracted hum, a sound that immediately sends the blood rushing into Kuki's lower regions. But, for now at least, the older male’s attention is focussed on Tooru entirely. Continuing with his admissions, he begins to steadily make his way downwards, switching between kisses and gentle sucking on Mutsuki's skin. But when he reaches his binder, he halts, suddenly unsure what to do.

“Take it off” Mutsuki's voice is small, a bit shy, but determined, nonetheless. A rush of adoration flows through Urie, as he gently unwraps the white piece of cloth around the smaller man’s chest.
When the white fabric finally begins to slide off, Tooru's body goes stiff, and he closes his eyes.

Carefully, Urie presses a kiss on the smaller male’s lips.

“You’re beautiful just how you are” he whispers.

And although it sounds somewhat (very) corny in his opinion, Urie means every word of it. Because Mutsuki is simply stunning. His mint green hair is beautifully sprawled out on the white bedsheets, his olive skin is slightly flushed, and his naked chest is heaving with flat but steady breaths.

And even though Urie cringes at his clumsy choice of words, they seem to have a calming effect. Tooru relaxes again, opening his eyes and looking up at him with a look that seems to be a mix between adoration and hunger. But it's only when he slowly nods his head that Urie continues, peppering kisses on Mutsuki's now exposed chest, working his way to the small, hard buds. Somewhat unsure how to proceed, he begins to kiss them, interrupting his rhythm with gentle sucking and teasing. Soon, however, his doubts dissipate when Tooru's breath begins to go faster, small moans and needy hums escaping his throat. And it really turns him on, tempting him to proceed, but he wants to take his time, wants to worship every piece of Mutsuki's body like he deserves it. So he continues, sporadically grazing Tooru's nipples with his teeth, taking satisfaction out of the lewd sounds that the younger male emits. And although Urie can feel the familiar sensation of blood rushing downwards, can feel the hardness in his pants, he doesn’t mind taking his time. Not when he can elicit such sweet sounds from the man under him.

But no sound can compare to the stuttering “please” Tooru whispers after Urie begins to divide his attention between both of Tooru's small tits, fondling and teasing them simultaneously. Then he feels Mutsuki's hands on him, clumsily searching for the buttons of his own dress shirt.

“Wanna see you too” the younger male whines, and who is Urie to deny such a request.

Opening the buttons of his shirt with one of his hands, he continues his admissions, determined to make Tooru feel as good as possible. And judging by his reactions, he seems to be successful. The younger male squirms under him, his hands slipping repeatedly off the buttons of Urie's shirt. When he finally opens the last one, the younger male loses no time before sliding it off, leaving Urie only in his trousers.

Now that Mutsuki's hands are free again, Urie can feel them exploring his body. He caresses his shoulders, upper torso and eventually sneaks into his undercut, raking his hands through the long bangs of Urie's hair, a part that is surprisingly sensitive. But all these sensations fade away, when Tooru tucks his hair, gently guiding Urie's head further down in an unspoken plea. One, Urie is very willing to follow.

Slowly he wanders downwards, sucking and kissing the delicate, olive coloured skin of Mutsuki who is still squirming under him, fingers running through Urie's undercut. I's only when he reaches the waistband of Tooru's trousers that he stops, looking up for confirmation.

Mutsuki meets his gaze,  sapphire eyes are burning with intense fire, answering Urie's silent question with a frantic nod…Which is all the motivation Kuki needs. Quickly, his fingers reach for the bands of his trousers, untying the last knots. When he eventually pulls them down, the younger male only hums excitedly.

Discarding the trousers, Urie settles down between Tooru's thighs. It’s almost unreal, he thinks, too good to be true. Latching his lips onto Tooru's lower thigh, he gently sucks and bites his way upwards, teasing the green haired male just right to elicit those sweet sounds from him that Urie loves so much. Still, he slowly makes his way upwards, his fingers drawing relaxing circles on his lover’s hips. And when Tooru's lewd sounds hadn’t made him hard already, they would surely do so now.

Finally, he reaches the younger males core, which is now only concealed by a small piece of lace fabric, that seems to be already wet from his earlier admissions. Carefully, he presses his lips against the wet fabric, giving it a tentative lick with his tongue.

