Archive of Our Own

Kaminari woke up to the sun aiming directly in his eyes. Something strong was tightly wound against him, binding him in place and weighing down his left side. He peered over to see Mina draped over him, one leg propped up on his hips, an arm across his shoulders, pushing on his neck. Her hand gripped tight to his bicep, nails digging in. Her knee pressed down on his bladder, placing a bit more urgency on the situation.

“Mina,” he grumbled, trying to wriggle free of her grip.

She grumbled something and only held on tighter. Her leg wound around him like a vice. Kaminari kicked his feet, the tangled up covers swishing around them.

“Mina,” he ground out. “I’m gonna piss the bed.”

Mina nuzzled into his back, her affections arising from a deep unconscious state. Kaminari was appreciative and would normally settle back against her, but he was dying!

“Mina, please!” he begged, gripping fistfulls of sheets and trying to physically drag himself out of the bed.

She huffed and in a second, had completely unwound herself and kicked at his back. Between both their efforts, Kaminari had flopped over the side of the bed with a high pitched yelp and a loud thunk. He wasted no time though and scrambled to the bathroom.

It wasn’t the first time Kaminari had woken up in Mina’s grasp. Wasn’t even the second. He had been coming over to Sero and Mina’s for a few months now. They would enjoy a night out or have a dinner in, watch some tv, hang out and laugh, then inevitably they would end up in the bedroom. The three of them would explore new positions, new kinks, new things to do almost every time. It was overall good fun.

Kaminari sighed and washed his hands. As per usual, he had his moment where he assessed himself in the mirror. He held onto the the side of the sink and gave his reflection a dull stare.

It was fun, but thats all it was. Sero and Mina were still an awesome couple and Kaminari. . . Well. He was just a guest. A guest in their home and in their bed, but not in their relationship. Mina and Sero were dating, he was just there to have fun.

Every few nights or so, he got to have Mina and Sero in that capacity, got to be with them, even if it was just physically. Then in the morning he would go home, to the apartment where he lived alone, and continued to be single. But Kaminari didn’t want to stop having fun, wasn't quite ready to give them up. He kept his complaints and his loneliness to himself and continued.

He took a deep breath and smiled at his reflection. He didn’t have to fake it, even if the sly little sliver of doubt wedged its way further into his brain. He left the bathroom and padded down the hall. Mina was sprawled out, taking up the entire bed, the sheets now tangled around her in a tight knot. He could hear clicks on a keyboard and could smell coffee, so Kaminari made his way to the kitchen.

The kitchen was in a rare state of clean and sunlight poured in through the windows that surrounded the kitchen nook. There was a pile of stuff on the bench, one of Mina’s totes for work, a scattering of mail that was being ignored, some unfolded laundry, and Sero. He smiled at Kaminari as he entered the kitchen and looked up from his laptop.

“Morning,” he said and raised his mug.

Kaminari shuffled over and took it from Sero, even though it hadn’t been offered. Sero scoffed, but Kaminari plonked down into his lap, and any protest died. Sero sighed, resting his head on Kaminari’s shoulder, and typed around him. A travel website was open and Sero was scrolling through options.

“What ‘chya doing?” Kaminari asked.

“Looking up cruises,” Sero said.

“Really?”

“Yeah yeah I know,” Sero said, clicking on an option and looking at the perks and prices. “It's a little cheesy, but it sounds like fun. Me and Mina were talking about it. We figured we’d go someplace warm, get away for a bit.”

Kaminari hummed and took another sip of the coffee, hiding his face in the ceramic. He ignored the jealous little twist in his chest. Hearing about Sero and Mina’s dates, hell hearing about their grocery shopping, was bad enough. Now they were going to go on vacation together. It was getting serious for them, it seemed. Kaminari wondered how much it would hurt when he inevitably stood up for one of them at their wedding.

“What do you think?” Sero asked.

“Could be fun,” Kaminari muttered, hoping he sounded more sleepy than sullen.

“Good,” Sero said. “Think you could get one of these weeks off?”

Kaminari blinked, staring out over the kitchen. He looked down to Sero, finding only a calm smile and waiting eyes. His head whipped to look at the calendar on the screen, a variety of weeks highlighted in the upcoming months. Kaminari didn’t know what to make of that.

“Um. . . sure?” he said. “I’d have to check with work.”

“Awesome,” Sero said. He wrapped one arm around Kaminari’s waist, pulling him in closer, and nuzzled against his shoulder. “Which one of these looks like fun?”

Before Kaminari could answer, tongue stuck in his throat, Mina shuffled around the corner. She was rubbing at one eye and trailing the sheet behind her, still tangled up her leg.

“Why did no one wake me?” Mina asked.

“Babe. . .” Sero deadpanned.

____

The ship was a floating city. It blot out the sun. Standing on the pier, heads tilted back to see upper decks, it put into perspective one's place in the universe. Walking up the gangplank felt like entering a whole new world. Inside was air-conditioned, covered in plush carpet, and filled with people.

Kaminari drummed his fingers on the handle of his suitcase. Mina groaned, her head rocking back, already bored despite waiting in line for only 15 minutes. She leaned against Sero, singing a complaint without words.

"Mmhmm," Sero said, putting an arm around her almost reflexively.

Kaminari swallowed and looked down at the ground.

This was weird. The whole situation was weird. He had no idea what he was even doing there. This was romantic, right? A vacation going from beach locale to beach locale was something for couples to do, right!? Maybe this would make more sense if it was a group of them, but it was just Sero, Mina, and him. Sure, they had an unconventional friendship, but still.

This was weird.

Kaminari tapped Sero's shoulder and leaned in.

"Hey man, I know it's a little late to be saying this," he said. "But I never got an itinerary."

"Don't worry, I got it right here." Sero waved a couple of papers in the air. "I kind of took the liberty to sign us up for a bunch of stuff. Did you wanna see?"

"You uh. . . Did you pay for my room?"

Sero looked over his shoulder, brows furrowed and mouth pulled into a tight frown. He cocked his head and gave Kaminari a smile full of pity.

"We're sharing a room, genius," he said and whapped him lightly between the eyes with the itinerary.

