almost another day

All warnings are the same as in Part 1!


Kento was just hanging his photoshoot outfit back up when the knock came at the door of his dressing room, and he smiled, calling, "Come in!" and hoping it was who he thought it was. He wasn't disappointed, and he grinned at Yugo as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Kouchi," Kento greeted. "Have a seat." He motioned to the small sofa that furnished his dressing room, hanging up the last piece of his outfit and going over to lock the door before taking a seat next to Yugo. "So... how have you been?" he asked, crossing his legs and relaxing back against the couch cushions. If Yugo's week had been anything like Kento's, though, he probably didn't really want to talk about how he had been, but right now, Kento was just glad for the chance to hang out again, however briefly. "Nice that we were here at the same time..."

"Nakajima," Yugo replied in greeting, unable to keep from smiling at the sight of his friend, despite how tired and stressed he was. His worries all fell away just being in Kento's presence, and he wasn't sure what it was, but he certainly wasn't complaining as he sat down on the couch. At Kento's question, however, he frowned; he was sure Kento was just making idle conversation, but he didn't really want to talk about the state he'd been in since the last time they'd been together. "Busy," he answered honestly, "And tired. I have to take Taira with me to work again today, and I hate making him wait for me…" But now wasn't time to complain, now was time to forget about his troubles, and so he shook his head, trying to forget about the stressors in his life for the moment. "I'm so glad this worked out," he agreed, nodding, his smile growing as Kento sat next to him, and he couldn't help but lean against Kento's side slightly, his head falling to rest on Kento's shoulder. He really had gotten weak recently, he thought, but he couldn't help it, when Kento was practically the only thing holding him together right now. "I missed you," he added quietly, embarrassed by the sentiment but unable to hide the truth of the matter.

"Me too," Kento said, finding Yugo's hand where it rested on the couch and lacing their fingers together. "I missed you, too..." He didn't know what it meant, that they were missing each other like this, but he didn't want to think about it, about the implications or consequences of any of it. He just wanted to relax for a little while, to enjoy Yugo's company and not think about the bad things. Squeezing Yugo's hand, he looked over at him with a grin. "What about rehearsals? I wish I could've seen Kyomocchan's face when Koichi-kun told him he'd be wearing a dress..." Kento hadn't worked with Taiga all that much since their days on Shounen Club together, but he knew Taiga well enough to know that would have been quite the scene to witness, and he had been particularly amused when Yugo had texted him that tidbit of information.

Yugo squeezed Kento's hand back, simply leaning into him, breathing in the smell of his cologne and shampoo for a moment and letting his tense muscles relax. It was comforting, albeit in a way that made Yugo feel a little guilty, to know that Kento missed him too, to know that Kento wanted to be together just as much as Yugo did, and he sighed into Kento's shoulder, trying to collect himself. Kento's words drew a smile onto his face, though, and he nodded. "It was a scene, all right," he agreed, chuckling at the memory of how Taiga had practically screamed at Domoto Koichi himself when it was mentioned that he would be required to cross-dress. "And rehearsals are going well. The kids are all cute, and working with Yuma and Kyomocchan is always great," he replied, righting himself slightly so that he could look back at Kento. "How about your rehearsals? It's been a while since you guys have had a tour, hasn't it?"

Kento could still remember how much Yugo had loved performing when they were kids, and he was glad to hear that Yugo was enjoying his rehearsals despite how stressed and tired he was. "It'll be a great show with the three of you," he said. "I definitely want to come see it~" At Yugo's question, though, Kento looked down at his lap, shrugging a little. Rehearsals had been going okay, and Kento was definitely happy to be dancing and singing more again, but at the same time... things with Shori were definitely putting a damper on things. "Yeah... It's been a while, so maybe it's going to take a while to really get back into things," he said, laughing a little. Even as he said it, though, he knew he was just making excuses, because they had just had their Tokyo shows, so by that logic things should have been getting better, when in actuality they had gotten worse. But Kento really didn't want to think about that right now, and it wasn't like things were all bad... He looked back up at Yugo, changing to a lighter aspect of his rehearsing. "But oh my god, can you believe they're having us bring back GAME after all these years? For our big return to national touring or something..." It was pretty silly at this point in their lives, but honestly, fanservice with Fuma was something he could always have fun with, and he was planning to go all out.

When Kento looked down at his lap, Yugo almost said something, almost tried to offer comfort either verbally or physically, but as Kento continued, he changed is mind. Kento knew that Yugo was here for him if he needed to talk or a shoulder to lean on, and if he wanted to focus on the good things while they only had this brief time together, Yugo would respect that. He grinned at Kento's words and nodded along-- it wasn't hard to forget about the bad things when chatting with Kento had always been fun and easy. "I'm sure you'll bring joy to the hearts of millions of squealing fangirls," he replied with a laugh, fondly remembering the routine Kento and Fuma had done to the song in their youth. "Are you still doing the shirt-grabbing bit, or are you changing it up for something a little more mature?" Fanservice was fanservice (not that Yugo was required to do much of it anymore), but it was still silly to Yugo to think of his friends doing it at their age and stage of life. "I'm sure it will be incredibly passionate, no matter what~"

"The shirt grabbing is tradition, and we've gotta give the fans what they want~" Kento said, grinning. "And Fuma will play up his tsundere act, but of course everyone knows he wants me~" Sitting there with Yugo, somehow it felt easier to just chat and think about the good things, and he turned to look at Yugo, still grinning. "It's too bad we didn't get to do GAME together as kids... That would've been pretty intense, huh~" He leaned closer, tangling his fingers in the front of Yugo's shirt playfully. Being close with Yugo this way, it really did feel like he could forget about the outside world for a little while, and when he closed the gap between them, the kiss was gentle, not the passionate kiss that might go along with a performance of GAME by impatient teenagers, but soft and slow like they had more time to relax together than they really did.

