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It’s an unspoken rule between them. They can fight day and night, they can bicker all they want, they can tease each other to the ends of the Earth. They can get a little rough during sex under the guise of hate-fucking sometimes. They can play hard to get.
But they never hurt each other.
They don’t hit below the belt or re-open real wounds. They don’t say anything genuinely cruel or remark on what they know to be real insecurities held by the other. When they need each other, they drop the act entirely. Joe is there for Cherry at every nightmare and panic attack. Cherry is there for Joe at every scraped knee and busted elbow.
But tonight, Joe had broken the rule. He’d broken it so bad and so terribly that Cherry had left with tears in his eyes and shaky breath, trying to hide his hiccups and suppressed sobs as he stormed out of the restaurant.
It takes a lot to make Cherry cry.
He bottles his anxiety until the cork pops and he isolates himself when he’s sad. He doesn’t cry at physical pain. Joe can recall the few times Cherry has cried in front of him, but all of those times, Joe had been comforting and consoling him. He’s never been the cause of Cherry’s tears in all the time they’ve known each other.
He’d just gotten so frustrated and he let all of it out on the wrong person entirely. He was furious at Adam. He was pissed at himself for encouraging Cherry to skate against him. He was annoyed that Cherry still cared so much about such an asshole even though he knows he’s fed into their beef with him just as much.
Joe loves Cherry more than anyone. All of their play fighting aside, no one makes him laugh and smile like Cherry does. No one’s a better listener.
His heart aches when he feels like Cherry is pushing him away and he’d gotten all mixed up in his head, sad and frustrated that Cherry was even giving Adam an ounce of thought after his injury (after everything). Then Cherry had the nerve to be sulky, whining about being lonely and Joe had snapped at him.
He’d been sharp and harsh and he’d hit far below the belt, sick and tired of hearing Cherry complain when all he does is push everyone away. Joe should have known him so much better than that, should have instantly recognized that all Cherry was doing was inviting Joe to come and be close with him, to say some cheesy line about keeping his bed warm and join him for the night. But after all that time spent with him in the hospital and in the restaurant lately, Joe’s pining had gotten the best of him. He’s been feeling more in love with Cherry than ever and hearing him suggest that he was lonely had stabbed him in the heart.
Joe hadn’t been fair. If he hadn’t been in a mood, he wouldn’t have misread Cherry’s tone. He would have recognized the playful banter. In his vulnerable state after the injury, Cherry had just been so genuine and loving lately that he thought… he thought maybe they really were more than friends who fuck.
The worst part isn’t even that he hurt Cherry. He feels sick knowing how cruel he must have sounded, but the worst part is that he’d scared him. Cherry had been so startled at his outburst, he dropped and shattered a wine glass, his face pale as a sheet and his eyes wide when Joe had yelled at him. He’d tried hard to keep a straight face and failed miserably, leaving with a hand pressed to his lips to keep his sobs inside, but tears had rolled down his cheeks before he turned away.
Joe doesn’t know where to begin to make this better. He hates when his anger gets the best of him, but it’s so much worse knowing he snapped on Cherry like that when he knows he’s already hurting. He only got out of the wheelchair the other day.
He knows better than to go running after him immediately. Cherry needs space to be alone and cry how he needs to and Joe won’t humiliate him further by witnessing a breakdown Cherry didn’t give him permission to see. He still texts him a long apology just to make sure Cherry knows that he’s well aware how bad he fucked up, but as expected, there isn’t a reply.
Joe gives him a day.
It’s a miserable day, running the restaurant knowing that a tall beautiful man with flowing pink hair won’t be walking through the front doors. He can’t text Cherry pictures of the new dessert he’s trying out or invite him over for a glass of wine.
But he gets to work as soon as closing’s done. He gets a basket from the back they used to use for decoration and starts to fill it. He puts in a bottle of Cherry’s favorite (and expensive) wine along with the special pink tinted glass he always uses for him then flips through his recipe book to pick out something he knows Cherry will love.
Joe has never been great with words. It’s part of why he works so well with Cherry usually, they both know how to read each other without saying so many things out loud. But his cooking has always been a sure fire way to express himself.
He slaves away perfecting Cherry’s favorite pasta dish — a lobster stuffed tortellini with black truffles (he can apologize to his budget later) which he finishes with a sakura flower on top as a garnish.
The expression Cherry had given him is haunting his thoughts, like a punch in the gut every time he remembers that hurt look in his eyes. All he wants is to see Cherry smile again, hear that contented sigh and happy little hum he makes when Joe cooks for him. They don’t have to have sex and Joe doesn’t have to spend the night. He just wants to know Cherry doesn’t despise him.
He makes fresh cannoli and dusts them with pink powdered sugar before carefully packaging the food in some of his fancier takeout containers and packing it into the basket.
Then it’s off to see Shadow.
“Wow, who’d you piss off?” Shadow says with raised eyebrows the moment Joe walks into the flower shop. Joe figures it must be obvious he’s “going through it” as Reki would say. He knows he looks a little disheveled and he certainly didn’t sleep a wink last night. “Kick some poor girl out of your bed too early.”
“Shut up,” Joe sighs, walking over to browse some of the larger bouquets. He needs something subtle, but still thoughtful.
“Who’s the unlucky lady?”
“It’s Kaoru.”
“...Come again?”
“We’re…. fighting,” Joe grimaces. “Or more like I was a total dick to him.”