"Oh." Kaminari took the papers and looked them over. "We had to schedule dinners?"

"Fancy dinners." Mina looked over pressing her other cheek against Sero's arm.

Dinners in nice restaurants across this floating city. Kaminari looked up at them again and wondered how pitiful he must seem to have them include him on their vacation like this. He should have just said he was busy. He scanned the price of the room, splitting it down the middle. It was so pricey, but then again most 2 bed suites were.

Sero went to the check in by himself, leaving Mina and Kaminari waiting to the side. She was bouncing in place, head whipping around to take it all in. She looked to Kaminari, a big smile on her face.

"I’m super excited, aren’t you!?" she asked.

And Kaminari found that he was.

All the apprehension and hesitation and confusion had filled his entire morning, hell, the last few weeks, but a bubbling excitement was building up. Especially with Mina smiling at him like that.

Fuck it. He was on vacation.

"Heck yeah," he said.

She squeaked and took his arm, once again bouncing. Her energy was infectious and jostled his arm. He bounced in time with her.

So what if he was third wheel on this vacation. So what if Sero and Mina dragged him along on their romantic getaway. He was on a cruise! He'd go to gorgeous beaches and eat way too much food and run up a debt. He was going to enjoy this vacation.

Sero walked up to see both of them bouncing in place, sharing identical smiles. He watched the spectacle, his eyes moving with them, before shaking his head.

"Come on," he said with a smile.

They took a packed elevator up to their floor and it seemed to take forever. The floor they were going to spend the next week on was just as plush as everything else. The lights were low in the hallway, but some rooms had their doors open, letting in brilliant white sunlight reflected off clear ocean water. Activity and noise filled the hall from guests settling into place.

"Here we go," Sero said and used the key card to open their room.

It was small. Tight cramped quarters that were draped in shadow, made worse by the light coming in from the far window. They were all squeezed in the little entranceway and it took Kaminari's eyes a minute to acclimate.

The room only looked small because of the single massive bed filling up the space.

Kaminari looked around the room for a door to another area, but there was only a cramped bathroom. He looked at the bed and slowly it began to click into place.

"Aaahhh," Mina sighed and flung herself on the mattress.

She bounced, settling on her back like a pink queen on a cloud. Kaminari let go of his suitcase and wandered to the window. It was a sliding door that opened up onto a balcony. He stepped out, finally feeling the sun prickle against his skin. He leaned his palms against a warm railing and looked out over the water.

He was there as their third.

This wasn't just a vacation to see the sights and experience new adventures. This was going to have a whole different kind of adventure. Kaminari's fingers tightened around the rail, his heart racing with new excitement and new apprehensions. He turned to look back at his casual lovers, at the people he had desperately fallen for.

Sero had begun unpacking his bag into the single tiny closet that would not hold all their stuff and was complaining about just that. Mina was still sprawled out on the bed. She glanced over her shoulder, caught Kaminari looking, and rolled over onto her side. She was all seductive curves and a sinful smile in the sunlight. She pat the empty space on the bed.

Suddenly that 'excited' took on a whole different meaning.

Kaminari swallowed down what was left of that jealous hollow feeling, set it aside for later. It was useless now. He returned to the cool of the dark room and flopped on top of Mina. She wrapped her arms around his neck, their legs slotting together, her mouth meeting his in a wet kiss. He pressed his thigh between her legs and she ground up against his hips. He groaned, feeling nails in his back as she tugged on his shirt.

"Really?" Sero asked. "You're doing this now? Can we at least put our stuff away first?"

Two hands reached up, Kaminari grabbed a fistful of his shirt, Mina his hand, and they dragged him to the bed.

____

The ship took off from port, blasting it's horn like a great beast.

That first night seemed simple enough. They explored the ship together, walking from one end to another taking just a little more than an hour. They found club rooms, a dance hall, and a concert stage. There were in fact multiple restaurants. They peeked into an at gallery, saw the price tags on the paintings, and promptly scuttered out. They found a welcome aboard party and drank free champagne out of plastic coupes. Kaminari found the important stuff: the arcade and the serve yourself soft serve machine at the all you can eat buffet.

The evening concluded back in their room. Nothing but giggling and limbs.

The next day was at sea.

They weren't going to port until the following morning. That part of the world was blisteringly hot and the sunlight bouncing off the clear water only added to the heat.

It was a good day to spend at the pool.

The water was packed, filled with kids and too many adults, but the second there was a blank spot in the water, all three of them leapt into the deep end. It was fun, splashing around in the pool. They played with some of the other kids, a couple recognizing them as pro heroes, Sero and Mina absolutely unmistakeable.

It was easy to get lost in the joy.

Sero stepped out to grab some waters, feeling the effect of the heat. Mina had been carrying Kaminari precariously on her shoulders, but once she saw Sero, she dropped Kaminari back into the pool. And by the time he popped back up, she was already at the pool edge.

Sero was crouched down, two water bottles in hand, smiling down at his girlfriend. Mina half leapt out of the water, wrapped her arms around his neck, and was kissing her boyfriend. She almost dragged him in, but he caught himself at the last minute.

Kaminari watched them. He felt like he had been packed along. Packed up like one of Mina’s nice dresses or Sero’s toothbrush. Another thing to bring on the trip.

A toy.

There were only two bottles of water after all.

He looked down at the pool, at all the families and couples there. Groups of friends and travellers. No one was there alone. He waded back to the other side where their towels were and put on his shirt.

A wet shock of freezing touched the back of his neck. Kaminari squawked.

"Hey man, where are you going?" Sero asked with an amused grin. He held out one of the water bottles.

Kaminari eyed the bottle, then his friend.

"What about you?" Kaminari asked.

Sero stood up a little straighter and blinked.

"Oh. Huh," he said. "Yeah that would've been a good idea. But these things are expensive."

He was whining, motioning with the bottle in his hand.

"I don't want to pay for another, I'm just gonna stick my head under the faucet."

Sero held out the water and waggled it in Kaminari's face. Kaminari sighed and cracked it open.

"I don't think your head could even fit," he muttered into the bottle. "Too big."

"Okay, give it back."