The response that had been at the tip of Yugo's tongue was quelled when Kento kissed him, and he swallowed it back in favor of the physical comfort he had been craving for the past few days. What he had with Kento, what kept bringing him back wasn't the kissing or the sex, but somehow, having it there was a constant comfort, like a security net, the knowledge that if thoughts and words and life in general became too much, he could simply fall back on Kento, and Kento would understand, would be there for him. And the kiss was just that, warm and comforting, and Yugo kissed back, a hand moving to sit at the base of Kento's neck. There was no urgency, no drive to be closer and closer; it was comfortable, just being this way, together. Their time was limited, but they could pretend it wasn't, could lose themselves in one another, and that was exactly what Yugo intended to do.

It felt so good to be kissing Yugo again, when in addition to all the stress in his life, he was also sorely lacking in physical affection, both in the sense of sex and also just having someone to kiss and cuddle with at the end of a long day. And while some part of him knew that his affair with Yugo was just pushing him even further away from Shori... it already felt like he couldn't get by without the comfort and closeness he found with Yugo, anymore, and so Kento kissed back with more purpose, deepening the kiss and pushing the other thoughts from his mind. He kissed Yugo slowly but deeply, shifting his body on the couch to face more towards Yugo and moving his hand from Yugo's shirt to tangle gently in Yugo's hair.

Kento's lips against his, his hand in Yugo's hair were gentle and comforting, and Yugo leaned into Kento, sliding his arms around Kento's shoulders and coaxing him closer still. He was so starved for company, for physical comfort of any kind that despite the fact that they were at work, that this was incredibly risky… well, Kento had locked the door, and Yugo simply couldn't resist. Melting into Kento, he kissed back with equal affection-- after all, they weren't teenagers sneaking around at work to get a moment of passion in, they were old now, seeking out companionship where they otherwise had none. But Yugo couldn't think about that now, not here with Kento, he couldn't let himself worry about how their time together was getting shorter and shorter or the fact that they shouldn't be doing this in the first place. Instead, he let all of the bad thoughts fall out of his mind, relaxing into Kento's embrace and hoping that Kento knew just how important to Yugo this had become.

Kento didn't want to stop kissing Yugo, didn't want to move away from Yugo's warm embrace, his lips and tongue moving against Kento's, his arms around Kento's shoulders. But eventually Kento pulled back slightly to catch his breath, smiling at the way Yugo's lips were getting a little puffy and his cheeks were a little flushed. "I'm glad I could see you today," he said, pressing another brief kiss to Yugo's lips. But of course, Kento would have to leave soon, and they would have to make themselves look presentable and not suspicious... But he didn't want to move away just yet, and he definitely didn't want to leave things up to chance as to when they'd see each other again. "When can we do this again?" he asked. "Preferably for longer~"

When Kento pulled away, Yugo couldn't help but let out a small sigh of disappointment, not wanting their time together to end so soon. He couldn't bring himself to move away entirely, his arms remaining loosely around Kento, and he let his head fall to rest on Kento's shoulder for a moment, nodding slightly at his words. This meeting had been too short, practically only a tease, and Yugo thought over his schedule for the next few days, trying to think of any free space in which he might be able to squeeze a meeting with Kento. "It has to be in the next four days," he started without thinking, "because--" Because Jesse came back in four days, but the sudden realization of the implications of his words hit him hard, like a punch in the gut, and he sunk into Kento a little more, feeling awful. What was he doing, acting like it was a bad thing that Jesse was coming back? He missed Jesse, didn't he? Jesse was his husband, for heaven's sake, the father of his son! But… Jesse coming back didn't mean that he'd be around any more than he had been before, certainly; filmings and recordings would keep him busy, and his existence in the same general area of Japan would keep Kento away, leaving Yugo all alone… again. It was a horrible thought, and Yugo tightened his arms around Kento again, suddenly wanting to let go even less. "I can probably make time any day," he finally finished, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I need to see you again soon."

When Yugo suddenly cut off, it only took Kento a moment to figure out what was unspoken. Because Jesse will be back in four days. Kento hadn't even thought about what the end of this leg of Jesse's tour would mean for them--would Yugo want them to stop seeing each other? This whole thing had started with nights out together, talking and sharing their problems before Jesse ever left on tour, and Kento knew that Yugo hadn't been happy with how often Jesse was around then, either, but now... Now that they were sleeping together, would it be different when Jesse was back? It didn't feel right to ask, though, and anyway, Kento wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer just now, in their little bubble they'd created in his dressing room. Wrapping his arms around Yugo's back in response, he nodded, pulling Yugo close. "I should have an evening free," he said, "If you want to go to your place again..."

Yugo nodded into Kento's shoulder, taking a deep breath. He just couldn't think about his problems… he had to take it one step at a time. "Then… then you'll call?" he asked hesitantly, hoping that it would work out so that they could see one another again soon. "Or… at least text…?" Parting was rough, and knowing that things were about to get a lot more complicated was even worse, but with the promise of seeing Kento again soon, Yugo did his best to push those things from his mind. Knowing he had Kento was at least enough to steady him for now… which was something.

"Yeah," Kento promised, nuzzling his head against Yugo's. It certainly didn't sound like Yugo was planning on slowing things down at all because Jesse was coming back, and while Kento didn't want to be happy about the poor state of Yugo's relationship... he couldn't help but be glad to not have to face the prospect of imminently losing what he had with Yugo, when he couldn't see things in his own marriage improving any time soon. "I need to see you soon, too," he murmured, and it did feel like he needed it, badly, and they hadn't even said goodbye to each other this time yet. Pulling his head back to look at Yugo, he leaned in for another kiss, wanting to prolong things as long as he could.

"Good," Yugo murmured before kissing Kento back, letting the tension relax out of his muscles a little again. Things were stressful now, and it didn't look as if they were going to get a lot better any time soon, but… with Kento by his side, at least for now, Yugo could forget the bad for a little longer.