“Aren’t you guys always dicks to each other?”
“Yeah, but that’s just us messing around, this was… I think I really hurt his feelings.” Joe’s shoulders slump as he looks over at Shadow, helpless. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to get here that won’t send the wrong message. He doesn’t want Cherry to think he’s just trying to crawl in his bed again, but he still wants to get something heartfelt. “What’s the best flower for begging forgiveness?”
“I didn’t know you guys had a soft side,” Shadow laughs a little and walks around the counter to assist him. “Forget anything pre-arranged and let's build something together. I mean actual cherry blossoms are obvious, but you should do something more thoughtful than that. White’s a good color to beg forgiveness unless you need something a little more… explicitly romantic?” Shadow wiggles his eyebrows and Joe slugs him in the arm. “Rude.”
“He likes lilies,” Joe blushes. “White is good. He likes gardenias too.”
“You really know everything about him, huh?” Shadow asks as he starts to walk around the displays, selecting white lilies and gardenias and starting to arrange them. “I assume you’re going all out?”
“Yeah, uh, give me the works I guess.”
Shadow nods in understanding and Joe leans against the counter as he watches him get to work. It’s funny seeing him like this, trying to reconcile the mild mannered florist with the punk skater in clown makeup that comes out on weekends.
Shadow builds a bouquet of large white flowers with one stalk of a plant Joe doesn’t recognize, covered in little pink blossoms for a pop of Cherry’s color in the middle. He ties it with a silk pink bow and hands it to Joe with a wink. “I think he’ll like this. He seems to prefer classy over flashy.”
Joe feels a flicker of hope as he turns the bouquet over in his hands, sort of admiring the real skill Shadow had put into it. Huh. “Yeah, it’s perfect for him. Thanks, man. What do I owe you?”
“Should come out to around 8,000 yen.”
Joe’s wallet is going to kill him.
He wishes he could have taken the bike, so he could maybe invite Cherry on a ride if they manage to make up tonight, but he loads the apology gifts carefully into the passenger seat and makes his way over to Cherry’s.
Cherry’s apartment is a bit of a sacred space. Of course Joe has seen it plenty, but they still frequent his own apartment more often. Cherry lives on a high floor with a view of the city, the lobby of his building lavish, and his apartment well decorated with plenty of his own art. When they spend time there, they’re usually being more of “themselves” while as their playful bickering and role playing is more present when they’re having a quick fuck or a drunk movie night at Joe’s.
The doorman recognizes Joe and lets him in with a bit of a knowing look, glancing at the basket and bouquet in his arms.
His heart pounds as he takes the elevator up to the fifteenth floor. The guilt is still weighing heavy on him and as much as he wants to ease his own shame, he mostly just wants Cherry to feel okay. He’d broken a sacred trust between them and he doesn’t know if he can forgive himself — even if Cherry does.
Cherry’s door is easily recognizable at the end of the hall, a black and purple digital panel built into the wall beside it.
Joe sighs. “Hi, Carla. Tell Kaoru that it’s Kojiro.”
“Master has given strict instructions to bar Nanjo Kojiro from entry.”
“Oh for the love of- Please?” Joe huffs. He’s pleading with a robot.
“You have thirty seconds to vacate the floor before downstairs security will be contacted. 30… 29… 28…”
“Oh, come on. Kaoru!” Joe calls out, knocking heavily on the door, but trying to keep the frustration out of his tone. He needs Cherry to know he’s here to apologize.
“24… 23… 22…”
Joe squints at the panel and tries knocking again, looking miserably at the peephole and praying that Cherry will come answer the door himself. “Kaoru, I came to apologize. Will you call off your robo-girlfriend? I feel terrible, I… I just want to talk to you.” He hears some shuffling behind the door.
“18… 17… Disarmed. Visitor screening will now reset.”
“What do you want?” Cherry opens the door so quick that Joe stumbles back a step.
Shit, Cherry clearly isn’t doing well, but he’s still breathtaking. His hair is gathered in a loose ponytail over his shoulder and he’s dressed in a silk robe that stops just above his knee as opposed to his more conservative yukata. It’s a dark purple that matches the various AI appliances around the apartment. He has his glasses on, but his eyes are tired. He hasn’t slept either.
“Can we talk?” Kojiro asks, holding the flowers out to him. “I was a huge asshole and I’m really sorry. Permission to grovel?”
Cherry blinks at the flowers, a light blush painting his cheeks as he reaches out and takes them. “These are… nice,” he says, a little surprised as he breathes in the scent. Still, his face is stern when he looks up again. “Why should I let you in? Come to bite my head off some more? I got a paper cut earlier, you can rub salt in that wound too if you like.”
“Kaoru, I’m sorry. Everything I said came out wrong, I was just… there’s things I need to tell you. I brought all of your favorites, you can eat and drink to your heart’s content if you’ll listen to me explain what a dumbass I am.”
“I already know how much of a dumbass you are,” Cherry says, but he steps back and cocks his head towards the living room. “If I tell you to leave, then leave.”
“I will. Promise.” Joe nearly breathes a sigh of relief and follows Cherry into the apartment, heading to the kitchen to take out the food and wine while Cherry puts Carla on alert again and clicks what sounds like four different locks on his door. His heart sinks. Cherry gets so paranoid when he’s anxious.