Kaminari danced away as Sero tried to snag the fresh water bottle, his long arms reaching around Kaminari. Kaminari held him back with a stiff arm and guzzled the water greedily.

"Hey!"

Mina's voice was oddly muted. She doggy paddled through the pool, her head up above the water, the plastic bottle between her teeth and angled high. She swam up to the poolside, folded her arms on the tile, and plucked the empty bottle from her mouth with a pop.

"I was yelled at for drinking and swimming." She hefted herself out of the pool and water cascaded down her body. "Apparently it's some kinda rule or something. Who wants to go to the arcade? I saw Golden Axe."

"You suck at that game," Sero said, arms still high around Kaminari but trying less hard.

"Hanta!" Mina stomped her foot and puffed out her cheeks.

Kaminari tilted his head back and drained the bottle of water. He handed it to Sero.

"Here you go," he said.

"Gee. Thanks." The bottle crinkled in his hand.

"What? It's hot out."

"Let's get ice cream!" Mina said, throwing an arm around Kaminari's shoulders. "Then go play Golden Axe! Which I am excellent at!"

He laughed and marched with her, leaving Sero to gather up their things.

Okay, sure, he was just a guest. And yeah, he had to keep reminding himself to have fun. It was Mina and Sero's romantic getaway with their fun little toy. Kaminari could just keep ignoring his feelings, set them aside, and enjoy himself.

After all, toys made people happy.

____

Mina had told Kaminari to bring something nice to wear. He wished she had elaborated.

Everyone around them was dressed in suits and nice evening gowns, eating high end fine dining in one of the multiple fancy restaurants on the ship.

Sero was arguably the closest to fitting in, wearing his only suit with baggy oversized sleeves. Kaminari had brought something better suited to one of their regular nights out, a button down made out of shiny shimmering material with subtle bolts, too tight jeans, and boots that made noise when he walked. At least he was a little better than Mina, in a too low neckline, too high hem, too pink, too tight dress. She threw a green boa around her shoulders, winked, and said, "See? Fancy."

That was the only arguably nice outfit that Kaminari had brought. They had three of these things to get through.

"Relax," Sero said when Kaminari kept looking around at the nicely dressed passengers. "You're fine."

"This is not fine," Kaminari hissed.

"Ignore Mr One Suit here, he doesn't get it." Mina waved her fork. "We can take you both shopping tomorrow. They have stores on this ship."

"Yeah and a tailor?" Sero tapped his elbow.

"Maybe? You don't know."

"Mina," Kaminari whined, draping over the table. "How could you do this to me?"

"Blame Hanta, he was supposed to give you the itinerary."

Both of them looked to Sero with big accusatory eyes. He looked between the two of them.

"Well next time we go on a cruise, you two can plan it," he said.

"Fine. We will," Mina huffed. "You can borrow some of my clothes, Denki."

Kaminari eyed her, up and down. The dress hugged her curves in all the right ways, goose pimples running up and down her arms, the boa doing absolutely nothing to hide her cleavage.

"I uh. . . I don't think I could pull it off quite as well," he said, trying very hard not to stare and a nervous laughter bubbling up.

"I dunno," Sero said. "I think you'd look pretty good."

Kaminari whipped his head from her to him. His grin was just as dangerous.

"Anyways, you're not going out in that ratty suit again." Mina brandished her fork at Sero like a weapon.

"All my other clothes are for beach weather. Or sleeping."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Babe."

Mina stuck her tongue out at him.

Their ridiculously overpriced dinners came out with a bottle of wine. Kaminari looked down at his fish and felt kind of bad that Sero was footing this bill. But Mina would get the next one and Kaminari the last. But still, this one was the most expensive.

Mina dug into her steak. She closed her eyes and squealed in delight, kicking her legs under the table.

"Hanta, Hanta, you have to at least try the sauce."

Mina held up a spoonful, carefully cupping her hand underneath to catch any drippings. Sero leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the spoon. Kaminari could see the split second where his eyes rolled back and he moaned a little.

"Okay that's good," he said after sliding off the spoon.

Kaminari kept his eyes on his plate.

"You want some Denki?" Mina asked.

Mina's fork weapon was once again pointed at Kaminari, hand cupped below, a small bite sized chunk of meat stabbed on the end.

"Uh, no thanks," Kaminari said.

"Aw c'mon it's really good."

She wiggled it in front of him.

Kaminari didn't want to eat off her fork, not like Sero did. That was reserved for boyfriends. And she was giving him a bite because it was good, not to see him moan. Not out in the open like this.

"Naw," he said and tried to make his laugh as natural as possible. He failed.

She shrugged and the boa slid down her shoulder. Sero dutifully plucked it and placed it back in it's spot, taking a moment to rub her exposed skin with his thumb. Kaminari jabbed his fish a little too hard.

"Can I try some of that?" Mina asked.

"Not sure you'll like it, babe," Sero said.

"What is it even supposed to be?" Mina asked after a moment of contemplative silence.

"Celery root."

Mina crinkled her nose, but Sero offered her a piece anyways. She clamped down on it with the inverse amount of orgasmic bliss, but when she sat back up, she blinked owlishly.

"Why is that good?" she asked.

Sero grinned.

"Hey Kaminari did you–"

"Nope!" Kaminari kept his focus down and shoveled salmon and risotto in his face.

"Oh hey, you got some. . ."

Sero reached over and touched Kaminari's cheek. He jolted upright, staring at his friend, as Sero gently rubbed his thumb over his cheek bone.

"There," he said, his smile going soft.

Kaminari swallowed heavily, frozen between fight and flight. His skin crawled under that too intimate expression. He glanced to Mina, happily in her dinner.

Kaminari practically jumped to his feet.

"I gotta go see a man about some porcelain," he announced. "I mean squeeze the lemon. I mean piss. Gotta do it. No choice."

He marched off to the bathroom, leaving behind a confused Sero and Mina.

He leaned against the bathroom sink and had his moment, where he recalibrated, where he went over the facts.

Sero and Mina were dating. He was just fucking them. They were his friends. He was their friend. They were friends.

An older gentleman walked into the bathroom and eyed Kaminari's jeans.

"It's all I have!" he shouted.

The gentleman scuttled into a stall.