A gasp falls from Tooru's mouth, and the hands of the green haired male pull almost painfully on Urie's bangs. It’s a sweet noise, addicting even, and Urie doesn’t take long before he tries again, this time licking along the folds that he can make out through the thin piece of clothing. Mutuski's breath hitches and he whimpers quietly.

“Pull it off” he whispers breathless, and Urie complies without hesitation, pulling the lace of Tooru's legs in one fluid movement.

The sight he is presented with is beautiful. His core is already glistening with wetness, his clit slightly swollen. Moving past his lips, Urie's tongue begins to trace around Mutsuki's clit, teasing and testing him. Tooru, who seems currently too lost in the sensation to talk, just tugs desperately on Urie's hair, small moans escaping his mouth. And even though he loves to see him so desperate, Kuki is by no means a cruel person. Gently his tongue begins to circle that tight bundle of nerves, slowly first, but soon increasing in pressure.

At that, Tooru cries out, his hands gripping hard into Urie's hair. But the black-haired male only takes this as encouragement, slightly increasing pace and pressure of his tongue.

“Don’t stop” Tooru whines, a plea that Urie answers with a hum only, his mouth too occupied at the moment. Pulling up his hands, he begins to caress the younger males thighs, tracing his fingers over the delicious flesh. Tooru's moans get louder, even hotter, and are only partially smothered by the pillow that the green haired male burrows his head in. His thighs begin to tremble under Urie's touch, and he rolls his hips up against the taller males lips, a pathetic noise slipping out from his mouth.

“Fuck…please” he whispers, his voice hoarse, but Urie only hums in acknowledgement, keeping up his pace at Tooru's clit. Then the green haired males body begins to tense against his lips, a sweet sound falling from his mouth as he comes undone. His thighs begin to shake, but Urie holds onto them the whole way through, kissing Tooru's clit until his legs stop shaking.

It's only when Mutsuki gently guides Urie's head away, that he stops. Settling back on his knees, his face glistening with Tooru's wetness, he looks up at the younger male.

Tooru's face is flushed, his hair dishevelled, and his torso is heaving with quick breaths.

Divine, Urie thinks, his heart fluttering in his chest.

“That was…wow” Mutsuki says, still a bit out of breath.

“Aim to please” Urie answers cheekily, but not without fondness in his voice.

Letting out a slight huff of laughter, Tooru lifts himself up until he sits before Urie, who is still resting on his knees. The younger male’s eyes flutter shot, as he presses a gentle, but not quite innocent kiss on his still wet face.

“Let's go for round two” he whispers, and Urie can feel those words like electricity, as they shoot through his body.

“We don’t have too” he answers honestly, ignoring the almost painful hardness of his cock in his pants.

“I know…But I want too” Mutsuki replies, his gaze lowering to the painful erection in Urie's pants.

“May I get this out of the way?” he asks, his fingers already sneaking onto the waistband of Urie's jeans.

Urie's throat is suddenly too dry to answer, so all he does is nod instead. Picking up on the gesture, Tooru looses no time. Quickly opening the belt, he pushes down Urie's trousers, leaving the older male in just his briefs. It's a bit embarrassing, Urie finds, but before he can say anything, he feels Tooru's hand on his hard cock and his mind goes blank. Tooru, who seems to have gauged the reaction, gives him an experimental rub, and it takes all of Urie's willpower to swallow the loud moan that is forming in his throat.

“Fuck” he whispers, his eyes fluttering shut. Mutsuki chuckles:

“Cute” he hums, and before Urie can think of an answer, the green haired male has hooked his fingers in the waistband of his briefs, pulling them down his thighs in one fluid motion.

His eyes fly open in shock and Urie  is met by Tooru's gaze which has somehow gotten darker, hungrier even. It’s a sight to behold, and without thinking, he leans in, pressing his lips onto Tooru's. Opening his mouth, he slides his tongue inside the younger males mouth, who in return just gasps between their lips. Resting his hands just below Mutsuki's hips, Urie pulls him closer, until there is barely any space between them.