The countertop of Cherry’s bar is expensive white marble, so Joe lays out a cloth placemat for him and starts to arrange the food. Everything is still the perfect temperature since he’d used the good containers, so he takes two plates from Cherry’s cabinet and moves the pasta onto one — adjusting the garnish so it looks presentable — and puts the cannoli on another off to the side. He smiles when he sees Cherry approaching him and removes the wine bottle and glass from the basket as well, pouring him a little and setting the bottle within his reach.
“...You know you can’t always appease me just by feeding me,” Cherry says, but he’s already picking up a fork, his expression softer. “You didn’t really have to do all this.”
“Of course I did,” Joe shrugs. “I made you cry, I never-“
“We don’t have to talk about that part so much.”
“I never meant to yell at you like that.”
“Then why did you?” Cherry’s voice sounds genuinely hurt again, his eyes staring down at the plate away from Joe. “I was just… I was just messing with you, I wanted you to come over.” He nearly whispers the admission. “I thought we would… I thought maybe you’d be able to help me get some sleep. The soreness from the injuries has been keeping me up, but all of a sudden you were screaming at me.”
If Joe could adequately slap himself, he would. Not only had Cherry been only teasing, but he had actually needed Joe that night. He needed him and Joe had sent him running out of his restaurant crying. He can’t hold anything back now, Cherry deserves an explanation and that means giving him the whole truth.
“I was jealous,” Joe admits, forcing himself not to look away when Cherry looks up at him. “I’d been forcing it down because you were hurt and I was just worried sick about you, but all of this just… I hated that you still gave Adam the time of day, that you cared so much about beating him and racing him, it just sent me back to our high school days. I watched you push yourself so hard trying to get his attention only to end up hurting yourself and I felt like I was watching that happen all over again.” He can feel himself blushing furiously, but there’s not really any going back now. “But I was happy in a weird way because I was… getting to take care of you. I liked you relying on me and spending all that time with you while you recovered and when you were complaining about being lonely, in the moment I guess I just thought you were… maybe dismissing all the time we had just spent together.”
Kaoru stares at him in silence, a little confused, but blushing just as hard. “Kojiro, I didn’t know you felt like that… I was worried about what a burden I was being needing you so much. I don’t really give a shit about Adam, I wanted to beat him to show you I was over him if anything, but I guess that kind of backfired.” Cherry leans his head on his fist and looks up at Joe, his brow furrowed in concern — the look he gets when the kids are doing something too risky or Reki’s sulking around depressed.
“You don’t have to prove anything to me, Kaoru. I was just being a possessive hothead and-“
“No you weren’t,” Cherry says with an odd certainty, placing his fork back down and sliding off the bar stool to walk around to Joe. He reaches up like he’s about to check his forehead for a fever, but brushes Joe’s hair back instead, his fingers delicate as they stroke it soothingly out of Joe’s face. They’ve always joked that Joe is like a puppy dog sometimes. He loves when Cherry pets his hair. “Why do you care if I’m still hung up on anyone?”
“Um.” Joe clears his throat awkwardly. “I just, um, don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“And that’s the only reason?” Cherry raises one eyebrow in skepticism.
“You’re gonna kill me,” Joe sighs, his eyes fluttering shut when Cherry’s hand falls to his cheek. He has to take a deep breath just to work up the nerve. “I… love you. I love you a lot and I just wanted you to feel the same way and that was selfish and-“
“Kojiro,” Cherry murmurs, his eyes full of concern and understanding as he wraps his arms around Joe’s shoulders and hugs him tight. “Of course I feel the same way. I thought you just didn’t want anything to be serious and I liked what we had too much to risk messing it up. I didn’t think you felt like that.”
“I thought you didn’t want anything serious and I didn’t want to risk it.” Joe rolls his eyes hard at himself. “We can’t be this dumb, Kaoru. We’re worse than the kids.”
“I mean, you always had casual sex with other people, I thought…” Cherry’s eyes drift away and Joe leans in to kiss the center of his forehead, pulling his attention back.
“It was only sex and only because I didn’t want a relationship with anyone except you and I thought you didn’t want that. I’ve always only wanted you.”
“Was I the oblivious one this whole time?” Cherry blinks. “I mean…”
“Kaoru, I don’t keep my restaurant open after hours and make special meals for every single dude I know. I practically opened that place because I like feeding you so much.”
Cherry actually laughs a little, his hands still locked together behind Joe’s neck. “So you had a temper tantrum instead of just telling me you loved me, huh?”
“...Possibly.”
“Such a gorilla.” Cherry shakes his head. “What am I going to do with you?”
Joe smiles, relieved to hear the playful tone back in Cherry’s voice. His heart is fluttering, his chest warm with affection. He can’t believe what a moron he is — and how oblivious Cherry is too. “Eat my food. You look like you haven’t had a bite all day.”
“I was a little lost without my personal chef,” Cherry says, pressing a sweet kiss to Joe’s cheek before pulling away to take his seat at the island counter again. He takes a few bites of the pasta and lets out a quiet moan, eyes shutting as he savors it then chases the bite with a sip of wine. “You do know how to make me forgive you, God, Kojiro.” His eyes flick over to the bouquet. “Put those in water for me. I… I like them.”
“Shadow helped a bit, so I can’t take all the credit.” Joe opens the cabinet under the kitchen sink to fetch a vase and fills it with water.
“You went to Shadow for this?”
“I wanted to make sure I got something special. He gave me plenty of shit for it though.”
“Hm. As he should.”