Kaminari looked at his reflection again. Friends. Friends during the day, on the lido deck, at the beach, during fancy dinners. A toy they packed at night.

Kaminari blinked and tried not to screw up his face. He turned on the water and splashed away whatever was distinctly not there. When he looked back up again, he was a mess. Sulking was an awful look on him. He toweled off and headed back out.

From his vantage point, he could see Sero and Mina. He had his hand over hers and she laughed.

Kaminari wasn't making it through this dinner.

"Hey man you okay?" Sero asked when he approached the table.

He looked that bad huh? Kaminari took the out Sero gave him.

"No, I um. . . I'm not feeling well? I think I'm gonna go lie down."

"Oh." Mina took his hand. "We'll be sure to save your fish, okay?"

"Mmhmm." Kaminari nodded and slowly slipped out of her hand.

Sero rose to his feet and had a hand out to touch Kaminari, but Kaminari was already on his way to the exit, not bothering to look behind him.

He managed to keep it together in the elevator, held it in as he went through a nighttime routine. It wasn't until he was gingerly cleaning their clothes off the bed that it finally got to him.

Kaminari crawled under the sheets. He half wished this never happened, that they'd never gotten together in the first place. That he'd just continued pining for what he couldn't have. He curled up on his side and tried to sleep.

When he couldn't, when he spent the next hours drifting in and out, watching the waves and stars through the balcony window, Sero and Mina came back. They were laughing as they burst through the door and Sero quickly shushed his girlfriend.

"Shh shh shh don't wake him," he hissed.

They followed similar routines Kaminari had, whispering as they did, all while he feigned sleep. A body snuggled behind him. The larger stature and heavy elbow across his midsection told Kaminari it was Sero. He heard them kiss goodnight, long and slow, before feeling soft lips on the back of his neck.

"Night," Sero whispered.

"Good night," Mina chirped.

Kaminari waited until he heard snoring to rest his hand over Sero's.

____

Kaminari woke up slowly to fingers dancing up and down his arm. His eyes peeled open to dim sunlight casting dark shadows in their cabin. Mina's face was illuminated in the sunlight.

Somewhere over the course of the night, Sero had rolled over and in the early hours of the morning, Kaminari found himself draped over Sero's chest, Mina curled up on the other side of her boyfriend.

At seeing him in consciousness, she smiled. He returned it, feeling warm from the sun and her attention. Her touch tickled up and down his arm, picking up in speed.

"Morning," he said softly.

"Hey," she returned. She cupped his face and leaned over their human pillow to meet his lips.

In those early hours, in the quiet of their bed, it was simple for Kaminari to fall into these little moments. Within the bedroom and their apartment, they shared something. Another world, partitioned off from the reality of their situation. With her kissing him like that, Kaminari didn't mind so much being a guest.

He hugged on to Sero tighter, reaching over to touch Mina's skin.

"Well hey," Sero's groggy voice crackled. "How we doing?"

They pulled apart to smile up at him. Sero had one eye open and lazily ran his hand through Kaminari's hair. Kaminari leaned up and slowly kissed him. Mina went to kiss Sero's chest, then stomach, then disappeared beneath the blanket.

"You feeling better?" Sero murmured against Kaminari's lips, his own evident.

"You have morning breath," Kaminari dodged and leaned in again.

Sero gasped and made that dumb face when something he really liked was happening.

Kaminari laughed and fell into the morning, fell into the moments he liked best. Where he could pretend they were his.

____

The ship pulled into port for the day and travellers were welcome, even encouraged, to step out onto dry land. It was a gorgeous sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, blue as far as the eye could see. The sun beat down with a purpose, the sand and concrete heated to cooking temperatures. Kaminari could already feel UV rays prickling his skin.

Mina whistled, one hand covering over her eyes.

“So which way to the beach beach?” she asked.

Sero wrestled a paper map in his hands, still half folded and probably upside down.

“Mmmm yup this is the wrong island,” he said.

“I could go get the right map,” Kaminari offered. He hiked a thumb over his shoulder to the throngs of people still flowing free of the gangplank. Part of it was to stall, that maybe Sero and Mina would get tired of waiting for him and they could have their romantic vacation together.

“Naw,” Sero said, crumpling up the wrong map. “Part of vacation is about having an adventure.”

“Lets have an adventure!” Mina said, wrapping her hold around Kaminari’s arm and dragging him away from the safety of the ship’s berth.

He smiled shakily, looked back up at the towering structure as if it could help him, and let his friends drag him away.

Directions to the beach were pretty straight forward, but the way lead through a winding path of shops, store fronts, and overall tourist traps. At one point or another, they felt the need to stop at every single one of them. At first Mina was stopping every few steps or so, going from bracelets to blown glass to bobbles. Sero rolled his eyes at it, but was soon distracted by a booth selling geodes. Kaminari couldn’t blame them, trying on every hat at a hat stand.

“Probably has lice,” Sero whispered, leaning over Kaminari’s shoulder.

Kaminari yelped and the hat flew from his head. Sero laughed and Kaminari glared at him.

“Don’t have to be a jerk!” he pouted.

“Yeah, Hanta,” Mina also pouted. “He looked good in that one. Did you want that hat Denki?”

She was already wearing two or three new bracelets than she had been wearing when she left the boat. Her hand slipped into his, but he let his fingers stay slack.

“Uh, not if it has lice in it,” he said warily.

“It was a joke,” Sero said.

Mina stuck out her tongue and promptly marched Kaminari down the path on the way to the beach, leading him by the hand.

“It was a joke, guys!” Sero shouted, slow to keep up.

Kaminari managed to wriggle free of Mina before Sero reached their side and took his rightful place. He held her hand as it ought to be held: by her boyfriend. Kaminari shoved his own in his pockets.

They found the beach and spent the first 30 seconds simply staring at it in awe. It was unique to that island. The beach was affected by some natural chemical or some volcano somewhere, Kaminari hadn’t been paying too close attention, but it left the sand black. It glittered like jewels in the sunshine, heated just shy of painful when they walked on it.

Mina was first onto the beach, ripping off her sundress and running out of her flip flops. Sero followed behind and picked up after her like a mother hen. Kaminari was not far behind her, taking off his shirt. But he had the good sense to stop.

