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Takeshi loved it here. He loved the way the music made his feet move, loved to feel his chest vibrate as he sang, loved to feel eyes on him as he performed, looking out at their warm, sweat-damp faces, smiles highlighted by the colourful karaoke lights.
He loved watching Kusumi plop himself sideways into Kaji’s lap, bobbing his head as Takeshi belted the final few notes of his favourite ballad.
“Thank you!” he panted, as the song faded out and they both applauded. Kusumi waved him over, pointing at their tray of drinks. “Yeah, good idea.”
The leather of the booth seat creaked as he dropped in beside them. Kusumi presented him a condensation-beaded drink with both hands, while Kaji reached for the laminated menu, fanning Takeshi without being asked.
The drink went down easy, soothing Takeshi’s throat and cooling him from the inside. He caught his breath for a few seconds, and then lost it again as he watched Kusumi tug on Kaji’s lollipop, laughing softly as Kaji clamped down with his teeth. Kaji lost, of course—nobody could stand up against Kusumi for long.
“Good job,” Kaji said, as Kusumi popped the glistening lollipop into his own mouth with a little smile. “You always pick songs that suit your voice well.”
Takeshi swallowed the last of his drink. It was so rare to see Kaji without the lollipop in his mouth that he couldn’t help staring anytime it happened; his mouth looked so soft and available, curved into the tiniest hint of a smile.
The sight of them both there, sitting so comfortably with Kusumi nestled in Kaji’s lap, made his pulse thrum more strongly than the music had. They were so pretty.
Takeshi skimmed a hand over his hair, smoothing it back. “Thanks! You gonna sing something tonight, or you leaving it all up to me?”
“Nah,” Kaji said, and then huffed as Kusumi nudged him. “We’ll support you, though.”
Takeshi grinned, settling into his seat. He stretched, arm coming to rest comfortably behind Kaji along the back of the booth, and his knee bumping against their stacked legs. Something about being here with them always made him feel confident, like he wanted to show off a little.
“Oh yeah?” he asked, nice and slow. “How you gonna do that?”
Kusumi tipped his head to the side, then his thumbs flew across his phone, feet kicking where they dangled off Kaji’s lap. When Takeshi leaned in closer to read, he could feel their combined body heat.
we’ll cheer you on!!! and maybe we can reward you somehow ⋆⭒˚.⋆ prizes!!
Kaji narrowed his eyes.
“What prizes?”
Takeshi lounged a little deeper, enjoying the way their eyes flicked to his legs as they spread and flexed.
“I'm sure we can work something out.”
He loved this, loved when they got playful together, silly and flirty and giving him the perfect excuse to be just a little suave. The lights meant it was impossible to see if they were blushing, but Kusumi covered his mouth with his sleeve, and Kaji sat back a little, his hair tickling Takeshi’s arm.
“Do your best, then.”
Takeshi's best karaoke was already great, but this time he threw a performance that nobody could deny was mind-blowing. He crooned his way through a couple of ballads, drawled though one of Kusumi's favourite country songs, and then finished on a pop-punk love song so intense he almost teared up himself.
Kusumi exploded into clapping the moment he finished. Kaji stared at him, dumbstruck, an unwrapped lollipop centimetres from his mouth.
“Yeah, okay,” Kaji said. “Pick your prize.”
Takeshi waited until he had the lollipop safely tucked in his cheek before striding over. As if reading his mind, Kusumi slipped from Kaji's lap and settled at his side instead, laying a hand on Takeshi's shoulder in congratulations as he crouched in front of them. Takeshi squeezed his hand once, then turned to kiss it.
He looked up at Kaji's red mouth, the pale stick of the lollipop glowing multicoloured under the disco lights, and let a slow smile spread across his face. Kaji looked simultaneously concerned and intrigued; Takeshi really liked that expression.
“I want that as my prize,” Takeshi said, and pointed right at Kaji's mouth, the lollipop peeking from between his lips.
Kaji blinked. “But—I've got unopened ones. You want an apple flavour?”
“Nah,” Takeshi said, resting a forearm on Kaji's thighs and leaning in. “I think I'm good with this.”
Then he tugged the lollipop out of Kaji's mouth, delivered it straight into Kusumi, who was waiting with his mouth open, and took his prize in the form of Kaji's mouth.
It was sweetly sticky and spicy. Cinnamon, Takeshi thought, and quietly hummed with pleasure. He liked the way Kaji went a little spiky under him before relaxing into the kiss, the way his hand came up to drape around Takeshi's neck, the way his lips parted, easy and slick and warm. He liked the way he could feel Kusumi quietly taking Kaji's free hand and rubbing Takeshi's shoulder. He liked the cinnamon flavour, warm and just a little bitter.
Kaji was like this; sweet and spicy and complex.
Takeshi leaned up, pressed Kaji back into the seat and felt him breathe out in surprise, yielding easily. Kaji's thigh jumped under his hand; Takeshi squeezed it, thumb sliding a couple of centimetres up the seam.
Riding on the high of his performance, Takeshi kissed Kaji with all the velvet charm of a black and white movie, and felt him respond with an inaudible sigh, melting like butter.
“Cinnamon's not my favourite,” Takeshi confessed, when he finally eased back, “but I kinda like it like this. I reckon that's a pretty good prize.”
Kaji stared dazedly at him, hair mussed and lips parted. His eyes slid from Takeshi's and landed on Kusumi, who sat watching them with a beatific smile on his face and a lollipop in his mouth, eyes hidden by his hair.
Takeshi almost wished they were somewhere else, so he could take them one on each knee, their arms wrapped around him, and test how different that cinnamon might taste in each of their mouths.
Behind him, the music oozed into something low and jazzy. Takeshi smoothed back his hair, and grinned.
On second thought, maybe they didn't need to be somewhere else for that after all.