The shinkansen ride from Aomori to Tokyo was a long one, but to Hokuto, it felt as if it went by in the blink of an eye. Now that he was on his way home, Fuma had been texting him impatiently for the past few hours, expressing how eager he was to see Hokuto again and recounting cute things that the kids had done that Fuma would have to tell Hokuto all about once they were together in person, and it passed the time better than any other sort of distraction, because, unequivocally, Fuma was the most important thing in Hokuto's life, and had been since they'd been practically kids themselves. Ever since they had worked out their differences after B.I.Shadow was broken up in their youth, Hokuto had vowed to make Fuma as happy as possible, and he had done everything he could to make his goal a reality. It wasn't as selfless as it sounded, because seeing Fuma's smile was all Hokuto needed to be happy, too, and so things were perfect between them, even from their teenage years.

But things only got better when they got old enough to move in together; they could afford it, once Hokuto debuted and Fuma had been out of school for a few years, and they had been practically spending every waking moment together before that, anyway. It was just as Hokuto had always dreamed about, a perfect, storybook apartment for the two of them together and the right prologue for their perfect, storybook wedding a few years later. And then they had adopted the kids, first Kensou, who grew up to be the perfect older brother when Keiya came along, and finally Kengo, their perfect baby. It was just as they had always imagined it when they were kids, their perfect family, and every time Hokuto looked at his phone background-- a family photo-- or listened to his kids' voices on the phone, he was practically choked up to know that his life was filled with such wonderful people.

And while touring away from them was hard, he was finally on his way home to see them, his babies and loving husband, and despite Fuma's constant messages to cheer him, he began to get impatient. When their train finally arrived in Shinagawa, Hokuto barely managed to bid his bandmates goodbye-- he loved them, but after all, he'd seen them basically every waking second for the past three weeks-- before barreling for the garage and heading home.

The drive was relatively short compared to how long Hokuto had just spent on the train, but now that red lights and congested highways were the only things keeping Hokuto from his family, he felt as if he waited for years before finally making it back home to their cozy little 3LDK. His hands practically shook with anticipation as he opened the door, dropping his bags with a sigh in the genkan and announcing, "I'm back!" smiling at the knowledge that in a matter of seconds, his wait would be over.

Fuma had barely been able to concentrate on anything all day with the thought of Hokuto returning overpowering everything else in his mind. He had long hours of rehearsals before picking up Kengo from his parents and Keiya from preschool, and then it was time for a stop at the supermarket before finally getting Kensou from school and heading home. And of course everything had to be perfect for Hokuto's return, and he had planned a special dinner that meant he had to hurry if everything was going to be done in time... But amongst all the busyness, his thoughts were only on Hokuto, and he texted him every chance he got, because now that it was so close, Fuma felt like he really couldn't wait any longer to see his husband again.

Despite it all, dinner was ready and waiting by the time Hokuto arrived, and Fuma ran to the door to meet him, the baby in his arms. "Welcome back," he answered, smiling widely as Keiya and Kensou ran up behind him, calling out to Hokuto excitedly. He didn't care right now that their kids were right there, though, because it had been far, far too long since he'd seen Hokuto, and he couldn't wait a moment longer. Leaning forward to close the gap between them, he pressed a kiss to Hokuto's lips, letting his eyes close for just a moment.

Hokuto couldn't help but smile as suddenly, his entire family appeared in the genkan with him, and he kissed Fuma back, feeling finally like he was home. He drew back after a moment however, meeting Fuma's eyes and smiling warmly. "I missed you," he said quietly, and while he had said it every day, often multiple times a day, on the phone or in texts, being able to look into Fuma's eyes and really convey how much he had missed him… it was a good feeling. But he didn't linger too long, looking away from Fuma with one last smile and grinning down at the kids. "I missed you all," he added, kissing the baby on the forehead before dropping down to his knees to be at eye level with Kensou and Keiya. "Does your dad get a hug after being away for almost a month?"

With the kids in his arms, Hokuto was again reminded of how good it was to be back, and he kissed both boys on the cheek before pulling back slightly to look at them. "I think you've gotten bigger while I was gone!" he commented fondly, and it was true, it felt like they were growing up way too fast. He regretted everything he was forced to miss in their lives, no matter how small, while he was away on tour, but that was just the way life was, and now that he was back, he only wanted to focus on the good things. "You'll have to tell me all about school and everything I missed while I was away," he added, lingering a moment longer before rising again and picking up his bags. "I'll go drop this stuff in the bedroom, and then we can have dinner," he told Fuma with an apologetic smile, finally getting his shoes off and stepping inside, "I'm sorry to have made you wait for me."

Watching Hokuto with their kids made Fuma happier than anything else in the world, and he almost teared up looking at Hokuto hugging the two older boys, because he was just such a perfect dad... But then Hokuto was coming inside with his bags, and Fuma stepped back out of his way, still smiling widely. Everything seemed brighter now that Hokuto was back, somehow, all the stress and tiredness of the day melting away, and Fuma was so excited to finally get to have dinner together as a family again. "Go ask your dad what he wants to drink," he told Kensou, sending him off to the bedroom while he got Kengo settled into his high chair. Dinner was already set out on the table, so Fuma just had to pour glasses of milk for the kids while he waited for Hokuto, feeling like he couldn't stop smiling.