"Uh. . ." he said, looking back at Sero.

"Go on," Sero said, taking the shirt. "I'll find a spot in the shade."

"Thanks." Kaminari hopped on one foot, slipping off his shoe. "Not too much shade, I need some color."

"Mmhmm," Sero said when a look that should have been reserved for the bedroom.

Kaminari ignored that, ignored the way Sero's eyes swept over him. He threw his shoes onto the stack and ran into the water, ignoring what seemed to be disappointment from Sero.

He wasn't a particularly good swimmer, but he didn't need to be. He ran through the rush of ocean waves, white water pounding him in the face as he dove in. He swam a few strokes through the break until his feet didn't touch the soft sand and rocked with the soft roll of waves.

The water was blue and crystal clear. He could see his body beneath the surface, squiggling with the refraction of light through the waves. He leaned back and kicked his feet up, buoyant on the salt water. The shone into his eyes and water muted his hearing, leaving only his too loud breathing. He closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying his moment of peace.

It wasn't to last.

The great deep sea creature known only as Mina Ashiso breached the surface with a war cry and flopped across his body. Kaminari was rudely dragged under, a flurry of bubbles escaping from his mouth. The world turned upside down and he had to kick and scramble to find the right side up again. He chased the sun and broke through the surface with a gasp.

"Mina!" he whined.

She was a few feet away, damp pink hair and yellow eyes just above the surface, staring at him with a fierce determination. Like he was prey.

"Don't play dirty!" he pouted.

She spat a stream of salt water at him. Kaminari flinched before gaping at her, mouth open in a perfect offended O.

"If that's how it's going to be," he said with a grin.

He pushed at the water and sent a solid Kaminari fueled wave her way. Mina screeched with pure joy and fluttered back, holding her hands up for defense. But the second she recovered, retaliation was at hand.

The splash war was in full force. They screeched and screamed at each other. It started with great waves bombarding on one another, but they died down in size as they picked up in speed. Quantity over quality was a priority in splash wars. All the while they bobbed on the gently rolling waves.

In a moment of brazen confidence, Kaminari grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her under the waves. He didn't have long to celebrate his victory as he was pulled in after her.

Laughter literally bubbled up out of him. Beams of sunlight shot through the undersea vista before him. He could see Mina clear as day swimming towards him, wrapping her hands around his face, leaning in.

Underwater made the texture of the kiss oddly spongy. Air filled him from Mina in a sigh he could feel. Her body floated behind her, catching up as she kissed him, and her legs drifted down, her body slotting against him. Kaminari's eyes widened and the salt stung.

This was wrong. This was wrong wrong wrong. Someone could see!

He pushed away when they broke the surface, sputtering and coughing.

"Did I hurt you?" Mina asked, equally as breathless, holding her hands out to help.

He shook his head and waved a hand to keep her away, coughing up more ocean water.

"Swallowed," he coughed. "Swallowed when I should've. Should've spit. Ha ha. Can't breathe salt water yet, ha ha."

That did not eliminate the concern on her face.

"I'm just gonna. . ."

He pointed to the shore and swam away.

"Okay," Mina said, sounding small.

Getting out of the water was not as graceful as going in. The tide kept pulling Kaminari back out, kept pulling him back to her. He stumbled through the break, almost falling and head butting the black sand. And just his luck, Sero was there, shirtless and in swim trunks, ready to join them.

"Hey man," he said, obviously concerned. "Done already?"

"Yeah." Kaminari couldn't even look at him. "Do we have towels?"

"No."

"Great."

Kaminari stumbled to where Sero had left their clothes, left in a heap under an umbrella. He spent the rest of the day secluded in the shade.

____

There were multiple clubs on the ship, but leave it to Mina to find the best one. It was dark and cramped. Body heat radiated from every corner. Purples and pinks and blues shot through the dark from a light machine. The music was so loud that only the bass could be heard. There was little room on the dance floor, so it was okay when Mina was pressed up against Kaminari.

Her hand was on his waist, trying to pull him closer, but he always left enough room to keep it civil. Civilish. Mostly civil. If you close one eye and squint.

He couldn't help it. Mina had her hands all over him and, if he was being honest, which he was, Kaminari was all over her too. He blamed the lack of room, the drinks at dinner and then at the adjoining bar. He blamed the dark and the music. Maybe he blamed Mina.

But mostly he blamed himself.

The adrenaline and alcohol pumped through him. Everytime her touch grazed his skin, an anxiety drenched thrill ran through him. His mind kept wandering back to that kiss under the waves. He wanted it to have been okay, to have been truly hers. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and for that second pretended.

She leaned in closer and he tensed, afraid she would kiss him again. Instead, she lined her mouth up with his ear.

"I think the baby is fussy," she said.

Mina jerked her head and Kaminari looked in that direction. Sero was seated at one of the tables shoved just off the dance floor. He had one hand around a drink, the other slung over the back of a chair, his head tilted back and he looked to be snoring. Sero had gone harder on the drink then they had and was less into dancing. Kaminari smiled at him pitifully.

He remembered the night when they had seduced him and he had sulked in a corner. He wondered if he had looked like that.

"I wanna dance more," Mina said in his ear. "Could you put him to bed?"

"Sure!"

"Thanks, babe." And she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Kaminari walked out of her hold fast enough to almost drag her with him. He stared at the ground, fists tight. That was how she talked with Sero. And she was kissing him in public again. Maybe they wanted to flaunt their relationship on this cruise, where no one knew them. Knew that he was their third.

And when they got back home everything would go back to normal. And that hurt all the more.

Kaminari stopped at the table and squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to regain control of his breathing and tried not to think of being left behind.

He looked back over his shoulder to find Mina standing in the middle of the dance floor, staring after him, concern etched on her face. He put what he hoped was a convincing shaky smile and gave her a thumbs up. It was enough. She immediately broke out into a beaming smile, shot two thumbs up of her own into the air, and disappeared into the crowd.

Kaminari returned to the sleeping Sero.

"Wuh?" Sero asked when Kaminari shook him.

"C'mon," Kaminari said. "Let's go to bed."

