Composure: Part 6
The tension between the two Kings finally builds to breaking point, but at first, it doesn’t seem mean the same to Mikoto as it does to Reisi.
Pairing: Mikoto/Reisi/Tatara
4,118 words.
(Sorry this is kinda late I was busy and I had writer’s block oops)
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AO3
Like everyone else in Homra, Izumo was beginning to worry about his King. Mikoto had barely left his room at all for days on end, and most people hadn’t caught more than a glimpse of him in over a week. It was disconcerting to say the least. There were rumours going around that he was sick, but Izumo wasn’t totally convinced Kings could even get sick- he didn’t think a simple flu virus would be much of a match for the red aura. Still, he was concerned, and it was getting to the point where his absence around the bar was becoming quite conspicuous. So as time passed, he resolved that he ought to do something.
Armed with a bowl of the curry he’d helped Anna make earlier in the day, Izumo knocked on the door of his friend’s bedroom.
“Oi, Mikoto, ya in there?”
He hadn’t expected a reply, so he wasn’t surprised when he only received silence from within the room.
“I’m comin’ in,” Izumo warned, then gave him a few seconds before pushing open the door.
He found his friend lying on the couch in his small apartment, staring at the TV with a glassy look in his eyes, clearly not paying attention to the show that was playing. There was a sort of tension in his jaw- it was the kind of look he got on his face when he’d been in a fight and let his powers get out of hand. But there wasn’t anything Izumo knew of for him to feel guilty about- the last big scuffle Mikoto had been in was weeks ago with the Blue King, and it wasn’t like he could have accidentally hurt him; Reisi was more than strong enough to hold his own.
“You’ve been holed up in here for more than a week,” Izumo pointed out, setting the curry on the coffee table and perching on the arm of the chair. “What’s up?”
Mikoto clicked his tongue, clearly not keen on the idea of chatting about it. “Nothing.”
“You’re not sick?”
“No.”
“I’ve barely seen you in nearly a fortnight, Mikoto. Ya can’t expect me to believe it’s nothin’.”
Mikoto didn’t bother to deny that.
“…I heard through the grape vine that Awashima spotted ya goin’ into Sceptre 4’s HQ with Munakata a lil while back. She said when ya left again, you were covered in bruises, which apparently looked suspiciously like hickeys. It ain’t got anythin’ to do with that, has it?” Admittedly, Izumo hadn’t seen any signs of anything between Reisi and Mikoto, or at least anything on Mikoto’s end, but Seri apparently had some very strong suspicions, and he trusted her instincts.
Mikoto merely sighed.
“Ya can talk to me, ya know. Are ya seein’ Munakata?”
“No.”
“…Is that the problem? You wanna be seein’ Munakata but you’re not.”
Mikoto clicked his tongue, and there was a long pause before he conceded: “Sorta.”
Izumo took a moment to digest that, and he had to admit it sort of surprised him. But he realised too late he’d let his surprise show on his face, when Mikoto snapped:
“What?”
“I gotta admit, I thought the person you had feelings for was Totsuka…” Izumo admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
Mikoto clicked his tongue, then admitted: “…Yeah.” He seemed past the point of caring about what Izumo knew.
Izumo sighed, clapping his friend on the shoulder in commiseration. “Ahh, I see. That’s a rough situation to find yourself in.”
“It’s stupid.”
“What’s stupid?”
“I’m the Red King.” I shouldn’t be so affected by a stupid crush. Mikoto didn’t have to finish the sentiment for Izumo to understand the gist of what he meant.
“Ya know, Munakata’s a king too, and from what I’ve heard you’re not the only one kinda torn up by this whole situation. It sucks, but just ‘cause you’re a King doesn’t mean you’re immune to lovesickness, ya know. You’re allowed to have feelings.”
Mikoto sighed again, reaching for a crumpled pack of cigarettes from the coffee table. He seemed almost… abashed?
“I can’t believe I’m actin’ like this…” Mikoto said, finally uttering more than two words in a row as he lit his cigarette.