“Rude.” Joe places the flowers in the vase and sets them on the counter by Cherry for decoration.
Cherry groans around the food again, even rolling his eyes back a bit. He hates how erotic Cherry can make even eating look without trying. “You’re so stupid. I’ve been in love with you since the first time you cooked for me.”
“...In high school?” It had been after Adam, but still. Joe is surprised.
“Mhm.” Cherry nods and puts his elbows on the counter, allowing his robe to slip a little down one shoulder. “Don’t think I’m going to stop making fun of you just because you got me to admit it though.”
“Where do we go from here?”
Cherry holds up a finger to tell him to wait and shovels a few more mouthfuls of pasta in, draining the rest of the wine glass before sighing in content and rising from the bar stool. “I’m finishing that when we’re done, but right now, you’re coming to my room.”
“Yeah?” Joe grins, enjoying the playful smirk on Cherry’s lips as he turns and beckons him to follow. His heart is pounding at the prospect of slipping that robe off of Cherry’s shoulders. He knows he has nothing on underneath and with everything out in the open, maybe they can really make love this time — not just fuck. He wants to kiss Cherry until his lips are sore, whisper all the corny things in his ear he wants to say just to watch him get flustered and embarrassed.
It doesn’t even feel like all that much has changed. Cherry is still Cherry. But now they can be honest about everything they feel for each other.
“You can’t manhandle me too much, I’m still recovering,” Cherry smiles when he pulls Joe into the bedroom, nudging the door shut and locking it behind them even though they're home alone.
Cherry’s room can give Joe a bit of a headache sometimes — everything is pink and white and incense is always burning, but he loves it because it’s just so Cherry.
“I can be gentle,” Joe laughs, taking Cherry by the waist and kissing him for the first time since he arrived, melting in relief when Cherry opens his mouth to his tongue. He kisses him slowly, deeply, humming pleasantly against him as he hikes up the skirt of that silk robe and smooths his hands down over Cherry’s ass. He loves hearing his breath hitch when he squeezes it, adores feeling Cherry press closer to him. “Come here,” he whispers, kissing Cherry on the side of his nose before bending down to lock his arms around his thighs and lift him.
“Hey!” Cherry yelps, but he’s practically giggling as Joe presses him up against the wall, Cherry’s legs and arms wrapping around Joe for stability, but he isn’t having to hold any of his own weight.
“Does this hurt you?” Joe asks sincerely, nuzzling his nose against Cherry’s jaw. The ‘manhandling’ had made Cherry’s robe slip further, the silk now falling down off of both shoulders to expose his chest.
“No.” Cherry shakes his head and pushes his hand up from the back of his neck into Joe’s hair as he leans in close. “But warn me when you want to play King Kong, will you?”
“You know I can’t help myself around you.” Joe tilts his head and dives into Cherry’s neck, lavishing it in hot kisses and love marks he sucks onto the pale skin — always quick to soothe them with his tongue after. Cherry is more vocal than usual, whining as he tips his head back against the wall, his hips squirming a little in Joe’s grip.
“Do you know how long I’m going to have to spend on makeup to cover those?” Cherry pants, but he’s keening into the touch. “Don’t you dare stop.”
Joe bites at his collar with a low groan and licks all the way back up to his ear, nibbling on that too just to hear Cherry gasp.
“What does this make us now?” Cherry breathes, his face beautifully flushed as he leans into Joe’s every touch. “I don’t want everyone we know in our business, but…”
“How’s boyfriend to start?” Joe nuzzles their noses together and tries to suppress the downright dorky grin that’s spreading on his face. “You know, I clean up nice. Wouldn't it be nice to have a date on your arm at all your fancy art galas?”
“Only if you can behave.” Cherry smiles back at him, leaning in again to press a sweet and affectionate kiss to the corner of Joe’s mouth. “I might be partial to putting you on display.”
“Ever the exhibitionist aren’t you?”
“Well what good is being exclusive with a six foot two professional chef if I can’t show him off?”
Joe’s heart skips a quick beat at that one. He didn’t know Cherry actually considered him and his restaurant to be a point of pride. He brags all the time about Cherry’s art. Does Cherry do that about him too with his food? “I should have told you how I felt years ago, huh?”
“I probably should have too.” Cherry says with another kiss, sweet and gentle on the mouth, like kissing a cloud. “Now put me on the bed, we’re not seventeen anymore.”
“Getting senile on me already?” Joe carries him easily from the wall to the bed, lying him down gently (though it’s much funnier to toss him) and taking a moment to discard his shirt before crawling over him. “Tonight’s gonna be different, you know.”
“Oh?” Cherry raises an eyebrow and Joe reaches out to take his glasses off for him, placing them safely on the nightstand before kissing each of the hickies he’d just left on Cherry’s neck.
“I’ve fucked you plenty of times before,” Joe says, casually untying the sash at Cherry’s waist and opening the robe down to his navel. God, he looks beautiful spread out underneath him like this. No matter how many times he sees it, it’s always as exciting as the first time. Cherry blushes all the way down to his chest, his skin patchy and pink, his nipples hard and perky just begging to be sucked on. Looking down at him, Joe can see the shallowness of his breathing, the slutty way Cherry’s mouth parts as he looks up at him with dark eyes. “But I’ve never gotten to make love to you.”
“That’s so…” Cherry blushes furiously and looks away. “That’s so cheesy. I hate how much I love you.”