But then he can feel Tooru's hand sliding between them, gripping and slowly pumping his cock, and he can’t help but moan in between their lips. A slight smirk tugs on Mutsuki's lips, but he continues to kiss Urie, nibbling on his lower lip. When he finally pulls away, his eyes are dark with lust.

“I want you to fuck me” he whispers, his voice hoarse, and Urie thinks that he might just combust right here. Simply nodding in response, he lowers Mutsuki down on the bed again, while peppering kisses around his naked torso.

“Spread your legs a little for me” he says, his voice low.

The younger male complies, opening his thighs, which are still glistening with wetness. Lowering his hand, the black-haired male begins to trace around the entrance of Mutsuki's cunt, emitting small gasps from him.

Soon he pushes his first finger inside, digit by digit, to not hurt the green-haired male under him. A worry which seems to be unfounded, when Tooru pushes back against him, crying out in pleasure when Urie's finger enters him. Slowly, Urie begins to move, fucking him gently with his first finger. But when the younger male pulls him down for a sloppy kiss, whispering a silent “more” between their heated kisses, Urie forgets his initial gentleness. Adding a second finger, he begins to increase his pace, relishing in the sweet sounds that fall from Mutsuki's lips.

It's when he adds the third finger, that things get truly heated. Mutsuki outright screams with pleasure, only partially muffled by the pillow that he presses his face in. It's a delicious picture, and Urie does his best to savour it, sucking and kissing Tooru's neck and torso while he fucks him with his fingers.

“I want you inside me!” Tooru's voice is hoarse from his screams of pleasure, but nonetheless determined. His lewd words send a shiver down Urie's spine, and slowly the black haired male pulls his fingers out of Mutsuki's cunt, eager to follow his wishes.

Rolling over on his bed, he reaches for his nightstand, pulling out a condom from the drawer.

Tooru whines needily behind him, his hands sneaking over his chest. Turning around again, Urie motions over, his gaze wandering hungrily over Mutsuki's flushed, nude body.

Quickly rolling the condom over, Urie positions himself in front of Tooru's entrance.

“Hurry up already” Mutsuki mutters, and his impatience makes Urie grin. Still, being just as eager, Urie slowly begins to push himself inside. It’s a hot warmth that engulfs him, and Urie can’t help but gasp quietly at the sensation.

Slowly, Urie begins to move, rocking his hips in a steady and deep rhythm. Tooru lets out a soft, needy moan, his thighs tensing around Urie's hips. It’s a heavenly picture, Kuki thinks. Mutsuki's body is flushed from the heat, his chest rising and falling heavily. Increasing his pace a bit, he leans forward, peppering kisses over Mutsuki's stomach, his breasts and up to his neck, where he sucks, a move that lets an almost pathetic whimper fall from Tooru's mouth. Then he feels his hands cupping his cheek, gently guiding him upwards. Soon his lips are met by Mutsuki's, who kisses him longingly and sweet. His hands meanwhile are traveling up to Urie's undercut, tangling his fingers almost painfully in his long bangs. Not that he would complain. Rolling his hips, he changes his approach, sneaking his fingers between their bodies to Mutsuki's core. And when he rubs that small bundle of nerves, tracing circles over it, the younger male whimpers between their mouths, his walls clamping down on Urie's cock. And now its Kuki's turn to moan, a hot tension building in his lower stomach.

Their rhythm grows faster now, more desperate, and it’s a good thing that their mouths are swallowing their moans; otherwise, the entire house would be awake by now. Not that Urie has much time to care about this possibility right now, his mind spinning from the pressure of Tooru's walls clamping down around him. When he increases the speed of his fingers rubbing Mutsuki's clit, the younger males’ legs begin to shake around him, and Urie knows that he is close.

“Cum for me” he whispers, his voice hoarse from his own moans.

Tooru only nods, a small noise falling from his lips. Then his body begins to quake around him, and Urie can feel the tension in his stomach begin to burst. His own thrusts begin to grow erratic and, with a series of quiet moans, he comes undone as well.