“Bein’ torn between two people you care about sucks. Especially when it seems like something went off between you and Reisi… I dunno the whole story but it sounds like ya had some kinda disagreement, but it’s normal to feel outta sorts after somethin’ like that.”
Mikoto exhaled a ribbon of smoke, then admitted: “I messed up. Think I hurt Munakata pretty bad.”
There it is. That explained the guilty look on Mikoto’s face earlier. Whatever he’d done, he felt awful for it, and he was likely hiding out up here to save face, so nobody else could figure out what it was that was bothering him so much.
“He’ll forgive you.”
Mikoto gave him a weak glare, as if asking how he could be so sure.
“At times like this, Totsuka’s catchphrase is important to keep in mind, don’t ya think? ‘It’ll all turn out alright’; you aren’t gonna feel like this forever. Munakata certainly ain’t gonna hold a grudge forever.”
“How do you know?” Mikoto replied flatly.
Izumo sighed. “Whatever happens, wallowin’ in your own dark mood ain’t gonna make you feel any better. Eat your food, take a shower, put some clean clothes on, maybe open a window and let some air in here. You’ll feel better.”
Mikoto let out a heavy, reluctant huff, but seemed as though he couldn’t be bothered to argue, so he sat up and reached for the bowl of curry as Izumo got up to open the curtains and the windows and tidy around a little. He stayed in the room until Mikoto had gotten into the shower to make sure he actually did it before heading back downstairs, but he’d only gotten half-way down when his phone rang. It was Tatara.
“Totsuka, what’s up?”
“Is King okay? He’s not answering his phone.”
“He’s in the shower at the minute,” Izumo said, turning and heading back up the stairs. When he got back to Mikoto’s room, he spotted his phone on the bedside table- he hadn’t heard it ringing whilst he was in his room, and surely enough, it didn’t respond when he tried to turn on the screen.
“Battery in his phone is dead, by the looks of it,” Izumo explained, plugging it into the charging cable.
“Can you tell him when he gets out of the shower to come to my apartment? I need to speak with him about something important.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah fine.” There was a pause. “I was attacked by a strain earlier, but I’m okay. Munakata found me before any damage could be done.”
Izumo clicked his tongue. “Ya can’t say somethin’ like that so casually. You really oughta be more careful,” he scolded.
“I know, I know, sorry. I’m okay though, really. Will you pass the message on to King?”
“Yeah, I’ll let him know to get down to your place when he gets outta the shower.”
“Thank you.”
“Be more careful,” Izumo chided again.
“Sorry! See you later.”
“See ya,” Izumo replied, then hung up.
When Mikoto came out of the bathroom, having thrown on a clean outfit, he gave Izumo a questioning look as though to ask why he was still in his bedroom.
“Totsuka called, he said he couldn’t get through to you.”
“Hm? What’d he want?” Mikoto asked, rubbing his hair dry with a towel.
“He said he wanted to talk to you, and for you to go meet him at his apartment.”
“Did he say what it was about?” Mikoto dropped the towel on his bed and ran a comb through his still somewhat damp hair.
“No. He did say he got caught up in a strain attack though.”
Mikoto’s head snapped around. “Is he okay?”
“He said he was fine.”
Mikoto clicked his tongue. “’Fine’ for Totsuka can mean anything from ‘just a scratch’ to ‘I have a bone poking through my skin,’” he grumbled.
“He didn’t sound like anything was wrong.”
Mikoto grunted suspiciously, making a grab for his jacket and throwing it on. He hadn’t bothered to dry or style his hair, nor had he put the jewellery he normally wore back on. “I’m gonna go check on him.”
“That’s probably a good call. See you later.”
Mikoto merely nodded as he pulled on his boots and headed swiftly for the door. Izumo couldn’t help but be quietly relieved he was finally leaving the building, even if it was under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Having the Blue King in his apartment was unusual to say the least for Tatara, but he supposed it was something he would have to get used to. He felt bad that the place wasn’t quite as tidy as he would have wanted, but Reisi didn’t seem to mind- he wandered around the main living area, looking at the photographs on the shelves and the bits and pieces Tatara had accumulated from his various hobbies, asking the occasional question about them. It was kind of nice having him around once Tatara got over how surreal it was- apart from anything else he was very pretty to look at.