“I hate how much I love you too,” Joe teases before making his way down. He leaves a trail of kisses down Cherry’s juggulse to his collar, then down to his chest. Cherry is always so sensitive here. He often gets embarrassed and pushes Jos away, but not tonight. “I want to make you feel so good, Kaoru.” He looks up just to see the desire in Cherry’s eyes before he drags his tongue teasingly around one of his nipples, licking it gently to feel it pebble in excitement.
“K-Kojiro,” Cherry gasps, biting his lip when Joe sucks it into his mouth, nibbling gently and playing with the sensitive bud in his mouth. Cherry’s cock slips free from the robe, hard enough to expose itself on its own and Joe is quick to reward his arousal.
He takes Cherry in his hand and pumps him slowly, letting him grow to full hardness in his grip as he moves to the other nipple and makes sure to give it just as much attention as the first.
“Kojiro,” Cherry sighs this time, propping himself up on his elbows and letting his head rip back. “God, that feels good.” He pushes his hips up a little to meet with Joe’s fist. “I fucking love when you use your mouth there.”
“You usually get all flustered and make me stop,” Joe grins when he pops off, pressing a kiss right over Cherry’s heart. “I love it when you let me give you what you really want. There’s no reason to hide anything, l know we mess around, but you’re safe with me, Kaoru. Always.” He reaches up and gently removes the ribbon from Cherry’s hair, letting it fall loose over his shoulders. “You got that?”
Cherry parts his lips as if to say something snarky but stops, looking at Joe with big genuine eyes instead. It’s a rare expression on him. “Yeah… I won’t fight it.”
“Still tell me to stop if you really don’t like something though, okay? I just don’t want you to hold back.” Joe kisses the center of his chest and starts to make his way downward again. He kisses down Cherry’s taut stomach and pulls the robe fully open, the fabric out of his way as he looks up at him and starts to mouth over his cock.
Cherry’s whole body shivers.
“You’re not usually this hard during just foreplay,” Joe hums, holding Cherry’s cock steady in his hand as he licks a stripe up the underside. If there’s anything he loves to do to Cherry in bed, it’s everything, but it’s especially giving him head. He’s always immaculate — waxed smooth and big enough to give Joe plenty to play with, but small enough that everything is adorable in proportion. Joe knows exactly how he likes it too.
“Kojiro,” Cherry sighs, his legs folding up by Joe’s head and his hands sneaking down into his hair. “Don’t tease me.”
“But it’s so fun.” Joe says, dragging his tongue around the tip to lick up the wetness Cherry’s already leaking. “You’re so pretty like this.”
“I’ll be a lot prettier when you’re fucking me.”
“I’m taking my time with you tonight.” Joe smooths one hand up Cherry’s thigh and takes him properly in his mouth, suckling lightly at the head and looking up through his lashes to watch Cherry’s face.
He’s aching in his jeans at the sight. Cherry blushing high on his cheeks and biting his lip. Joe can see where he chews on it a little bit, always going to play with the phantom of a lip piercing when he gets a little squirmy.
“Ohh,” Cherry groans when Joe sinks further down, swallowing around him and sucking slowly, drawing the pleasure out of him instead of trying to just work him up quickly. Cherry’s hand tugs a little at his hair and Joe relishes the feeling, knowing he’s silently begging for more.
Joe moans around him too, assuring Cherry that he loves what he’s doing. Whenever he tries to worship him or do something especially indulgent in bed, Cherry clams up often, telling Joe he ‘doesn’t have to do all that for him.’ But Joe wants to. He wants to suck Cherry’s cock until his toes curl then lick him open until he’s pleading to be satisfied. He wants to kiss every inch of silky smooth skin, wait until Cherry is practically begging for it to finally fuck him. It’s a little uncomfortable neglecting his own cock for so long, but more than worth it to see the soft desperate side of his lover that emerges when Joe gets to take his time.
“That’s so good,” Cherry breathes, his back arching a little as Joe hums around him. “Oh, Kojiro, fuck, you haven’t done it like this before.”
It’s true. Most of the time giving Cherry a blow job is a means to an end and Joe had been too shy to do it like he really wanted to — slow and reverent like there isn’t anything sweeter in the world than having Cherry in his mouth and on his tongue.
He savors it, bobbing his head slowly and swallowing around him, tonguing his slit and suckling on the sensitive tip just to hear Cherry’s breath hitch. He pulls off and journeys further down, kissing over his sac and appreciating the gasp of shock it elicits. He licks over them and suckles again on the insides of his thighs. “Turn over for me.”
For the first time in his life, Cherry does what Joe says without argument. He flips quickly over onto his stomach, hiding his face in the pillow as he spreads his legs and raises his hips a little. Joe’s heart pounds at the realization that Cherry really wants this. He thought he’d be too shy for this act or that he would need a lot of coaxing, but he’s staring right at where Cherry’s cock is hanging heavy between his legs, the way he’s spreading himself for him.
“Kaoru,” Joe groans, using one hand to spread him open before leaning in to lap at the sensitive pink hole.
Kaoru sobs almost instantly, keening back against the touch of Joe’s tongue. Huh. Joe makes a mental note to remember that this is the way to make Cherry fall apart.
Joe indulges him gently, kissing over his perineum and tracing his rim with his tongue, relishing in the helpless little whimpers Cherry can’t seem to help letting out. Now that he thinks about it, he thinks Cherry likes being a little bit embarrassed. Hm.