Hokuto almost didn't want to leave Fuma and the kids even for the few moments it would take him to move his bags to the bedroom, but he knew that he had to be an adult, and so he smiled one last moment at his kids before moving through the apartment, setting his bags down on his side of the bed and sitting down for a moment, heaving a sigh of relief that he was really home. Gazing at his bedroom, he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness to be back; tonight, he would kiss his kids goodnight rather than only saying goodnight over the phone, and he would sleep in bed with Fuma again, and everything would be perfect. But for now, it was time for dinner, his first real, home-cooked dinner in three weeks, and despite the fact that he was exhausted and felt disgusting from travel, he wanted nothing more than to join his family again. Opening his bag and fishing out a sweatshirt to put on over the T-shirt he'd been wearing on the overheated train, he turned to find Kensou in the doorway, asking him what he wanted to drink. He knew Kensou was a big boy who'd want to help Fuma on his own… but, well, Hokuto had been away for too long, and so he couldn't resist scooping the boy into his arms instead, going back to find Fuma in the kitchen together. "It looks delicious," he commented to Fuma with a smile, setting Kensou down and getting himself a glass of water before finding his place at the table. After so long eating conbini bentou in hotel rooms and rehearsal halls with staff and groupmates, to be here with his family was almost too perfect, and he couldn't help but grin stupidly as they sat down to eat.

Seeing Hokuto's grin only made Fuma smile wider as he began serving the food onto plates for Kensou and Keiya and then for Hokuto and himself. Even after a long day on the train, Hokuto was nothing but handsome to Fuma, and he kept smiling at Hokuto even as they started to eat. "How was your trip back?" he asked, coaxing Kengo to eat a few bites of baby food. "You must be tired..." He had heard lots about Hokuto's travels and concerts over the phone, but he was sure that Hokuto had more stories for him and the kids now that he was back, and he knew Kensou and Keiya would be eager to hear all about Hokkaido and Tohoku. But Hokuto would be tired and hungry after a long day of travel, and first and foremost, Fuma hoped that he would enjoy his first home-cooked meal since he'd been gone.

The food was just as delicious as it looked, and Hokuto paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and enjoying the feeling of really being back. Fuma was an excellent cook; he always had been, ever since they had been teenagers, and there as something about eating the food that he knew Fuma had prepared with love for him and the kids that made his heart swell, as if it might explode right out of his chest. But he knew he was overly emotional from exhaustion and that he certainly didn't want to start blubbering about how much he had missed his family in front of the kids when it would only confuse and worry them, and so he smiled, nodding. "It was a long trip, but seeing you all again is giving me energy," he replied with a smile, watching Kensou diligently eat his broccoli as Keiya eyed it skeptically. Normally, he'd remind Keiya that he had to eat his vegetables, but today… well, for now, at least, he didn't want to focus on any of the difficult parts of parenting. "The trip was fine, though. The train was overheated already… I was worried that a little special something I brought back with me might melt!" The kids were sure to be excited at the prospect of omiyage from Hokkaido, and while Hokuto knew better than to spoil them too much, he loved to make them happy.

Fuma thought his heart might explode from seeing how happy Hokuto was to be back, how happy he could tell Hokuto was to see their kids again and eat dinner as a family. His smile widened even further at the way Kensou and Keiya's faces lit up at Hokuto's mention of omiyage, and he knew Hokuto would have picked out the perfect gifts for all of them on his trip, because Hokuto had always been the perfect gift-giver, as a boyfriend and as a husband and finally as a dad. He noticed that all of Keiya's broccoli was still left on his plate, though, and he looked at Keiya sternly, reminding him, "Only boys who eat their broccoli get omiyage from Papa!" He knew that Keiya especially missed Hokuto when he was gone, though, and he was sure that whatever Hokuto had brought back would make him very happy. "We're all just glad to have you back, omiyage or no," he told Hokuto, smiling at him and reaching out to touch his hand on top of the table.

Hokuto nodded along in agreement when Fuma reminded Keiya that he needed to eat his vegetables, too-- after all, Fuma and Hokuto only wanted him to grow up to be healthy-- but still, he couldn't help but feel a little bad when Keiya's face fell, and so he reached across the table, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "Broccoli's not so bad is it?" he asked, smiling warmly at his son. "And I brought you something special!" This seemed to cheer Keiya up at least a little, and he dutifully ate his broccoli, albeit making faces the whole time, just as his older brother had. Hokuto smiled back at Fuma as they watched the kids finish their dinners, happy to be back as well, happy to be able to be here taking care of their sons with Fuma again. Raising kids had its bumps, of course, but even when they were difficult, Hokuto couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with love for his sons, and so when, after dinner, he got to present them both with sweets from the various prefectures in which they had performed, he was happy to see how excited they were. Despite the fact that it was slightly against the rules, he couldn't help but allow them to pick one of the treats to eat right them, and Fuma didn't seem to mind too much. It hardly made up for not having been able to be around them for the past few weeks, but it was the best he could do.

Dinner had started late because of how late Hokuto had gotten back, and after their special deserts, it was about time for the kids to get ready for bed. Hokuto waited as Kensou and Keiya washed up before staying in their bedroom a little longer to read them a story while Fuma was putting the baby to bed, and when Fuma returned, they made sure the older two were all tucked in and ready to sleep before kissing them both goodnight. Their faces looked so sweet and peaceful as they fell asleep, and Hokuto couldn't help but put an arm around Fuma, pulling him a little closer as they hovered in the doorway for a moment, watching their children sleep. It really was good to be back, and as they finally stepped into the hall, closing the door behind them, Hokuto couldn't resist catching Fuma's hands in his own, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he placed a small box in Fuma's palm, smiling warmly at him. "Sorry it's not candy, but I hope you like your omiyage, too."

Fuma felt like he was in heaven, with Hokuto by his side again helping him put the kids to bed, and he felt himself starting to get emotional again when Hokuto pulled him close, watching their two oldest children with just as much pride and joy as Fuma felt. He swallowed back his tears, though, kissing Hokuto back and accepting his gift with a smile. "I love anything you get for me." Even after all these years, gifts from Hokuto still set his heart a little aflutter, knowing that Hokuto had picked out something just for him, to show how much he loved him, and he opened the box carefully to reveal a silver ring, the right size for his pinky in a style Fuma had been admiring recently. "I love it," he said genuinely, smiling at Hokuto and sliding his arms around Hokuto's neck. "I'll wear it for my tour and think of you." And now, finally, he was really close to Hokuto again, no children between them or dinner to serve, and Fuma let his eyes fall shut, hugging Hokuto close and relaxing against him. "I missed you," he whispered, resting his head on Hokuto's shoulder.