When Mikoto finally arrived, he let himself into the apartment without knocking. He appeared slightly harried, or at least as much as he would ever show it. Tatara supposed Izumo had probably told him about the strain attack and he was worried- he’d clearly rushed to get here, as his hair was still damp and hung down over his forehead.
“Are you okay?” he asked, striding over to where Tatara sat. His gaze fixated almost instantly on the wound on Tatara’s cheek, and a crease formed between his brow.
“I’m fine. Some strain caught my scent, probably had a grudge against Homra or something. He chased me around a bit, but I’m okay. Munakata got there just in time,” Tatara explained, nodding towards his guest, who Mikoto didn’t seem to have noticed until now. Mikoto seemed vaguely surprised by his presence, but he didn’t say anything about it.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Mikoto asked.
“I didn’t see any need to worry you. I’m not badly hurt. The only other wound is a little scratch on my stomach, but it’s fine. Munakata patched it up.” He lifted his shirt (or rather, Reisi’s- he’d borrowed the clean garment as his own was still bloodstained) to show the wound.
“I can assure you he is fine. I was called out to a strain incident, and I found him before any major damage could be done. I took him back to Tsubaki-Mon for first aid and to take a statement about the incident. His injuries are minor- he should be back to normal within a few days at most,” Reisi reassured, and for the first time since he arrived, Mikoto looked at Reisi properly. He seemed taken aback at the civility of his tone, but there was an air of caution about him, as though he was wary of any grudges Reisi might hold after their last encounter- Tatara didn’t know all of the details, but it seemed their most recent meeting hadn’t gone well.
“Thanks…” Mikoto said quietly, though he still looked somewhat confused as to why Reisi was there.
Tatara and Reisi exchanged a significant look, then Tatara patted the sofa for Mikoto to sit down beside him.
“We actually wanted to talk to you about something,” Tatara began as Mikoto took a seat.
Mikoto once again watched Reisi with caution as he sat down the opposite side of him to Tatara, then returned his attention to his clansman.
“What?” Mikoto asked.
Tatara was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say. He'd been confident of the outcome of the discussion ever since he'd had the idea to propose the arrangement, but suddenly he felt daunted. He hadn't been this nervous earlier talking to Reisi, but it was different this time. The stakes felt higher somehow.
A moment passed, and Mikoto watched him expectantly, until Reisi cleared his throat and gave Tatara a look, as though asking if he wanted him to broach the subject instead. Tatara nodded.
“As you are aware, the predicament over the past few weeks has gotten to the point where it seems to be causing all three of us a fair amount of distress. You clearly have feelings for both Totsuka and I, and obviously the events that have come about as a result of that have… not been ideal,” Reisi began.
Mikoto remained deathly quiet, his jaw clenching as though he expected bad news.
“Obviously things cannot be allowed to continue in this fashion. But Totsuka has come up with a solution which I believe will be to the benefit of all of us.”
“Go on.” Mikoto’s eyes had narrowed, almost in suspicion- it seemed as though he couldn’t quite guess what Reisi was about to say next, so he was keeping his guard up.
“We both have feelings for you too,” Tatara cut in. “And that kind of really sucked initially- it seemed like there was no way out of this without someone getting hurt. But I thought about it a bit, especially after I went to visit Munakata a couple of weeks ago. I never imagined him and I being close; to be honest I didn't think he liked me very much.”
Reisi chuckled at that.
“But we actually got along quite well, and I found myself thinking about him a lot afterwards. As time went on I realised I was sort of sweet on him, and when I went back to the Sceptre 4 headquarters earlier today it only solidified that in my head, and it turned out Reisi feels the same way about me…” Tatara took a deep breath to steady himself- he could feel himself beginning to babble- but as he did he noticed Mikoto stiffen. Tatara felt a stab of guilt- he didn't want Mikoto to think he and Reisi had chosen each other over him.