“Fuck, Kojiro, I thought about this so fucking much,” Cherry moans, his back bowing in a deep arch before he seems to realize what he’s said out loud and goes tense.
“Did you really?” Joe blinks, reaching around to give Cherry’s cock a few merciful strokes to make up for taking his tongue away.
“Shut up, forget you heard that and go back to what you were doing,” Cherry whines, hiding his face in his folded arms.
“I thought about you all the time,” Joe offers as consolation, bending down and giving Cherry a little more attention with his tongue just to put him at ease.
“Fuck, I just… I wanted you so bad, but I fucked things up by letting Adam get in my head and then I thought you’d moved on.” Cherry’s voice is a little wobbly and Joe gets the feeling it’s more from emotion than pleasure. “But I never stopped thinking about this, e-even with the casual sex, I never thought it’d feel like…”
Joe takes Cherry by the waist and gently rolls him onto his back again, slotting himself into Cherry’s side and kissing him with all the love and sweetness he wants so badly to share with him. He thought Cherry might outright slap him for kissing after what they were just doing, but instead, Cherry’s hands come up to hold Joe’s face, thumbs caressing his cheeks.
“You didn’t fuck up anything,” Joe murmurs, nuzzling their noses together as he slides his hand back down to touch Cherry, giving him slow soothing strokes of his cock that he knows help him relax when he tenses up in bed. “We were dumb kids. I was the one who chickened out of telling you how I really felt.”
“When did you know?” Cherry asks, his voice low and breathy as he rolls his hips slowly against Joe’s fist.
“The first time we raced.” Joe grins and presses a kiss to the side of Cherry’s nose, then the corner of his mouth. “When we tied and kept arguing over who won until you backed up a step and tripped on your board.” He chuckles and noses along Cherry’s jaw, stopping to tease the tip of his cock, thumbing the slit and spreading the wetness around in sweet circles that make Cherry sigh. “Then I was laughing so hard at you that when I reached out to help you up, you yanked me down on top of you.”
“Oh yeah.” Cherry snorts, wrapping his arms around Joe’s shoulders and laughing with that sweet dorky laugh Joe fell in love with in the first place. He loves Cherry’s laugh, the way his collected composure just falls to pieces, his dumb little snorts and the sweet sound of his voice when he’s happy. “That was good. I really got you.”
“How ‘bout you, huh?” Joe ducks his head and sucks on Cherry’s neck until his laugh fades into a moan. “What did you in?”
“When Adam broke my dumbass heart,” Cherry sighs, tipping his head back to urge Joe on. His neck is so sensitive, Joe loves to lavish it with attention. “I was crying my eyes out about not being good enough and you just…” He stops and pushes his hand into Joe’s hair, stroking it affectionately as he lets out another soft groan, his skin warm to the touch as Joe gently pleasures him. “You held me for a really long time and you didn’t make fun of me or anything, you just…” Cherry whines when Joe nips at a hickey he’d already left. “Fuck, Kojiro, you just took me home and you cooked for me for the first time. We fell asleep in your bed and you weren’t wearing anything but your stupid dorky underwear and I loved you so fucking much.”
“Kaoru,” Joe breathes, his heart swelling with affection as he lifts his head and kisses Cherry again properly, cradling him close as he licks into his mouth and hums happily against him. He remembers that night vividly. He had been so in love with Cherry, it had hurt, but it’s one of their most precious memories together, something that cemented their friendship into something lifelong. His heart almost aches with how much he cares for this man in his arms — this sweet gentle man who acts so cold and calm, always masking the kind and anxious boy beneath.
“I need you inside,” Cherry gasps, bucking his hips up a little. “Now.”
Hearing Cherry plead makes something stir inside of Joe he didn’t even know was there, his heart thumping and his cock throbbing. Jesus, why are his pants still on? He smacks a kiss to Cherry's cheek and rolls out of bed to quickly finish undressing before digging for the lube in the bedside drawer. The only tube he finds is strawberry flavored.
“Shut up, I like it,” Cherry says as he finally slides his arms out of the robe and tosses it away. When he lays back on the bed, Joe thinks his knees might go out from under him.
Cherry is a sight to behold. His hair is spread out around him, messy from Joe running his hands through it. He’s blushing all the way down to his chest, nipples hard and excited, his cock begging for attention as it rests heavy against a taut stomach. Joe wants to worship and devour him all at once.
When he crawls back to bed, it’s with slick fingers, sneaking his hand between Cherry’s legs to work him open as they kiss and kiss and kiss. They’ve never kissed so much before. In fact, it was something they usually avoided during sex unless they were drunk or one of them had a really bad day. But now, their tongues slide together like it’s the most natural thing in the world, Joe reveling in how Cherry’s delicate fingers run through his hair. Cherry is hot and tight around his fingers, the tense ring of muscle giving way to him much more easily than usual as Cherry moans and whines into his mouth. Joe is an expert in the field of Cherry’s body. He knows exactly where that little sweet spot is and exactly how to abuse it. Besides, Cherry can almost never come untouched, so he can work him up endlessly like this without things ending too early.
“Kojiro,” Cherry sobs, breaking the kiss as he wraps his arms right around Joe’s shoulders and bucks against him. “I’m ready, please, please, just fuck me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, I-“
“Kojiro, please,” Cherry begs, pressing their foreheads together so his breath is hot and heavy against Joe’s lips. He smells like the wine he’d been drinking and his fingernails dig desperately into Joe’s shoulders. Has Joe ever heard him beg like this for anything? “I need it.”