Hokuto smiled when Fuma opened the gift, always happy to make Fuma happy. "I'm glad," he replied honestly, slipping his arms around Fuma's waist and holding him close. "I missed you too," he replied quietly, resting his head against Fuma's and pressing another gentle kiss to his head, "I love you so much." It really was good to be back, and now that the kids were in bed, he was looking forward to the chance to catch up on lost time with Fuma, too. After a moment, though, he drew back slightly, meeting Fuma's eyes and smiling. He could lose himself just looking at Fuma at a time like this, when they hadn't been able to see one another face to face in almost a month, but tomorrow, they'd both have long workdays, and he didn't want to waste any of their time together tonight. "Come on, let's go sit down for a little while. I'll fix you a drink," he offered, taking Fuma's hand and starting back towards the living room. Spending some time alone together cuddled up on the couch sounded like just the way to end a long day of travelling, so Hokuto hoped it sounded good to Fuma, too.

"Okay," Fuma agreed, squeezing Hokuto's hand and following him back towards the kitchen. He could have stayed in wrapped up in Hokuto's arms where they stood all night, but sitting together on the sofa sounded perfect, and a glass of wine would be nice, too. "There's a new bottle of wine in the fridge," he told Hokuto, staying close as Hokuto opened the bottle and poured the wine into two glasses and then following Hokuto into the living room. He sat down close enough that their sides were pressing together, wanting to be as close as possible after so long apart. "I'm so glad you're back," he said, because even if he'd already said it so many times, he couldn't help wanting to say it again. "What should we toast to? Our family?"

"To our family," Hokuto agreed, nodding and clinking his glass against Fuma's gently. It felt good to be off his feet after a tiring three weeks of relentless rehearsals and performances, but even better was the feeling of Fuma pressed close against his side, and Hokuto couldn't resist sliding an arm around him, pulling him even closer still. "It's good to be back… I missed you and the kids so much," he replied with a sigh, unable to stop himself from brushing another brief kiss against Fuma's cheek. "I hope you haven't been too stressed handling everything on your own… But it sounds like your concert rehearsals have been going well?" He felt bad leaving all of the responsibility of the kids on Fuma when he went away, especially since Fuma's band was gearing up for a concert, as well.

Fuma snuggled close to Hokuto, sliding his arm around Hokuto's waist and just enjoying the familiar feeling of Hokuto warm against his side. Taking a sip of his wine, he nodded in response to Hokuto's question. "They're coming along," he said, "And everyone's excited to have a tour coming up again... Oh, and Marius and Sou brought Hans along the other day, you should see how big he's gotten!" Fuma smiled at the thought of the babies of his band with their own baby, the proud looks on their faces as they showed off how many words he had learned to say. But of course, in thinking about his bandmates, he couldn't ignore the parts of rehearsals that were going less smoothly, and he sighed, looking at Hokuto with a worried frown. "There is one thing, though... I'm worried about Kento and Shori." Because though rehearsals were mostly going well, Fuma couldn't deny the fact that they would probably be going a lot better if Kento and Shori had been speaking to each other. They were speaking on a superficial level, of course, and they were both acting like nothing was wrong, but Fuma had known them both for a very long time, and he could tell that something had changed, that something wasn't quite right between them, and he hated to think that two of his closest friends might be having problems in their marriage.

Hokuto frowned at Fuma's words, reflexively pulling Fuma a little closer. He hated to hear that something was wrong in Fuma's group, and worse, he hated to hear that something was wrong between his friends. After all, Kento was one of Hokuto's oldest and closest friends now, one of the first people with whom he had become close in Johnny's, right alongside Fuma, and Shori had become almost equally close when Hokuto had been classmates with him for all of high school. Hokuto had been more than happy for them when they had begun seeing one another and eventually gotten married, since he knew they were both great people and loved them both, and so if they were having trouble in their marriage… Hokuto was concerned. They were well suited for one another, he knew, and had a lot in common, but he supposed the stress of family life and work all at once might be hard to juggle. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking back at Fuma concernedly. "Have they been fighting…?"

Fuma sighed again, leaning into Hokuto. "I'm not sure... They're both trying to act like everything's fine, but they're just not talking to each other or looking at each other the same way lately..." It made Fuma's stomach twist to think about it, because he had seen Kento and Shori happy together for so long, and he cared about both of them so much, not to mention the fact that problems in their marriage couldn't be good for their kids... He hadn't mentioned his worries to anyone else before now, and saying it aloud made it seem all the more real, only adding to the anxious feeling in his stomach, but at the same time, he was so glad to have Hokuto there for him, to be able to get this worry off his chest and not keep carrying it around alone. "I don't know what's wrong... but I think it's been getting worse," he admitted, leaning his head on Hokuto's shoulder.

Listening to Fuma's explanation, Hokuto took a deep breath, rolling his lips together thoughtfully. "That is worrying," he replied, running his hand along Fuma's side as comfortingly as he could. He knew Fuma was such an empathetic person, someone who loved his friends so much that he practically took their problems as his own problems, and he could only imagine how upset he must be over two of his groupmates and closest friends having trouble this way. "Have you tried to talk to either of them?" he asked, knowing Fuma would want to help.

"Not yet," Fuma said, shaking his head. "I'd like to, but we've been so busy with tour preparations, and... I just don't know the best thing to do." He didn't want to make things worse, after all, especially when they were about to be on the road together, and when Kento and Shori were trying so hard to pretend nothing was wrong, it was hard to know the right course of action. But despite all his worries, Hokuto's embrace was comforting, his hand soothing against Fuma's side, and Fuma sighed into Hokuto's shoulder, feeling incredibly grateful to be able to confide in Hokuto and have Hokuto there to support him. He loved Hokuto so much, and he knew it must be an awful feeling for Kento and Shori if they couldn't support each other that way anymore.