“But I never stopped feeling the way I did about you. I've felt that way for years; I've been totally infatuated with you since we were teenagers, that isn't going to change in a week and a half...” He paused for thought once more. “I’ll cut to the chase. What I’m saying is we all seem to have feelings for each other, so why should we have to choose? Maybe we should all get together, you know, as a kind of all three of us dating sort of arrangement.”
There was a moment of quiet as Mikoto processed that in his head, and Tatara could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage.
Finally, Mikoto breathed: “…Thank fuck.”
Tatara noticed a smile to flickering across Reisi’s lips as he released the breath he didn’t seem to realise he’d been holding.
“Is that a yes?” Reisi asked.
Mikoto smirked faintly, but it barely disguised his relief. “Yeah, it is.”
The next thing Tatara knew, he’d thrown his arms around Mikoto without ever quite intending to, laughing in joyful disbelief as Mikoto hugged him back tightly. His embrace was everything Tatara always thought it would be- he was warm; his arms were strong, and the familiar scent of his cologne and cigarette smoke clung to his skin. It was a relief to finally hold him like this after all the years of daydreaming about it, and it was a relief to see him happy after he’d finally emerged from being locked away in his room. The faint smile still played across Mikoto’s lips, and in that moment, Tatara couldn't resist kissing him.
The contact was chaste and gentle, and Tatara almost didn't quite believe it was happening. Even though he'd been the one that orchestrated all of this, it still seemed surreal. He'd fantasised about kissing Mikoto for years now, and now it was actually happening, it seemed too good to be true. His lips tingled at the contact, and goosebumps prickled down his spine, not stopping when they finally broke apart. Mikoto pulled Tatara up so he was perched in his lap, still smiling at him. There was a softness in his hazel eyes that Tatara had never seen before.
Tatara couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across his lips, wide and goofy, and it didn’t fade when Reisi leaned in and turned Mikoto’s head with his fingertips to kiss him for himself. If anything, it only made him feel more content to watch them- it felt like a happy ending. After all the kisses Reisi and Mikoto had shared before- rough and heated, and then fuelled by anger, it only seemed fair that after the pain Reisi had been through, he could finally kiss the man he loved like this. Softly, their lips curved into subtle smiles against each other, eyelids fluttering closed as Mikoto slid his arm around Reisi’s shoulders and pulled him closer. Tatara imagined this was how Reisi had wanted it to be all along, and it seemed just that he should finally have this- if anyone deserved the man he loved to feel the same way, it was Reisi. And it made Tatara happy to get to share in it.
Their kiss didn’t break for a long moment, and when they finally did, Tatara didn’t miss the faint flush of pink on Reisi’s cheeks. That was another surreal thing- seeing Munakata Reisi in a state like this. He never expected the Blue King to be the sort of person who blushed, even just faintly. But he supposed if there was ever a time for it, it was now, when he’d just found himself with two new boyfriends. Tatara couldn’t help but lean across to peck him on the lips.
Reisi smiled at the kiss, then once Tatara had pulled away, he cleared his throat and turned to Mikoto. “I wish to apologise for the way I’ve behaved over the past few weeks. I was hurt, and I allowed it to make me spiteful, but I shouldn’t have.”
“’S alright,” Mikoto replied. “I was the bigger jerk.”
“I think what everyone did is understandable considering the circumstances,” Tatara chimed in gently. “But apparently communication solves everything. Who would’ve thought, hm?” he joked.
Reisi chuckled. “It seems to me we should put the mistakes of the past few weeks behind us,” he suggested.
“Good idea,” Tatara replied, and Mikoto nodded.
“How’d you even come up with this?” Mikoto asked, looking at Tatara and gesturing with a nod between the three of them.
“…Okay, if I’m being completely honest, I sort of got the idea from a very interesting sex dream.”
Both of his boyfriends snorted at the confession.
“When I went to talk to Re-.. Can I call you Reisi?”
“I don’t see why not.” Reisi replied, but there was a faint smirk on his lips, as if to say it’s not as though you weren’t moaning that name earlier.
“When I went to talk to Reisi a little while back, I was I guess contemplating the reasons you seemed to have feelings for him, and I couldn’t help but notice he’s… well, he’s really hot, to put it bluntly.”