“I’m gonna give it to you, baby,” Joe murmurs, the pet name rolling right off his tongue even if he’s never called Cherry anything remotely similar in the past. He half expects Cherry to slap him, but instead finds his eyes dark and full of desire, his blush deepening. “You like that?”
Cherry nods wordlessly, eyes wide and fixated on him as Joe gently removes his fingers and quickly slicks himself up. He pours a little extra into his hand and spreads it between Cherry’s legs, wanting to be extra careful about hurting him so soon after his injuries. When he settles over him and lined himself up, Cherry is giving him that look still — a mix of shock and absolute unfettered want. Joe knows he’s stumbled upon something special if it managed to render Cherry speechless.
“Hold onto me, baby,” he whispers with caution as he begins to carefully shift his hips forward, but Cherry responds by tightening his arms around him and squeezing. Baby. He can really call Cherry that now? God, it’s like a dream come true. After all this time, his best friend, the most important person in the world to him, Cherry, is all his. Cherry is his baby. Joe’s never going to let him go.
“Oh, Kojiro,” Cherry chokes out in a quiet little gasp, hiding his face in the crook of Joe’s neck. “More. You can give it to me, I promise it doesn’t hurt.”
Still apprehensive, Joe keeps things slow, but starts to gently rock his hips, nudging himself a little further inside each time their bodies come together until he finds himself fully sheathed in the hypnotic warmth of the man in his arms, as physically close as he can possibly be with him.
“Fuck me,” Cherry pants, pressing soft kisses with parted lips over Joe’s cheeks and jaw, the corners of his mouth. “Fuck me like I’m yours, Kojiro.”
Joe’s heart gives a powerful thud and he couldn’t honestly hold back if he tried, bracing himself against the expensive headboard of the bed and quickly transitioning to fuck Cherry in earnest. “You are mine,” he groans, quickly adding that phrase to the list of things he thought Cherry would smack him over the head for saying, but apparently seem to turn him on now.
“Fuck, fuck, yes, I’m yours!” Cherry cries, his back arching up off the bed as he wraps his legs around Joe’s hips, keeping himself connected to take the hard thrusts without being nudged further up the bed. He’s clinging to Joe with every limb. “Fuck me, fuck, you fucking idiot you should’ve told me sooner you fucking loved me.”
“You,” Joe punctuates the statement with a snap of his hips that makes Cherry gasp, “should have told me sooner, you dummy.”
“Being in love with you takes a toll on my intellect sometimes,” Cherry groans, throwing his head back against the pillows.
Joe stops and grinds hard against him, watching as Cherry’s easy teasing melts into a soft whimper of pleasure. God, he can’t resist him in the slightest. “Well if I’m so stupid,” Joe nips at his neck, “and you’re in love with me,” he nibbles on Cherry’s ear, “then who’s the real idiot in the situation?”
“You, you stupid handsome fucking gorilla, now fuck me harder,” Cherry yanks Joe down into a kiss that steals the breath from his lungs and the pace picks up between them again.
God, Cherry’s been recovering for some time now, Joe forgot how downright athletic he can be when he wants to. Skating is one thing, but in bed? Cherry’s legs drive him downward harder on each thrust, pushing their bodies together as Cherry effortlessly rolls his own hips down to meet with Joe at every turn. It’s fast and deep and so fucking good. Cherry’s technically still injured and not even breaking a sweat as his thighs press hard into Joe’s hips and he sucks Joe’s lower lip into his mouth.
Joe slides an arm around Cherry’s waist to support him, the headboard he’s gripping knocking hard against the wall as he fucks into Cherry again and again. Once he finds the angle that makes Cherry wail, he zeroes in, only setting a punishing pace because he knows Cherry can take it now as the bed freaks underneath them. It’s an expensive fucking bed, so Joe knows they’re really going at it if he can feel the thing rocking underneath them.
“So,” Cherry gasps, “fucking,” another whimper that trails into his final word, “good!”
“Gonna make you come so hard, baby,” Joe growls, licking a long stripe up Cherry’s neck and nipping at the hickies already blossoming. Cherry is so tight around him, practically sucking him in, but it’s the sounds he’s making that are driving Joe wild. He suspects this was something Cherry was saving, a side of himself tucked away in the bedroom only to be shown to someone he really loves. Joe gets to be that person now. “I can’t control myself with you,” he pants as he unwinds his arm from around Cherry’s waist and slides his hand between their bodies.
Cherry’s made an absolute wreck of himself, whimpering and keening up towards the touch when Joe gets his fist around his cock. He’s wet and slick with his own pre-come, making it easy for Joe to jerk him off in easy tandem with their fast fucking. It’s like they’re on a different plane this time around, all boundaries thinned, all barriers weakened as Joe gives Cherry what he needs and Cherry takes what he wants.
“You take me so good,” Joe breathes, nudging Cherry closer to the edge with each passing second. “No one has ever been as good as you. No one, Kaoru.”
“Anyone else has always disappointed me,” Cherry lets out a breathy laugh, his head tipping back with pleasure. “Fuuuck, but you never fucking…” he stops and trembles hard, squirming with the onslaught of stimulation as Joe works him up closer and closer to climax. His voice is nearly a whisper when he finishes. “You never hold out on me.”