Hokuto nodded in understanding, slipping his hand up from Fuma's waist to the side of his head and stroking his hair gently. "I know, it's hard," he replied quietly, "But somehow, you'll figure things out." He was confident that Fuma would, because Fuma was the best friend anyone could ask for, Fuma was perfect, really, and if either Kento or Shori needed someone to lean on, he knew Fuma would be there for them. And then he would be here for Fuma, because even if Fuma was perfect, he needed someone to support him, too, and Hokuto was only too happy to be there for him. Leaning close, he pressed another kiss to the top of Fuma's head, running his fingers through Fuma's hair affectionately. "For now, try not to worry? You need to take care of yourself, too… We can't have you getting sick, now can we?"

Fuma nodded, nuzzling his head against Hokuto's hand. He hated the idea of problems in his band and in Kento and Shori's family, when things had been going so well for so long now, but in Hokuto's warm embrace it was easier to believe that things would work out somehow. Kento and Shori both cared about Sexy Zone more than anything, Fuma knew, so... they would work things out, and Fuma would make sure he was there to help them if they needed it--and he knew Hokuto would, too. "Sorry to make you worry too," he said, lifting his head to look at Hokuto. "You must be really tired..." He took another sip of his wine before setting the glass down, turning so he could look Hokuto in the eye. "Your hair's gotten long," he commented, smiling and brushing a stray piece of Hokuto's bangs out of his eyes.

"Don't apologize," Hokuto replied, pecking Fuma affectionately on the lips. "That's what husbands are for, isn't it? And besides, you're always there for everyone… you need someone to be here for you." Fuma was so sweet, and such a wonderful friend, but Hokuto worried about him sometimes, about how much of himself he put out there for his friends. Right now, he was tired, Fuma was tired, and, Hokuto thought, they both deserved to take a little break. At Fuma's words, he smiled, watching Fuma play with his hair. "I thought you said you liked it that way?" he responded, cocking his head to the side slightly. "Should I call and make a hair appointment?"

Fuma shook his head, sliding his hand back to play with the hair at the nape of Hokuto's neck. "I like it long," he agreed, "It just makes me realize how long you were gone, if your bangs are already all grown out." Hokuto was smiling at him so cutely now, though, and Fuma couldn't help but lean in for another kiss, lingering longer and just enjoying the fact that his husband was finally back. "I love you," he said as he pulled back, smiling at Hokuto, and it had been far too long since he'd been able to say that to Hokuto face to face.

Hokuto laughed softly, nodding. "It's been too long," he agreed, moving his hand down to caress the side of Fuma's face, "But of course… you only get more beautiful with each day." When Fuma kissed him, though, Hokuto fell quiet, instead kissing him back gently and smiling warmly when they broke apart. "I love you, too, more than anything," he replied quietly, taking a deep breath and enjoying the feeling of really being close again, the comfortable, familiar smell of Fuma's shampoo, the soft feel of his skin beneath Hokuto's fingers. "I'm so sorry I had to leave you alone for so long… I missed you so much."

Fuma shook his head at Hokuto's apology, because that was the way things were since they were idols, and they just had to make do with the time they did have. But Fuma had missed Hokuto, too, more than their phone calls and text messages could make up for, and being back in Hokuto's arms was making him happier than anything else could right now. "I missed you, too," he said, leaning his head back on Hokuto's shoulder and letting his eyes fall shut. "I love you so much."

Fuma was sweet, and Hokuto couldn't help but smile warmly, pulling Fuma closer. Soon, Fuma would have to go away on tour, and then Hokuto would be alone with the kids, but for now, they had a few weeks together, and Hokuto was planning on enjoying them. "Shh," he replied, nuzzling his cheek against Fuma's gently and smiling warmly. "I love you, and as long as you love me too, nothing else matters."


The train ride home felt endless to Jesse, when after three weeks away, he couldn't wait to finally be back home with his family again. Being away was always hard, and this had been the longest touring trip his band had taken yet, so even though Jesse loved touring and loved performing and loved his band, by the end of the three weeks, he had really started to miss Yugo and Taira. He loved his little family more than anything--Yugo had been there supporting him ever since they were teenagers, when they had been cast in a drama and a movie together, and they had hit it off from the start. They had grown closer and closer over the course of the filming and promotions and all their ensuing activities together, and when the management had decided that Jesse and Hokuto and Shintaro were to debut with three other juniors instead of Yugo, Taiga, and Juri, Jesse had been devastated at the idea of debuting without his boyfriend. But Yugo was ever supportive, ever selfless and optimistic and amazing, and their relationship had endured through everything, as the management steered Yugo's career towards dancing and stage work while Jesse's band rose to fame. He didn't know what he would have done without Yugo, really, and nothing had made him happier than when they were able to move in together and eventually get married, and soon after that, when they had adopted Taira, their very own baby boy. Watching Taira grow was amazing, like nothing else Jesse had done in his life, and in addition to being an amazing boyfriend and husband, Yugo was the best father Jesse could imagine.

As he got busier and busier with both his group and solo activities, though, Jesse had to leave more and more of the parenting to Yugo, and while he hated putting such a burden on Yugo, not to mention being forced to miss spending so much time with his son, he didn't see any other way when that was what his job demanded of him, when that was what was required to be successful. Things were hardest when he was away on tour, though, when he couldn't even see Yugo and Taira in the evenings for days or weeks at a time, and though he tried to call home regularly, things were always busy on tour, and he knew Yugo was busy too, so often they didn't talk as much as Jesse might have liked... But now he was on his way home, and when the train finally made it to Shinagawa, he said goodbye to his bandmates before hurrying to his car, eager to finally be home. Sending a quick text to Yugo that he was on his way, he made the familiar drive back to their apartment building before hurrying to the elevator and lugging his bags through their apartment door, calling out, "I'm home!"