For a long time, none of them says a word. Tooru, who is still basking in the afterglow of his orgasm is lying in Urie's arms, an expression of pure bliss on his face. Urie himself feels not much different, relishing in the quiet aftermath of their passion and enjoying the heat of Tooru's body on his naked skin.

When Tooru finally speaks its quiet, but filled with adoration: “I’d like to do this every day” he whispers

“No one’s stopping you” Urie replies, his voice steady and relaxed. He knows that Tooru will understand, knows that the offer he has just casually hinted at has much more depth than both are currently letting on.

“I’d like that a lot” Mutsuki answers, his voice calm and quiet. Urie just smiles, placing a gentle kiss on the younger males cheek.

Finally, he thinks.

Since the windows of Saiko's room are pretty much always closed, it is not the sunlight that softly wakes the blue haired girl from her deep slumber. Instead, it is the fine smell of breakfast, waffles and fruit to be precise, that pulls her from colourful dreams of Knights, princesses and racing cars.

Normally, Saiko is the prime example of a morning grouch; seldom leaving the bed before noon. But the smell of breakfast, which her heightened senses recognize without a problem, does wonders to erase any sleepiness in her body. Opening her eyes, she relishes for a small moment in the warmth of her bed, but in the end, the thought of food is just to inviting.

Slipping out from her large comforter, Saiko makes sure to not wake the gorgeous, black-haired and naked female, sleeping next to her. Without a noise, she leaves her room, quietly closing the door behind her. The delicious smell of breakfast is much stronger in the hallway, and Saiko's stomach begins to growl. Speeding up a bit, she makes her way down the stairs.

In the kitchen, Saiko is presented with the sight of Mutsuki, who is currently whisking some kind of waffle batter (as far as Saiko knows, baking is not exactly her strong suit).

“Good morning Muchaan” she says, her voice still a bit hoarse from their excessive karaoke session the night before. Mutsuki turns around quickly, his cheeks tinted in a light red.

“Good morning Saiko” he responds hastily. “Didn’t hear you coming down. You want breakfast?” he adds.

“Yes, please, Saiko's hungry” she answers. Tooru just nods, turning around again.

“You like waffles?” he asks.

Saiko hums in response, but her mind is already somewhere else. To her curiosity, Mutsuki seems to wear nothing but a familiar looking, long black shirt which reaches about halfway down his thighs.

But what really piques Saiko's interest is the trail of faint, red marks on Mutsuki's neck, which seem to reach from the tips of his mint green hair down into the shirt.

Is that …? She thinks, a bubbly feeling of excitement forming in her chest. Trying to look as normal as possible, her gaze travels downwards to the hem of the black shirt, which really seems familiar somehow. First, she sees nothing, but when Tooru stretches to reach for a pack of cinnamon in one of the upper shelves, she finds what she was looking for.

Under the hem of the shirt, on the olive skin of Mutsuki's thighs, Saiko spots another trail of marks, this one leading upwards, and ending in a pair of black boxer shorts.

Almost giggling with glee, she hoists herself up in her chair. Tooru, who is too caught up in his waffle making, doesn’t notice her suddenly change in behaviour.

“Tooru, where is Urie?” She answers, forcing her voice to sound as inconspicuous as possible.

“He is out getting syrup, because we didn’t have any” Mutsuki says, still concentrated on his waffles.

“Well, I suppose you must be very hungry” Saiko responds, her voice still indifferent. “Exhausting night and all that”

“You’re right about that” Mutsuki chuckles, but if he catches the secret meaning in Saiko's words, he doesn’t show it.

Screw patience, she thinks.

“How was it anyway?” Saiko asks, her voice filled with the teasing tone she can’t hide anymore. “You and Kuki I mean”

At that, Tooru drops his whisk. Spinning around, the blood already rushing to his cheeks, he looks like a deer in headlights.

“How did you…?” he asks, trying and failing miserably at feigning ignorance. Upon noticing Saiko’s knowing smile, he sighs, leaning back against the kitchen counter. “How did you know” he asks, defeated.

“Well, you’re wearing his boxers” she says, and starts to laugh.

It doesn’t take long for Mutsuki to join in.