Sero blinked blearily up at him before an endearing slanted smile grew across his face.

"You prop-. . . Propositioning me?" he asked.

Kaminari pushed down the butterflies of his crush and hooked Sero's arm over his shoulders.

"Alright, let's go," he grunted.

He managed to haul Sero's happy ass on to the elevator and for a brief moment everything was silent. Sero was leaning back dizzily and Kaminari fought him with each sway. Under the cool of the air conditioning, Kaminari realized how sweat drenched his one nice shirt was. It was more applicable for the club scene and now it clung to him, sticky and wet.

Sero noticed too.

He rest all his weight against Kaminari and rested his head on Kaminari's shoulder. Kaminari leaned back, turning to warily stare at Sero's moon eyed gaze.

"What?" Kaminari asked.

"You're pretty," Sero slurred.

"What!?"

Sero tapped the end of Kaminari's nose, which was enough to make him recoil in confusion. Sero simply went on to touch Kaminari's chest, running his fingers over the clinging shirt. He tilted his head and began kissing Kaminari's neck, fingers toying with a button.

That same sea salt near freezing terror raced through Kaminari's veins.

"Wait," he said. "Wait wait wait wait wait."

"You're right," Sero murmured against his skin, not stopping. He kissed long and wet just below Kaminari's ear and popped a button. "We should get back to the room first."

"But but." Kaminari looked around for an escape, an excuse, anything to help him ignore how good Sero's mouth felt. "What about Mina?"

Sero pulled back finally, not quite standing at his full height. His fingers were still in Kaminari's shirt, pulling at it with the dead weight of his hand. He wasn't disappointed, but something akin to confusion was on his expression.

"Are you worried about her?" he asked. "Is she okay?"

"I mean she's fine and all," Kaminari said. "But she's not here."

"Did you want to wait for her?"

"Shouldn't we?"

Sero snorted and a drunken smile replaced his confusion. He leaned in, draping his arms over Kaminari's shoulders and pushing him against the wall. The elevator dinged open.

"I want you now," Sero said, hushed against Kaminari's lips seconds before he kissed him.

Which was how Kaminari found himself fucking his friend without his other. Sero enjoying himself with his toy.

The drink had gotten to him, but Sero still insisted and Kaminari was weak. He rode Kaminari, long legs wrapped around him, leaning back into Kaminari's grip. His head flopped drunkenly, eyes closed as he got Kaminari off. Kaminari trailed static shocks up Sero's spine, just the way he liked. Brief pops of light jumped out into the room as he did and Sero moaned with every jolt.

Sero breathed heavy and managed to sit up enough. He managed to curl his lanky body to kiss Kaminari, a light touch and almost innocent.

"I love you," Sero whispered on his lips.

WRONG

That was wrong.

There was no way that could be right because it was so wrong wrong wrong!

A knot filled Kaminari's throat. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. That white hot burn of cold ran from head to toe in a flu like chill.

But he couldn't address it as in that moment his body chose to finish. His hands gripped Sero's hips tight enough to bruise and Sero flopped back, moaning contentedly.

Sero fell asleep almost instantly, as he usually did, snoring in his blissful drunken sleep.

Kaminari lay next to him and stared up at the ceiling in abject horror, unable to shut up the screaming in his brain.

____

Kaminari was still awake when Mina practically danced into the room. Her hips wiggled and she hummed under her breath. She kicked the door closed and began slipping off her heels. She got her dress off before she noticed Kaminari staring at her.

"Ah!" she squeaked and slammed against the wall, holding her hand to her chest.

Sero snored and rolled onto his face. One hand dropped off the bed.

"Denki," she whispered. "You scared me."

Kaminari sniffled. His eyes stung.

"Mi-Mina," he whispered and pulled the blanket over his chin.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sickly sweet with concern.

"I fucked up."

"Oh babe."

At the pet name, the one that didn't belong to him, he choked and the tears started to flow.

Mina got him out of bed and made him get dressed in garish sleep pants and a stupid tee shirt that said 'I know you I but what am are?' She threw on shorts and one of Sero's oversized shirts which hung so low she might as well not have worn the shots. Of course she got to wear Sero's clothes. They were as much hers as they were his and never Kaminari's. Her flip flops slap slap slaped in time with Kaminari's bare footfalls.

They walked slowly across the lido deck, eerie in its abandoned state. The pool was sealed off and sloshed quietly in time with the sway of the horizon. Occasionally a crew member would wander past.

Mina tried to link her arm with Kaminari's or hold his hand, but he turned away and wrapped his arms around himself. He didn't deserve her affection after such a betrayal. Mina only mimicked him and pouted, her mouth pulling at the side.

"What happened, Denki?"

"I slept with Sero," Kaminari said quietly.

His heart hurt. He wanted them so badly, wanted everything he had here, but it wasn't his. It hurt to look at Mina, to see how his desire and fuck up affected her.

Her brow furrowed and she cocked her head to the side.

"Did you pull a muscle?" she asked.

Kaminari stopped and held himself tighter.

"He told me he loved me." His voice cracked as he said it.

Mina just smiled, her brows upturned in pity.

"Aw Denki, it's okay if you're not ready to say it back," she said. "He goes so fast."

Kaminari's mouth dropped open. His head spun. For a second he couldn't speak around the choke in his throat.

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Why would I be mad?" she asked.

"Cause. Cause," he blubbered. "Cause he's your boyfriend. And I'm." He hiccuped and pressed the butt of his hand into his eye. "I'm just a toy."

Mina wrenched his hand away and cupped his face. She pressed down too hard and his cheeks squeezed tight around his mouth. Her dark eyes were wide, jumping back and forth as she looked from one eye to the other.

"Is that what you think?" she asked.

Kaminari sniffled.

"Oh Denki." She swiped away tears with her thumbs. "Oh Denki, baby, no."

Kaminari hiccuped again, holding onto himself tight.

"We don't think that at all," Mina said.

"But. But I'm a third. I'm a third wheel." Kaminari sucked in air, feeling another bout of sobbing coming on. "You're together and I'm. I'm just a g-g-guest."

"Denki~!" Mina whined.

