osmium

很爽的《敏插足薰和DIE》三部曲（打開前根本想不出來這麼香的吃法 薰敏認識在先 敏暗戀薰但知道薰喜歡後來加入的DIE所以迫自己放棄，助攻兩人 但是DIE還是會吃兩人無言默契的醋 敏隱瞞了實際上自己移情了DIE，讓DIE以為他還沒有放棄薰，繼續接近DIE

Kaoru just can't take Die's and Toshiya's obnoxious flirting anymore, so he decides to do something about it.

“Calm down, babe,” came Kaoru’s voice from the armchair, amusement replaced by a gentle warning.

Making another angry grab for his beer, Die curled his fingers around the neck until his knuckles turned white. “Don’t tell me what to do and don’t fucking ‘babe’ me!” he exclaimed, his usual sweet and soft tenor taking on a high, aggravated pitch that rung in his own ears.

Had he been only slightly less high, or had he been a person who could brush past temptation when presented with it, or had he remembered at that point that this was his best friend’s boyfriend, a person he wasn’t supposed to pursue, he wouldn’t have given in. But as it was, Toshiya was high as a kite, his resolve was weak on the best of days anyway, and he was so very much in love with this man, just as much as he was with Kaoru, or maybe just with the idea of him and Die and Kaoru, together...

“Yeah, well, you know, Die seemed to deliberately try to get you worked up, but all you do is just eat your food.” Kyo shrugged again. “I don’t get how you guys made it to stay together for so long. Do you get each other at all?”

***

Which was quite a show if you were Kaoru Niikura, an odd guy with low standards since he didn’t think too much of himself.

假裝情侶退stk，雖然老梗但是好萌！！！

“If she didn’t believe it, it’s because you don’t love me enough so your Yakisoba will have to wait.” “Ye’ll deny me food for not lookin’ smitten enough? Not only am I in a relationship I didn’t know about, it’s an abusive one, too?”

“You’re an awful boyfriend, apparently.” “Break up with me, I dare ye.” Not that this wasn’t fun in some weird, removed way, but it kept getting more and more complicated and was pointless and childish to begin with.

“Aww”, Die cooed, “I take back my statement that you’re an awful boyfriend.” “Don’t worry, I’m awful in many ways.” Not that he was proud of it. It was just a fact that he wasn’t the most sociably apt person.

***

“AM NOT”, Kaoru burst out, “It was a legitimate question.” “I can tell you’d like to be the first one.” “Am I not??” “You’re my one and only.” “So ye’re having secrets. This is the worst relationship ever.” “Oh my god! Fine, I tried it twice okay? Now calm your little man boobs, it was never serious.”

It took the leader a second to realize what had cut him off. It certainly hadn’t been just the footsteps. For the moment, he didn’t care who heard what and he thought, for a second, that Die had put his hand over his mouth to silence him. Only, this was not a hand. And in theory, he also knew the difference between breaking away to express your shock and disagreement with said lips, and kissing back, but he must have gotten those two mixed up in the… heat of the moment. Shit happens.

“Are you trying to blackmail me into falling in love with you, now?” Kaoru threw his hands in the air in outrage. “Obviously I'm not!” “What if it was working, though?”

“I wasn't. You just don't pay me any attention because you only got eyes for that poor man's Rapunzel” “Poor man's...tsk”, he had been about to laugh, but caught himself in time to scoff instead. No Die-slander on his watch.

“Toshiya and Shinya, you and Die... And me: lonely, left out, doomed to be alone. Ever the fifth wheel...”

“I knew from the moment I scouted Toshiya that I was bringing in not just a bassist but also a future husband for our youngest daughter.”

“Really? Him?” Kaoru frowned. That didn't quite add up. “I thought he's all supportive of the ABCDE stuff.” “LGBTQ+” “Bless ye.” He received a rather incredulous shake of the head for this, before he was ushered to a free table. “Anyway he wasn't appalled by the idea of us together, obviously, just by the fact that I'm deceiving a woman”, Die explained.

***

“So, what do we know?” Toshiya started, sounding excited. “What do you mean what do ye know?”, Kaoru asked, feeling a sense of foreboding looming over the table. “I'm imagining you both talked to me about your feelings before you got together”, Toshiya said with a wistful sigh. “Sure, why not?”, Die agreed with a shrug and Toshiya beamed at him. “I drunkenly confessed to you that I had a crush on someone in the band, like, five years ago.” “Oh yes, and I immediately assumed your still into Shinya and I got super jealous, and it took me weeks to find out who you were talking about because you wouldn't tell me anything sober.” Clearly the bassist was already a fan of the whole plot... Hold on a second.

***

“Obviously I'm not cheating either”, Kaoru grunted, rolling his eyes. Like he would have the energy to cheat when Die got him off four times a week. Absurd. Also maybe stop thinking about this particular detail at every corner. “I don't take either of you to be the type to cheat”, Shinya conceded, “I think the vibe stems from the fact that you're in the mindset of having to pretend to be in a happy relationship, which is what a couple would do if they had to postpone discussing their issues.” Amazing, how everyone on the table seemed to give this so much thought...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/68370176

The melody that flowed from his fingers was unfamiliar, nothing Kaoru recognized, but it carried a feeling of something distant and aching, with a ghost of longing that clung to every note. Kaoru turned toward him, quiet and attentive, letting the music wash over him. When Die finally let the final note fade, he gave a sheepish laugh and shook his head woefully, “No one’s wanted to use it, so I’m stockpiling them.”

“That brightness, when someone talks about what they love… I really like that.” His gaze returned to Kaoru’s, “What about you?”

“I don’t know what I like,” Kaoru’s voice is surprisingly tender. His eyes slid sideways to meet Die’s, a coy smile curling against his dark-painted lips. “I scare them away. I suppose I like someone who doesn’t run from me.”

What is he doing!? Die’s brain all but exploded. Why does he look like that while saying something like that?!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65798104

He could certainly tell himself that again and again, because he'd had practice. So many years without the blazing inferno of eternal love at least brought a certain numbness when it came to repressing hindering thoughts. He was too old for anything else. What he needed was plenty of sleep, good food, his health, music, and yes, his two offspring weren't the worst people in the world either.

Er sollte wissen, dass er gerade ein Fels in nicht nur der Brandung, doch einem tosenden Sturm war, der unumstößlich ebenso zur Beständigkeit in Dies Leben beitrug. Er war eine Konstante.

He should know that he was a rock in not just the surf, but a raging storm, one that irrefutably contributed to the stability of Die's life. He was a constant.

“I'm not at all surprised that you're here right away. You've probably been waiting for this day.” She said these words with contempt, looking Kaoru straight in the eyes.

But he was just as good at it and simply stared back before replying without changing his expression: “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Sometimes his memories blended with those from back in the club, as if instead of the man with the gray stubble on his chin, a cheeky young Kaoru with purple hair was now grinning at him. But Die knew it was just the alcohol.

***

But before he could leave, Die grabbed Kaoru's thin wrist and held him there. “When you were unfaithful... was that with men?”

Crazy how quickly you could feel sober, Kaoru thought, his pulse racing just because someone had finally caught on to him.

Die couldn't believe he had to ask. After all, he'd revealed so much about himself. He sighed pityingly and looked directly at the other man. “You're an idiot if you don't get it.”

***

Notes: “Leave a Light On” is a song that basically says, “Leave the light on, because I have to go and hope you're waiting for me.” Well, that's not quite true here. It's more like, “Leave the light on, so I can find my way back to you.”

***

Yes, hello, sometimes Kaoru also realized that he was gay.