Mikoto chuckled.
“And once you notice that sorta thing you can’t un-notice it. And I guess it sort of snuck into my subconscious somewhere… If we’re being totally honest, I’ve had a fair few sex dreams about you in my time,” Tatara admitted, looking at Mikoto. He could feel his face heating up.
“And recently, Reisi turned up in one of them, and there was a moment after the main event where you were kissing each other and, I dunno, it just sort of set a lightbulb off when I woke up. I wanted both of you, but I also wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea of you wanting each other. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea- not just the threesomes (though I’m definitely looking forward to that) but I also just like the idea of you having each other, too. You’re a good match. I was telling Reisi about it before- he’s your stopper as much as I am.”
Mikoto nodded slowly, and Tatara noticed a faint smile on Reisi’s face.
“…Speaking of sex, in the, uh, interests of full disclosure, I figure you should probably know Reisi and I sorta… well, we figured this was the kind of discussion you want to have with a clear head and we were both kind of riled up earlier…” Tatara admitted. He couldn’t resist bracing himself, half-worried Mikoto would be jealous or something at the news, and he couldn’t quite force out the details of exactly what happened.
“We had sex,” Reisi finished the sentiment for him.
Mikoto merely gave a faint smirk, addressing Tatara: “He’s good, isn’t he?”
Tatara chuckled, relieved he took it well. “Very. And I was told some very interesting things about you and a pair of handcuffs.”
Mikoto raised an eyebrow, addressing Reisi: “Gossip.”
Reisi pushed his glasses up his nose. “You should be grateful people are saying good things about you behind your back.”
Mikoto and Tatara chuckled, and Tatara was once again struck by how surreal this all seemed. His anxiety beforehand seemed silly in retrospect- knowing how Mikoto felt, he didn’t expect him to say no. But knowing it was real now was… a lot to process. Certainly, going from being single to having two boyfriends who happened to be the Red and Blue Kings was quite a change to wrap his head around, especially after the weeks of feeling hopeless and thinking there was no way out of this that didn’t leave at least one person burned.
But as weird as it felt to be sitting beside the two Kings, knowing he was theirs, and they were his, it also felt right. It was comforting to hear them return to their normal banter after the frosty silence, and to see Mikoto back to his usual casual self. He normally seemed so calm, even when he was having a tough time, so to see something visibly get under his skin the way this whole scenario had was disconcerting. Thankfully though, now it was over, the tension seemed to have fallen out of his body. He had one arm lazily slung over Reisi’s shoulders, and the other around Tatara’s waist, relaxing into the touch of his new lovers. It was a relief to see him happy.
Reisi seemed happy too- he usually kept up his professional front at almost all times, but for once he’d allowed himself to let his guard down a little, and his contentment was written all over him. He’d sunken into the warmth of Mikoto’s body, and there was a serene look in his eyes- Tatara supposed he felt the same way as he did. After all the tension and heartbreak of what had felt far longer than a mere few weeks, it was a relief to be at the finish line, things having turned out far better than anyone could have hoped for. Well, sort of a finish line, and sort of a starting line.
The casual intimacy would definitely take some time to get used to; Tatara still didn’t quite dare to believe he wasn’t dreaming. He’d fantasised about being able to do things like cuddling like this with Mikoto for… longer than he cared to admit.
It was strange though- almost the opposite was true with Reisi. He’d never even considered seeing him in this way until a short while ago, but infatuation had hit him hard, and he found himself staring at Reisi just as often as he was staring at Mikoto, admiring the different ways in which the two Kings were beautiful as he listened to them continuing their playful banter.
Everything about this scenario seemed so dreamlike, especially the way it had been so… easy. After everything, all it had taken was a short conversation, and then they’d fallen straight into being together in this way as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
It was weird.
But it was a good weird- ever since Mikoto had said yes, Tatara’s chest had been filled with a sort of warm sensation swelling against his ribcage, and he couldn’t keep a smile from creeping across his lips. He was happy to be with them, but he was almost happier to know they were happy. They deserved it, and if he could be a part of that, then all the better.