She pulled him down and planted a big kiss on him. Kaminari kept his mouth a thin line and squeezed his eyes shut. Regardless if she noticed, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a fierce hug.

"You're not a guest," she said, hurried and hushed and in his ear. "You mean so much to us. We're together with you. You're with us. We're all together you big dummy."

"Wh-what?"

Mina pulled back to look him in the eye, her own wet with glistening unshed tears.

"We like you Denki," she said. "Did you honestly think we keep you around for sex?"

"Yyee. . . but you. . I. . "

He couldn't stay focused. His eyes darted from the pool to a wandering crew member looking on with concern to the dark where night sky and black ocean blended together. Mina constantly in his view.

She cupped his cheek and gently stroked his skin.

"Do you remember when we first got together?" she asked.

"Yuh huh," he said and nodded dumbly.

"Right before we called you, we were talking. About you," she said. "We were talking about how we missed you so much Denki and couldn't figure out why you were avoiding us. Then Hanta admitted that he had the biggest crush on you back at UA."

Kaminari's heart beat hard in his throat.

Mina laughed sweetly, her nose crinkling and her shoulders hiking up. The force of it squished Kaminari's face.

"I got so so so mad at him and thought that maybe I was second best, but he assured me he was crushing on me too. I just moved quicker," she said. "And the more we talked about you the more we realized his crush never went away. And how I felt about you. And well."

She shrugged and rolled her eyes. Kaminari could only stare, mouth hanging open.

"It was a really good night," she giggled.

"Yeah. . . " Kaminari agreed.

"And it wasn't just about the sex, Denki," she said. "You're fun and funny and even when we're having a fight or in a bad mood you come around and make everything better. And we love hanging out with you. I love hanging out with you. Nobody gets me like you do. Nobody else can keep up. And it was. . . It's only a matter of time before I. . . oh hell, Denki I'm gonna."

Tears spilled over. Reading the moment, Kaminari lurched forward and held her face between his hands, squishing it as she did his.

"Yeah!?" he practically shouted.

"Denki," she sniffed. "Babe. I love you."

Kaminari's eyes widened. His heart thudded.

"You do?" he asked.

"Mmhmm." She nodded between his hands.

Both of them. Both of them loved him. LOVED HIM. At the same time! He wasn't a toy or a third or something for just the bedroom. He could hold their hands and gently touch them and call them pet names. He got to flirt with them openly. And in public.

Because they loved him!

And he.

"I love you too!" he shouted.

"You do!?" she shouted back.

Kaminari bounced in place, full of uncontrollable energy. She bounced with him. The circling crew member eyed them curiously, but none of that mattered.

"Yeah!" he shouted. "Yeah! I really love you!"

Mina squealed and Kaminari laughed and they bounced out of time with each other, their feet slapping against the ceramic slats. Mina dragged Kaminari down into another fierce kiss and he gripped her shoulders, still dancing as their mouths met, unable to stop.

"I. I love you," he said between frantic pecks. "I love. You. And I love. I love Sero, too."

"You do!?"

Kaminari nodded eagerly.

"I do too!" Her voice cracked with joy.

"I know!" So did Kaminari's.

"We should tell him!" Mina gasped and went stock still, holding tight to Kaminari's forearms.

"Yes!" Kaminari nodded. "Yes yes yes! Let's tell him! He needs to know!"

"Okay!" Mina was already hopping towards the door. "Okay okay okay!"

Hand in hand, they ran through the ship, taking the stairs. There was too much happy energy to be waiting in an elevator. And it didn't stop when they burst through the door.

"Sero!"

"Hanta!"

"Sero!"

"Hanta!!"

They fell on the bed, bouncing on the mattress on either side of their lanky lover. Sero sat up, propped up on one elbow, eyes still closed.

"Hello?" he asked flatly.

"I love you!" Kaminari said, shaking him.

"He loves you." Mina pointed both of her fingers at Kaminari, hands dancing back and forth, and occasionally jabbing him in the arm. "I love you!"

"We both love you!" Kaminari shouted, shaking Sero by the shoulder.

"We really do! We love you so much!" Mina shouted.

Sero only stared at them, slack jawed and furrowed brow. He blinked, looking from one to the other.

"Great," he said and flopped back to his pillow.

"Sero!"

"Hanta!!"

"Sero~!"

Kaminari whined and shook him. Mina continued to bounce on her knees. Sero groaned and threw a pillow over his head.

_____

A sunny day at sea seemed so much brighter than on land. Cloudless and blue. The sky was tinged a pale blue, nearing white. Light bounced off the water, making it glisten like jewels.

Children screeched as they played in the pool, running where they shouldn't be and splashing where they should. A life guard blew their whistle. Conversation buzzed all around.

Despite all the noise, Kaminari could block it out, in his own state of bliss. He was laid out on a pool chair, soaking in the sunlight. His skin prickled, eyes closed behind cheap shades.

An alarm beeped repetitively. A soft tap rapped against his arm.

"Flip," Mina chirped.

Together, they slid off their chairs and laid back down on their stomachs. Before Kaminari could truly settle in, Mina picked up a burnt yellow bottle and waved it at Kaminari.

"Oil me up?" she asked.

Kaminari smiled and crawled over to her side. He sat back on his heels, the ceramic hot on his knees. He plucked at the tie behind her back.

"On or off?" he asked.

"Off," she said, muffled between her arms. "Please."

It didn't take much more than a slight tug to loosen Mina's top. The oil squirted smooth from the bottle as Kaminari drew a squiggly line down Mina's back. She shivered from the temperature change and nestled tighter into the pillow of her arms.

Kaminari diligently rubbed the oil into bare pink skin. He slid between her shoulder blades, up the back of her exposed neck, over the strong musculature of her arms, down her legs. He even squeezed her thighs, dangerously close to being scandalous in such a public setting. Mina looked over her shoulder and lowered her sunglasses, giving him a look that was somewhere between a warning and a dare. He winked at her. He actually winked at her. Where everyone could see.

Mina crooked a finger and Kaminari complied.

The taste of SPH from her sunscreen lipstick was unpleasant but Kaminari would kiss her a thousand times over.

Just because he could.