Yugo spent the next four days in a state of turmoil. On one hand, he remembered how things had been before, how Jesse had stayed out at filmings until one and two in the morning, how he was too busy to spend time with Yugo, with their family, he remembered how happy he had been to have Kento, to finally have someone there who really wanted to be with him, who was willing to go out of his way to be with him… But on the other hand, Yugo remembered how things had been before that, when they had been younger, when they had first fallen in love, first gotten married, first had Taira… He really did love Jesse, loved him enough that even Jesse's success in the face of Yugo's failure, Jesse's long hours that left Yugo alone with Taira most of the time, Jesse's inability to come see Yugo perform or attend Taira's school functions most of the time, Yugo still wanted to be with him, wanted to make things work somehow. It was how he'd managed to pull through for all these years taking the brunt of the work raising Taira on top of his thankless job, and now that he was going to see Jesse for the first time since he'd begun sleeping with Kento… he didn't know how to feel.

All his conflict and guilt and worry aside, though, Yugo couldn't help but smile when he heard Jesse's voice, rising from where he sat going over rehearsal notes and heading for the genkan. He wasn't fast enough for Taira, who had been sitting across from Yugo practicing his katakana; as soon as he heard Jesse's voice, he was gone, crying, "Daddy!" the sound of his hurried footsteps echoing down the hall. Yugo was right behind him, however, and all the unpleasant thoughts fell from his mind at the sight of his husband. "Welcome back," he replied with a smile, hurrying to the genkan and taking Jesse's bags from him. After so long, he could barely wait for Jesse to take off his shoes and step out of the genkan before wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. "I missed you," he murmured against Jesse's ear, letting his eyes fall shut for a moment as savored the moment before pulling back, smiling and taking a step back to let Taira greet his father. Scooping the boy into his arms, he held him up closer to Jesse's eye level, moving him within hugging range. "We both missed you," he corrected, his smile growing.

Jesse hugged Yugo back tightly, savoring the feeling of finally being home. "I missed you, too," he said softly, giving Yugo a quick peck on the lips before turning to Taira, smiling at his son and wrapping him in a tight hug as well. "Did you get bigger again while I was gone?" he asked, ruffling Taira's hair and grinning. He loved his son so much, and it was hard to face the fact that he was always growing and changing while Jesse wasn't around. But he was there now, so he would have to enjoy it while he could. Ruffling Taira's hair one more time, he stepped back, smiling at Yugo again and picking his bags back up. "I'll just go put these in the bedroom, then?"

Yugo hitched Taira up farther on his hip, putting an arm around the boy's waist and taking one of Jesse's bags for him in his free hand with a smile, following him to the bedroom. "Actually, we just got home a little while ago, as well," he explained, setting Jesse's bag on the bed and almost immediately switching Taira to the other hip; he was getting heavy these days, and sometimes, it really did seem like he had gotten significantly bigger while Jesse was away. But that was another thought for another time, Yugo reminded himself, now wasn't the time for the bad, only the good, because Jesse was home again, and that was what mattered. "After I picked this one up from school, we had to head straight to the rehearsal hall, and once rehearsal was done, I picked up takeout before coming back here… I'm glad we made it before you so that we were here to greet you." Taking a moment to look at Jesse, really look at him for the first time in a long time, Yugo's smile softened, and he set Taira down, leaning in to place another gentle kiss on Jesse's lips; nothing demanding, but he lingered slightly longer than when they had been in the genkan. Drawing back, he nodded to the kitchen his smile quirking up in the corners. "Sorry, I was too busy to even attempt to cook anything for you, but… I got you KFC, if that counts for anything?"

Jesse rested one hand against Yugo's waist when Yugo leaned in for a kiss, feeling so happy to finally be back together with his husband. They would have plenty of time to catch up later, though, and now it was time for family--and for dinner. "So that's what smells so good," Jesse said, smiling. "KFC sounds perfect... I'm starving!" Yugo was always apologizing for not having home-cooked meals for Jesse, but Jesse didn't mind, and it wasn't like he expected Yugo to cook for him just because they were married or something. And he knew Yugo was just as busy as he was between work and taking care of Taira, so the times when either of them had time to cook more than just something thrown together were rare, and that's just the way things were. "We've all had a long day," he said, scooping Taira up into his arms. "Let's go eat!"

Yugo couldn't help but smile as he watched Jesse with Taira, and the sight of Jesse's loving grin towards his son, the sound of Taira's squeal of glee and subsequent laughter as Jesse lifted him into his arms warmed Yugo's heart. It really was good to have Jesse back, he thought, and he followed his husband and son into the kitchen, quickly tidying up his work things and beginning to set out plates instead. KFC was hardly the sort of family dinner he really should be feeding his six year old, not at all like what he was sure Fuma and Hokuto and their kids were eating right now, but with things the way they were, it was the best he could do, and he made sure Taira at least had a small salad and a glass of milk to go along with his chicken. Once the table was set and the food served, Yugo finally sat, letting out a sigh of relief. "You'll have to tell us all about Hokkaido and Tohoku," he prompted with a smile once they had begun to eat. "Though I suppose you were probably too busy to get much sightseeing in…?"

Jesse nodded, smiling across the table at his family. "Yeah, there wasn't much time for sightseeing... But I did bring back a surprise~" He grinned at the way Taira's face lit up at the mention of omiyage, and he couldn't wait to get out his presents after dinner. "The concerts were fun, though," he said, watching Taira happily munching away on his chicken and salad. "How's school going?" he asked Taira before turning to look at Yugo. "And rehearsals?" He hated missing so much while he was away, but he hoped that everything had been going well, and he wanted to hear all about what had happened while he was gone.

