Disclaimer: I own very little.
A/N: This is an entry to the 30-dogpile challenge in LiveJournal, the theme being Curtains. Threesome. The theme brought into my mind an image, based on which this fic was written. The illustrated version of the fic can be found at LiveJournal under draconn-malfoy.
Kittens Do Not Make Everything Better
"He was supposed to be back from the library ten minutes ago."
"Eleven, actually," Renji corrected calmly, glancing at the clock. "I wonder what's keeping him."
Kaidoh hissed a bit. "Knowing him, he's just forgot he promised to come home at all," he snorted. "After all, we can't be as interesting as whatever he's researching now."
"Now, now," Renji said with a slight smile. "Let's at least give our dear Sadaharu some benefit of doubt, shan't we?" He drew the curtains aside for a bit, glancing outside. "It's raining quite hard. Let's hope he doesn't get wet out there and catch a cold."
"It would be just like him, really," Kaidoh pointed out. "Getting distracted by some 'ii data' and forgetting he even has an umbrella, never mind should use it."
"Well, it would still be better than you," Renji commented teasingly. "Or did you not give your umbrella to an abandoned puppy and get soaked yourself not so long ago, Kaoru?"
"Point, I guess." Kaidoh sat down on a couch, glancing at the clock once again. "Now, he's probably just missed a bus or something, but it would be nice if he at least called us to tell so."
Renji sat next to him, drawing the younger man closer. "No need to worry, Kaoru. It's most likely just as you say and he's missed the buss."
"I'm not worried," Kaidoh muttered, a slight flush on his face. Nevertheless, he leant closer to Renji, a tiny hiss escaping his lips. "It's just... Sadaharu's never late."
"Well, now he is," Renji said. "Calm down, Kaoru. Fifteen minutes is hardly that bad."
The fifteen minutes, however, stretched into twenty. As twenty-five minutes had passed after Inui's supposed arrival, Kaidoh finally lost his patience and drew his cell phone from his pocket. Dialling a number, he prepared himself to deliver an angry tirade about being late and making others worry.
A moment later he closed the phone, giving Renji a wild-eyed gaze. "The phone's closed or out of range," he said. "Something must have happened to him!"
"Surely it's no cause for concern," Renji said, although he, too, was starting to get quite restless. This was completely unlike Inui, he had to admit. Their lover was usually perfectly on time and made sure to always be available should they need him. Late and impossible to call -- what could have happened?
By the time they finally heard a knock on the door, Kaidoh was held in Renji's arms as the older man tried to calm him down despite his own ever-growing worry. As soon as his ears caught the sound, though, Kaidoh pried himself from the comforting hold, hurrying to the door. He practically threw it open, revealing the person behind it.
Inui was completely soaked, water dripping from his clothes and hair. He had a somewhat apologetic expression on his face. Just as Kaidoh was about to start yelling, he thrust forward something he was holding in his hands. "Here, Kaoru."
Kaidoh looked at the offered thing and blinked. Then, the worry-mixed-with-anger faded from his face, turning into a tiny smile. "Oh, the poor thing!" he said, carefully taking the soaked kitten into his hands as though it was something precious. "Whatever happened to her?"
"She's the reason I'm late, I'm afraid," Inui explained, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I missed the bus --" even with his attention diverted by the kitten, Kaidoh managed to exchange glances with Renji, "-- and decided to simply walk; it's not that long a way, after all. However, as I went past the river, I heard some meowing. The little one had somehow ended up in the water and I just had to save her."
"Did that take you so long?" Renji asked, raising an eyebrow. "And you're much more soaked than you would be from just rain, however hard it may be."
"Well..." Inui laughed uneasily. "As I was trying to get her, I fell down myself. It took me quite some time to get us both out of the river, especially with the rain. My cell phone also wouldn't work after the fall into the river, so I couldn't even call you."
"That sounds logical." Renji nodded. "You had us really worried, you know."
"I suspected as much," Inui said. "Could it be possible for you to forgive me, though? As you can see," he nodded towards the little kitten who had apparently became Kaidoh's best friend just now, "I had my reasons."
"We'll have to think about it," Renji said. "What do you think, Kaoru? Shall we forgive Sadaharu?"
"He's forgiven for being late," Kaidoh said, "and I guess he couldn't have called, what with the phone not working." Just as Inui was about to sigh in relief, however, he threw the bespectacled man a glare. "However, for getting all that water on the floor, he's sleeping on the couch tonight."
Inui sputtered. "But, I even brought you a kitten!"
"Which is the only reason I'm not making you go right back outside," Kaidoh replied. "Now, go and get yourself dry, and then do the same to the floor."
"Renji?" Inui pleaded his other lover. "Can't you talk some sense into him?"
Renji, however, shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he said calmly. "Kaoru just cleaned the house today. You know how he is about it." Without another comment, he, too, went to inspect the kitten, starting a conversation with Kaidoh about possible names for her.
Sometimes, Inui almost wished the two hadn't gotten along quite so well. Only almost, though.