“No one else knows what a needy brat you can be,” Joe laughs too, nuzzling their noses together. “I love the way you are with me. I love that you always want more.”
“I love that you fucking give it to me,” Cherry’s eyes roll back a bit as his thighs twitch and his toes curl. “Kojiro, fuck… I…” He shivers hard and clings tighter to Joe. “I-I’m gonna come, don’t stop, please, please, please!”
Joe doesn’t. He maintains the pace despite the ache starting to build in his abs, despite his own need to just drive in as deep as possible and fucking come. He feels Cherry’s whole body going tense around him, his breath hitching, his whines growing louder and more desperate until his hips buck and he comes with a sob.
Cherry’s always been talkative during orgasm and this time is no different. He babbles a mixture of Joe’s name and every swear word in the book as he comes in warm ribbons between them, his face beautifully flushed. Joe can’t handle the chanting of his name, holding off just long enough to ensure he’s given Cherry everything he needs before he buries himself and comes with a long groan against Cherry’s neck. He feels it in his whole body, barely having the wherewithal not to let his body weight fall onto Cherry beneath him.
When he comes to, he can feel the rise and fall of Cherry’s chest beneath his cheek and looks up with the intent of kissing him at least a dozen more times when he spots the tears in Cherry’s eyes. “Kaoru?” He frowns. “Shit, I knew I was being too rough with you, why didn’t you say something? Tell me what hurts, I’ll get some ice.” He carefully removes himself and makes to get out of bed when Cherry throws his arms back around his neck and yanks him back down.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere right now you big idiot,” Cherry gives a sniffly laugh as he hugs Joe tight to his chest. “You’re so dumb.”
“I’m the dumb one? We just fucked and you’re crying!” Joe pouts as he looks up at him. “What’s the deal?”
“The deal is I’m fucking in love with you.” Cherry flicks the center of Joe’s forehead and then apologizes with a kiss to the same spot. “I’m happy. I’m crying because I’m happy, are you satisfied?”
“But I said I wasn’t gonna make you cry anymore.” Joe smiles as he leans up to kiss Cherry’s cheek, reaching up to brush away the wetness at the corners of his eyes. “You’ve never talked like that before in bed with me. I liked it.”
“Well, if you get to hear me spill my guts about all my feelings, it’s less mortifying to let you hear me act like a whore.” Cherry runs a hand through Joe’s hair and scratches his scalp affectionately. “You really had Shadow make a bouquet for me?”
“Well I picked it out with him, but… yeah. I felt bad.” Joe nuzzles his head into Cherry’s neck and breathes in the soothing scent of his perfume. He smells like gardenias too. “I’m really sorry I scared you. I know yelling is…”
“It’s okay.” Cherry cuts him off and strokes one hand down Joe’s back, the touch light and soothing against his skin. Joe melts right into him. “You’ve known me for years and I can count on one hand the amount of times you’ve raised your voice at me. I’m not gonna hold it against you forever to slip up now and then.”
“Still.” Joe grimaces. “I hate that I made you cry.”
“Well, I think you more than made up for it just now.” Cherry laughs and stretches over to grab his glasses, putting them back on before kissing the top of Joe’s head and giving him a little squeeze that signals it's time to get up. “Come shower with me.”
“...For real?” Joe raises his eyebrows, almost afraid to believe what he just heard. Cherry’s showers and lengthy bubble baths are sacred. If Joe is allowed in, it’s to hand him a glass of champagne in the tub or fetch him Carla’s waterproof speaker, so he can listen to music.
“Don’t look like I’ve been barring you from paradise all this time, it’s just a shower.”
“Yeah, but you’ve never let me before.” Joe grins and leans up to give Cherry a meek kiss on his lips before pulling away and offering Cherry his hand. “Come on. I’ll massage all the knots out of your back.”
“And heat the food up for me when you’re done?” Cherry bats his lashes and Joe rolls his eyes, tugging him up and sealing his lips with another kiss. Instead of playfully pushing him away like usual, Cherry leans up into it, nuzzling their noses together a moment before pulling away. “No telling the kids we’re dating yet. They’re going to have a field day.”
“That was this is?” Joe grins, his hands taking hold of Cherry’s slender waist and squeezing. Cherry lets him. “Dating?”
“Well you don’t get to just confess and call me your boyfriend.” Cherry prods the middle of his chest and pulls out of his grip to step past him, beckoning with one finger for Joe to follow him into the adjoining bathroom. “You have to earn it.”
“Lifetime of free wine and pasta not enough?”
“It helps.” Cherry sits on the side of the enormous jacuzzi tub and reaches over to turn the hot water on, running a hand through his hair and shaking it out. He looks like a damn mermaid. When he flicks it over his shoulder and turns to look at him, Joe thinks his heart is going to melt inside of his chest. “Come take a bath with me. I’m a little sorer than I thought I’d be.”
“I told you so,” Joe chuckles, walking up and kissing the top of his head just because he can. Looking at him like this, so easily naked and poised, a beauty even with the sheen of sweat and the mess on his skin from their lovemaking. Joe can’t believe he gets to see him like this — himself when no one’s around but the two of them. “Ha,” he teases as he reaches out to muss up Cherry’s hair again. “You love me.”
“Unfortunately.”
Joe shrugs his shoulders and glances to the AI panel above the bath. “Carla, remind Kaoru that he loves me. Set the reminder for once an hour.”
“Cancel command, Carla.”