Yugo watched fondly as Taira began to tell his Daddy all about school for the past month or so, about how he'd had another English lesson and learned how to say the names of a variety of vegetables in English, and how he'd won at some game or another for which he had been rewarded with a sticker. Yugo had heard the whole story once already, but he couldn't help but be happy that Taira was having the opportunity to share stories with Jesse, as well, and as he began to list off the names of every vegetable he could think of in English, Yugo sighed contentedly, taking the moment to really catch his breath after three weeks of endless stress and hard work. When Jesse's attention turned to him, however, he smiled, shrugging. It was best not to remember how tiring the past month had been; honestly, at rehearsals, Yugo was feeling worn to the bone, but he couldn't exactly tell Jesse that. And so he put on a happy face and replied, "Things are going well. The little juniors are getting really good at their parts, and I think we're in good shape to open next month." But now wasn't the time to be stressing about work; Jesse was home, and Yugo wasn't going to focus on the bad things. "Did anything exciting happen at any of your shows?" he prompted, changing the subject and smiling along with Taira as Jesse began to tell amusing stories of things he and his groupmates had done during rehearsals and shows.

Dinner passed quickly, listening to Taira tell them all about the things he was learning at school, and then sharing his own stories about his groupmates on tour, and soon enough, it was almost time for Taira to get ready for bed. Once they had cleared away the dishes, Jesse was excited to give Yugo and Taira his omiyage, various boxes of treats he'd picked out at his different tour locations, in various flavors he'd thought either Yugo or Taira would like. They let Taira eat one for dessert right then before he had to get ready for bed, and then Jesse got to tuck Taira in and read him his bedtime story for the first time in nearly a month. He was growing up so fast, doing his best to read along as Jesse read one of his favorite picture books, and Jesse couldn't help but smile as he and Yugo bid Taira good night before shutting off the light. He looked over at Yugo as they left the room, not sure what to say, but settling on, "I missed you both."

Watching Jesse read a bedtime story to Taira for the first time in… Yugo wasn't sure how long, honestly, was adorable, and Yugo couldn't help but smile as he sat at the foot of Taira's bed, watching and listening along. But then it was time for Taira to go to sleep, and so Jesse and Yugo tucked him in and kissed him goodnight, the two of them together, and though nothing was really objectively different, Taira seemed happier, somehow, as they said goodnight before turning out the lights. There was really just something amazing about being together with Jesse again, and as they closed Taira's bedroom door, Yugo couldn't help lingering closer, his hands falling to rest on Jesse's shoulders, a smile on his lips at Jesse's words. "We missed you, too," he replied softly, leaning up to press a light, brief kiss to Jesse's lips. As he moved back, however, he couldn't bring himself to pull away entirely, and he sighed, leaning back in to rest his head against Jesse's chest. "I missed you," he added, his fingers curling gently in the fabric of Jesse's shirt, not wanting to let go ever again.

Jesse sighed into Yugo's hair, wrapping his arms around Yugo's back and holding him close. Phone calls definitely couldn't take the place of truly being close to his husband, and it felt so good to be with Yugo again this way, especially after a tiring three weeks on tour. "I missed doing this," he murmured, and it was tempting to just stay that way with Yugo in his arms... but he knew there was still stuff to be done before they could really relax, and the dishes had to be done, for one thing. Stepping back with a sigh, he nodded towards the kitchen. "I'll do the dishes?" he offered, figuring it was the least he could do when Yugo had been cooking and doing the dishes all on his own for weeks.

Jesse was sweet, and Yugo laughed, leaning in one last time to press a kiss to Jesse's cheek. "I'll help," he replied, finding Jesse's hand and squeezing it before following him to the kitchen. After weeks of standing alone at the sink after Taira had been put to bed, Yugo would have taken practically anyone up on an offer to do the dishes for him, but with Jesse… well, it was better to be together, Yugo thought, after so long, and it hardly felt like work to be up next to Jesse, their arms and sides bumping as Jesse washed the dishes and Yugo dried them. It was nice, honestly, like things used to be when they were young, and a few times, Yugo gave in to the sentimentality, setting aside his drying and leaning against Jesse's side, resting his head on Jesse's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're back," he sighed quietly, catching Jesse's eye and smiling. "Thanks for helping out."

"I'm glad to be back," Jesse said, smiling back at Yugo, and it was true--even something as simple as doing the dishes, when it was with Yugo, Jesse enjoyed it. At times like these, he sometimes thought back to when they were teenagers, when they had dreamed of debuting together, of being able to work together all the time. But of course, that hadn't happened, and now they had to make do with the time they did have... and right now, Jesse was going to enjoy it. As Yugo finished drying the last dish, Jesse turned to him, finding Yugo's hand and lacing their fingers together. "Should we get ready for bed? It's been a long day..." And I can't wait to be in bed with you, he thought, but even now, he wasn't very good at saying that kind of thing.

Yugo smiled warmly, curling his slender fingers around Jesse's broad, muscular hand and nodding. "You must be tired," he replied, because though he really almost never had a chance to leave Tokyo these days, he was sure being on trains all day must have had Jesse completely worn out, and Yugo, too, was drained at the end of a long day. No more than usual, of course, but today he didn't have to dread lying in bed all alone, today he didn't have to keep himself up until he was so tired he knew he'd be able to fall asleep despite the clutching sense of loneliness practically choking him. Today Jesse was home, and Yugo could really relax, could go to bed knowing that he'd have Jesse there to hold him when he needed to be held, to comfort him if he needed support. It was an amazing feeling, the simple promise of being able to fall asleep next to someone he loved and trusted, and so he followed Jesse to the bedroom, helping him put away his things before heading to the bathroom to wash up. It was a little tight between the two of them, it always had been-- their apartment was smaller than those of their friends, those paid for by the salaries of two debuted Johnny's talents-- but now, Yugo was only too glad for the opportunity to bump into Jesse as they both reached for the toothpaste, to press up against Jesse's side as he reached for a far cabinet. Just knowing that Jesse was there beside him gave Yugo more happiness than a roomier apartment ever could.

Part 6