“Go make sure Hanta hasn’t cripsed up yet?” she murmured against his mouth.

“Mmhmm,” Kaminari hummed blissfully.

He crawled over his deck chair to the occupant on the other side. Sero lay face up in the sun, his body a deflated mess. A bucket hat covered his face. He groaned from behind it, a constant sound that ebbed from his body, as if his very soul was escaping.

Sero did not handle hangovers well.

Without asking if he needed it, Kaminari went for the bottle of sunscreen. It farted as he squirted more than a dollop in his hand and went to work on Sero’s arms. He lathered it in to pale skin, making sure to get the dips inside his elbows and between his fingers. As he massaged Sero’s hands those pained groans took on a more pleased, laughing quality. Kaminari moved across Sero’s chest and they transformed into small little gasps. Kaminari addressed pale legs and by the time he got to rubbing Sero’s feet, he was groaning again, but a little too obscene for public ears. Hopefully the hat muffled it. But by Mina’s giggles, it didn’t.

Kaminari scooched up and lifted the hat off Sero’s face, keeping it tilted just so and blocking the sun with his own body. Sero wore a drunken lazy smile, blinking blearily up at Kaminari. Maintaining that eye contact, Kaminari squeezed out more lotion. He rubbed it into Sero’s face, across his forehead, down his nose. He framed Sero’s face between his hands, rubbing his thumbs into his cheeks, and leaned down to steal a languid lazy kiss.

Kaminari settled back into his pool deck chair, laying face first against the rubber slats. He took Mina’s hand on one side and Sero’s in the other.

And he hadn’t been happier.

____

The last night of the cruise was one final dinner, Kaminari’s dinner. It was a mama bear kind of restaurant. Sero’s had been super fancy, Mina’s was basically a club, Kaminari had a family friendly joint. There was a tablecloth draped over the table, but it was made of paper that they could draw on. Sero was currently rendering a dick.

Kaminari managed to look presentable. He had the same pair of painted on pants, but they looked more at home with the pink button down he borrowed from Mina and the pink paisley tie they had bought for Sero. Sero wore the suit coat Kaminari and Mina demanded he get and, after some semi-violent coaxing and half assed home tailoring, they managed to get the sleeved rolled up and over his elbows. Mina had found a flowing dress with a garish print, but she looked downright conservative in it.

After a week of adventure, they were exhausted. They sat at the table, quiet among themselves, half awake, but in a cloud of comfort. Mina leaned against her palm, holding Kaminari’s hand on top of the table. Her eyes blinked closed and she ran her thumb over his knuckles.

Kaminari looked from Mina to Sero, taking in their details. The curve of Mina’s cheek, the size of Sero’s hands, Mina’s eyelashes, Sero’s tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated. Kaminari smiled softly, grateful for what he was given.

“Am I your boyfriend?” he asked.

Mina’s eyes blinked open. Sero looked up. They didn’t immediately answer, the sounds of other diners around them conversing, utensils clinking on plates. Kaminari tightened his grip on Mina’s hand.

“What kind of stupid question is that?” Sero asked.

Mina kicked him under the table.

“Hanta,” she hissed.

“What!?” he said, rubbing his shin. “I mean. . . yeah?”

“So like.” Kaminari swallowed heavily. “We can go on dates and stuff? Do romantical things?”

Sero’s mouth hung open and his brows furrowed.

“We are literally on a cruise right now,” he whispered. “I took you on a cruise.”

Mina kicked him under the table again and he yelped. She turned in her seat, smiled at Kaminari, and wrapped both her hands around his. Her eyes were large and watery.

“Yes Denki,” she said with excitement. “Yes we can go on dates and kiss and be happy and all those wonderful things.”

“We can?” Kaminari said, bouncing in his seat.

“Yes yes we can!”

He leaned over and hugged her fiercely. His girlfriend, his girlfriend, hugged him back, just as fierce.

The waiter approached their table with their dinner to find a happy hugging pair and their boyfriend, rubbing his temples, questioning his life choices.

____

A crowd of sun burnt, exhausted, slumped over, hungover cruise passengers trudged down the gangplank and back into the real world. It was leaving another world, a fantasy left behind, waking up from a dream and having to pull a heavy body from a nice warm bed. Adding insult to injury, the sky was grey, heavy with rain laden clouds.

Kaminari leaned against Sero’s shoulder, his boyfriend’s arm draped around him. Mina walked close behind, bumping into their backs every so often. They were squeezed in like sardines and her constant glipping in and out of sleep wasn’t helping.

Apprehension pooled in Kaminari’s chest. He looked longingly up at the overcast sky. They walked from the floating city back into the real world, where hero work waited, where his apartment waited, where laundry waited. Where all the magical things that he’d run through would be left behind. He snuggled in closer to Sero, treasured Mina’s weight against his back, for just a few more minutes.

The further down the pier they walked, the more the crowd dispersed. It became easier to maneuver around and the excuse to be near his lovers disappeared. He shifted out from under Sero’s arm, careful to put a careful amount of distance between him and these two creatures he loved so dearly.

Sero, finally wise to Kaminari’s internal monologue, didn’t let him get too far. He clamped his arm back around Kaminari’s shoulders and yanked him flush against his body. On Kaminari’s other side, Mina immediately took the open room and looped her arm through Kaminari’s. She leaned her head against his shoulder and nuzzled into it, eyes closed and practically sleep walking.

“Dummy,” Sero muttered and pressed a kiss to his temple.

Kaminari took a moment to recover before slumping into their hold. A small smile played on his lips.

They stood at the taxi queue, waiting for an available cab, still leaning against one another. Sero yawned, a muted bear growl coming from his open maw. Mina prodded Kaminari’s side.

“Hey,” she muttered, half from a dream. “Are you going back to your apartment? Or are you coming home?”

Kaminari looked down at her, eyes wide.

Home.

Not ’home with us’ or their home but just home.

Home where Kaminari belonged.

He glanced over to Sero who quickly flitted his eyes away, pretending not to be as invested in Kaminari’s answer as he was. Kaminari smiled and settled into his boyfriend and girlfriend’s arms.

“What's one more day of dirty laundry,” he muttered.

They all piled into the back of a cab together and went home.